Those of you wondering when Auburn University will make a decision on a new head baseball coach should get comfortable.

It’s going to take a little bit. Maybe longer.

Why? Well, because the college baseball season is still in full swing. With conference tournaments kicking off across the country this week, and regionals, super regionals and the World Series still on tap, finding, interviewing and/or hiring a coach between now and the middle of June (at the earliest) probably won’t happen.

It shouldn’t. Not if Auburn’s going to hit a home run (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) with its next hire.

A coaching search takes time. Truth is, it should take longer than it normally does.

Not only does an athletic department need to make sure they get the “best coach available,” but it also needs to make sure said coach will mesh with the already-existing players and vision of the entire program.

At the very least, when hiring a coach for a major sport (read: revenue-producing), a school needs to get the right guy — and it doesn’t always have to be right now.

Especially at Auburn. With the struggles the baseball team has seen over the last couple years, it’s imperative athletic director Jay Jacobs and his staff make a quality hire.

With a ravenous fan base in a “what have you done for me lately” conference, getting Auburn’s baseball program back to national prominence is priority No. 1 for Jacobs.

And I’m quite sure he knows that, especially with this being the first major hire under his watch.

That’s why it’ll take time.

“We have a great tradition here in baseball and we’ve got to find a coach to get us to the next level,” Jacobs told reporters last Saturday after Tom Slater resigned as head coach.

And that next level is what it’s all about.

Auburn baseball has a solid fan base with the funds and the pedigree to compete. It also has a pretty decent facility.

(Just a side note: I’m not one who believes facilities make or break a program, especially in baseball. Sure, it doesn’t hurt. But it shouldn’t be the deciding factor. AU’s baseball complex rivals that of any in the country, and if a high school kid really wants to play on a nice field, well, sure, having the aesthetics helps. But, it really comes down to two things for a recruit — can I win and can I get better? Things like grass and dirt aren’t that high on the list. Or, at least, shouldn’t be.)

There is also a commitment to the baseball program from everyone who wears orange and blue. In the hyper-competitive SEC, no one wants to be in the cellar. Or even near it. It’s about winning. Always about winning.

It’s about having a good baseball squad to go along with that Top-25 football team. Even, and especially, at Auburn.

While football might rule, baseball is still (in theory) America’s Pastime.  There’s just something about keeping score in the stands, eating a hot dog, sitting next to your son, who’s wearing his glove and blowing bubbles, hoping to catch a foul ball, that fans still love and cherish. There’s still some ownership left in the sport. Some pride.

“In baseball, here at Auburn, we feel like we should compete at the highest level,” Jacobs said. “We’re going to manage this process so that it’s thorough and strategic, as well being efficient so that we can find the best coach for Auburn that can take us to the next level, fit in with the department and this institution and the community.”

The next level.

And finding a coach to get them there will take time.

Shouldn’t it?

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at or 737-2513.