06/20 at 11:01 PM

Auburn got its man.

Finally.

Now what?

Well … pack a lunch.

“We’ve got to get to work,” John Pawlowski said Friday evening just after being introduced as Auburn’s new head baseball coach.

“We’re going to roll up our sleeves and go blue-collar.”

It’s just the way he’s always been. Like those eight seasons as a pitcher in professional baseball. And then those five years as an assistant coach — one at Arizona and four at Clemson. And especially for the last nine seasons as head coach of the College of Charleston.

Blue-collar.

“We had to do things a little differently,” Pawlowski said of his time in Charleston. “They’ve got to work harder to prove their worth, so to speak. So, we felt like we always had to prove something.

“We always had an edge to us.”

And that’s what he wants to bring to Auburn.

An edge. And a lunch pail.

“I want to have an edge with this team to prove to people that, you know, we’re Auburn, we’re going to do it this way,” Pawlowski said. “We’re going to play hard, tough-nosed baseball.

“Blue-collar is what we’re going to talk about.”

He sure talked enough about it Friday.

And why not? So far, it’s worked.

Pawlowski, 44, has the resume. Three times he was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year. He’s racked up a 338-192-1 overall record. His 180-67 record from 2004-07 is good enough for the most wins by any head coach in the Southern Conference in a four-year span. Tom Slater’s record in his four years at Auburn was 115-113.

“At the end of the day, when we narrowed it all down, we got the best guy you could possibly get for a lot of reasons,” AU athletic director Jay Jacobs said. “As difficult as this league is, it’s hard to come in here if you haven’t have some success as a head coach at some level …”

Pawlowski has had the success. And the work ethic.

But can he put it all together in the SEC? Can he rebuild Auburn’s baseball program and take it back to Omaha, Neb., like he told everyone in the Auburn Athletics Complex Auditorium he wishes to do?

He’s got all he needs — facilities, support, a young, exciting team and a hefty contract. On paper, just like his resume, it looks good.

On the field? Well, he’s going to work.

“It’s hard to say what has gone on before (at Auburn),” Pawlowski said. “All I know are the things that have made the programs that I’ve been in successful. You’ve got to start somewhere.

“There’s no question the makeup is here, the talent’s here, the commitment’s here and we’ve just got to find a little edge. We’ve got to find a way to beat the competition. So it’s going to start with me. It’s going to start with being blue-collar.

“We’ve got to get to work.”

Don’t forget your gloves.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached a or 737-2513.