Bama Baseball Opens Home Slate with UNC Asheville
2/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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GAME 5: UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS AT ALABAMA
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM (6,118)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM (CT)
FEBRUARY 18, 2005
BAMA OPENS HOME SLATE WITH UNCA
After spending more than a week on the road on the beautiful island of Ohau, the University of Alabama baseball team returns home this weekend for a three-game series with the UNC Asheville Bulldogs here at the Joe. The 2005 home opener is Friday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The remaining two games of the series will be played Saturday, Feb. 19 (4 p.m.) and Sunday, Feb. 20 (2 p.m.). Alabama (2-2) spilt a four-game series with the Hawai'i Rainbows last weekend in Honolulu, winning games two and four of the series. This is the 2005 season opener for UNC-Asheville and the debut of head coach Willie Stewart, who was named interim head coach this July. Stewart replaces former coach Matt Myers, who left to become an assistant coach at Auburn under Tom Slater.
HOME OPENERS
Alabama is 78-32-1 (.707) all-time in home openers. The Crimson Tide has won 11 straight home openers, dating back to 1994. At its present home site, Alabama has compiled a 50-11 (.820) all-time record in home openers. Since 1979, Alabama is 22-4 (.846) in home openers. UNCA is the 57th different opponent for the Tide in home openers.
CRIMSON TIDE OFFENSIVE NOTES
Alabama hit .254 with no home runs and 13 RBI in the Hawai'i series ... UA leads the SEC with three triples ... Bama did not record its third triple last season until March 14th ... Bama hitters are averaging seven strikeouts per game, including a season-high 11 at UH (Feb. 12) ... Alabama posted a season-high 11 hits at UH (Feb. 13) ... Bama has not faced a LHP this season ... As a team, Alabama is 2-for-5 (.400) with the bases loaded and 8-for-39 (.205) with runners in scoring position ... UA pinch-hitters are 3-for-3 (1.000) in the first four games ...
CRIMSON TIDE PITCHING NOTES
Alabama showed its pitching depth and used nine pitchers in the Hawai'i series ... Bama starters averaged just over five innings per start last weekend against the Rainbows ... The Crimson Tide has 37 strikeouts in 34 innings this season, including three double-digit strikeout games ... UA opponents are 0-for-3 (.000) with the bases loaded and 8-for-46 (.174) RISP ...
CRIMSON TIDE DEFENSIVE NOTES
Alabama has made seven errors in the first four games (.951) ... UA made a season-high five errors in 3-2 loss at UH (Feb. 12) ... UA has turned two DPs ...
PRODUCTION RETURNING
*At the plate, Alabama returns 13 players off last year's team and those players accounted for 77.6 percent of the hits, 79.6 percent of the runs scored, 84.2 percent of the home runs and 76.1 percent of the runs batted in last season.
Offensive Production Returning
Category Returnees 2004 Stats
Batting Average .291 .283
Total Hits 409 527
At-Bats 1404 1864
Runs Scored 263 330
Home Runs 32 38
Runs Batted In 229 301
*Alabama's four top returning players have even more productive numbers.
*Rice, Scelfo, Welch and Bush combined to hit .321 (224-for-698) last season with 133 runs scored, 17 home runs and 133 runs batted in.
*The quartet accounted for 42.7 percent of the total hits, 40.3 percent of the total runs scored, 44.7 percent of the home runs and 44.2 percent of the runs batted in last season.
*On the mound, Alabama also returns a good portion of his statistics from the 2004 season as six of its top pitchers are back this season.
*The UA staff returns 68.9 percent of its wins, 62.5 percent of its complete games, 56.4 percent of its innings pitched and 56.9 percent of its strikeouts.
Pitching Production Returning
Category Returnees 2004 Stats
Innings Pitched 273.2 484.4
Wins 20 29
Losses 14 26
CGs 5 8
Strikeouts 246 432
*LeBlanc, Belcher, Carter, Large, Ponder and Downs combined for 20 of the 29 wins by Alabama last season.
*Those six returning pitchers were 20-14 last season and combined for 273.2 innings and 246 strikeouts.
HOME OPENERS
*Alabama has compiled a 78-32-1 (.707) all-time record in home openers.
*The Crimson Tide played its games on the University Quadrangle (the present site of Toomey Hall, the Army ROTC Building) from 1893-1947 and compiled a 28-21-1 (.570) record in home openers.
*After the 1947 season, the baseball team moved its home field to its present day site as Thomas Field was erected and opened March 27, 1948. The name was changed to Sewell-Thomas Field in 1978, to honor former Bama player and head coach and MLB Hall of Famer, Joe Sewell. The current grandstand was built in 1991 and the name was changed to Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
*Alabama is 50-11 (.820) in home openers here at Sewell-Thomas Stadium since the park originally opened as Thomas Field on March 27, 1948.
*Alabama enters the 2005 season with an 11-game winning streak in home openers, dating back to the 1994 season. The last loss in a home opener was a 6-5 setback to South Alabama in 1993.
HOME OPENER WINNING STREAK
Year Result of Game
1994 Alabama 11, Austin Peay 1
1995 Alabama 2, Middle Tennessee 1 (11)
1996 Alabama 6, Centenary 5
1997 Alabama 8, Marshall 2
1998 Alabama 15, Houston 5
1999 Alabama 3, Samford 1
2000 Alabama 11, BYU 1
2001 Alabama 10, Oklahoma 8
2002 Alabama 4, Louisiana Tech 0
2003 Alabama 4, Centenary 3
2004 Alabama 4, New Orleans 1
*Since 1979, Alabama is 23-4 (.852) in home openers, losing in 1981, 1987, 1989 and 1993.
HOME OPENER FOES
*The UNC Asheville marks the 57th different opponent in a home opener for the Crimson Tide.
*The Bulldogs are also the 12th different opponent in the last 15 years in Bama's home opener.
*The Birmingham Barons are the most common opponent in home openers as the Crimson Tide and Barons have met 14 times over the years. Alabama is just 3-10-1 (.250) in those games.
*The Crimson Tide's best winning percentage in home openers has come against the Samford Bulldogs. Alabama is 8-1 (.889) in its nine home openers with Samford (formerly known as Howard College). The Crimson Tide opened the 1999 home slate with a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs and volunteer assistant coach B. J. Green was the winning pitcher in that contest.
2004: YEAR IN REVIEW
*Alabama posted a 29-26 overall record last season, including a 10-20 mark in SEC play.
*The 29 wins are the fewest for a Jim Wells-coached Alabama team and the fewest wins at Alabama since the 1994 season when UA posted a 21-35 record and set numerous futility records.
*The 26 losses are also the most by an Alabama team in the Wells era and the most since a 35-loss season in 1994.
*Alabama went 10-20 in conference play and posted is second straight losing season in SEC play. The last time the Crimson Tide had back-to-back losing conference records was 1992-94, when UA had three straight losing seasons in SEC play.
*The Crimson Tide's 29-26 overall record matched the worst record of any Wells coached team.
*In 1992, Wells led the Northwestern State Demons to a 29-26 overall record, but bounced back to post consecutive 40-win campaigns in 1993 and 1994 and a pair of NCAA berths before landing the job here at Alabama.
*The 2004 Alabama baseball team became only the second team in school history to lose 20 conference games in a season. The 1994 team set the school record with 24 losses.
*During the 2004 season, a total of 12 players combined to miss 238 games due to injury and illness.
*The Alabama baseball team posted the best ERA in the Southeastern Conference last season, with a 3.34 ERA in 55 games. Vanderbilt also had a 3.34 ERA to share the league title with Alabama.
*The Crimson Tide and Commodores also tied for seventh place nationally with a 3.34 ERA as six SEC schools ranked in the Top 20 nationally this season.
Alabama turned in the third-best fielding percentage in school history during the 2004 season, posting a .969 fielding clip in 55 games.
*The Crimson Tide's .969 fielding clip was .002 points less than the all-time Alabama record (.971) held by the 1996 team.
*Wade LeBlanc was named the 2004 National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.
*He was also tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Year by the SEC Coaches and SEBaseball.com.
*For the year, LeBlanc appeared in 16 games and compiled an 8-4 record and 2.08 ERA. He set UA single-season freshman records for innings pitched (112.2), strikeouts (98), wins (8) and complete games (5).
*Allen Rice was named to the inaugural Southeastern Conference Baseball Good Works team.
ALABAMA-UNC ASHEVILLE SERIES
This is the first-ever meeting in baseball between the Alabama and UNC-Asheville.
ALABAMA VS. BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
Alabama owns a 34-17 (.667) record against the teams from the Big South Conference, but has faced only three of the nine teams in the league.
*The majority of those games have come with in-state rival Birmingham Southern. The Crimson Tide and Panthers have met 40 times over the years, even though BSC is just in its fourth year of Big South competition.
*Alabama has posted a 4-0 record against Radford and is 5-2 in seven meetings with Winthrop.
*The Crimson Tide has never faced Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, High Point, Liberty or VMI.
SCOUTING REPORT: UNC-Asheville
*The UNC-Asheville Bulldogs will open their 2005 season this weekend with a three-game series against Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
*The Bulldogs are picked to finish eighth in the Big South Conference race under first-year, interim head coach Willie Stewart.
"With us being as young as we are, I am not surprised we are picked eighth," Stewart said. "But also, with us being as young as we are, it may be a blessing for us. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a lot of talent to work with. Our young players are going to get to play and prove themselves on the field."
*The 30-man roster lost two key players after the 2004 season as the Bulldogs must replace both David A. Williams and David R. Williams.
*David A. Williams (22 G, 8-4, 2.34 ERA, 71 K) was the Big South Conference Rookie of the Year in 2004 and a Freshman All-American selection. He is not eligible to play for the Bulldogs this spring.
*David R. Williams (57 G, .345, 4 HR, 29 RBI) transferred after the 2004 season and now plays for coach Jack Leggett's Clemson Tigers.
*The Bulldogs must also replace its leading hitter Steve Sherman (57 G, .360, 16 HR and 53 RBI) off last year's club that posted a 31-26 overall record.
*UNC-Asheville must also replace Steven Cook (19 G, 16 GS, 8-7, 6 CG, 93 K) its workhorse on the mound last year. Cook pitched 126.1 innings for the Bulldogs in 2004.
*Despite the losses, UNCA returns three key position players off last year's club, including outfielder Charles Pippitt, third baseman Steve Burnich and shortstop Josh Coyle.
*Pippitt (52 G, .292, 4 HR, 19 RBI) is the team's leading returning hitter.
*Burnich (54 G, .263, HR, 21 RBI) and Coyle (56 G, .230, 6 HR, 23 RBI), the Bulldogs' leading returning home run hitter, also return to the left side of the infield.
*Burnich (20) and Coyle (17) combined for 37 errors last season, but are improved defensive players this season.
*Senior right-hander Eric Brotzman (0-0, 6.23 ERA) and sophomore lefty Chris Nigro (0-4, 1 SV, 8.14) are the top returning pitchers.
HIGH-FIVE
*Senior Gabe Scott (Lake Charles, La.) has played at least one game for Alabama in five consecutive seasons.
*As a true freshman in 2001, Scott appeared in four games and garnered just one at-bat before suffering a season-ending injury. Following the season, he was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA.
*The last Alabama player to play at least one game five consecutive seasons was Tuscaloosa native Hunter Plott (1987-91), who played as a true freshman in 1987 before a season-ending injury.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR
*For the second consecutive season, Alabama has split its first four games.
*In 2004, Alabama won games one and three and lost games two and four.
*This year was reversed as Alabama lost games one and three and then won games two and four.
*In both seasons Alabama wasted a stellar pitching performance and lost a one-run game.
*Last year, Alabama wasted an 11-strikeout effort from true freshman Wade LeBlanc and the bullpen could not hold a 1-0 lead as New Orleans rallied in the eighth inning for a 2-1 win.
*On Feb. 12, 2005, senior Brent Carter was the tough-luck loser in Alabama's 3-2 loss at Hawai'i. The Crimson Tide made five errors, including three in one inning that led to two unearned runs in the loss. Carter struck out 10 and not issue a walk in the game.
HOME COOKING
*Alabama has never lost a three-game, non-conference home series under coach Wells.
*Since 1995, Alabama has won all 30 non-conference home series, including 17, three-game sweeps.
*The Crimson Tide won all four home series last year, beating New Orleans, Cincinnati, SE Louisiana and SE Missouri State.
*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 six times and in all six instances bounced back to take the series.
THE JOE
*Here are some facts and figures about the Crimson Tide's home ballpark.
*The Crimson Tide 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).
*Alabama won a school record 32 regular-season home games in 1997, 1999 and 2002.
Regular-Season Home Wins
Year Record
2002 32-2 (.941)
1997 32-3 (.914)
1999 32-4 (.902)
*Alabama posted a modern day record 27-game, home winning streak from 2001-02. The streak included the final four games of the 2001 season and the first 23 home games of the 2002 campaign.
Most Recent Home Winning Streaks
Rank Strk Date
1. 27 May 1, 2001-April 17, 2002
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-Mar. 24, 2003
*Alabama enters the 2005 season with a five-game home losing streak. This is the second straight year the Tide has entered the season with a five-game losing streak at the Joe.
*Alabama lost all five SEC home series in 2004 and has lost six straight SEC home series dating back to the 2003 season.
FEBRUARY RECORD
*Alabama has posted an 86-24 (.782) record in the month of February under coach Wells.
*Alabama was 8-2 (.800) during the month of February last season and has compiled a 26-6 (.813) record in February since the 2001 season.
DOUBLE DIPPING
Alabama has compiled a 180-8 (.956) record under since 1995 when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.
*Alabama was 12-0 (1.000) last season when scoring 10 or more runs and owns a 21-game winning streak, dating back to the 2003 season when tallying double digits.
*Coach Wells has compiled a 215-11 (.951) all-time record in 226 games when scoring 10 or more runs, including a 35-3 (.921) slate in his five years at Northwestern State.
*The Crimson Tide is 63-1 (.984) since the start of the 2001 season when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.
*The Crimson Tide had won 42 consecutive games when scoring 10 or more runs prior to its 11-10 loss at home to LSU on March 30, 2003.
*Prior to that LSU game the last time Alabama scored double figures and lost was May 18, 2000 in an 18-12 loss to LSU at the SEC Tournament in Hoover.
*The 42-game winning streak when scoring 10 or more runs was the longest by a Jim Wells coached team.
*His previous best was 36 consecutive games from 1993-96 at Northwestern State (9-0) and Alabama (27-0).
ONE RUN GAMES
Alabama has compiled a 85-61 (.582) record in one-run games under Jim Wells.
*Overall, Wells-coached teams are 123-84 (.594) in one-run games, including a 38-23 (.623) ledger in five-year at Northwestern State.
*Alabama is 1-1 (.500) in one-run games this season.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
*Here is the listing of Crimson Tide birthdays in the month of February. Wes Henderson celebrated his 19th birthday the day before the UNC-Asheville series.
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
Player Birthdate
Emeel Salem Feb. 11, 1985
Wes Henderson Feb. 17, 1986
Jim Gatewood Feb. 27, 1965
