Alabama Baseball Hosts Fifth-Ranked Ole Miss This Weekend
3/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Games 24-26: OLE MISS REBELS AT ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM -- TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM
MARCH 26, 2004 -- 2004 SEC HOME OPENER
Date Game Time Radio/TV
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 - LHP Brent Carter (6 GS, 4-1, 3.75 ERA) vs. UM - RHP Mark Holliman (5 GS, 3-0, 3.54 ERA)
RADIO: The games will be aired locally on WRTR-FM (105.5) or WACT-AM (1420) in Tuscaloosa. David Crane will broadcast the Ole Miss series 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.
BAMA OPENS HOME SEC SLATE
The No. 32 Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team opens its 2004 Southeastern Conference home schedule this weekend as they entertain the No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels in a three-game series here at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The series begins with a 6:30 p.m. game on Friday, Mar. 26. The two teams are scheduled to meet on Saturday, Mar. 27 (4 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) at the Joe. The Crimson Tide is coming off a 20-2 win over Morehead State on Wednesday night, its second-most lopsided win of the season. The win came without most of the regulars in the starting lineup as the head coach Jim Wells still searches for some offensive answers almost halfway through the 2004 campaign. Alabama brings a 13-game home winning streak into Friday's game. Two years ago, Ole Miss snapped UA's 27-game home winning streak with a 4-3 win in the 2002 series opener. Alabama has scored 20 runs in back-to-back home games for the first time since 1998 when the Crimson Tide beat Arkansas-Little Rock (20-3) and Louisiana Tech (23-3) in consecutive games. In the last five home games, Alabama has outscored the opposition, 61-6. The Crimson Tide opened SEC play last weekend, losing two out of three at No. 35 Georgia. Ole Miss opened the 2004 season with a three-game sweep over No. 22 Vanderbilt in Oxford. Alabama won four SEC home series last year, but was swept by South Carolina in the final home SEC series of the 2003 season.
THE RECORDS
Alabama (16-7) enters the Ole Miss game with a 13-game home winning streak. Two years ago, Ole Miss snapped the Bama's 27-game home winning streak in the 2002 series opener. Ole Miss (18-2, 3-0 SEC) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end at No. 18 Southern Miss on Tuesday night. The Rebels are the league's only undefeated team after the first weekend of SEC play.
THE COACHES
Alabama's Jim Wells is in his 10th season with the Crimson Tide program. He has compiled a 425-183 (.699) record at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Overall, Wells is 617-272 (.694) in 15 seasons at Northwestern State and Alabama. Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco has compiled a 229-142-1 (.615) overall record in his seventh year at the Division I level. In his fourth season at Ole Miss, Bianco has forged a 129-71-1 (.644) ledger.
NEXT GAME
The Alabama-Ole Miss series continues on Saturday, Mar. 27 with a 4 p.m. game here at the Joe. Saturday's game is Topps Trading Card day at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
ALABAMA HITTING NOTEBOOK (Mar. 26, 2004)
Name G AVG. AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Alabama 23 .279 773 167 216 47 6 19 148 93 149 25-35
Ole Miss 20 .324 713 177 231 49 6 22 165 85 121 28-34
NOTES: Alabama ranks 11th in the SEC in hitting (.279) and 12th in on-base percentage (.371) entering the Ole Miss series...The Crimson Tide is now ninth in slugging percentage (.429) and has the third-most strikeouts in the SEC (149) entering this week's schedule...Alabama's .275 batting average is 46 points below the league average...Alabama and Auburn (.275) are the only two teams in the league hitting below the .300 mark...Alabama is hitting .293 (168-for-574) against right-handers and .241 (48-for-199) against lefties this season...Alabama is 14-5 (.737) against RHPs and 2-2 (.500) vs. LHPs this year...Alabama has an 8-3 (.727) 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 23 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 .286 (74-for-259) with 52 RBI, while opponents are hitting .197 (46-for-233) with two outs, including 25 RBI...Alabama pinch-hitters are just 5-for-26 (.192) this season, while opponnets are 1-for-21 (.041)...UA pinch hitters were 2-for-3 in the win over Morehead State with two RBI...Alabama scored a season-high 20 runs in wins over Morehead State (Mar. 24) and SE Missouri State (Mar. 14)...The Crimson Tide scored 20 runs in back-to-back home games for the first time since 1998...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)...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. 26, 2004)
Name G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
ALABAMA 23-23 16 7 6 2.63 202.0 158 67 59 55 197 2
Ole Miss 20-20 18 2 7 3.76 179.1 179 84 75 49 186 2
Name G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
UA Starters 23-23 11 3 0 2.90 127.1 104 45 41 29 118 2
Opp Starters 23-23 3 13 0 4.70 113.0 124 82 59 41 84 3
UA Bullpen 21-0 5 4 6 2.17 74.2 54 22 18 26 79 0
Opp Bullpen 20-0 4 3 2 7.03 80.2 92 85 63 52 65 0
NOTES: Alabama continues to boast one of the SEC's top pitching staffs this season...Through 23 games, Alabama ranks second in the SEC with 197 strikeouts...Alabama also rank second in the league with a .214 opponents batting average...The Tide ranks fourth in pickoffs (4) and ERA (2.63) and fifth in innings pitched (202.0) and fewest walks (55)...Alabama leads the SEC with four balks this season...In terms of defense, Alabama is tied with LSU for third in fielding percentage (.976), ttied for fourth in fewest errors (19) and fifth in double plays (19)...Alabama has played 10 errorless games this season and has made one error or less in 17 of 23 games...For the first time in the Wells era, Alabama played a three-game SEC without an error at Georgia (Mar. 19-21)...Alabama has had two streches this season of 30 or more innings without an error...The Crimson Tide went 30 1/3 innings without an error from Mar. 10-14 and repeated that feat with 30 1/3 errorless innings from Mar. 17-24...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 also tossed 22 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings at home from Mar. 12-24...Dating back to the Southern Miss game (Mar. 10), Alabama has allowed only two earned runs (0.42 ERA) in the last 42 1/3 innings here at home...Alabama has held the opposition to three earned runs or less in 17 of 23 games this season...The Crimson Tide has allowed only eight unearned runs all year...The Alabama bullpen (1.16 ERA) has allowed only eight earned runs (16 G, 62.1 IP, 47 H, 8 ER, 18 BB, 66 K) in its last 62.1 innings over the last 16 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).
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 (18-2, 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 had their seven-game winning snapped on Tuesday night with an 8-7 loss to No. 18 Southern Miss in front of a stadium record crowd at Pete Taylor Park.
*As a team, Ole Miss is batting .324 (231-for-713) with 22 home runs and 165 RBI in 20games. The Rebels are averaging 8.6 runs and 11.6 hits per game this season.
*In SEC play, Ole Miss is batting .290 (29-for-100) with four home runs and 13 RBI. The Rebels averaged only 4.7 runs and 9.67 hits per game last weekend against Vandy.
*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 .411 (30-for-73) with eight home runs and 33 RBI in 20 games this season. In addition, he has an incredible .808 slugging percentage and a .484 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 .426 (20-for-47) average in 17 games. Gunther has added one home run and 12 RBI for the Rebels.
*The offensive attack does not stop there as Cooper Osteen (20 G, .362, 1 HR, 19 RBI), Matt Tolbert (20 G, .346, HR, 19 RBI) and Brian Pettway (19 G, .342, 1 HR, 11 RBI) are all hitting better than .340 in the Rebel lineup this season.
*Ole Miss pitchers are 18-2 with a 3.76 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 18 errors in 20 games this season. They have also turned 18 double plays.
COACHING CONNECTIONS
The Alabama-Ole Miss series will match two former Skip Bertman assistant coaches in the diamond this weekend.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells was a graduate assistant coach under Bertman at LSU from 1987-89, helping the Tigers to their first College World Series appearance in 1989.
*Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco was a two-year starter at LSU from 1988-89 and was the team captain on the 1989 CWS team. Bianco hit a home run in the Tiger's 6-3 win over Miami, Fla., to help LSU advance to the semifinals in Omaha.
*In 1990, Wells was named head baseball coach at Northwestern State University and Bianco followed him to Natichitoches as a two-year (1991-92) graduate assistant coach.
*After the 1992 season, Bianco returned to LSU as a full-time assistant coach, a position he held through the 1997 season.
*Bianco was part of four national championship teams (1991, 93, 96 and 97) as an LSU assistant coach and was the third base coach when the Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 13-6 in the 1997 CWS championship game.
*Following the 1997 season, Bianco was named head coach at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. He coached the Cowboys for three years before taking the Ole Miss job prior to the 2001 season.
*Alabama assistant coach Todd Butler replaced Bianco as the head coach at McNeese State and led the Cowboys to the 2003 Southland Conference title and a berth in the Houston Regional, hosted by top-ranked Rice University.
*The Ole Miss series marks the second time this season Wells has squared off against a former Bertman assistant coach. Alabama hosted SE Louisiana (Feb. 27-29) earlier this season at the Joe. The Lions are coached by former LSU assistant Dan Canevari.
Former Bertman Players/Coaches
Name (Yrs at LSU) Head Coaching Position
Mike Bianco (1993-97) Ole Miss
Dan Canevari (1991-2002) SE Louisiana
Mitch Gaspard (1984-85) Northwestern State
Smoke Laval (1984-93) LSU
Jim Wells (1987-89) Alabama
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.
*BSC has beaten Georgia, Alabama and Miss. State this season, with the win over Georgia and Miss. State coming on the road. BSC handed Miss. State a 10-1 setback at Dudy Noble on Mar. 23.
*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 20 errors in its first 23 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 eight games.
*The Crimson Tide has made one error or less in 17 of its first 23 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 made only one error in its last 37 innings, dating back to the eighth inning of the Birmingham Southern (Mar. 17) game.
*The Crimson Tide has had two lengthy errorless streaks this season.
*From Mar. 10-14, Alabama played a season-high 31 1/3 innings without an error over a span of four games.
*From Mar. 17-24, Alabama posted an errorless streak of 30 1/3 innings over four games.
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 23 20
UNEARNED RUNS
Through 23 games this season, Alabama has allowed only eight unearned runs.
The eight 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 2.35 (1)
2. 8 Bama 2.63 (4)
3. 8 LSU 2.61 (3)
4. 9 Vandy 3.55 (t8)
9 UM 3.76 (10)
6. 11 MSU 2.73 (5)
7. 14 AU 3.55 (t8)
8. 25 TENN 2.47 (2)
9. 23 UGa 3.45 (7)
10. 25 ARK 3.27 (6)
11. 33 UK 4.94 (12)
12. 33 FLA 4.00 (11)
16 UP, 7 DOWN
Alabama has compiled an 16-7 (.696) record in its first 22 games of the 2004 season. Here is how the Crimson Tide fares in its 16 wins and seven losses.
*In its 16 wins this season the Alabama Crimson Tide has:
*Hit .324 (178-for-549) with 15 home runs and 136 RBI
*Averaged 9.3 runs and 11.25 hits per game
*Compiled a 1.88 ERA (144 IP, 98 H, 30 ER)
*Committed 15 errors in those 16 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
CUTTING UP THE OPPOSITION
Alabama recorded a season-high 16 strikeouts in its 20-2 blowout win over Morehead State on Mar. 24. The 16 strikeouts are the second-highest total in the Jim Wells era.
*The highest strikeout total is 17 against Murray State on March 12, 1996 here in Tuscaloosa.
*Alabama has recorded 127 double-figure strikeout games in the Wells era, including seven this year.
*The Crimson Tide's best season was in 1999 when the Tide recorded 23 double digit strikeout games.
Single-Game Strikeouts (Wells Era)
Rank Strikeouts Opponent (Date)
1. 17 Murray State (1996)
2. 16 Morehead State (2004)
16 Centenary (1996)
4. 15 Rhode Island (2003)
15 Niagara (1999)
15 South Carolina (1999)
15 UAB (1999)
15 Eastern Illinois (1998)
15 Vanderbilt (1996)
15 Vanderbilt (1996)
15 Troy State (1995)
12-GAME WINNING STREAK AT THE JOE
Alabama has won its last 13 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 13 straight home games.
*During its 13-game home winning streak, Alabama is batting .328 (146-for-445) with 13 home runs and 115 RBI.
*The pitching staff is 13-0 with a 1.92 ERA in those 13 games, allowing only 24 earned runs and 81 hits in 117 innings.
2004 HOME WINNING STREAK BATTING LEADERS
Player Stats
Allen Rice, 3B .432, 0 HR, 9 RBI
Zac Welch, 1B .390, 4 HR, 16 RBI
Carlos Sosa, DH .372, 2 HR, 20 RBI
Rocky Scelfo, 2B .349, 1 HR, 12 RBI
Evan Bush, LF .324, 3 HR, 8 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
Eric Mennen 3 G, 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1 SV
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 14-1 (.933)
Totals: 271-63 (.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
5. 13 Feb. 15-Present
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 14-1 (.933) 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 13 straight home games.
*In those 14 home games this season, Alabama is batting .316 (160-for-507) with with 15 home runs and 120 RBI.
*Bama is averaging 8.7 runs and 10.7 hits per game at the Joe this year.
*On the mound, Alabama is 14-1 at home with a 1.80 ERA in 15 games.
*The staff has worked 135.0 innings and allowed only 90 hits, 34 runs, 27 earned runs and walked 40 and struck out 137 batters.
*Alabama also has five saves at home this season.
2004 HOME BATTING LEADERS
Player Stats
Allen Rice, 3B .431, 1 HR, 10 RBI
Zac Welch, 1B .375, 4 HR, 16 RBI
Carlos Sosa, DH .375, 3 HR, 21 RBI
Rocky Scelfo, SS .353, 1 HR, 13 RBI
Mark Haske, 2B .300, 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
Eric Mennen 3 G, 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1 SV
6.0 IP, 8 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
