Baseball Announces 2006 Schedule
10/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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The University of Alabama baseball team will face a challenging schedule in 2006 as Crimson Tide head coach Jim Wells released the 56-game slate on Friday.
Alabama will play 32 games against 12 different teams that advanced to the NCAA Regionals last season. The list includes three College World Series teams, four Super Regional teams and two regular-season conference champions.
Of the 22 different teams Alabama will face in 2006, 17 of those teams had winning records in 2005. All 17 teams with a winning record won at least 30 games. Bama will play one 50-game winner, seven 40-game winners and eight 30-game winners in 2006.
"I think this is a very good schedule," Alabama head coach Jim Wells said. "We play three teams that went to Omaha, including a non-conference series at Nebraska."
In all, Alabama's 2006 opponents were a combined 794-535 (.597) last season, with Nebraska leading the pack with 57 victories.
The three-game series at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Neb. (Mar. 10-12) highlights a non-conference schedule that includes NCAA participants Winthrop, Southern Miss and South Alabama.
"The Nebraska series came about after we were both supposed to play at the San Diego State Tournament," Wells said. "When that tournament fell through, (Nebraska head coach) Mike Anderson called and said `let's play each other a home-and home.' So, they are returning the trip to Tuscaloosa next year."
The Crimson Tide opens the season with 15 consecutive home games, before a single game at South Alabama and the series at Nebraska.
Alabama opens SEC play at Georgia on Mar. 19 and will also play road series against South Carolina, LSU, Arkansas and Tennessee.
The Crimson Tide's plays it first SEC home series against Ole Miss (Mar. 26-28) and will also host Miss. State, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Florida at the Joe in 2006.
Alabama will also play games against in-state teams including Samford, Birmingham Southern and Troy.
The 2006 season will mark the first time Alabama has ever faced Nebraska, Kent State and Lipscomb.
