New Auburn head baseball coach Sunny Golloway started talking about the Tigers traveling to the College World Series immediately after getting hired, but the Golloway Era hasn’t started as bright as the coach’s first name.

Auburn opened the season with a strong performance at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, winning two of three games, before things sank quickly against Alabama State the following Tuesday.

The Tigers sit at 4-4 entering this weekend’s series against Presbyterian and are still trying to get things straight after finishing third in the Tiger Classic in the second weekend series.

Following the 5-0 loss to California is Game 2 of the tournament, Golloway said there would be major changes to the lineup. Following an extra-inning loss the next day, the coach dismissed seniors outfielder Hunter Kelley and first baseman Patrick Savage and junior pitcher Chase Williamson.

“This has not been smooth,” Golloway told AuburnTigers.com. “It’s been very, very bumpy. It’s been bumpy because of the demands put on the program by me. I’ll take full responsibility. That’s why we’ve minimized our roster and why we will continue to minimize our roster until our attitude and effort are there. If the attitude and effort aren’t there, you aren’t going to be here.”

One of the lone bright spots for Auburn this year has come from strong pitching by freshman Keegan Thompson.

Thompson leads the team with a 0.64 ERA after two starts. He’s thrown 14 innings, allowing six hits, three runs (one earned) and struck out 14. He’s 1-0 on the year.

Thompson has also been playing first base to keep his bat in the order, but the freshman – like most of the Tigers – has struggled at the plate. Thompson is hitting .148 while J.J. Shaffer and Daniel Robert are also hitting less than .200.

Outfielders Anfernee Grier and Ryan Tella lead the team, each holding a .300 batting average. Damon Haecker and Dan Glevenyak are both hitting .269.

It hasn’t been hits that Auburn has struggled with, though, it’s been runs. In their four losses, the Tigers have scored three or less runs, including being shut out twice.

There’s still plenty of time for Auburn to correct its wrong, with Southeastern Conference play not starting until Texas A&M comes to Plainsman Park on March 14. And yet, Golloway is still focused on the Tigers getting to Omaha for the College World Series.

“We are going to Omaha this year,” Golloway said. “There is no doubt in my mind. It’s amazing how things are happening that need to happen. These things need to happen right now.”