Auburn is sticking with what works. The Tigers will throw sophomore left-hander Cory Luckie in their NCAA tournament regional opener Friday against Jacksonville State."We looked at all of our options and we felt like that's what we've done all year," Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. "We're going to stay the course. He's done a great job for us and certainly deserves that opportunity."
Jacksonville State will start right-hander Austin Lucas, who went 6-0 this year with a 4.97 ERA.
Luckie (6-4, 5.68 ERA) started all but two Friday night games in SEC play and toed the rubber in Auburn's SEC tournament first-round game against Alabama. He gave up one earned run in 6 2/3 innings in a 7-1 loss to the Crimson Tide.
Pawlowski didn't name a starter for the second game of the regional, although he said it will most likely be left-hander Grant Dayton (8-2, 4.33).
"Obviously Cory and Grant have been the most consistent starters we've had this year," Pawlowski said.
The Tigers dodged raindrops Tuesday trying to get a workout in at Plainsman Park, pushing back practice an hour to allow afternoon showers to pass.
It will be the first regional appearance for everyone on Auburn's roster but not for Pawlowski, who took College of Charleston to the tournament three times as a head coach. The Cougars went to the NCAAs three straight years from 2004-06, advancing to the super regional the final season.
"I think everything every year is a little different," Pawlowski said. "The biggest thing that I'm trying to get these guys to understand is that we have to play Auburn Tiger baseball and play the way we have all year. We're not going to try to do anything different, try to keep our routine the same. Change, sometimes, you're trying to do too much. But that's our game plan."
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