Slater focused on LSU, not future

By Collin Mickle

Published: May 14, 2008

This could be a critical weekend for Auburn baseball coach Tom Slater.

Slater, whose Tigers close the season with a three-game series against LSU starting today, doesn’t know whether he’ll be back as AU’s coach next season. No one — with the possible exception of athletic director Jay Jacobs, who will decide Slater’s fate — knows for sure.

But Slater isn’t worried about that. In fact, the fourth-year head coach said Wednesday he isn’t thinking about his own status at all.

With Auburn still nursing slim hopes of making the Southeastern Tournament, Slater has enough on his plate.

“I’m not even thinking about it,” Slater said Wednesday. “I’m concentrating on our guys and playing and preparing our team. I can promise you it’s not on my mind.

“I’m focusing on preparing this team and us going out and trying to win games.”

Slater is expected to meet with Jacobs after the end of the season — possibly as soon as next week — to discuss his future. Jacobs has declined to take a stand on Slater’s status before the end of the season, but another season out of the SEC Tournament won’t help the coach’s chances.

Auburn (28-25, 11-16 SEC) hasn’t made the conference tournament since 2003; Slater arrived in 2005.

To break that drought, the Tigers need to sweep LSU this weekend and need several other SEC series to work out just right. AU needs last-place Mississippi State to sweep Arkansas and Tennessee to sweep South Carolina on the road.

Though the Tigers don’t control their own destiny, Slater says that hasn’t affected his players’ preparation.

“We just focus on ourselves,” Slater said. “We can’t worry about what’s going on with other people.

“We just try to go out and focus on the game at hand, and that’s what we’ll do again this weekend. We’ll do our best to win each and every game, to give ourselves a chance.”

Auburn will be without No. 2 pitcher Cory Luckie. The freshman left-hander hasn’t pitched since injuring his forearm on April 26 at Alabama.

Freshman slugger Hunter Morris is recovering from his own injury, a bruised side suffered against Samford on April 22. Morris, who has served as AU’s designated hitter since suffering the injury, took ground balls in practice Wednesday and could return to his usual starting slot at first base today.

The series begins today at 6 p.m., continues Friday at 6 p.m. and concludes Saturday at 2 p.m.

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LSU at Auburn
When: 6 p.m. today, 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Plainsman Park
Records: Auburn 28-25 (11-16 SEC); LSU 36-16-1 (15-11-1 SEC)
TV / Radio: WKKR 97.7 FM / (No TV)
Projected Pitching Matchups: Friday — AU LHP Grant Dayton, rFr. (7-1, 3.65 ERA) vs. LSU LHP Ryan Verdugo, Jr. (7-2, 3.44); Saturday — AU RHP Taylor Thompson, So. (3-5, 5.71) vs. LSU LHP Blake Martin, Jr. (4-3, 4.80); Sunday — AU RHP Luke Greinke (4-4, 4.47) vs. LSU TBA