The Auburn baseball team refuses to let this season end with a whimper. Auburn went to Fayetteville over the weekend and won two of three games against Arkansas. The Razorbacks came into this weekend ranked as high as No. 13 in the major polls. The Tigers have five games left in the regular season. Two non-conference games on Monday and Tuesday are followed by a three-game set at Plainsman Park against a Florida team that has been ranked in the top five all year long. Auburn clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament, and the Tigers did a lot to help their NCAA chances this weekend, but more work still needs to be done to guarantee a berth.

WHAT WENT RIGHT?

Young guys stepping up -- Patrick Savage and Mitchell Self got thrown into the fire this weekend and responded in a big way. Patrick Savage came in on Thursday when first baseman Garrett Cooper went down with back spasms. He played the rest of the series at first base and the offense did not miss a beat without Cooper. Savage hit two home runs and provided some clutch hitting. Self took the suspended Zach Alvord's spot in the lineup on Saturday and Sunday.  He played solid defense at third base, including taking a hard ground ball to his face. He also provided some offense with a few well-hit balls. 

Two-out offense -- After all of the frustrations and struggles that Auburn has had this year with two outs and with runners in scoring position, the Tigers did great in those situations this weekend.  Unofficially, Auburn was 7 of 10 with four RBIs when it had two outs. With runners in scoring position, Auburn was 10 of 19 against Arkansas. 

Clutch pitching -- Jon Luke Jacobs did his best Greg Maddux impression on Friday. He went eight strong innings and continued his successful season. Even though his pitching performance didn't make SportsCenter, he at least made the show by taking a pie to the face. Along with JLJ, Derek Varnadore and Justin Bryant also provided big performances. Varnadore relieved JLJ and picked up the win on Thursday. Bryant came in with the bases loaded on Saturday and got Arkansas' best hitter to pop up to get out of the inning and avoid further damage. 

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Situational baseball -- There were quite a few instances where Auburn had a hard time moving runners over. This Auburn team is not good enough to not play good situational baseball. There were instances of having runners on first and second with no one out and not being able to get both runners in scoring position. There were also times when there would be bases loaded or runners on second and third and the Tigers would only get one or zero runs. When Auburn is given those opportunities, the Tigers have to take advantage.

Off-field Issues -- For the second time in three weeks, an Auburn baseball player was suspended for a violation of team rules. In both cases, the suspended player has been a key part to the Tigers' line up. Zach Alvord was out of the lineup on Friday and Saturday, and with Self's play at third base this weekend, we'll be interested to see if Alvord is out there next week. 

Defense -- It is safe to say that Auburn could have left Fayetteville with three wins instead of two. The defense on Saturday was a letdown and led to the loss. By this time of the season, teams are who we think they are. Auburn is a bad defensive team. 

SERIES MVP

Patrick Savage, 1B -- Pat "Macho Man" Savage took advantage of his opportunity and had an outstanding series. He earns our MVP this week. Garrett Cooper is a big part of the Auburn offense, and Savage made sure that it did not miss a beat when Coop went down on Thursday.  In honor of Patrick's MVP, College and Magnolia staff member Everett Duke made up a graphical representation of the first baseman's weekend against Arkansas. 

UPDATED EXPECTATIONS

Going into the Arkansas series, most rational Auburn fans more than likely expected taking one game from the Razorbacks was the Tigers' best-case scenario. And if Auburn had left Fayetteville winless, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise. The fact that Auburn was able to take two of three on the road against a top 15 team shows just how good this team can be. The Tigers clinched their trip to Hoover, and with a couple of wins this week, they should wrap up a berth in an NCAA regional. Auburn still has problems, and the Tigers' inconsistency makes it hard to predict what they might be able to do in the postseason. Nevertheless, this weekend's series win proves that Auburn has the ability to surprise some people.

1. South Carolina, 36-12/16-8, 59 (4) -- We were thinking the Gamecocks might never lose again, but they did drop one game to Arkansas. Still, Carolina won the series and has won 15 of its last 18 SEC games. This team looks like a national title contender once again.

2. LSU, 38-11/16-8, 53 (1) -- The Bayou Bengals picked up a big road series win over their hated rival, Ole Miss. LSU is now tied with South Carolina atop the league standings and also has the look of a team that could be Omaha-bound.

3. Kentucky, 37-11/15-9, 50 -- After playing incredible baseball for most of the season, Kentucky has now dropped two straight series to Vanderbilt and Florida. The Commodores are playing their best ball of the year, and the Gators are no pushovers, so Wildcat fans don't have much of a reason to panic.

4. Florida, 36-13/14-10, 47 -- Florida rebounded from the series loss to Arkansas by taking two of three from UK. The Gators aren't dead yet in the race for the regular-season SEC title.

5. Arkansas, 34-15/12-12, 41 -- Arkansas lost a tough series to South Carolina, but there's certainly no shame in that. The Razorbacks have proven this year that they have the talent to compete with anyone.

6. Mississippi State, 30-18/12-12, 32 -- The Cowbells started slowly in SEC play, but they're quietly climbing the conference ladder. State has now won three straight conference series and is at .500 in SEC play for the first time this season.

7. Ole Miss, 31-18/11-13, 29 -- The Rebels are trending in the opposite direction. Ole Miss has now lost four of its last five SEC series and is 6-9 in conference games over that stretch. A team that once looked destined to host an NCAA regional now is simply jockeying for position in Hoover.

8. Georgia, 28-20/12-12, 28 -- The Dawgs came away with a home sweep over Auburn, but we're not really sure how impressive that is. This team is good, but it's very inconsistent. Georgia will make the postseason, and it wouldn't surprise us if it made an early exit or put together a run to Omaha. The Bulldogs are that unpredictable.

9. Vanderbilt, 24-24/11-13, 20 -- As Vanderbilt struggled through much of the season, we couldn't understand how a team so talented could play so poorly. Well, the 'Dores have righted the ship. Vandy has won three of four conference series and should be a lock to make the SEC tournament. It was hard to see that being possible a month ago.

10. Auburn, 26-22/10-14, 16 -- Auburn promptly took all of its momentum from the sweep of Tennessee and threw it out the window by losing three in a row at Georgia. Barring a total disaster, the Tigers should hold on to the No. 10 and final SEC tournament slot. Then again, Auburn faces Arkansas and Florida to close out the regular season, so a total disaster is very possible.

11. Tennessee, 23-24/8-16, 10 -- Tennessee is 3-12 in its last 15 SEC games, but if the Vols can steal one of their final two series, they might be able to sneak into Hoover. If Auburn falls apart against the Hogs and Gators, Tennessee could make up the two-game difference in the standings.

12. Alabama, 18-30/7-17,5 -- 'Bama has shown a couple signs of life this season, but this team is just plain bad. Senior Taylor Dugas, who hit a walk-off home run against Auburn, has been the one bright spot in Tuscaloosa this spring.

Game 1: Auburn 12, Tennessee 5

Game 2: Auburn 12, Tennessee 3

Game 3: Auburn 11, Tennessee 4

Now, that's the Auburn baseball team we've been looking for. After losing eight of nine SEC games and plummeting to a tie for ninth place in the conference, the Tigers came out and throttled Tennessee three consecutive days to claim a much-needed sweep. Just when it looked like Auburn's season was going off the rails, John Pawlowski's team pulled it together and put itself in much better position to advance to postseason play. Almost all of the problems Auburn had been having over the last three weeks seemed to disappear this weekend, and the Tigers once again looked like a team that could beat any team on any given day. In fact, it's no surprise that Auburn's first sweep of 2012 was easily its best three-game performance this year.

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1. Kentucky, 35-6/13-5, 59 (4) -- Took another impressive series win, this time over LSU. The 'Cats have pretty much solidified themselves as the SEC's best team.

2. LSU, 32-9/12-6, 54 -- No shame in losing the series to Kentucky. LSU still looks like a major contender for the SEC championship in Hoover. 

3. Florida, 31-9/11-7, 51 (1) -- The Gators bounced back with a nice series win over a good Georgia team. A tough test against Arkansas this week will give Florida another chance to impress.

4. South Carolina, 30-11/11-7, 45 -- Carolina went to the Plains and swept Auburn with relative ease. All of a sudden, this team is looking like a championship contender.

5. Arkansas, 28-12/9-9, 38 -- The Hogs are talented, but they're struggling a bit having dropped three of four series. Things don't get any easier with upcoming matchups against Florida, Missouri (out of conference) and South Carolina.

6. Ole Miss, 27-13/9-9, 36 -- Have been playing pretty well lately and won two of three against Arkansas. Don't sleep on this team.

7. Georgia, 24-17/8-10, 28 -- If not for a bizarre 16-inning loss to Florida on Friday night, the Dawgs could have taken the series from the Gators. Georgia has proven itself to be one of the SEC's better teams, but it's also one of the most inconsistent.

8. Mississippi State, 24-16/8-10, 26 -- The Cowbells inserted themselves back into SEC tourney discussion with a sweep of Tennessee. State hosts Ole Miss in a huge series this weekend.

9. Tennessee, 22-18/7-11, 21 -- Getting swept by State really put the Vols in a bind. Tennessee travels to Auburn this weekend, and it's unlikely the loser of that series will make it to Hoover.

10. Alabama, 16-25/6-12, 14 -- In the SEC's pillow fight of the week, the Tide took two of three from Vandy and nearly came away with the sweep. 'Bama should come back to Earth this week with a trip to South Carolina.

11. Vanderbilt, 18-22/7-11, 12 -- The Commodores proved the series win over Auburn was a fluke, which makes it hurt even more. Vandy hosts Kentucky this weekend, so don't expect the 'Dores to vault up the standings anytime soon. 

12. Auburn, 21-19/7-11, 6 -- It's been a fast and hard fall for the Tigers, who have now lost eight of nine SEC games. Tennessee comes to town this weekend for the definition of a must-win series. With 'Bama and Vandy playing two of the SEC's best teams, a good showing against the Vols could give Auburn some breathing room in the race for the conference tournament.

Baseball is a funny game. Three weeks ago, I would have said that Auburn has a legitimate shot at hosting a regional for the second time in three years. Base hits were finding their way through holes, pitchers were getting more calls, and everything was falling into place for Auburn to win games. Things changed quickly. Even at that point, it was obvious that this Auburn team had some shortcomings on defense. The only difference is that they were getting more clutch pitching and hitting to mask those shortcomings. The perfect example: When the bases were loaded on Friday in the first inning, Justin Bryant hit a bullet to the shortstop that resulted in a double play. Those were the type of hits that were falling when Auburn was playing winning baseball. 

Baseball always has a way of evening things out because it is such a long season. Right now, Auburn is playing like the "experts" thought it would. Auburn was believed to finish last in the SEC Western division, and the Tigers are playing like a last-place team right now. 

On the radio broadcast Sunday, Rod Bramblett gave an interesting statistic. He said that in Auburn's last 100 official at-bats, it had only had back-to-back hits twice. That was an eye-opener. That probably has a lot to do with the top of the lineup not producing like it once was.  Once Jay Gonzalez and Creede Simpson went into a slump, coach John Pawlowski inserted Dan Glevenyak at the top of the lineup. I can understand Pawlowski's move to create some offense by shuffling the lineup, but I really liked having Gonzalez at the top of the lineup followed by Creede.  There is a lot of speed there with Gonzalez and a speed/power combo behind him with Simpson. The SEC schedule is too short to allow players to get out of an extended slump, though. 

Along with the top of the lineup not producing, the starting pitching has not been what it was during the first three SEC series, either. It was a bit of a surprise last year when Derek Varnadore announced he was coming back after being drafted by the Florida Marlins in the seventeenth round. He has not had his same command this year that he had last year. That has led to him only recording one win and an ERA north of five. It's hard to win series when you get into a hole on Friday. It should be interesting in the next couple of weeks to see if he remains the Friday starter. Many people were expecting Saturday to be the weak spot in the pitching rotation once Will Kendall was hurt. It turns out that Jon Luke Jacobs has been our most reliable starter the past two weeks. He did a great job on Saturday and kept Auburn close enough to win the ball game. 

The first inning on Friday and Sunday were as frustrating as it gets when watching Auburn baseball. On Sunday, inexcusable defensive lapses cost Auburn four runs when Daniel Koger should have been out of the inning without being scored on. Those four runs were the difference as Auburn lost 11-7 in what was their first "must win" game of the season. It was fundamental errors like staying down on a ground ball or getting in front of the ball instead of going for the backhand play that led to the unearned runs. College baseball players in the SEC should not be having fundamental errors. Is that coaching? I am sure that Coach P teaches the correct way and stresses the fundamentals. The players are not executing right now. 

Unfortunately, I think the real Auburn team is much closer to the team that it is playing like right now than the one that it was playing like in the first three SEC series. Can the Tigers still salvage the season? I think so. The Tennessee and UGA series in the next two weeks are must-wins.  The Tennessee series may be a must-sweep. It can be argued that it may be better for Auburn's NCAA chances if the Tigers do not make the SEC tournament. I disagree with that because I don't see more than eight teams reaching the NCAA tournament from the SEC. If Auburn is not in the top ten in their own conference, then it should not make the NCAA tournament. Auburn needs to make the SEC tournament and win a game, if not two. Regardless, it will be an interesting ride the rest of the way. 

Game 1: South Carolina 12, Auburn 5

Game 2: South Carolina 5, Auburn 3

Game 3: South Carolina 11, Auburn 7

Three weeks ago, Auburn was coming off its third consecutive series win to open SEC play. The Tigers were 6-3 in the conference, putting them in a tie for first in the West and a tie for second in the conference. Considering that many before the season picked Auburn to finish the season near the bottom of the conference, the Tigers' achievements to that point were quite a surprise. The 2012 campaign was supposed to be a rebuilding season on the Plains, but John Pawlowski's players had proved that they were up to the task of competing with the SEC's best.

Fast forward three weeks, and Auburn's season isn't looking so rosy. South Carolina came to town over the weekend and promptly swept the Tigers, sending Pawlowski's team to its eighth loss in nine conference games. The team that was tied for first in the SEC West three weeks ago is now tied with three other teams for ninth in the conference. A season that appeared to be reaching incredible heights has come crashing back to earth. Not only did the Gamecocks sweep the Tigers, but there was never much doubt in the outcome of any games in the series. In key situations, Carolina out-hit and out-pitched Auburn and was vastly superior in the field. For a team that had struggled earlier in the year, the two-time defending national champions sure looked like their old selves at Plainsman Park.

Now, it's gut-check time for Auburn. If the Tigers reach the SEC Tournament, they need nine more regular-season wins to ensure a winning record and NCAA postseason eligibility after their trip to Hoover. With a midweek game at Troy and Tennessee coming to town this weekend, the time to turn the season around is now. 

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The Auburn men's and women's golf teams begin their quests for postseason honors today at the SEC Championships. The No. 3-ranked men tee off at St. Simons Island, Ga., while the fifth-ranked women play at Fayetteville, Ark.

The slumping Auburn baseball team begins a crucial three-game series at home today against South Carolina. The Tigers need to find a way to get back on track after two miserable weekends in Tuscaloosa and Nashville.

South Carolina fans are worried about their Friday starter, who has a 2.55 ERA. If a guy with a 2.55 ERA is a concern for the Gamecocks, Auburn could be in for a tough weekend.

Auburn softball, losers of 15 of 18, hosts Arkansas this weekend in a series that could determine whether or not the Tigers reach the SEC Tournament. Auburn is currently in eighth place in the SEC standings, and the Hogs are one game back. The top eight conference teams advance to tournament play.

Looking for a photo of the newest edition of the Auburn cheerleading squad? Here you go.

The Auburn men's tennis team picked up a first-round win over South Carolina in the SEC Tournament on Thursday before falling to Georgia this morning. Women's tennis bowed out in the first round of the tournament, losing to Tennessee.