JACKSON, Miss. — Ron Polk, the Southeastern Conference's winningest baseball coach and an outspoken critic of the NCAA during his tenure at Mississippi State, has resigned.

Athletic director Larry Templeton said in a news release today that Polk's resignation would take effect at the end of the season.

Polk is in his 29th season as head coach at Mississippi State and in the 35th overall. The Bulldogs are 10-13 and 1-5 in the SEC.

He ranks among the nation's top 10 in career victories with 1,360 and has the fifth-most wins among active coaches.

Polk guided the Bulldogs to the College World Series last season and has taken 23 of 34 teams to NCAA regional play, including five straight.

He has clashed with the NCAA over recent rules changes and, according to the university statement, had told Templeton he would resign before the season began.

Messages left with Polk and Templeton weren't immediately returned. An employee in Polk's office said the coach wouldn't address the media until after tomorrow's game against Georgia in Starkville.

"It goes without saying that we are most appreciative of the outstanding job Ron Polk has done for Mississippi State baseball," Templeton said. "His decision does not come as a surprise because we had a conversation about this timeline even before this season started."

Templeton said the timing of the announcement will allow the school "to properly put together a process for the selection of our next head baseball coach."

That search will be led by Mississippi State's new athletic director, Greg Byrne.

Polk has never had a losing season in two stops at Mississippi State and stints at Georgia and Georgia Southern. He appeared as an assistant or head coach at the College World Series in five different decades and guided teams to eight trips to Omaha, though he has never won a national title.

He is 69-53 in the postseason and 7-16 in the Series.

Fan discontent with Polk has grown over the years and seemed to be at its zenith last season as the Bulldogs stumbled. But they put together an improbable run through the playoffs to make it to Omaha.

Fan reaction quickly changed.

"Now people are coming up and hugging me and shaking my hand, and I don't know who I'm shaking hands with," Polk said after his team swept Clemson the Starkville super regional. "They love me right now. No, I know what the fans are all about. The Internets and blogs and all that, they can be a little tough on coaches."