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(06/26/14 9:13pm)
When it comes to the World Cup, sometimes a loss works just as well as a win or draw.
The United States Men's National soccer team may have dropped their final group match in a 1-0 loss to Germany Thursday, but that didn't stop fans from showing their excitement in downtown Auburn over the team's qualification for the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup.
"The good thing is that the team had done most of the heavy lifting in the previous two matches against Ghana and Portugal," said Robert Litton, founder of the Auburn American Outlaws chapter. "When you beat a team like Ghana and you dominate a team like Portugal, it's tough to back into a draw with them. Then you have to face Germany, who is one of the two or three best teams in the world. Losing 1-0 isn't ideal, but for an up and coming team I think it says a lot."
Thomas Muller's goal in the 55th minute was all Germany needed to defeat the United States, but Portugal's 2-1 victory over Ghana in the other simultaneously played Group G match meant the U.S. still advanced on goal differential.
"I think today one of the best players in the world hit a perfect shot," Litton said. "You just have to tip your cap and say that's why (Muller)'s playing for Germany and (club team) Bayern Munich."
Despite the loss, the now-official Auburn branch of the American Outlaws support group was once again on hand at Halftime in downtown Auburn to support the cause.
"We were pretty pleasantly surprised with the turnout," Litton said. "It wasn't as many as the Portugal or Ghana games, obviously since it was at 11 o'clock in the morning and it was on a workday. There were probably 150 people or so there still and that added up as it went into the second half. It was still standing room only downstairs."
Litton said the group has garnered enough members to finally become recognized as an official American Outlaws branch.
"I definitely think it's growing," said Josh Brunner, an American Outlaw member and Auburn journalism student. "Everybody is going to be into the World Cup since it's one of the biggest events in the world, but what I'm really interested to see is if we can keep the numbers in Auburn growing even when the Cup is over. That goes for the women's World Cup as well."
Official membership gives branch members extra opportunities to buy bulk USMNT tickets for friendlies, qualifiers and World Cup matches. Gears, banners and reserved seating are also benefits of becoming officially recognized.
With the U.S. officially finishing the group stages as the Group G runner-up, all eyes are turned to Tuesday's knockout stage match against Group H winner Belgium.
"Belgium is a really good team with a lot of young players that play in England and other top leagues," Brunner said. "But I think we can hang with them and beat them."
(06/26/14 5:00pm)
Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and managing editor Justin Ferguson bring you this week's happenings in Auburn sports.
(06/20/14 9:00pm)
Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and managing editor Justin Ferguson bring you this week's happenings in Auburn sports.
(02/25/15 6:07pm)
Juggling the demands of a graduate school accounting major and a newborn child is no easy task, let alone for a college athlete who is also training for his final season.
Those demands eventually caught up to Patrick Savage, who decided to quit the team in February after four years with the Auburn baseball program.
The departure, according to Savage, was smooth and respectful on both sides.
"(Auburn head coach Sunny Golloway) was completely okay with my decision and respected it and was fine with me parting ways," Savage said. "You can ask any coach that was in that room. I shook their hand, looked them in the eye and they told me I was welcome back, then that was it."
But Savage wasn't the only player to have a meeting with Golloway.
According to former pitcher Jay Wade, a number of players, including Chase Williamson and Hunter Kelley, were called in for meetings with the coaching staff after a 3-2 loss to East Tennessee State.
"It was kind of cloudy because we didn't really find out what was said," Wade said. "Several players were called in for meetings, and some players decided that was where they wanted to draw the line and stop playing. One was released by a coaching decision."
In the end, Kelley was dismissed from the team. Williamson, like Savage, decided to leave of his own accord.
Golloway hinted at roster minimization after a previous loss to California, but the first-year head coach got straight to the point with the media after the extra innings loss to ETSU.
"If we're going to end up having some cancer in our clubhouse, we're going to end up having to cut that out and move forward," Golloway said.
Media reports on the departures quoted Golloway blaming attitude and effort as the reason for the minimization, which Savage said was false and misleading.
"To hear that in the media just blew my mind," Savage said. "I don't know if it was a cop out or what, but you can ask any of the kids in the locker room. I was a part of this program for a long time and for him to go out and say that, whether or not it was directed at the person he dismissed directly, it seemed like I was grouped in that group."
Golloway declined to talk to The Plainsman about the situation.
Though Savage was not recruited to Auburn by Golloway, the Suwannee, Georgia native said he never had an issue with the new coach's stricter program.
Instead, Savage said he took issue with the way Golloway handled player issues in the media, citing the 'cancer' quote and the general 'airing of dirty laundry' as prime concerns.
"He definitely used what had happened with the one player, who was technically dismissed, and then lumped the other players together into it to make it sound like there was a ton of bad things going on that I and many other people didn't see going on," Savage said. "That's not how my meeting with him went and you can ask every coach who was there that it never went that way."
Savage, who was Auburn's 2014 recipient of the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award, said media reports tying him to player dismissals have created problems as he seeks employment.
"It makes me look bad because, for a future employer to type my name in online and it come up with 'Auburn baseball, three players no longer with the team,' then I have to tell them that that's not how it went," Savage said. "It's entirely false how it was portrayed and the fact that he was able make it into sounding like I had done something wrong really upset me."
Now graduated with his CPA license and looking to settle down with his wife and child, Savage said he hopes to put to bed rumors that his dismissal was due to internal conflicts with the coaching staff.
"It was more of a personal decision than anything, it wasn't like I was clashing or anything," Savage said. "I was overwhelmed with stuff on my plate and the fact that he made it out to seem like us three were a problem was ridiculous."
(06/21/14 12:00pm)
Coaching changes at the collegiate level often force the "old dogs" of a program to learn the new tricks of a coach they were not recruited by out of high school.
That, or leave the school for greener pastures.
Such was the problem for the Auburn baseball team in 2014, which experienced a drastic change in atmosphere under first-year head coach Sunny Golloway.
According to players, the tight ship run by Golloway was a far cry from the relaxed program put together by former coach John Pawlowski, who was fired after three straight losing SEC campaigns in 2013.
"It was a much more intense atmosphere to say the least," said former pitcher Jay Wade, who played under Pawlowski and Golloway. "It was something that was needed, and I would say the demeanor of everything around the field definitely changed for the better at the beginning of the year."
Constant talk of a trip to Omaha and the College World Series made Golloway's postseason expectations for the program crystal clear from the moment he was hired.
"The way it was implemented in the program was different than it has been in years past, and I think it just caught people off guard with it being different," Wade said. "I don't think people were used to it because Pawlowski didn't have (expectations) implemented in the program the way Sunny liked to."
Early in the SEC season, the transition seemed to be right on track, as early victories brought optimism and a national ranking to the program.
Winning even allowed February departures of upperclassmen to be swept away with limited questioning.
But media coverage of the departures had a lasting impact on one player, who claims Golloway intentionally misrepresented his exit from the program.
"The airing of dirty laundry, that whole thing, I didn't agree with it and the fact that the dirty laundry wasn't true just made it sting even more," said former player Patrick Savage. "It wasn't in his style of coaching, but the way he talked to media outlets and how that was handled."
Golloway declined to comment.
The early optimism of March faded for the Tigers as the season dragged into April.
A home series loss to last-place Missouri was followed by a road-sweep at the hands of Ole Miss. The Rebels' extra-innings walk-off home run on an attempted intentional walk only brought more attention to the Tigers' struggles.
Rumors of tension between the new coaching staff and upperclassmen trickled into social media and message boards, bringing scrutiny to Golloway and his coaching methods.
"When you play a certain way for four years and a new coach is in town with his style, it's a learning curve for everybody," Savage said. "There wasn't really a strained relationship, it was more like growing pains. (Golloway) was just trying to implement his program."
The scrutiny reached its peak soon after the Tigers fell short of reaching the SEC Tournament and finished a disappointing 28-28 overall.
An internal investigation of Golloway was first reported by College Baseball Daily, which reported accusations of verbal abuse towards players as the crux of the investigation.
While Wade declined to comment on the accusations, Savage said verbal abuse is a subjective accusation and that he never felt Golloway crossed a line in his criticism.
"Whether or not people think he crossed the line is another story because everybody has a line that they believe is being crossed," Savage said. "I never felt like he crossed the line. But I don't know if things happened during the season where a line was crossed."
No confirmation of an internal investigation was made by Auburn Athletics and athletics director Jay Jacobs gave Golloway a vote of confidence in the days following the report.
Though Golloway's first season on the Plains was mired with disappointment and turmoil, Wade said he was supportive of the new coach and that the growing pains were an unfortunate necessity for the program.
"All I can tell you is that I'll put my face and Jay Jacobs' and the selection committee of [former players] Tim Hudson and Joe Beckwith; there's a reason they picked him," Wade said. "Regardless of personality conflicts people may not be happy about, all I can tell you is Auburn people put their faith in other Auburn people and I would be the first one to tell you Jay Jacobs, Tim Hudson and Joe Beckwith are Auburn people."
(06/18/14 8:58pm)
Auburn's famed golden eagle mascot Tiger passed away on June 18 at the age of 34.
Jamie Bellah of the Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine said Tiger was recovering well from a cataract surgery performed on June 17 before passing away.
"She had cataract surgery last night and the procedure went well," Bellah said. "Her cataract was progressing to the point that she was going to lose vision in that eye. Unfortunately things took a turn for the worst last night and we lost her."
Tiger previously underwent a successful cataract surgery in 2012.
Known as War Eagle VI, Tiger was the first golden eagle to fly in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
She flew for seven years before being retired in 2006.
Plans for a memorial service are under discussion but have yet to be finalized.
(06/17/14 1:27am)
Patriotism and World Cup fever were on display Monday evening as fans gathered in downtown Auburn to support the United States Men's National Team in their 2-1 victory over Ghana.
"In Auburn I knew there was a good population of soccer fans, but to see the level of support that has showed up today is really exciting, " American Outlaw member Josh Brunner said. "The sport is growing in the South even though we don't really embrace the sport like we do college football, but this is really exciting."
Auburn's unofficial branch of the American Outlaws held its first watch party at Halftime.
The branch was founded just last Thursday but already has close to forty prospective members, according to one of its founders Robert Litton.
"Last week there were only three members and now we have close to forty of us who are ready to go," Litton said.
Litton said the idea for the group had been in the works for a long time, but was formed just in time for the 2014 World Cup.
"I think there are a lot of people in this town that support soccer, and a lot of my friends said that they wished there was an American Outlaws chapter in the area, so about a year ago I told my wife about starting the chapter up," Litton said. "That got put on hold with the birth of my child, but through some interesting circumstances it really came together a week ago."
Though the group does not yet have the 25 enrolled members that are necessary to become an official branch, Litton said the group plans to keep up the support with viewing parties at Halftime throughout the World Cup.
"We're going to be here singing and celebrating our wins," Litton said. "Even if we don't win we're going to be here supporting."
The patriotism wasn't limited to the Outlaws at Halftime.
Fans gathered in the parking lot behind the Gay Street Municipal Lot to support the team on five widescreen televisions. Many attendees said they were surprised that the City of Auburn supported the event, but were pleased nonetheless.
"There are a lot of kids that play soccer in Auburn and there's been a lot of television coverage about the World Cup this year," Auburn resident Chris Correia said. "I think it says a lot about how soccer is being seen as a legit sport in our country."
Students in attendance shared in the excitement of the event, even if they were keeping their expectations in check.
"The South is pretty big on football, and not this kind of football, so I was pretty surprised," New Zealand native and Auburn student Mary Mitchell said. "I really think we will lose, but I hope we win. Who knows?"
(06/15/14 12:00pm)
While it's difficult to say how much Auburn's run to the 2013 BCS National Championship helped the city and the University financially, it's not hard to tell how much it helped Gus Malzahn's wallet.
Malzahn's newest contract extension, which raises his salary to $3.85 million per year with an increase of $250,000 annually through 2019, makes the 49-year-old coach the third highest paid coach in the SEC behind Nick Saban and Les Miles.
The lucrative deals found their way to the hardwood as well, with new men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl finalizing a six-year, $2.2 million dollar contract through the 2020 season.
As usual, these contracts are loaded with incentives that make one thing clear: Jay Jacobs wants these men to put people in the seats and bring home championships.
While both contracts would reward coaches for postseason success and championships, Pearl's contract carries a number of incentives that would reward the coach for selling out the Auburn Arena for half of the season.
Attendance was a serious issue at the end of the Tony Barbee era, with a record-low attendance of 4,434 for a game against South Carolina being rock bottom.
The rise of high-definition television has made attendance a difficult issue in many sports.
A winning product can fix many of the problems, but the potential for championships is a greater long-term solution.
With Malzahn and Pearl's championship history, it only made sense for Jacobs to lock down the pair for as long as possible.
Now it's up to Malzahn and Pearl to prove they are worth their lofty paystubs.
(06/13/14 9:00pm)
Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and managing editor Justin Ferguson bring you this week's happenings in Auburn Sports.
(06/12/14 5:00pm)
Video with managing editor Justin Ferguson and sports editor Eric Wallace going head to head in this debate over the World Cup.
(06/08/14 7:00pm)
Debates over whether to retroactively claim national championships are not a new topic in college football. Nor are they confined to the Auburn football program.
The debate has reached a tipping point in recent months on the Plains as fans, alumni and media members take to social media to voice their opinion as to whether Auburn should claim NCAA recognized national championships in 1913, 1983, 1993 and 2004.
"I think the important thing is that we're discussing this now," said former Auburn kicker Al Del Greco, a member of the controversial 1983 team. "If the powers that be at Auburn decide it best to leave it as is, and not claim, I'm fine with that then. But if they want to go ahead and claim them, I understand why they would do that."
Michael Skotnicki, Birmingham-based lawyer and author of the book "Auburn's Unclaimed National Championships," said the issue often comes down to semantics and the standard to which Auburn wants to hold itself.
"People, when they address this issue, tend to get into this idea that they need to find who is 'the' national champion," Skotnicki said. "They don't think a national championship can be claimed unless they were 'the national champion.'"
The NCAA as an organization has never selected an annual national champion in football.
Instead, it recognizes "National Champion Major Selectors" based on poll results and computer rankings.
While two polls generally receive the most widespread acceptance, the Associated Press poll of sportswriters and the United Press International's poll of coaches, the NCAA Record Book recognizes a total of 35 polls as "National Champion Major Selectors."
The methods used in these polls varied from the mathematical formulas of the Litkenhous poll to the Williamson power ratings system created by New Orleans geologist and former Sugar Bowl committee member Paul Williamson.
"People today recognize national championships based on those," Skotnicki said. "They may have some historical value, but they're terrible. They were terrible ways of choosing a national champion."
Auburn currently only claims two national championships: the 1957 AP National Championship and the 2010 BCS National Championship.
Although the University only claims two, the Tigers are listed in the NCAA Record Book as national champions in 1913 (Billingsley), 1983 (The New York Times, Billingsley, Sagarin, FACT, Football Research) and 1993 (National Championship Foundation) as well.
While the majority of schools only claim AP and UPI national championships from the pre-BCS era, a number of schools, such as Ohio State ('61, '70), Tennessee ('40, '50, '67) and Ole Miss ('59, '60, '62), claim national championships awarded by other selectors.
According to Skotnicki, this portion of the discussion often comes down to whether the University should hold itself to a higher standard than "our peer football programs."
"If it's good enough for the NCAA, then why shouldn't Auburn recognize that?" Skotnicki said. "Should we be stricter than the NCAA and does it benefit Auburn to do so?"
Multiple interview requests made to Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs, who was a member of the 1983 team, were not returned.
While Del Greco said he understands the historical precedent Auburn set by not claiming other championships, he said the issue should be up for discussion with the changing times.
"Up until this point it has been the way that Auburn has always looked at it," Del Greco said. "I also think that times change and if the relevancy of those polls are enough that there are multiple schools going back and claiming it before this college football playoff system begins, then it's a great recruiting tool. Five looks better than two."
Del Greco hesitated to take a firm stance on the subject and said he already considered the 1983 team national champions anyway.
"If they wanted to claim it, I wouldn't have a problem with it," Del Greco said. "The times are changing and others have done it. If we choose to leave it as is, well that's kind of always been the Auburn way so I'd be fine with it too."
(06/06/14 6:30pm)
Video with Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace debating with former sports editor and current managing editor Justin Ferguson over which past national championships Auburn football has the right to claim.
(06/05/14 9:00pm)
Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and managing editor Justin Ferguson bring you this week's happenings in Auburn sports.
(05/29/14 5:20pm)
Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and managing editor Justin Ferguson bring you this week's happenings in Auburn sports.
(05/28/14 7:04pm)
Multiple sources are reporting that former Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin will take a position as a graduate assistant in the Auburn football program.
Aplin previously had been serving as an administrative intern at Ole Miss for less than a year prior to his move to Auburn.
There is a history between the pair, as Aplin was the starting quarterback for the Red Wolves in Malzahn's lone season at Arkansas State.
Under Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, Aplin threw for 3,323 yards, 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
This is not the first time Malzahn has made a move to help a former quarterback.
Lashlee was a quarterback under Malzahn during his years Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale, Arkansas.
Former Auburn receiver and quarterback Kodi Burns previously held a graduate assistant position in the Auburn program under Malzahn before leaving to become the running backs coach at Samford in early May.
(05/23/14 9:15pm)
The past week was a rough one in Auburn sports. Plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and Plainsman managing editor Justin Ferguson give us the details.
(05/25/14 6:15pm)
I had several goals I wanted to achieve with my free time this summer.
In between working as sports editor for our campus newspaper and part-time with The Auburn Villager, I had every intention of finally starting a consistent workout regimen.
I'm not out of shape, but I think we all know working out is one of the first activities that gets kicked to the curb as the spring semester rounds into its late stages.
So imagine my surprise last week when I walked into an empty Recreation and Wellness Center in the middle of the afternoon only to realize that I was not allowed to enter the building.
That's right, I am not allowed to use the student recreation center my constantly rising tuition fees funded the construction of.
Not unless I paid a $200 fee.
As confused and disappointed as I was when I heard, I soon found I wasn't the only one locked out.
And those wonderful Recreation and Wellness Center employees who are constantly walking around cleaning weight benches and breaking up fights on the basketball courts?
Well, they can't get in either unless they fork over $200.
It does make sense at first there'd be a fee to use the facility if you're not currently enrolled in classes over this summer and fall.
While I could certainly go down to another gym and get a cheaper membership to achieve my summer goals, it certainly doesn't have the amenities of the Recreation and Wellness Center.
Rock walls, golf simulators, basketball courts and suspended running tracks are awesome and certainly won't be found in any local gyms.
And they obviously have to be able to pay the employees that keep the building running.
What I fail to understand is being charged the exact same fee, that I apparently pay for five months of access in the fall and four months of access in the spring, when the summer semester is only three months long.
In the fall, my monthly membership contribution to the University is merely $40 per month (and $50 in the spring), the summer fees jump that total to $66 per month.
But, hey, at least you'll save $2 if you pay it by the month instead of just paying them a flat $200!
There's nothing wrong with making non-enrolled students pay for access if enrolled students must, but jacking up the price is a blatant cash-grab.
I obviously do not expect that the University will change their policy.
But don't charge students the same fee for three months of access as you do for five months in the fall.
Charging non-enrolled students three-fifths of the $200 fall membership fee is fairer to students living and working in Auburn during the summer.
So at least until the fall, you won't find me (and probably many others) at the Recreation and Wellness Center.
Here's hoping there are some good pickup games going on at the Grove this summer.
(05/22/14 6:00pm)
The recent revitalization of Auburn athletics has the 2014-2015 school year primed to potentially be one of the most exciting Auburn sports years in recent memory.
From Jordan-Hare Stadium to the friendly confines of Jane B. Moore Field, a large number of Auburn's sports teams are currently rounding into championship form.
A large percentage of the excitement surrounding Auburn athletics comes from the work of Gus Malzahn and his staff.
This city has never seemed as down on itself as it was during the 2012 season. Not only had the Tigers just completed their worst season in close to 60 years, but the treasured Toomer's Oaks were ceremoniously removed after the season.
But things change when the football team starts winning, and the spirits of the Auburn faithful can handle turbulence elsewhere as long as there is a winning football team.
So, while you have the misfortune of coming to the Plains one year after the most wildly unexpected championship season in recent memory, there's little reason to think this year can't be just as exciting as the last.
The excitement in Auburn athletics has spilled over to the hardwood of Auburn Arena, as new head coach Bruce Pearl finally has people talking about Auburn basketball.
Mercifully gone are the days of Tony Barbee basketball. You're lucky to have missed out on that irrelevant era of hardwood mediocrity.
The hiring of Pearl, who revitalized the Tennessee basketball program from 2005-2011, has the national media and top recruits once again taking notice that yes, Auburn does indeed have men's basketball.
His turnaround may not happen immediately, but at the bare minimum Pearl's frenetic style of play should make home games entertaining again.
Though falls in Auburn are generally reserved for football and early parts of the basketball season, Jay Jacobs' recent hires have pumped energy back into the school's baseball and softball programs.
Sunny Golloway of the baseball team and softball's Clint Myers bring a postseason pedigree to the Plains, and though both may not bring in championships this season, their history suggests a potentially quick turnaround in upcoming years.
Even if you're not a passionate sports follower, the culture and pageantry surrounding football in Auburn is enough to make a fan out of the most apathetic.
Enjoy it for what it is, as few things in the world put cars on the sidewalks and brings a town to a standstill quite like a football Saturday on the Plains.
(05/21/14 7:21pm)
Gus Malzahn sure left a tough act to follow for the rest of Auburn's first year coaches.
He made turning around a program in just one season look easy. Too easy, almost.
The success of Malzahn left a lot of expectations for Sunny Golloway and Clint Meyers in their first year of work, especially considering that both had more previous success than Malzahn as a head coach.
While Meyers has fielded one of the top softball teams in school history this season, Golloway's baseball team went backwards in 2014, finishing an even 28-28, five games worse than the year before.
Golloway made a lot of noise with constant talk of 'Omaha' in his first few months on the Plains.
Even as the team rapidly slid down the SEC standings with their late year skid, Golloway never wavered in his determination to reach Omaha.
In the end, his team didn't even make it to Hoover, Alabama, the annual site of the SEC Tournament.
Golloway butted heads with players and media all along the way, eventually dismissing one senior outfielder and allowing two other upperclassmen to walk on their own accord in February.
With nine seniors, four of whom were regular starters, departing, there will be a number of holes to fill on Auburn's roster next spring.
Considering everything that's happened, it's easy to look at the 2014 season as a failure.
But there's a certain short-sightedness in condemning Golloway and his brash style after just one season.
Golloway didn't spend years recruiting to Auburn before taking the head coaching position, as Malzahn had done from 2009 to 2011.
To say that there was a change in coaching style from 2013 to 2014 would be an understatement; the free rein which players had under John Pawlowski was quickly, and necessarily, pulled in by Golloway and his staff.
His complaints about a lack of depth and discipline left for him by Pawlowski became glaringly obvious late in the year.
Lineup changes were constant, and the mix-and-match bullpen eventually turned to outfielder Ryan Tella to pitch the team out of jams.
So while Golloway probably didn't do himself any favors with his lofty talk of Omaha, the inevitable fizzling of their season highlights just how difficult it is to turn around a struggling baseball program.
A quick look around the SEC shows just that.
Tennessee's Dave Serrano, who went to two College World Series and three NCAA Super Regionals with Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine, has floundered at the bottom of the SEC in his first two years on Rocky Top.
It wasn't until year three that Serrano led the Volunteers to Hoover for the first time since 2007.
Rebuilding a baseball program takes time. Some players from the previous administration need to be flushed out in order to make room for the future.
It's a painful, but necessary process. And as Golloway said after his team's elimination last Saturday, it will lay the foundation for the program's future success.
So think twice before giving up on Golloway and his lofty, and often unrealistic expectations.
Because would you honestly want a coach that was aiming for anything less than Omaha?
(05/17/14 10:19pm)
The Auburn baseball team came into Saturday needing a win over LSU and then some help from Kentucky and Florida in order to make the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
Unfortunately for Sunny Golloway and company, it got neither.
The Tigers were eliminated from postseason contention Saturday after an 8-1 home loss to LSU, a result that proved meaningless after Georgia and Tennessee got wins earlier in the day to seal the final SEC Tournament positions.
"I know that they're disappointed, especially since they're not getting to play in the SEC Tournament and all the optimism we had about going to the NCAA Tournament," Golloway said. "My heart hurts for them a little bit. It's a good group of guys leaving."
In the season-ending sweep, the No. 8 ranked LSU Tigers outscored Auburn 29-4 over three games.
After the game, Golloway said he's never been a part of a team that finished so poorly.
"Of all the teams that I've coached in the last 16 years, this without a doubt is the worst that we've been playing at the end of the year," Golloway said. "We were playing our worst baseball this weekend. That's on me."
Starter Dillon Ortman (9-5) started Saturday's game just two days after he started and got shelled for six runs in Thursday night's loss against LSU.
The result for the senior Saturday afternoon was about the same, if only slightly less damaging: four innings, seven hits and three earned runs.
"It was a rollercoaster ride this year," Ortman said. "This season has been a rough one, but there's always next year for some of these guys."
The three runs off Ortman were all LSU could manage until the seventh, when the Bayou Bengals exploded for five runs to put the game, and Hoover, well out of reach.
"I feel like we played pretty tight all year," senior Damek Tomscha said. "Baseball is supposed to be fun, but I think we put a little bit more pressure on us than we should have. You can't really play baseball like that."
With the offseason looming, Golloway said he had no regrets about the way his first season on the Plains had ended, saying that the foundation for an Omaha-caliber program had been laid.
"We fought our tails off from day one,"Golloway said. "We tried everything and exhausted every effort."