Had a chance to get some post-game interviews. Here's what Auburn's coaches and players were saying after Wednesday's loss:

JOHN PAWLOWSKI, head coach

(On playing small ball early on)
"Early in the game, I thought that you look and evaluate a pitcher's stuff. And I thought (Jimmy Nelson's) stuff was really good, so I thought it was going to be a low-scoring game, one of those games where we've got to try to manufacture some runs. I thought we could at least get some momentum. Against a guy who was throwing the ball really well, you've got to try some different things. Unfortunately we weren't able to manufacture many runs today."

(On playing in the loser's bracket)
"Well, we're not really looking too far ahead. We're looking at tomorrow morning at 9:30. I told the guys, this is a situation where we're backed into a corner now and we've been in this position before, not in a tournament, but on the weekends. They're going to be ready to play tomorrow. They've had a good attitude all year, a great mentality all year. They're tough, hard-nosed kids. I'm proud of what they've done. It didn't work out for us today, but tomorrow at 9:30 we'll be out there and try to find a way to win tomorrow. It will be a great challenge again tomorrow."

HUNTER MORRIS, first baseman

(On facing Nelson)
"(Nelson) did a great job today at working the zone and getting us off-balance. They are a great team and you have to tip your hat to them. Even when we had some great swings, they played good defense and came up with some great plays."

(On bouncing back)
"We've done a good job of rebounding from pretty much every loss this year. And that comes with a maturity level. We have a lot of older guys and some great leadership. You put a rough game like this behind you and get ready to play tomorrow. You've got to have a short-term memory to be successful in baseball."

CORY LUCKIE, starting pitcher

(On Auburn's offensive struggles)
"You can't expect our guys to score 10 runs every game. We are going to have some bad games, but we are going to put it behind us and be ready for tomorrow."

Auburn plays the loser of Ole Miss-South Carolina tomorrow morning at 10:30 ET. Left-hander Grant Dayton (8-2, 4.61 ERA), who usually starts on Sundays, will be on the mound.

"I think we always talk about championship Sunday, the importance of it," Pawlowski said. "But Grant's a mature pitcher and he understands the magnitude, obviously, of this game. He'll be ready to go tomorrow."

UPDATE (11:50) That's a wrap. Jimmy Nelson went the distance, giving up five hits and striking out six in seventh-seeded Alabama's 7-1 win against second-seeded Auburn.

It was Nelson's third straight complete game. The Crimson Tide improved to 35-21 overall and will play the winner of Ole Miss-South Carolina tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Auburn (39-18) falls to the loser's bracket, where it will play the loser of Ole Miss-South Carolina tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. ET. The loser of that game is done.

The Tigers have lost their last three SEC tournament games dating back to their last appearance in 2003. All three losses have been to Alabama.

We'll have more in a bit after interviews.
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UPDATE (11:38 a.m.) Reliever Zach Blatt issued a bases loaded walk in the top of the ninth, then gave up a two-run single to David Kindred to make it 7-1. "Roll Tide" chants are starting up in the very pro-Alabama crowd.

Auburn has its All-SEC heart of the order coming up: Brian Fletcher, Hunter Morris and Kevin Patterson. The Tigers will need more than that, though.
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UPDATE ( 11:29 a.m.) Jimmy Nelson pitched around a one-out single by Justin Hargett. Curious bunt by Justin Fradejas, who looked like he was trying to get a hit. Trent Mummey ends the inning by lining a ball right to the first baseman.

Auburn's down to its last chance.
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UPDATE (11:22 a.m.) Alabama stretched its lead to 4-1 on Jake Smith's RBI double. It scored Clay Jones, who doubled earlier in the inning.

That was also the last batter for Bradley Hendrix, who pitched one inning and gave up one run. He's responsible for the runner on second, too. Sean Ray is on the mound.

All of Alabama's runs have come with two outs.
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UPDATE (11:11 a.m.) Still nothing for Auburn. Jimmy Nelson is cruising. The Tigers got their first hit since the third inning on Casey McElroy's single. He was promptly thrown out stealing on a failed hit and run. Ryan Jenkins followed by striking out to end the inning.

Nelson has retired 12 of the last 14 batters. He's got five strikeouts and has allowed four hits.
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UPDATE (11:00 a.m.) Cory Luckie nearly got out of the seventh. Instead, his day is done.

Luckie gave up a two-out double to Brock Bennett before Taylor Dugas roped an RBI triple to right just out of the reach of a diving Justin Fradejas to make it 3-1.

Bradley Hendrix is the Auburn reliever. Only one of Luckie's runs is earned so far.
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UPDATE (10:54 a.m.) Still nothing for Auburn. Shortstop Josh Rutledge made a nice snag on a line drive by Trent Mummey. After an error, Hunter Morris flew out to the warning track in center.

Auburn's looking a little inpatient at the plate, swinging at pitches out of the zone. Very unlike this Tigers offense.
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UPDATE (10:41 a.m.) Auburn goes down 1-2-3 in the fifth. Jimmy Nelson has four strikeouts and has allowed one run on three hits.
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UPDATE (10:36 am.) Just heard a brief between-innings interview with John Pawlowski. He basically said he figured runs would be at a premium today with Jimmy Nelson on the mound. Hence, the safety squeeze.

Alabama goes down quietly in the fifth, capped by a diving catch in left by Brian Fletcher.
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UPDATE (10:26 a.m.) Alabama's on the board. Andrew Miller provided a two-run single after Cory Luckie loaded the bases with two walks and a costly Justin Hargett error on what looked like an double play ball. Tide up 2-1.

Sean Ray and Bradley Hendrix, I believe, already up in the Auburn bullpen.
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UPDATE (10:13 a.m.) And Auburn strikes first with some small ball.

Dan Gamache led off the third with a double off the center field wall. Justin Hargett bunted him to second and Justin Fradejas brought him home with a safety squeeze to make it 1-0.
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UPDATE (10:03 a.m.) And we have our first test of the 108-second between inning clock. Catcher Ryan Jenkins popped out to end Auburn's half of the second. Tony Caldwell was immediately ready to go warm up the pitcher. No big deal.

If this clock measure truly speeds up the game, I'm all for it. It doesn't appear to be causing anybody great stress out there.
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UPDATE (9:58 a.m.): Luckie gets out of a second-inning jam, striking out Andrew Miller with runners on second and third. Luckie has four strikeout through two innings.

He's reached four strikeouts in only two other SEC starts, with seven against Georgia and four against Alabama.
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UPDATE (9:44 a.m.): The shot clock in right-center field is mildly distracting. It certainly draws your attention. We'll see if that fades with time. Pitches look like they're getting out in about 10 seconds. I can't imagine the 20-second clock will even come into play.

Anyway, the 9:30 game didn't start until 9:39. Perhaps there are other methods of keeping the game on schedule.

Cory Luckie set down Alabama in order in the first. Auburn's at the plate now.
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UPDATE (9:21 a.m.): Today's lineups:

ALABAMA

• 1. CF Taylor Dugas
• 2. SS Josh Rutledge
• 3. 2B Ross Wilson
• 4. 1B Clay Jones
• 5. DH David Kindred
• 6. 3B Jake Smith
• 7. LF Jon Kelton
• 8. RF Andrew Miller
• 9. C Brock Bennett
• SP RHP Jimmy Nelson

AUBURN

• 1. RF Justin Fradejas
• 2. CF Trent Mummey
• 3. LF Brian Fletcher
• 4. 1B Hunter Morris
• 5. DH Kevin Patterson
• 6. SS Casey McElroy
• 7. C Ryan Jenkins
• 8. 3B Dan Gamache
• 9. 2B Justin Hargett
• SP LHP Cory Luckie

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I've arrived safely in Hoover. Of course, it's difficult to get in an accident traveling 2 mph in traffic. It's a beautiful day here at Regions Park, as you can see in the photographic view from my press box seat.

Auburn's wearing orange for the opener, which is about a half hour away from starting.

I'll be posting throughout the game, so check back all morning.

I'll be headed up to Hoover for the SEC baseball tournament bright and early this morning for Auburn's first-round game against Alabama. Until I get there, keep yourself busy with a couple of links:

Auburn first baseman Hunter Morris was voted as the SEC's Player of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.
SECOND TEAM: 1B - Preston Tucker, Florida 2B - Chris Bisson, Kentucky 3B - Austin Maddox, Florida SS - Austin Nola, LSU SS - Nolan Fontana, Florida C - Ryan Jenkins, Auburn OF - Matt den Dekker, Florida OF - Brett Eibner, Arkansas OF - Jackie Bradley Jr., South Carolina DH - Matt Gaudet, LSU P - Drew Smyly, Arkansas P - Grant Dayton, Auburn P - Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt RP - Matt Price, South Carolina RP - Brett Huber, Ole Miss

ALL FRESHMAN TEAM: 1B - Christian Walker, South Carolina 2B - Anthony Gomez, Vanderbilt 3B - Austin Maddox, Florida SS - Nolan Fontana, Florida C - Mike Zunino, Florida OF - Andrew Miller, Alabama OF - Evan Marzilli, South Carolina OF - Chris Fritts, Tennessee OF - Connor Harrell, Vanderbilt DH - Brian Johnson, Florida P - Hudson Randall, Florida P - Brian Johnson, Florida P - Chris Stratton, Mississippi State RP - Brett Huber, Ole Miss RP - Matt Price, South Carolina

ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM: P - Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt 1B - Preston Tucker, Florida 2B - Scott Wingo, South Carolina SS - Nolan Fontana, Florida 3B - Jake Smith, Alabama C - Micah Gibbs, LSU OF - Matt den Dekker, Florida OF - Trent Mummey, Auburn OF - Jackie Bradley Jr., South Carolina

Auburn and Alabama's pitchers are set for the SEC tournament opener Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Tigers will throw left-hander Cory Luckie. The Crimson Tide will go with Jimmy Nelson.

Auburn completed a three-game sweep at Ole Miss by winning 11-1 Saturday, showing no letdown after clinching the SEC West Friday night.

Trent Mummey hit a home run and had four RBIs. Grant Dayton (8-2) gave up one run in five innings for the win. The Tigers (38-17, 20-10 SEC) have won six straight, the longest streak in the SEC.

What's next? Alabama in the first round of the SEC tournament in Hoover at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. The Tigers are the second seed. The Crimson Tide (34-21, 15-15 SEC), which swept Tennessee this weekend, is the seventh seed.

The teams split the regular season matchups 2-2. Auburn won 8-6 in the Capital City Classic in Montgomery. Alabama won two of three in the teams' SEC series in Tuscaloosa in early April.

Here's the rest of the SEC tournament schedule. All events take place at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. (if you'd like to see it in bracket form, click here):

Wednesday, May 26

• Game 1: 10:30 a.m. #7 Alabama vs. #2 Auburn [SPSO]
• Game 2: TBD #6 Ole Miss vs. #3 South Carolina [SPSO]
• Game 3: 5:30 p.m. #8 LSU vs. #1 Florida [CSS]
• Game 4: TBD #5 Vanderbilt vs. #4 Arkansas [CSS]
  

Thursday, May 27

• Game 5: 10:30 a.m. Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 [CSS]
• Game 6: TBD Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 [CSS]
• Game 7: 5:30 p.m. Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 [CSS]
• Game 8: TBD Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 [CSS]

Friday, May 28

• Game 9: 4:00 p.m. Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7 [SPSO]
• Game 10: TBD Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8 [SPSO]

Saturday, May 29

• Game 11: 10:30 a.m. Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 [SPSO]
• Game 12: TBD Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 10 [SPSO]
• Game 13*: 6 p.m. Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 11 [CSS]
• Game 14*: TBD Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 12 [CSS]

Sunday, May 30

• Game 15*: 2:00 p.m. Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14 [ESPN2]

* - If both bracket winners are undefeated, there will be no games 13 or 14 on Saturday and the championship game Sunday would be Game 13.

All Times are Eastern

• [ESPN2] - ESPN2
• [SPSO] - Includes SportSouth, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Houston and FOX Sports South in Kentucky
• [CSS] - Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast
• All games will be streamed live on ESPN360.com

The second and third games each day will begin 30 minutes following the previous game, but no earlier than the designated start time.

Auburn left no doubt who was the class of the SEC West, winning 18-4 at Ole Miss on Friday to clinch its first outright division title since 1995.

The No. 16 Tigers (38-17, 19-10 SEC) did it like they have all year, pounding 20 hits to take down No. 17 Ole Miss.

Auburn hit five home runs, getting two from Brian Fletcher and one each from Ryan Jenkins, Kevin Patterson and Dan Gamache. Fletcher and Jenkins both had four RBIs for the Tigers, who set a school record with its 19th SEC win.

Slade Smith pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings of relief to earn the win. He struck out five.

The Tigers clinched the No. 2 seed in next week's SEC tournament in Hoover and will play either LSU or Alabama in the the first round's first game Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Auburn and Ole Miss play their regular season finale Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.

I'm a little late to the party with this, but I'm in Myrtle Beach enjoying a short golf weekend before the SEC baseball tournament starts.

The news: redshirt freshman running back Dontae Aycock was dismissed from the football team for a violation of team rules. Auburn didn't give any other specifics in an e-mail sent out this morning.

Aycock was a four-star recruit out of Tampa, Fla., in 2009. He chose Auburn after Georgia Tech pulled his scholarship.

With a deep backfield, he didn't get on the field last year. Coaches got a better look at him this spring. He had five carries for 16 yards and a touchdown in the A-Day scrimmage. But he was expected to move around once two-a-days began, playing some H-back as well as running back.

His departure doesn't appear to hurt Auburn too much. Mario Fannin and Onterio McCalebb were ahead of him on the depth chart at tailback, with incoming freshman Michael Dyer expected to jump him as well. Eric Smith has the H-back position pretty well locked down.

Even after this year, once Fannin has graduated, it doesn't look like Auburn will be in too much of a bind. If anything, it just opens up a scholarship and a spot for a running back in the future. As the Tigers have shown by landing Dyer and nearly getting Marcus Lattimore, they can lure some big targets too.

Kevin Patterson hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer to lift No. 16 Auburn to a 5-3 win at Ole Miss, putting the Tigers one win away from clinching their first outright SEC West title since 1995.

After Vanderbilt beat Arkansas late Thursday night, Auburn (37-17, 18-10 SEC) clinched at least a share of the West Division title.

The Tigers are two games up on both Ole Miss and Arkansas with two to play. One win gives them the outright division title.

Auburn trailed 3-2 when Patterson hit his 15th home run, a three-run blast in the eighth off Ole Miss reliever Brett Huber (2-1).

Four of the Tigers' runs were off Rebels starter Drew Pomeranz, a likely top-five pick in the upcoming Major League draft.

Cory Luckie gave up three runs in six innings for Auburn, but relievers Bradley Hendrix (3-2) and Austin Hubbard (ninth save) combined to pitch three scoreless innings.

The teams play the second game of the series Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Auburn baseball team begins a three-game series with Ole Miss tonight. It's a Thursday-Friday-Saturday series so teams can rest up for next week's SEC tournament in Hoover.