It took one of the most successful seasons in program history to bring back the crowds Auburn envisioned when it revamped Plainsman Park 15 years ago.

Bringing them back through the early part of 2011 shouldn’t be hard. Keeping them there after potentially losing one-third of this season’s contributing players will be tougher.

Just one day after the Tigers’ season came to a close against Clemson, coach John Pawlowski saw his roster gutted round by round in the MLB Draft.

A SEC-record 11 Tigers heard their name called this past week and the majority are likely to sign, leaving Pawlowski with a potential rebuilding project that rivals, or perhaps surpasses, what he faced as a new coach two years ago.

Two of Auburn’s draftees, senior closer Austin Hubbard and catcher Ryan Jenkins, are guaranteed departures. Junior sluggers Hunter Morris and Trent Mummey, both of whom were selected in the fourth round, are near-locks to sign and end their Auburn careers.

Losing those four, alone, would prompt tempered expectations for the reigning SEC West champions. Factor in the potential departures of LHP Cole Nelson (10th round), LHP Grant Dayton (11th round), LF Brian Fletcher (18th round), DH Kevin Patterson (23rd round), RHP Bradley Hendrix (30th round), OF Justin Fradejas (35th round) and RHP Stephen Kohlscheen, and it’s by no means skeptical to consider a return trip to the SEC Tournament in 2011 as a major achievement.

This time, though, the Tigers will have big-game experience, something they lacked in both this year’s SEC Tournament and NCAA Regional.

“This year gave us all a lot of hope,” sophomore shortstop Casey McElroy said. “We know what’s expected of us, and what it takes to get to where we want to be. We know that everybody will have to come together and step up.”

McElroy will be at the center of Pawlowski’s core group of returning starters. He’ll be flanked on the left side of the infield by third baseman Dan
Gamache (.365, 8 HR), who was sharp at the plate but a liability (16 errors) in the field. Second baseman Justin Hargett (.316, 32 RBI) will also be back along with Justin Bryant (.323, 5 HR) and Wes Gilmer (.341, 15 RBI), both of whom can play first and third base.

Catcher Tony Caldwell (.349, 10 HR) is one of Pawlowski’s biggest returning bats and should have a clear path to be an everyday starter.

Pawlowski’s starting outfield could be entirely gone if Fradejas opts to go pro. Regional hero Creede Simpson (.308, 5 HR) will be a frontrunner to replace Mummey in center field, but the rest of the spots will likely have to be filled by either signees or players who rarely saw the field in 2010.

The same will go for Auburn’s pitching staff, as soft-tossing left-hander Cory Luckie (6-4, 5.91 ERA) could be the only returning member of this year’s weekend rotation. Right-hander Slade Smith (4-0, 4.65) had an overall strong freshman season, but was inconsistent when called on to start.

Sophomore Dexter Price (3-0, 4.39) also started a handful of non-conference games and Jon Luke Jacobs (0-3, 7.22) started a number of Fridays in 2009, but was bothered by an elbow injury throughout most of 2010.

The bullpen will be just as wide open with the loss of Hubbard, who made a number of lengthy appearances en route to 10 saves.

Side-armer Michael Hurst (2-1, 4.20) is also done at Auburn after four years. Curveball specialist Sean Ray (2-3, 3.72) and Opelika’s Zach Blatt (1-0, 5.40) bring back the most experience.

Five of Pawlowski’s signees for 2010 were drafted this past week, and one, OF Bryce Lane, has already inked a professional contract.

The other four — RHP Andrew Morris (16th round), IF Zach Alvord (18th round), RHP Brandon Allen (18th round) and OF Jay Gonzalez (27th round) — were drafted late enough to believe they’ll be enrolled at Auburn this coming fall.

But as was displayed by Lane’s signing, nothing is a certainty — just like the state of Auburn’s baseball team as a whole eight months from Opening Day 2011.

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