It's always refreshing when you get some extremely good news to write about, and this certainly qualifies: Mary Louise Pawlowski, the daughter of Auburn baseball coach John Pawlowski, returned home last week after spending 93 days in a hospital battling a rare form of cancer and later an infection.

"She's doing much better," John said at the conclusion of today's sitdown with reporters.

Mary Louise, now 14, was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer, primitive neuroectodermal tumors, in December of 2007. She had a six-hour surgery to remove a tumor from her right side before going through chemotherapy that made her lose her hair. In the aftermath, she battled an infection that required more surgeries, skin grafts and a plenty of prayers.

But now she's out of the hospital, back home with her mother and two sisters in North Augusta, S.C. John said she's been more mobile lately, getting up and out of her wheelchair on occasion and using a walker to get around the house. Just yesterday, she washed her hair, which used to be blond but now is black, for the "first time in who knows how long," he said.

"Her hair is longer than mine right now," said John, who sports a close cropped look. "So she's pretty proud of that."

Her goal is to get to Auburn to see her dad at work, which might be tough, considering how far away it is. However, the Tigers begin a three-game series starting April 17 at South Carolina, which is only about an hour north of North Augusta.

"Maybe she might be able to get up there for a game," John said. "I'm hoping. That would be awesome."