Derek Varnadore has known since late June that he’d be passing up a start to his professional baseball career for one more year at Auburn.

But the news didn’t become official until the deadline for signing draft picks passed Tuesday night.

Varnadore, the Tigers’ ace last season, will be toeing the rubber for Auburn this year.

“It was kind of a bummer, because I didn’t expect my draft experience to last just a couple of weeks,” Varnadore said. “But I get to come back to Auburn and, hopefully, put me in a better position next year.”

The 6-foot-4 righty came to Auburn from Chattahoochee Valley Community College last season and posted a 6-3 record with a 3.68 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 88 innings.

The Florida Marlins chose him with the 523rd pick in the 17th round of the MLB Draft on June 7.

Varnadore said the Marlins came with a final offer a couple of weeks after the draft that didn’t approach the figure he was looking for, and that made the choice simple.

The pitcher is the only one of the Tigers’ three drafted underclassmen to opt for a return to Auburn.

Third baseman Dan Gamache — a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates — signed shortly after the draft and 11th-round San Diego Padres pick shortstop Casey McElroy signed in early August.

Varnadore said he talked with former Tigers and current Marlins farmhands catcher Tony Caldwell and pitcher Grant Dayton throughout the negotiation process to get a feel for what it was like in the organization.

He also said head coach John Pawlowski and Scott Foxhall were good guides.

“(Pawlowski) wanted me to do what was best for me,” Varnadore said. “He was a lot of help throughout the negotiations.”

Auburn had four of its 2011 signees taken in the June draft, with only one — Slocomb High pitcher Clay Holmes — choosing to start his professional career.

Holmes, a ninth-round pick of the Pirates, agreed to a deal with a $1.2 million signing bonus Monday.

Varnadore already has his sights set on next season.

“I want to make it to the postseason, and not just the (SEC) tournament,” Varnadore said. “We don’t want to be just .500. We have a long way to go, and this is where it starts.”