Talks have continued between Auburn athletics director Allen Greene and Butch Thompson about extending the baseball coach's contract beyond the 2020 season, but there's no clear timeline for hashing out a new deal.

Thompson just wrapped up the third year of his original five-year contract, which pays him $350,000 annually, and Greene has expressed the desire to keep Thompson on the Plains for the foreseeable future after the Tigers completed their most successful season in 21 years.

"I don't like timelines," Greene said Tuesday in Newnan, Ga. "They're just -- I think they're unfair. I think there's too many nuances and things to be able to say, 'By this date we'll have a clearer understanding.' I just know how much he loves it here, and I know that he's appreciative of me taking the time to get to know him and his program and his players, and I just think that we can have a really bright future together."

Thompson took over Auburn's program in October 2015, when he was hired to replace Sunny Golloway, who was unceremoniously fired after two tumultuous seasons on the Plains. After taking the helm less than four months before the start of the 2016 season, and after the completion of fall practices, Thompson's club struggled in his first season but has since shown dramatic growth in the last two.

The Tigers went 23-33 overall in Thompson's first year, which included an 8-22 mark in SEC play and missing out on the SEC Tournament. In 2017, Auburn bounced back with a 37-26 campaign and an NCAA Regional appearance, coming within one strike of advancing to a Super Regional.

In Year 3 under Thompson, Auburn just wrapped up its most successful season since 1997, going from unranked to open the season to a 43-23 overall record that included two SEC Tournament wins, a sweep of the Raleigh Regional and the program's first Super Regional appearance since 1999. It marked the first time Auburn earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 15 years.

After advancing to the Gainesville Super Regional, the Tigers came within one swing of the school's first College World Series appearance since 1997, losing a dramatic third game to defending national champion Florida on an 11th-inning walk-off home run.

Thompson's $350,000 annual salary is considerably less than what Auburn paid his predecessor, Golloway, who was earning $650,000 a year and was, at the time, the second-highest paid baseball coach in the SEC.

"Butch and I, we've been having conversations, really, since my arrival on campus and the start of the season," Greene sad. "Like I've said before, Butch is a tremendous man, a great leader, great coach. He and I have kind of talked about the long-term plans for him being here. I know he loves his players, and I think we're in a position where this is a good spot for him to be. We'll continue to have those conversations until we get some stuff finalized."

In evaluating the long-term plans for Thompson, Greene -- who arrived on campus shortly before the start of baseball season -- said he is considering more than just this past season. Rather, he is assessing Thompson's full body of work at Auburn, which includes his 103-82 record and two postseason appearances, as well as his overall development of a program that was in disarray upon his arrival, ability to relate to and manage the student-athletes, and how he handles adversity.

The two even had lengthy conversations during the middle of the season, when Auburn went through a rough stretch, to talk about ways to get the team back on course.

One thing in particular that stood out to Greene in that regard was how the Tigers' season ended, with Florida's Austin Langworthy hitting a walk-off home run that caromed off the glove of right-fielder Steven Williams and over the wall at McKethan Stadium. After the initial shock of the result, almost Auburn's entire team and coaching staff walked out to right field to console Williams and pick him up.

"I've only been on campus for four months, but what sticks out in my mind about Butch, like I've mentioned before, is he's a really good person," Greene said. "He thinks and operates with his heart.... I just really appreciate the way that he manages these young men. It goes to show you -- the last play of the game in the Super Regionals, you had a player had a freak play and you saw other players and coaches going right out to him, and that's -- Butch creates a culture of Auburn men, and that's really, really special to have."

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.