Alabama Baseball Hosts UMass Minutemen in Weekend Series
3/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Game 13: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. UMass Minutemen
March 7, 2003 SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM TUSCALOOSA
6:30 PM (CT)
Date Game Time Radio
Mar 7 UMass 6:30 p.m. CTSN
Mar 8 UMass 4 p.m. WACT-AM (1420)
Mar 9 UMass 2 p.m. WACT-AM (1420)
RADIO: The games will be aired locally on WRTR-FM (105.5) or WACT-AM (1420) in Tuscaloosa. David Crane and Chris Stewart will call the action.
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live stats (home games only) and audio broadcasts can be found at http://www.rolltide.com/
TICKETS: Season tickets are available by calling the Alabama Ticket Office (205-348-2262). Single-game tickets are available for $5 each and the gates will open two hours prior to each game.
RANKINGS: Alabama is ranked 24th in the USA Today Sports Weekly coaches poll. UMass is not ranked.
BAMA HOSTS UMASS IN FIRST-EVER MEETING
The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team returns to action as they host the UMass Minutemen in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday night at 6:30 p.m. (CT) here at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The two teams will be meeting for the first-time ever in baseball action. The UMass series marks the season straight weekend Alabama has hosted an A-10 Conference team. Last weekend, Alabama took two out of three from Rhode Island (9-2, 9-1, 6-7) here at the Joe. UMass is also the Crimson Tide's third straight first-time opponent and fourth first-time opponent this season. Alabama hosted Rhode Island and Belmont earlier this week in the first-ever meetings between the schools.
THE RECORDS
Alabama (9-3) got back on the winning track Tuesday night with an 18-4 win over Belmont here at the Joe. The Crimson Tide is 7-2 (.778) here at home this season and has a pair of wins over ranked teams, including then No. 2 Rice.
UMass (0-0) opens the 2003 season Friday night against Alabama. The Minutemen were 21-26 last year, including a 9-15 record in A-10 play.
THE COACHES
Alabama's Jim Wells is in his ninth season at the Capstone, compiling a 380-155 (.710) record at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Overall, Wells is 572-244 (.701) in his 14th season as a Division I head coach. UMass head coach Mike Stone has compiled a 419-283-2 (.597) record as he opens his 16th year at his alma mater this weekend. Overall, Stone is 473-373-4 (.558) in 20 years of coaching, including a five-year stint at Vermont.
LAST TIME OUT
Alabama pounded out a season-high 19 hits, including seven doubles and a pair of triples, to hand Belmont its first loss of the 2003 season. The 18-4 win was the Crimson Tide's third double-figure win this season. Alabama scored five times in the first inning and added six more runs in the fourth. Adam Pavkovich (3-6, 2 RBI, 3B), Beau Hearod (3-5, 2 2B, RBI) and Grant Redding (3-6, 3 R, 3 RBI) had three hits each for the Crimson Tide. Jared Woodward (5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) earned his first win of the year.
NEXT GAME
Alabama and UMass will meet again Saturday at 4 p.m. here at the Joe.
BAMA VS. UMASS
This weekend's series will mark the first-ever meeting between Alabama and UMass.
BAMA VS. A-10 CONFERENCE
Alabama owns an 8-4 (.667) record against the current Atlantic 10 Conference field.
*This will mark the second consecutive weekend the Crimson Tide has faced an A-10 opponent. Last weekend, UA took two of three from Rhode Island in the first-ever meeting between those two schools. After winning 9-2 and 9-1 in the first two games, Alabama suffered a 7-6 setback in the series finale.
*Prior to last weekend's series with Rhode Island, Alabama had not met an A-10 foe since beating Duquesne in 1997.
Opponent Last Mtg Record
Dayton NA 0-0
Duquesne 1997 1-0
Fordham 1907 1-0
G. Washington 1948 1-1
LaSalle NA 0-0
UMass NA 0-0
Rhode Island 2003 2-1
Richmond 1995 2-2
St. Bonaventure NA 0-0
St. Joseph's NA 0-0
Temple NA 0-0
Xaiver 1982 1-0
Totals 2003 8-3
FIRST TIME OPPONENTS
Alabama will face four first-time opponents this season, including Louisiana Lafayette, its opening day foe.
*After its season opener with ULL, Alabama will also meet Rhode Island, Belmont and UMass for the first time in 2003.
*In addition to its four first-time opponents, Alabama will meet two more teams for the first time during the regular season.
*Bama met Rice in the 2003 Minute Maid Park College Classic and faced SE Missouri State the following weekend in Tuscaloosa.
*Prior to 2003, Alabama and Rice have met only once and that meeting took place in the 1999 College World Series. UA and SEMO met last year at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional.
UA-BSC MAKEUP GAME ANNOUNCED
The Univeristy of Alabama announced that it's rainout with the Birmingham Southern Panthers has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 6 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The game will begin a 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the March 5th rainout (Game #10) will be honored for the May 6 game.
MARCH RECORD
Alabama has posted a 106-51 (.675) record in the month of March since 1995, including last year's 14-5 slate.
*Since 1995, Alabama has averaged 13 wins per season in the month of March, including a pair of 15-win seasons in 1997 (15-4) and 1999 (15-4).
*The school record for wins in the month of March is 17 set by the 1981 (17-3) and 1984 (17-3) teams.
*Alabama coach Jim Wells is 184-75 (.710) in his 13-year career in the month. Wells has posted a 104-50 (.675) record here at Alabama. He was 78-24 (.765) in his five years at Northwestern State.
*In 2002, Alabama hit .322 (219-for-680) in the month of March, with 22 home runs and 133 RBI.
*Alabama averaged 7.8 runs and 11.5 hits per game in the 19 games.
*Travis Garner was the leading hitter last year in the month of March with a .387 (24-for-62) average in 19 games. He added 16 runs scored, two home runs and six RBI.
*Garner homered in back-to-back games at South Carolina (Mar. 29-30) and tied the Alabama single-game record with five hits on Mar. 30.
*Beau Hearod hit four home runs and added 19 RBI in 19 games last year in March.
*On the mound, the pitching staff logged a 3.65 ERA, allowing 69 earned runs in 170 innings. Bama had two complete games and seven saves.
*Taylor Tankersley appeared in eight games and posted a 2-2 record with three saves and 2.86 ERA last March
*Brent Carter posted a 1.98 ERA (3 ER, 15.2 IP) in five appearances, while Brian Reed added one win and two saves in 10 games.
HOME COOKING
Alabama took two out of three from Rhode Island (Feb. 29-March 2) and has now won 24 consecutive non-conference home series, dating back to 1994.
*Alabama has never lost a non-conference home series under coach Wells.
*The last time Alabama lost a three-game series at home to a non-SEC team was to Notre Dame in 1994. After winning the opener 5-2, Bama dropped the next two games (5-4, 10-7) to the Irish.
*Alabama also has 12 series sweeps to its credit in those 24 home series wins over non conference foes.
*During its current streak, Alabama has lost the first game of the series four times and in all four instances bounced back to take the series.
*In 1995, Alabama lost the first game to Penn State (4-3) before bouncing back to take the next two games (4-3, 8-0). The PSU series was scheduled for a Saturday-Sunday-Monday series and that series also featured an inside-the-park home run.
*In 1996, the Crimson Tide dropped a 13-8 decision to UNC Greensboro in the opener before coming back to win the next two games (9-3 and 12-3).
*In 2000, Alabama lost the first game of the series to both Central Florida and Purdue, but won both series.
*UCF won the opener 8-5, but Alabama rebounded for 18-4 and 10-5 wins in the final two games.
*Purdue also claimed the first game (10-9), but fell the next two days (9-4 and 5-0) to Bama.
*On Feb. 22, Alabama blew a 7-2 lead in the sixth inning and lost the series opener 8-7 to SEMO, but rebounded to win the next two games (16-1 and 9-4).
