Photo Gallery | Press Conference Quotes
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- A 14-year head coaching veteran with 505 wins under his belt and 11 NCAA Tournament trips in his 22-year collegiate coaching career, John Pawlowski was officially introduced as WKU's head baseball coach Thursday afternoon by Director of Athletics Todd Stewart.
"There has been much interest in our head coaching position, and when we began our search the main goal was to find someone who was both experienced and a proven winner," said Stewart."My hope was we could hire someone who not only had high-level winning experiences, but who also had success as a Division I head coach with multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. With John Pawlowski, we have someone who meets every criteria."
"When you add it all up, the man sitting next to me has played eight years of professional baseball, won 505 games as a college head coach, participated in 11 total NCAA Tournaments and coached 75 players who have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.The common trait through this journey is one of a winner.Who better to lead us to the places we want to go than someone who has already successfully navigated the journey many times."
Pawlowski, who won over 60 percent of his games in 14 seasons as head coach at College of Charleston (2000-08) and Auburn (2009-13), has developed 75 MLB Draft selections during his 22-year coaching tenure at the collegiate level, won 505 games (505-318 overall) and appeared in 11 NCAA Regionals.
"I'm very excited to be here and be part of Western Kentucky University and part of the family. I'm looking forward to having many great moments here," said Pawlowski.
"We need to win. That's our goal. We're going to play hard. I want somebody, when they walk into the stadium, whether they walk in in the sixth inning or the seventh inning without knowing what that scoreboard reads, I want them to know our kids are playing hard. Whether we're up by two, whether we're down by two, regardless of the score. We're going to play hard. All 27 outs. Whatever it takes, regardless of the score."
Most recently, the former Chicago White Sox pitcher served as the associate head coach and pitching coach at San Diego State (2014-15), helping guide the Aztecs to consecutive NCAA Regional appearances while developing one of the finest pitching staffs in the Mountain West Conference. Under Pawlowski's tutelage, the 2014 Aztec pitching staff boasted its lowest ERA (3.71) since 1995 while the 2015 SDSU starting rotation sported an ERA of 3.38 with 266 strikeouts in 274.1 innings pitched.
Pawlowski turned College of Charleston into a Southern Conference powerhouse during his nine seasons as the Cougars' skipper, which included six seasons with at least 36 wins, three NCAA Regional appearances along with a Super Regional appearance in 2006. The three-time SoCon Coach of the Year finished his tenure in Charleston with a record of 338-192-1, including a 2004-07 window in which the Cougars established a SoCon record for most wins in a four-year span (180-67; .729).
He was named the head coach at Auburn in 2009 after his run of dominance at CofC, and he guided the Tigers to a (167-127) record in five seasons of competition in the nation's toughest league, the Southeastern Conference. Auburn won at least 31 games in four of Pawlowski's five seasons, which was highlighted by a 43-21 campaign in 2010 where the Tigers hosted a NCAA Regional. The Tigers won the SEC West in 2010, marking their first division title since 1995.
Prior to his first head coaching stint at College of Charleston, Pawlowski served the 1999 season as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator under Pat Murphy at Pac-12 power Arizona State. Before his one-year journey with the Sun Devils, Pawlowski spent five years as an assistant at Clemson (1994-98) under college baseball icon Jack Leggett. Pawlowski helped guide the Tigers to five-straight NCAA Regionals and back-to-back College World Series appearances in 1995 and 1996.
While an assistant at Clemson, Pawlowski's staff led the country in earned run average in 1996 with a staff that featured the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks in that year's MLB Draft in Kris Benson and Billy Koch. In his five years at Clemson, the Tigers had 15 pitchers drafted and their recruiting classes ranked in the top 10 nationally each year.
As a player at Clemson from 1983-85, Pawlowski finished his Tiger career with a 21-12 pitching record and a 3.89 ERA over 54 games. He made 30 career starts working 240.1 innings with eight complete games, three shutouts and five saves.
Pawlowski was the sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1985 and made his major league debut in September of 1987. After playing more than seven years for the Chicago White Sox (1986-91), California Angels (1991-92) and Baltimore Orioles (1992) organizations, Pawlowski returned to Clemson to begin his coaching career and complete his degree.
The Pawlowski File
PERSONAL
Born: September 6, 1963
Hometown: Johnson City, N.Y.
High School: Seton Catholic Central
College: Clemson, 1983-85; Industrial Education (1996)
Children: Christine, Mary Louise and Jenny Caroline
COACHING CAREER
2014-15: San Diego State Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach (2 Years; 2 NCAA Tournaments)
2009-13: Auburn Head Coach (5 Years) -- 167-126 Record; 1 NCAA Tournament
2000-08: College of Charleston Head Coach (9 Years) -- 338-192 Record; 3 NCAA Tournaments (1 Super Regional); 3 Coach of the Year Honors
1999: Arizona State Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (1 Year)
1994-98: Clemson Assistant Coach (5 Years; 5 NCAA Tournaments; 1995, 1996 CWS)
PLAYING CAREER
1992: Baltimore Orioles organization
1991-92: California Angels organization
1986-91: Chicago White Sox organization (87-88 major league stints)
1983-85: Clemson
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Brett Gardner (New York Yankees outfielder, 3rd round draft pick out of College of Charleston in 2005)
"Coach Pawlowski really took our program to new heights during my four years in school. His leadership and knowledge of the game helped me achieve my dream of playing in the Major Leagues, and he's sure to be an asset to the baseball program and the athletes that are going to be under his guidance at Western Kentucky University. I couldn't be happier for Coach Pawlowski."
Pat Murphy (Former Arizona State Head Coach)
"I think John is a proven head coach, but he is an even finer man than he is coach. He is going to run a total program where players get a great experience, the university knows they get a strong link to the athletic department, and they can depend on John through thick and thin."
Mark Martinez (San Diego State Head Coach)
"We appreciate all that Coach Pawlowski did for us during his two seasons as the pitching coach at San Diego State. We won back-to-back Mountain West Championships and advanced to the NCAA Regionals each of the past two years and he was an integral part of making that happen. Western Kentucky is
getting one of the better coaches in the country. Congratulations to him on a well-deserved head coaching position."
[Martinez on Pawlowski during introductory press conference in 2014]
"When I sat down with (Jim) Sterk, one of our first priorities was to keep John Pawlowski in our program. It was a huge addition for us last year. He's one of the top, if not the No. 1 pitching coach in the country. He's been a head coach at two different schools, he just happened to be available at the time. That was one of our main focuses was to keep him here. We're very fortunate to have (him)."
