Alabama Baseball Hosts Morehead State on Wednesday
3/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Game 23: MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES AT ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM -- TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM
MARCH 24, 2004 -- FIRST MEETING SINCE 1992
Date Game Time Radio/TV
Mar 24 vs. Morehead State 6:30 PM CTSN, WRTR-FM (105.5)
Mar 26 vs. Ole Miss 6:30 PM CTSN, WRTR-FM (105.5)
Mar 27 vs. Ole Miss 4 PM CTSN, WRTR-FM (105.5)
Mar 28 vs. Ole Miss 2 PM CTSN, WRTR-FM (105.5)
ON THE MOUND: UA - RHP Allen Ponder (4 G, 1-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. MSU - RHP Cody Sorrell (2 G, 1 GS, 0-0, 12.00 ERA)
RADIO: The games will be aired locally on WRTR-FM (105.5) or WACT-AM (1420) in Tuscaloosa. David Crane will broadcast the Morehead State game on the Crimson Tide Sports Network (WRTR-FM, 105.5 in Tuscaloosa).
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live stats (home games only) and audio broadcasts can be found at www.rolltide.com
TICKETS: Season tickets are available by calling the Alabama Ticket Office (205-348-2262). Single-game tickets and standing-room only tickets are available for $5 each and the gates will open two hours prior to each game. Tickets for the Morehead State are just one dollar ($1).
BAMA RETURNS HOME TO FACE MSU
The No. 32 Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team opens a brief four-game home stand this week, beginning with Wednesday night's game against the Morehead State Eagles. The game is set to being at 6:30 p.m. at Sewell--Thomas Stadium. Alabama is playing at home for the first time since a 20-0 win over SE Missouri State on Mar. 14. The Crimson Tide suffered a 1-3 record in four road games last week, including a pair of losses at No. 35 Georgia to open the 2004 SEC schedule. Alabama and Morehead State are meeting for the first time since 1992 when the two meet on Wednesday night. The MSU marks the return of "Buck Night" and "Future All-American Night" at the Joe. Alabama returns to the friendly confines of the Joe on Wednesday looking to extend its 12-game home winning streak. Bama has not lost at home since dropping a 2-1 decision to New Orleans on Feb. 14, 2004. During the streak, Alabama is batting .324 (131-for-404) with 13 home runs and 98 RBI. UA has outscored the opposition 106-29 in those 12 games, including a 53-5 advantage in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. On the mound, Alabama has a 2.00 ERA in its last 12 home games (108 IP, 74 H, 29 R, 24 ER, 36 BB, 100 K) and has not allowed a run in the last 20 innings here at the Joe. Over the last home four games, Alabama has allowed just one run (0.26 ERA) in the last 34 1/3 innings here at home.
THE RECORDS
Alabama (15-7) has dropped three of its last four games overall. The Tide enters the MSU game with a 12-game home winning streak. Morehead State (5-11) has lost three straight games and seven of its last eight, dating back March 6.
THE COACHES
Alabama's Jim Wells is in his 10th season with the Crimson Tide program. He has compiled a 424-183 (.700) record at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Overall, Wells is 616-272 (.695) in 15 seasons at Northwestern State and Alabama. Morehead State head coach a head coach John Jernigan has compiled a 192-258-2 (.000) in his ninth season with the Eagles.
PROMOTION
The Morehead State game is "Buck Night" and "Future All-American Night" at the Joe. All bleacher tickets are one dollar for the MSU game.
NEXT GAME
Alabama hosts Ole Miss in its first SEC home series of the 2004 season this weekend, beginning Friday, Mar. 26 at 6:30 p.m.
ALABAMA HITTING NOTEBOOK (Mar. 24, 2004)
Name G AVG. AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Alabama 22 .275 732 147 201 45 3 18 131 87 147 23-33
Morehead St. 16 .289 553 102 160 50 5 24 150 73 108 4-6
Ole Miss 19 .324 673 170 218 48 6 21 158 85 116 28-34
NOTES: Alabama ranks 11th in the SEC in hitting (.275) and slugging percentage (.417) and 12th in the league in on-base percentage (.368) and triples (3)...The Crimson Tide also has the third-most strikeouts in the SEC (147) entering this week's schedule...Alabama's .275 batting average is 46 points below the league average...Alabama and Auburn (.273) are the only two teams in the league hitting below the .300 mark...Alabama is hitting .285 (154-for-54) against right-handers and .245 (47-for-192) against lefties this season...Alabama is 13-5 (.722) against RHPs and 2-2 vs. LHPs this year...Alabama has a 7-3 (.700) record in night games and an 8-4 (.667) record in day games...Alabama is 5-6 (.556) in games decided by two runs or less...UA is 2-5 (.286) in one-run games this season, with a three-game losing streak in games decided by a run or less...Five of UA's seven losses this year have been by one run...Alabama has 18 home runs in 22 games this season...The 18 home runs have come from 10 different players...Nine of Alabama's 18 home runs have come in two games...Bama hit a season-high five homers against Cincinnati (Feb. 21) and added four home runs against No. 18 Southern Miss (Mar. 10)...Alabama is batting .286 (8-for-28) with the bases loaded this season...Opponents are hitting just .231 (3-for-13) with the bases full...With two outs this season, Alabama is batting .275 (67-for-244) with 44 RBI, while opponents are hitting .202 (45-for-223) with two outs, including 25 RBI...Alabama pinch-hitters are just 3-for-23 (.130) this season, while opponnets are 1-for-18 (.056)...Alabama scored a season-high 20 runs in its 20-0 win over SE Missouri (Mar. 14)...The Crimson Tide had a 10-run sixth inning in the 20-0 win and added a nine-run, fifth inning in its 10-1 win in the series opener (Mar. 12) with SEMO...Alabama was no-hit for 6 2/3 innings and managed only one hit in its 2-1 loss to Kansas State on March 7th...The one hit is the fewest number of his by an Alabama team in the Jim Wells era...The Crimson Tide has not been no-hit since 1968...Alabama posted a season-high seven-game winning streak from Feb. 20-March 3...Bama scored a season-high 13 runs in its 13-3 win over SE Louisiana (Feb.27)...Alabama also matched its season high with 12 RBI in the win over the Lions...UA also had 12 RBI against New Orleans (Feb. 16) and Cincinnati (Feb. 21)...Bama hit a season-high five home runs in a 12-0 win over Cincinnati on Feb 21, 2004...The five home runs were the most by Alabama since hitting five home runs against Ole Miss on April 24, 2000.
ALABAMA PITCHING NOTEBOOK (Mar. 24, 2004)
Name G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
ALABAMA 22-22 15 7 5 2.70 193.0 151 65 58 53 181 2
Morehead St. 16-16 5 11 0 9.41 133.0 202 172 139 73 108 0
Ole Miss 19-19 18 1 7 3.53 171.0 166 76 67 48 176 2
Name G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
UA Starters 22-22 10 3 0 2.97 121.1 98 43 40 27 108 2
Opp Starters 22-22 3 12 0 4.66 110.0 116 73 57 40 82 3
UA Bullpen 20-0 5 4 5 2.26 71.2 53 22 18 26 73 0
Opp Bullpen 19-0 4 3 2 6.42 75.2 85 74 54 47 65 0
NOTES: Alabama continues to boast one of the SEC's top pitching staffs this season...Through 22 games, Alabama ranks second in the SEC with 181 strikeouts...Alabama also rank second in the league with a .215 opponents batting average in 22 games...The Tide also ranks fourth in pickoffs (4), ERA (.270), innings pitched (193.0) and fewest walks (53)...Alabama leads the SEC with four balks this season...In terms of defense, Alabama is third in fielding percentage (.976), third in double plays (18) and fourth in fewest errors (19)...Alabama has played 10 errorless games this season and has made one error or less in 16 of 22 games...For the first time in the Wells era, Alabama played a three-game SEC without an error at Georgia (Mar. 19-21)...Dating back to the eighth inning of the Birmingham Southern game (Mar. 17), Alabama has played 28 consecutive errorless innings...Earlier this season, Alabama went 30 1/3 innings without an error (Mar. 6-13)...UA has posted four shutouts this season, beating Cincinnati (Feb. 21), Centenary (Mar. 6), SE Missouri (Mar. 13) and SE Missouri (Mar. 14)...The Crimson Tide posted back-to-back shutouts against SE Missouri (Mar. 13-14) for the first time since blanking Ole Miss in consecutive games April 6-7, 1990...The Crimson Tide went 21 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings over four games at SE Missouri (19.1) and Birmingham Southern (3.0)...The Alabama starters threw 27 consecutive scoreless innings over four games against SE Missouri and Birmingham Southern...Alabama has not allowed a run in its last 20 innings here at home (Mar. 10-Present)...Dating back to the Southern Miss game (Mar. 10), Alabama has allowed only one run in the last 33 1/3 innings here at home...Alabama has held the opposition to three earned runs or less in 16 of 22 games this season...The Crimson Tide has allowed only seven unearned runs all year...Alabama has only one save since March 3rd...The Alabama bullpen has allowed only eight earned runs (15 G, 59.1 IP, 46 H, 8 ER, 18 BB, 60 K) in its last 59.1 innings over the last 15 games...The bullpen had an 18.1 scoreless inning streak from Feb.22-March 3...In addition, Alabama's pen did not allow a run in 11.2 innings against SE Louisiana (Feb. 27-29), including a 8.2 scoreless innings in the series finale...At the Gent Classic (Mar. 5-7), Alabama allowed only eight runs, but lost two games...Alabama made a season-high three errors in its win over UAB (Mar 3)...The Crimson Tide walked only two batters in the SE Louisiana series (Feb. 27-29)...Bama stranded all six inherited runners in a 3-2 win over Cincinnati (Feb. 22).
MOREHEAD STATE SERIES
Alabama leads the overall series with Morehead State, 4-1. The teams have not played since the 1992 season.
*MSU won the inaugural meeting between the two schools, posting a 10-1 score in 1980.
*The Crimson Tide has rebounded to win the last four meetings, including two in 1988 and two in 1992.
*During the 1992 series, Alabama shortstop Jerry Shelton set the school and SEC record and the tied the single-game NCAA record as he was hit by a pitch four times in the 10-1 win in the series finale.
*Alabama coach Jim Wells has never faced the Morehead State Eagles in his 15-year career.
Bama-MSU Series Scoreboard
Year Result of Game (Site)
1980 Morehead State 10, Alabama 1 (Tuscaloosa)
1988 Alabama 9, Morehead State 0 (Tuscaloosa)
Alabama 3, Morehead State 2 (Tuscaloosa)
1992 Alabama 13, Morehead State 2 (Tuscaloosa)
Alabama 10, Morehead State 1 (Tuscaloosa)
BAMA VS. OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
Alabama owns a 30-6 (.833) record against the current members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
*Alabama has faced an OVC school in each of the last three seasons.
*The Morehead State game marks the fifth game this season for the Crimson Tide against the OVC member.
*Alabama is 3-1 (.750) in those previous four meetings. The Crimson Tide lost a 4-3 decision at Jacksonville State on Feb. 18 and swept SE Missouri State (Mar. 12-14) in a three-game home series last weekend.
*Alabama will host Samford, another OVC member, here in Tuscaloosa on April 21.
SCOUTING REPORT: Morehead State
The Morehead State Eagles are 5-11 (.313) this season and enters the week having lost seven of their last eight games.
*MSU plays at Vanderbilt on Tuesday, Mar. 23 before making the trek to Tuscaloosa this Wednesday night.
*The Eagles are in the midst of an 11-game road trip over the next two weeks.
*On offense, the Eagles are batting just .289 (160-for-553) with 14 home runs and 93 RBI this season.
*MSU averages 6.4 runs and 10 hits per game this year.
*Junior Travis Rima has been the most consistent hitter on the club this season with a .381 (24-for-63) average at the plate. Rima has also added one home run and a team best 16 RBI in 16 games.
*Rima, who leads the team with four doubles, is currently riding a 15-game hitting streak.
*Junior shortstop Pete Troyer has also been a hot hitter this season for MSU with a .308 (20-for-65) average and 10 RBI. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games for the Eagles.
*The leading home run hitter is sophomore right fielder Paul Rhodes (16 G, .241, 14-for-58), who has four home runs and 14 RBI.
*The MSU pitching staff has forged a 5-11 record and 9.41 ERA in 16 games (133 IP, 202 H, 172 R, 139 ER, 73 BB, 108 K) this season. They do not have a complete game or a save to this point in the season.
*The Eagles pitching staff yields more than one hit and one run per inning pitched this season as opponents are averaging 10.8 runs and 12.6 hits per game.
*Cody Sorrell (2 G, 0-0, 12.00 ERA), a redshirt freshman right-hander is slated to start on the mound against Alabama. Sorrell missed the entire 2003 season with shoulder surgery.
*After failing to retire a batter in a relief appearance at Tennessee on Feb. 14, he made his first collegiate start against Niagara (mar. 13) and allowed one run one three hits with three strikeouts in a three-inning stint.
*On defense, the Eagles have struggled and made 42 errors in 16 games this season for a .930 fielding percentage. MSU has turned only seven double plays.
OLE MISS SERIES
Alabama leads the overall series with Ole Miss, 182-123-1 (.596). The series dates back to the 1895 season and is the oldest running series in the Alabama record book.
*The Crimson Tide and Rebels have met every year since 1946.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells has not had a lot of success against the Ole Miss Rebels, posting a 13-15 (.464) record in his first nine years at Bama.
*Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco has led the Rebels to three straight series wins over the Crimson Tide and owns a 7-2 (.778) mark against Alabama in his career.
*The Rebels have won three consecutive series against the Crimson Tide, including the last meeting here in Tuscaloosa in 2002.
*Ole Miss will be seeking its fourth consecutive series win over Alabama this weekend in Tuscaloosa.
*The last time Ole Miss won four straight series from Alabama was 1992-96, when UM took five straight series from the Tide.
*Overall, Ole Miss has won four of the last six series played in Tuscaloosa, dating back to 1993.
*Alabama holds a 114-65-1 (.636) lead in games played in Tuscaloosa.
*At Sewell-Thomas Stadium, the Crimson Tide owns a 65-56-1 (.537) mark since the park opened in 1948.
*Alabama is 7-8 (.467) at home against Ole Miss in the Wells era.
SCOUTING REPORT: Ole Miss
The Ole Miss Rebels (18-1, 3-0 SEC), off to the best start in school history, is one of the nation's hottest teams after one weekend of SEC play.
*The Rebels, who opened the season by winning their first 11 games, swept No. 22 Vanderbilt last weekend at home to open conference play. Ole Miss won two games in its final at-bat to become the only undefeated team in SEC play after one week of play.
*The Rebels take a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday night's game at No. 21 Southern Miss.
*As a team, Ole Miss is batting .324 (218-for-673) with 21 home runs and 158 RBI in 19 games. The Rebels are averaging 8.9 runs and 11.5 hits per game this season.
*The heart and soul of the Ole Miss team is preseason All-American and the early favorite to win SEC Player of the Year honors, Stephen Head.
*The sophomore is batting .420 (29-for-69) with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 19 games this season. In addition, he has an incredible .841 slugging percentage and a .494 on-base clip.
*On the mound the right-hander is the No. 2 man in the weekend rotation. In seven games (20.2 IP, 27 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 21 K) this season, including three starts, he is 2-0 with two saves and 3.48 ERA.
*Head is expected to start game two of the Alabama series.
*Catcher Barry Gunther is the leading hitter on the team with a .442 (19-for-43) average in 16 games. Gunther has added one home run and 12 RBI for the Rebels.
*The offensive attack does not stop there as Alex Pressley (17 G, .365, 2 HR, 16 RBI), Cooper Osteen (19 G, .360, 1 HR, 19 RBI) and Matt Tolbert (19 G, .342, HR, 19 RBI) are all hitting better than .340 in the Rebel lineup this season.
*Ole Miss pitchers are 18-1 with a 3.53 staff ERA (171.0 IP, 166 H, 76 R, 67 ER, 48 BB, 176 K) this season. The staff has also turned in seven saves, four shutouts and two complete games.
*Ole Miss had three straight shutouts against Nicholls State on Mar. 12-14. That same weekend, Alabama posted back-to-back shutouts in a series sweep over SE Missouri State.
*Right hander Mark Holliman (5 GS, 3-0, 3.64 ERA) will take the mound in game one of the Alabama series. In 29.2 innings, he has allowed 30 hits, 14 runs, 12 earned runs, seven walks and 37 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .263 against Holliman this year.
*The game three starter is right-hander Brae Wright (5 GS, 2 CG, 5-0, 1.50 ERA), who is the ace of the staff. Wright has worked 36 innings and allowed 35 hits, 10 runs, six earned runs, three walks and 38 strikeouts on the mound.
*On defense, the Rebels sport a .977 fielding clip and have made just 17 errors in 19 games this season. They have also turned 18 double plays.
SCHEDULE GETTING TOUGHER
As the season rolls into conference play, the competition gets tougher for the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team.
*Playing in the toughest baseball conference in the nation, Alabama embarks on a 30-game league schedule that features eight teams ranked in this week's four baseball polls.
*Overall, Alabama has 10 of its opponents ranked in at least one of the four major polls this week.
*Three SEC teams are ranked in the Top 10 this week, including the Ole Miss Rebels who make the trek to Tuscaloosa this weekend for Alabama's SEC home opener.
*The Rebels are a consensus Top 10 team in the four baseball polls and are ranked as high a fifth this week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
*LSU and South Carolina are consensus Top 5 teams, with the Tigers ranked as high as No. 1 in the country by Collegiate Baseball. LSU is ranked third in the other three polls.
*South Carolina is ranked fourth in two polls and fifth in the remaining two polls this week.
*Alabama plays at both South Carolina (April 23-25) and LSU (April 30-May 2) this season in back-to-back weekends in April and May.
*However, the brutality of the schedule does not end there, as Alabama also faces Auburn (April 16-18), Florida (May 7-9) and Miss. State (May 14-16) all at home in the coming weeks.
*In addition, Alabama has played four other teams that are currently ranked in at least one of the four major polls this week, including Kansas State, Southern Miss, Birmingham Southern and Georgia.
*The highest profile win of the season came against No. 18 Southern Miss on Mar. 10 here in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide hit four home runs en route to an easy 9-3 win over the Golden Eagles, snapping an eight-game winning streak by USM.
*Alabama suffered a 2-1 loss to Kansas State in the final game of the Gent Classic (Mar. 7). It was the Wildcats eighth straight win. K-State is now 16-6 on the season and ranked this week for the first time.
*Birmingham Southern handed Alabama a 4-3 loss on Mar. 17 in the first-ever game played between the schools on the BSC campus. BSC is ranked this week for the first time in history at the Division I level.
*The Crimson Tide dropped two out of three at then No. 35 Georgia (Mar. 19-21) in Athens to open SEC play.
PLAYING DEFENSE
Alabama is on pace to become the best defensive team in Alabama baseball history, with just 19 errors in its first 22 games.
*The Crimson Tide is currently third in the SEC with a .976 fielding mark.
*The current .976 fielding clip is .005 points higher than the all-time Alabama record (.971) held by the 1996 team.
*In fact, only two Alabama teams have fielded better than .970 in a single-season. The 1994 team is second with a .970 fielding clip.
*Alabama has played 10 errorless games this season, including five of the last seven games.
*The Crimson Tide has made one error or less in 16 of its first 22 games this season.
*In addition, Alabama did not make an error in the three-game series at Georgia (Mar. 19-21), marking the first time in the Wells era the Crimson Tide played an errorless three-game SEC series.
*Dating back to last season, Alabama has played four consecutive errorless SEC games.
*Alabama has not made an error since the eighth inning of the Birmingham Southern (Mar. 17) game.
*The Crimson Tide enters the Morehead State game with a streak of 28 consecutive errorless innings.
*Earlier this season, Alabama played 31 1/3 consecutive errorless innings over four games with Southern Miss and SE Missouri State.
*After making an error to lead off the second inning against Southern Miss on Mar. 10, Alabama did not make its next error until one out in the fifth inning against SE Missouri State on Mar. 14.
Single-Season Fielding (Wells Era)
Yr Fld% Gms Errors
1995 .965 64 85
1996 .971 69 78
1997 .966 70 93
1998 .963 64 89
1999 .966 69 84
2000 .957 65 109
2001 .968 55 67
2002 .964 66 95
2003 .962 62 88
2004 .976 22 19
UNEARNED RUNS
Through 22 games this season, Alabama has allowed only seven unearned runs.
The seven unearned runs are the second-lowest total allowed by an pitching staff in the SEC. South Carolina paces the league with five unearned runs allowed this season.
Fewest Unearned Runs Allowed (SEC)
Rk No. Team ERA (Rank)
1. 5 USC 2.42 (2)
2. 7 Bama 2.70 (5)
3. 8 LSU 2.59 (4)
4. 9 Vandy 3.52 (8)
9 UM 3.53 (t9)
6. 10 MSU 2.24 (1)
7. 12 AU 3.53 (t9)
8. 14 TENN 2.49 (3)
9. 23 UGa 3.42 (7)
10. 25 ARK 3.27 (6)
11. 30 UK 5.03 (12)
12. 32 FLA 3.96 (11)
15 UP, 7 DOWN
Alabama has compiled an 15-7 (.682) record in its first 22 games of the 2004 season. Here is how the Crimson Tide fares in its 15 wins and seven losses.
*In its 15 wins this season the Alabama Crimson Tide has:
*Hit .321 (163-for-508) with 15 home runs and 119 RBI
*Averaged 8.6 runs and 10.9 hits per game
*Compiled a 1.93 ERA (135 IP, 91 H, 29 ER)
*Committed 14 errors in those 15 games
*In its seven losses this season the Alabama Crimson Tide has:
*Hit .170 (38-for-224) with three home runs and 12 RBI
*Averaged 2.6 runs and 5.4 hits per game
*Struck out 65 times in 224 at-bats (1:4)
*Compiled a 4.50 ERA (58 IP, 60 H, 29 ER)
*Committed five errors in five losses
12-GAME WINNING STREAK AT THE JOE
Alabama has won its last 12 home games. The Crimson Tide has not lost at home since dropping a 2-1 decision to New Orleans on Feb. 14.
*Since that loss to UNO, Alabama has bounced back to win 12 straight home games.
*During its 12-game home winning streak, Alabama is batting .324 (131-for-404) with 13 home runs and 98 RBI.
*The pitching staff is 12-0 with a 2.00 ERA in those 12 games, allowing only 24 earned runs and 74 hits in 108 innings.
2004 HOME WINNING STREAK BATTING LEADERS
Player Stats
Allen Rice, 3B .432, 0 HR, 9 RBI
Zac Welch, 1B .375, 3 HR, 14 RBI
Carlos Sosa, DH .372, 2 HR, 20 RBI
Evan Bush, LF .333, 3 HR, 8 RBI
Michael McCallister, RF .333, 0 HR, 4 RBI
2004 HOME WINNING STREAK PITCHING LEADERS
Player Stats
Seth Johnson 5 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 SV
Taylor Tankersley 3 G, 1-0, 0.00, 1 SV
Wade LeBlanc 3 GS, 3-0, 0.59 ERA
Brandon Belcher 2 G, 1 GS, 2-0, 1.65 ERA
THE JOE
Alabama fans have made Sewell-Thomas Stadium (aka - The Joe) one of zaniest places to watch a college baseball game. Alabama posted the nation's best home record three consecutive years (1997-99), including a school record 37-4 (.902) in 1999. Joe Caruso, an All-American second baseman and fan favorite, added to the lore of the stadium during his four-year career (1994-97) at Alabama. Another ballpark tradition is the playing of "Cotton Eyed Joe" during the middle of the fifth inning. This upbeat song literally has the fans dancing in the aisles as they cheer on their beloved Crimson Tide.
*Alabama led the nation in home wins in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2002.
*The Crimson Tide won a school-record 37 home games in 1999, posting a 37-4 (.902) record at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
*Alabama matched the all-time record with 32 regular-season home wins in 2002, which included a modern day record 27-game winning streak.
*The Crimson Tide went 32-2 (.941) at home during the 2002 regular season and fashioned a 35-4 (.897) overall mark.
*The 1997 (32-3, .914) and 1999 (32-4, .889) teams also won 32 regular season home games.
*Alabama's regular-season home winning percentage (32-2, .941) in 2002 was also the best in school history.
Home Record Under Coach Wells
Year Record (Pct.)
1995 22-10 (.688)
1996 25-9 (.735)
1997 36-3 (.923)
1998 30-3 (.909)
1999 37-4 (.902)
2000 24-10 (.706)
2001 26-9 (.743)
2002 35-4 (.897)
2003 22-11 (.667)
2004 13-1 (.929)
Totals: 270-63 (.811)
*Alabama set the modern day school record with 27 consecutive home wins in 2002.
The streak began with a 17-0 win over Jacksonville State on May 1, 2001 as Alabama won the final four home games of the 2001 season.
*The Crimson Tide extended that streak by winning its first 23 home games in 2002. The school-record 27-game home winning streak came to an end on April 19, 2002 when Ole Miss handed Alabama a 4-3 loss.
*The previous school record was a 24-game winning streak (Apr 21, 1996-Mar. 8, 1997).
Most Recent Home Winning Streaks
Rank Strk Date
1. 27 5-1-01/4-17-02
2. 24 4-21-96/3-8-97
3. 16 2-27/4-3-99
4. 15 4-17-99/2-11-00
HOME COOKING
*Alabama won its 30th consecutive home non-conference series with a three-game sweep of SE Missouri (Mar. 12-14).
*Alabama won all four home non-SEC series this season, including sweeps over Cincinnati, SE Louisiana and SEMO.
*Alabama has never lost a three-game, non-conference home series under coach Jim Wells.
*In addition, the Crimson Tide has swept 17 of those 30 three-game series against non-conference foes.
*The winning streak was in jeopardy during the opening weekend of the 2004 season against New Orleans (Feb. 13-15).
*Alabama came within one out of losing its first non-conference home series in the Wells era, before scoring three runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to pull out a narrow 12-11 win in the series finale against UNO.
*The Crimson Tide led 7-3 before UNO scored seven runs in the seventh to take a 10-7 lead. After closing the gap to 10-9 in the eighth, Alabama gave up a run without a hit in the ninth to fall behind 11-9.
*Bama scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the final two coming on Zac Welch's hard ground ball that caromed off the shoulder of UNO second baseman Austin Wassermann, allowing pinch-runner Aaron Tennyson to score from third and Allen Rice to score the winning run from second base.
*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.
*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.
*Last year, 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).
BAMA AT HOME
*Alabama is 13-1 (.929) at home this season, suffering a 2-1 loss to UNO on Feb. 15.
*Since that loss to UNO, Alabama has bounced back to win 12 straight home games.
*In those 14 home games this season, Alabama is batting .311 (145-for-466) with with 15 home runs and 103 RBI.
*Bama is averaging 7.9 runs and 10.4 hits per game at the Joe this year.
*On the mound, Alabama is 13-1 at home with a 1.86 ERA in 14 games.
*The staff has worked 126.0 innings and allowed only 83 hits, 32 runs, 26 earned runs and walked 38 and struck out 121 batters.
*Alabama also has four saves at home this season.
2004 HOME BATTING LEADERS
Player Stats
Allen Rice, 3B .431, 1 HR, 10 RBI
Carlos Sosa, DH .375, 3 HR, 21 RBI
Zac Welch, 1B .362, 3 HR, 14 RBI
Rocky Scelfo, SS .319, 1 HR, 10 RBI
Mark Haske, 2B .308, 0 HR, 7 RBI
2004 HOME PITCHING LEADERS
Player Stats
Seth Johnson 6 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV
13.1 IP, 7 H, 11 K
Taylor Tankersley 3 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV
9.2 IP, 5 H, 10 K
Wade LeBlanc 4 GS, 3-0, 0.59 ERA
30.1 IP, 29 K
Brent Carter 4 GS, 4-0, 2.70 ERA
27 IP, 24 K
*Last year, Alabama compiled a 22-11 (.667) at the Joe, suffering some uncharacteristic losses to Rhode Island, West Alabama, Samford and Jax State.
*The 11 home losses were the most in the Jim Wells era.
*Alabama also entered the 2004 season with a five-game home losing streak, the longest in the Wells era. UA closed out the 2003 season by losing its last five home games to Samford, South Carolina (3) and Jacksonville State.
*Alabama lost nearly as many home games last year (11) as it did in the two previous seasons (13) combined.
*Alabama has won 64 of 73 weekend series at home under coach Wells since 1995.
*Dating back to the 2001 season, Alabama has won 17 of its last 20 home weekend series.
*Dating back to the 2002 season, Alabama has swept six of its last 10 SEC home series.
*From 1996-2000, Alabama won 29 consecutive three-game series here at home, including 18 straight in SEC play.
Alabama Home Series (Since 1995)
Year Series Won-Lost
1995 7 5-2
1996 7 6-1
1997 8 8-0
1998 7 7-0
1999 8 8-0
2000 8 7-1
2001 8 6-2
2002 8 7-1
2003 8 6-2
2004 4 4-0
SEC Series Results (Since 1995)
Year SEC Series Record
1995 5-3
1996 9-1
1997 8-2
1998 8-2
1999 7-3
2000 6-4
2001 5-5
2002 6-4
2003 3-5
2004 0-0
