Alabama Faces Louisiana Tech in Centenary Gent Classic
3/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Game 12: LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
SHEHEE FIELD -- SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA -- 5 PM
MARCH 5, 2004 -- FIRST ROUND OF GENT CLASSIC
Date Game Time Radio
Mar. 5 La. Tech vs. Alabama 5 PM CTSM, WRTR-FM (105.5)
Mar. 6 Alabama at Centenary 8 PM CTSM, WRTR-FM (105.5)
Mar. 7 Alabama vs. Kansas State Noon CTSM, WRTR-FM (105.5)
ON THE MOUND: UA - Brent Carter (LH, 3 GS, 3-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. TECH - Clayton Meyer (RH, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.88 ERA)
RADIO: The games will be aired locally on WRTR-FM (105.5) or WACT-AM (1420) in Tuscaloosa. David Crane will broadcast the Gent Classic 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 http://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 to the Gent Classic are available at Shehee Field prior to each game.
RANKINGS: The Crimson Tide is the only ranked team at this year's Gent Classic. Alabama is ranked 31st in the latest NCBWA poll released on Monday.
BAMA TRAVELS TO GENT CLASSIC
The No. 31 Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team opens play in the 2004 Gent Classic on Friday, March 5 at 5 p.m. as they face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the first game of the three-day round robin tournament hosted by Centenary College at Shehee Field in Shreveport, La. Alabama will also play Centenary (Mar. 6) and Kansas State (Mar. 7) in the tournament. Alabama seeks its third consecutive regular-season tournament championship here at the Gent Classic. The Crimson Tide won the 2003 Minute Maid Park Classic with wins over Louisiana Lafayette and No. 2 Rice last year in Houston. Two years ago, Alabama won the 2002 Hormel Foods Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., after posting wins over Tennessee and Florida Atlantic. The Hormel Foods Classic championship was UA's first regular-season tournament title since winning its own Joe Sewell Classic in 1971. Alabama enters the tournament riding a seven-game winning streak following Wednesday night's win over UAB in Tuscaloosa.
THE RECORDS
Alabama (9-2) has won seven straight games after Wednesday's 5-3 win over UAB at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Louisiana Tech (6-8) snapped a three-game losing streak with win over Centenary on Tuesday in Ruston.
THE COACHES
Alabama's Jim Wells is in his 10th season with the Crimson Tide program. He has compiled a 418-178 (.701) record at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Overall, Wells is 610-267 (.696) in 15 seasons at Northwestern State and Alabama. Wells is 18-5 (.783) in his career against the Bulldogs, including an 8-1 mark (.889) here at Alabama. Tech coach Wade Simoneaux 24-42-1 (.355) in his two-years with the Bulldogs. He is 0-1 (.000) against Bama.
THE SERIES
Alabama leads the all-time series, 11-1. The Crimson Tide posted a 6-3 win in Tuscaloosa last season over Tech. Alabama has never beaten Tech in the
state of Louisiana, dropping a 7-2 decision at J.C. Love Field during the 2001 season.
NEXT GAME
Alabama will meet the Centenary Gentlemen on Saturday, March 6 in second round action of the 2004 Gent Classic. The game is slated to begin at 8 p.m.
(CT). Alabama closes out the round-robing tournament with Kansas State on Sunday, March 7 at Noon (CT).
ALABAMA HITTING NOTEBOOK (Mar. 5, 2004)
Name G AVG. AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Alabama 11 .301 366 73 110 22 1 10 68 44 69 11-16
La. Tech 14 .281 463 81 130 25 0 10 67 49 129 23-28
Centenary 11 .311 363 72 113 27 3 3 64 52 51 13-18
Kansas State 10 .272 331 70 90 17 1 9 63 50 64 15-18
NOTES: Alabama ranks 11th in the SEC this week with a .297 (99-for-333) batting average...Alabama has outscored the opposition 39-9 in the first four innings this season...The Crimson Tide has an 11-0 scoring advantage in the third inning this season...Alabama pinch-hitters are 0-for-8 (.000) this year...Alabama has 10 or more hits seven times this season, including six of the last seven games...UA hitters struck out only once in the win over UAB...The last time Alabama had only one strikeout in a game was against South Carolina (May 22) in the 2002 SEC Tournament...Bama has one extra base hit in all 11 games this year...The Crimson Tide did not have a double in its March 3 win over UAB for the first time this season...Bama has homered in back-to-back games for the first time this year...Alabama struck out 41 times in the first four games, compared to only 28 strikeouts in the last seven games...Alabama is batting .188 (3-for-16) this season with the bases loaded...Opponents are just 1-for-6 (.167) with the bases loaded...WIth runners in scoring position, the Tide is hitting .342 (39-for-114...As a team, Alabama is hitting .273 (33-for-121) with two outs this season, including 22 RBI...Evan Bush (3-for-6, 2 RBI) and Mark Haske (4-for-9, 2 RBI) are the leading hitters with two outs...UA opponents are batting just .191 (21-for-110) this year with two outs, with 14 RBI...Over the last four games, UA opponents are hitting just .060 (2-for-31) with two outs...SE Louisiana was 1-for-25 (.040) and UAB was 1-for-8 (.125) with two outs against the Tide...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...Eight of Alabama's nine home runs this season have been solo home runs...All 10 home runs have come with one out or less this year...
ALABAMA PITCHING NOTEBOOK
Name G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
ALABAMA 11-11 9 2 3 2.57 98.0 71 32 28 29 88 0
La. Tech 14-14 6 8 1 6.37 123.0 154 125 87 79 95 0
Centenary 11-11 6 5 0 5.62 88.0 108 67 55 47 61 0
Kansas State 10-10 6 4 2 4.91 88.0 95 70 48 41 59 1
Name G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
UA Starters 11-11 6 0 0 2.43 59.1 45 17 16 16 49 0
Opp Starters 11-11 0 7 0 5.52 45.2 58 36 28 23 35 1
UA Bullpen 11 3 2 4 2.79 45.0 52 37 29 21 34 0
Opp Bullpen 11 2 2 0 5.80 45.0 52 37 29 21 34 0
NOTES: Alabama ranks among the SEC leaders in a number of pitching categories...The Tide ranks second in opponents batting average (.206), tied for second in fewest hit batters (4), third in saves (3) and fifth in ERA (2.53) and strikeouts (81) through 10 games...Alabama has stranded 11 of its 13 inherited
runners out of the bullpen... In the last seven games, the Alabama bullpen has allowed only two earned runs in the last 25.3 innings (0.70 ERA) on the mound...The pen had an 18.1 scoreless inning streak from Feb.22-March 3...In addition, Alabama's pen did not allowed a run in 11.2 innings against SE Louisiana (Feb. 27-29), including a 8.2 scoreless innings in the series finale...Overall, Alabama has allowed only 14 runs (2.00 per game) in the last seven games...The Crimson Tide has yielded only 11 runs (1.83 per game) in the last six games...Alabama has allowed only six runs and 14 hits in the last three games...During its sevenj-game winning streak, Alabama has allowed 14 runs and 47 hits.... Alabama made a season-high three errors in its win over UAB (Mar 3)...The Crimson Tide had made only three errors in the previous three games...Alabama has played four errorless games this season and eight games with one error or less...Bama has not allowed an earned run in the last eight games....Seven of the last 16 allowed by Alabama have been doubles...Opponents have 17 two-base hits this season, including one in each of the last six games...The Crimson Tide walked only two batters in the SE Louisiana series (Feb. 27-29)...The Crimson Tide has not allowed an unearned run in the last seven games...Alabama has not allowed a triple this season...The Tide has allowed only one home run in the last six games...Alabama relief pitchers have stranded 10 of its last 11 inherited runners over the last four games...Bama stranded all six inherited runners in a 3-2 win over Cincinnati (Feb. 22)...The Crimson Tide bullpen threw 11 1/3 scoreless innings in the SE Louisiana (Feb. 27-29) series and allowed only five hits and struck out eight batters...Senior RHP Seth Johnson (7 G, 14.1 IP) has not allowed an earned run this season...
TOURNAMENT PLAY FOR BAMA
Alabama is playing in its 21st regular-season tournament when it travels to Shreveport this weekend to play in the 2004 Gent Classic, hosted by Centenary
College.
*Alabama has compiled a 47-43-1 (.522) all-time record in regular-season tourney play.
*Alabama has won its last two regular-season tournaments, winning the 2002 Hormel Foods Classic in Minneapolis and the 2003 Minute Maid Park Classic in
Houston.
*Prior to winning the Hormel Foods Classic in 2002, Alabama had not won a regular-season tournament title since winning its own Joe Sewell Classic in 1971.
*The 2004 Gent Classic is Alabama's fourth regular-season tournament in the state of Louisiana. Alabama has also played at the Winn Dixie Showdown (1994
and 2001) and the Lake Area Classic (1994) hosted by McNeese State.
