SEC Leaders Meet as Alabama Hosts 4th Ranked LSU
3/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Game 29: LSU TIGERS (20-6) AT ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (20-8)
Sewell-Thomas Stadium -- Tuscaloosa, Alabama
6:37 PM -- APRIL 1, 2005
Alabama Cable Network Affiliates: WVUA Channel 7 (Tuscaloosa), WOTM (Birmingham) and WJXS (Anniston/Jacksonville/Gadsden)
ON THE MOUND: LSU -- 46 Lane Mestepey (LH, 7 GS, 5-2, 2.79 ERA) vs. UA - 18 T.J. Large (RH, 7 GS, 4-2, 1.57 ERA)
RADIO/TV: The Alabama-LSU series will be broadcast through the Crimson Tide Sports Network and will be aired locally in Tuscaloosa on THE TUSK (WACT, 1420-AM). Veteran play-by-play announcer David Crane will describe the action from the Joe this weekend. All three game will be televised, including the series opener on the Alabama Cable Network, with Gary Harris (play-by-play) and Scott McClanahan (color).
Date Game Time Radio/TV
April 1 vs. LSU 6:36 PM CTSN, WACT (1420 AM), ACN
April 2 vs. LSU 6:06 PM CTSN, WACT (1420 AM), ACN, Jumbo Sports
April 3 vs. LSU 2:06 PM CTSN, WACT (1420 AM), CSS, Jumbo Sports
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live audio broadcasts and live stats can be found at www.rolltide.com.
TICKETS: Available at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium box office two hours prior to game time each day.
SEC CO-LEADERS MEET IN KEY SEC SERIES
Two of the four Southeastern Conference leaders meeting a key three-game series this weekend as No. 33 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-8, 4-2 SEC) hosts No. 4 LSU Tigers (20-6, 4-2 SEC) at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. All three games will be televised, including the Friday, April 1 opener at 6:37 p.m. on the Alabama Cable Network. The Saturday, April 2 game has been moved to 6:07 p.m. start to accommodate the Alabama Cable Network and Jumbo Sports in Louisiana. The series finale is Sunday, April 3 at 2:07 p.m. and will be aired by CSS and Jumbo Sports. Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are all tied for first place in the SEC after the frit two weekends. The Rebels and Bulldogs are both on the road for the second week in a row. Ole Miss plays at Vanderbilt, while MSU travels to Tennessee. With two straight weeks on the road looming for the Crimson Tide (at Ole Miss and Florida the next two weekends), the LSU series takes on added importance early in the league race. Alabama has lost five straight series to LSU and has posted a 4-14 (.222) record against its old SEC Western Division rival since the 2000 season. The Crimson Tide's last series win came in 1999. UA won two of three in the regular season in Tuscaloosa and then swept the NCAA Super Regional here at the Joe to advance to the CWS for the third time in five years. UA has also never beaten LHP Lane Mestepey (2-0, 0.50 ERA).
BAMA BASEBALL DIAMOND NOTES
Alabama is 19-4 (.826) in its last 23 games, dating back to February 13th ... Alabama has lost five straight series to LSU, dating back to 1999 ... LSU is 14-4 (.778) against Alabama since the 2000 season ... Alabama is 4-2 (.667) on Friday this season ... The Tide is batting .279 (53-for-190) with two HRs and 26 RBI ... The pitching staff has a 1.87 ERA on Friday this season ... Alabama is 20-8 after 28 games, compared to 19-9 at this time last season ... Bama is 6-3 in its last nine games, despite hitting only .228 (66-for-289) with three HRs and 40 RBI ... Alabama is averaging 5.3 runs and 7.3 hits over the last nine games, including two, one-run losses at Vandy ... Alabama has allowed 12 earned runs (6.35 ERA) and 25 hits in the last two games ... The bullpen has allowed eight earned runs and 14 hits in the last two games (14 IP, 5.15 ERA) ... The bullpen has worked 20 1/3 innings the last three games for the Tide ... Alabama is 116-65 in the month of April under Wells ... Bama was 18-16 in the last two years in April ... Senior OF Gabe Scott has hit three of his five career HRs in the month of April ... Alabama has nine different players with a home run in April, more than any other month ... Scott's first career HR came against LSU in 2002 ... The Lake Charles, La., native is riding a 15-game hitting streak, the longest of the season by an Alabama player ...
ALABAMA-LSU SERIES
*Alabama leads the all -time series with LSU, 183-138-3 (.569) in a series that dates back to the 1906 season.
*LSU enters the 2005 season having won the last five series with Alabama, including the last two series (2001 and 2003) in Tuscaloosa.
*LSU swept Alabama in 2001, marking the first time coach Jim Wells had been swept in a home series.
*The Crimson Tide won the series opener in 2003, but LSU rebounded to win the next two games and take the series.
*Alabama's 4-2 win in the 2003 regular-season series opener in Tuscaloosa halted an eight-game LSU winning streak, the longest in series history.
*LSU also won eight straight games from 1987-91 against Alabama.
*Alabama won the series opener last year in Baton Rouge behind the pitching of Wade LeBlanc, but lost the next two games and dropped its fifth straight series to the Tigers.
*Alabama last series win came in 1999, when the Tide won two series from the Tigers. The Crimson Tide took two of three in the regular season from the Tigers in Tuscaloosa and then later swept LSU in the NCAA Super Regionals to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, it's last trip to the CWS.
*Since then, LSU owns a 14-4 (.778) series lead over Alabama.
*LSU won the first five meetings ever played between the two schools over a two-year period from 1906-07.
*Alabama's first series win did not come until the 1908 season and a began a nine-game series winning streak for the Tide. The streak also propelled Alabama to an 18-1 record over the Tigers from 1908-21.
*The two teams have met every year since 1947.
*Alabama beat LSU three times in the 1968 to win the SEC Western Division title en route to the regular season championship and a berth in the NCAA Playoffs. Alabama took two out of three from LSU in the final regular season series at Alex Box Stadium to force a one-game playoff.
*The Crimson Tide won that playoff game 1-0 in Baton Rouge to claim the Western Division title. The next weekend, Alabama beat Eastern Division champion Florida to win the 1968 SEC Championship.
*Alabama coach Jim Wells began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at LSU under Coach Skip Bertman. Wells spent three years in Baton Rouge (1987-89) helping the Tigers to two NCAA Regional appearances. After his stay at LSU, Wells moved on to become head coach at Northwestern State (1990-94) and then on to Alabama, where he has spent the last nine seasons.
*In 1997, Alabama and LSU met three different times to determine a championship. The Tigers won the regular-season finale 6-4 in Tuscaloosa to win the outright SEC Championship. The following weekend, Alabama's 12-2 blowout in the championship game gave the Crimson Tide its third straight SEC Tournament crown. Two weeks later, LSU took home the big prize with a 13-6 win in the title game of the College World Series. It was the school's fourth national championship in the 1990s.
*The Crimson Tide posted a pair of lopsided wins over LSU (13-6, 13-5) to claim the 1999 NCAA Super Regional and advance to the College World Series. The 1999 season marked the first year of Super Regionals in the newly expanded 64-team NCAA Tournament field.
*Alabama beat LSU 10-3 for the 2003 SEC Tournament Championship at the Hoover Met.
*The win gave Alabama its sixth SEC Tournament championship under Wells, who tied former LSU coach Skip Bertman for the most post-season championships in league history.
*The win was also the 600th career win for coach Wells.
Alabama-LSU Series File
at Tuscaloosa: UA leads, 101-57-1
at Baton Rouge: UA leads, 79-75-2
Neutral Sites: LSU leads, 6-4
Wells vs. LSU: 20-28 (.417)
18-22 (.450) at UA
2-6 (.250) at NSU
Laval vs. UA: 9-7 (.563)
7-3 (.700) at LSU
2-4 (.333) at NLU
UA Win Streak: 9 (1908-18) & (1918-21)
LSU Win Streak: 8 (2000-02, 1987-90)
Last Series Sweep
at Tus. at BR
UA 1984 1977
LSU 2001 2002
WELLS VS. LSU
*Alabama's Jim Wells is 20-28 (.417) in his career against the LSU Tigers.
*At Alabama, Wells is 18-22 (.450) since 1995.
*Wells compiled a 2-6 (.250) at Northwestern State from 1990-94.
WELLS ALL-TIME VS. LSU
Year Result Site
1990 LSU 16, NSU 6 Baton Rouge
1991 NSU 7, LSU 3 Baton Rouge
LSU 7, NSU 3 Baton Rouge
LSU 13, NSU 2 (NCAA) Baton Rouge
1992 LSU 7, NSU 6 (11) Baton Rouge
1993 LSU 8, NSU 3 Baton Rouge
NSU 6, LSU 5 Alexandria
1994 LSU 11, NSU 5 Baton Rouge
1995 UA 4, LSU 0 Baton Rouge
UA 7, LSU 6 (11) Baton Rouge
LSU 8, UA 6 Baton Rouge
UA 8, LSU 7 (SEC West Trny) Starkville
UA 9, LSU 8 (SEC West Trny) Starkville
1996 LSU 8, UA 6 Baton Rouge
UA 17, LSU 4 Baton Rouge
UA 12, LSU 5 Baton Rouge
1997 UA 6, LSU 4 Tuscaloosa
UA 28, LSU 2 Tuscaloosa
LSU 6, UA 4 Tuscaloosa
LSU 12, UA 7 (SEC Trny) Columbus, Ga.
UA 12, LSU (SEC Trny) Columbus, Ga.
LSU 13, UA 6 (CWS Championship) Omaha
1998 LSU 6, UA 5 Baton Rouge
LSU 7, UA 3 (DH) Baton Rouge
UA 4, LSU 2 (DH) Baton Rouge
1999 UA 10, LSU 3 Tuscaloosa
LSU 9, UA 8 (FOX SS) Tuscaloosa
UA 9, LSU 4 Tuscaloosa
UA 13, LSU 6 (Super Regional) Tuscaloosa
UA 13, LSU 5 (Super Regional) Tuscaloosa
2000 LSU 11, UA 4 Baton Rouge
LSU 6, UA 4 Baton Rouge
UA 14, LSU 0 Baton Rouge
LSU 18, UA 12 (SEC Trny) Hoover Met
LSU 6, UA 5 (SEC Trny) Hoover Met
2001 LSU 4, UA 2 Tuscaloosa
LSU 8, UA 7 Tuscaloosa
LSU 8, UA 3 Tuscaloosa
2002 LSU 3, UA 0 (DH) Baton Rouge
LSU 6, UA 5 (DH) Baton Rouge
LSU 5, UA 1 Baton Rouge
2003 UA 4, LSU 2 Tuscaloosa
LSU 10, UA 6 Tuscaloosa
LSU 11, UA 10 Tuscaloosa
UA 10, LSU 3 (SEC Champ) Hoover
2004 UA 8, LSU 2 Baton Rouge
LSU 2, UA 1 (8) (DH) Baton Rouge
LSU 9, UA 2 (DH) Baton Rouge
LAVAL VS. BAMA
*LSU's Ray "Smoke" Laval is 9-7 (.563) in his career against Alabama.
*Laval compiled a 2-4 (.333) at Northeast Louisiana (now called UL Monroe) in 1995-96.
*At LSU, Laval is 7-3 (.700) against the Crimson Tide here at LSU, including three straight series wins.
LAVAL ALL-TIME VS. ALABAMA
Year Result Site
1995 UA 8, NE Louisiana 5 Tuscaloosa
UA 7, NE Louisiana 0 Tuscaloosa
NE Louisiana 8, UA 6 (13) Tuscaloosa
1996 UA 8, NE Louisiana 2 Monroe
UA 7, NE Louisiana 1 Monroe
NE Louisiana 5, UA 3 Monroe
2002 LSU 3, UA 0 Baton Rouge
LSU 6, UA 5 Baton Rouge
LSU 5, UA 1 Baton Rouge
2003 UA 4, LSU 2 Tuscaloosa
LSU 10, UA 6 Tuscaloosa
LSU 11, UA 10 Tuscaloosa
UA 10, LSU 3 (SEC Champ) Hoover
2004 UA 8, LSU 2 Baton Rouge
LSU 2, UA 1 (8) (DH) Baton Rouge
LSU 9, UA 2 (DH) Baton Rouge
FORMER BERTMAN ASSISTANTS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD
*When Alabama hosts LSU this weekend at the Joe it will mark the 17th meeting between the two former Skip Bertman assistant coaches.
*The previous 16 meetings have been split evenly, with both Wells and Laval winning eight games against one another.
Year Result Site
1994 NSU 7, NE Louisiana 3 Monroe
NE Louisiana 5, NSU 1 Monroe
NSU 11, NE Louisiana 2 Monroe
1995 UA 8, NE Louisiana 5 Tuscaloosa
UA 7, NE Louisiana 0 Tuscaloosa
NE Louisiana 8, UA 6 (13) Tuscaloosa
1996 UA 8, NE Louisiana 2 Monroe
UA 7, NE Louisiana 1 Monroe
NE Louisiana 5, UA 3 Monroe
2002 LSU 3, UA 0 Baton Rouge
LSU 6, UA 5 Baton Rouge
LSU 5, UA 1 Baton Rouge
2003 UA 4, LSU 2 Tuscaloosa
LSU 10, UA 6 Tuscaloosa
LSU 11, UA 10 Tuscaloosa
UA 10, LSU 3 (SEC Champ) Hoover
UA 10, LSU 3 (SEC Champ) Hoover
2004 UA 8, LSU 2 Baton Rouge
LSU 2, UA 1 (8) (DH) Baton Rouge
LSU 9, UA 2 (DH) Baton Rouge
SCOUTING REPORT: LSU Tigers
*The LSU Tigers (20-6, 4-2 SEC) comes to Tuscaloosa this weekend as one of four teams tied for first place in the SEC Western Division.
*Alabama, Ole Miss and Miss. State are also 4-2 in league play and atop the league standings. No team in the SEC Eastern Division has more than three wins.
*LSU's string of 12 consecutive regular-season series victories, including seven straight SEC series wins, ended last weekend as the Tigers dropped two of three games to Auburn.
*Prior to the Auburn series, LSU's last series loss came on April 9-11, 2004, when the Tigers were defeated by Arkansas.
*The Tigers are coming off an 18-10 win over New Orleans this past Tuesday night in Baton Rouge.
*LSU is batting .303 (283-for-933) in 26 games, with 35 home runs and 197 RBI.
*The Tigers are led at the plate by preseason All-SEC and All-American candidate Ryan Patterson.
*Patterson is hitting .440 (44-for-100) in 25 games with 12 home runs and 28 RBI. He has 10 doubles and compiled a whopping .920 slugging mark and a .500 on-base mark.
*Patterson enjoyed another excellent week last week for the Tigers, batting .471 (8-for-17) in four games with two doubles, two homers, three RBI and three runs.
*He had three hits and a five RBI, including a grand slam in Tuesday's win over UNO.
*Patterson has hit 10 home runs in LSU's last 10 e games.
*He is currently riding a 15-game hitting streak, where he is batting .508 (31-for-61) during the streak with six doubles, 10 homers, 20 RBI and 26 runs.
*Second baseman Clay Harris is the Tigers' second-leading hitter with a .414 (41-for-99) clip in 26 games, with four home runs and 26 RBI.
*Harris also has 10 doubles and posted a .657 slugging mark and a .478 on-base mark.
*Harris also extended his hitting streak to 15 games, where he is .426 (26-for-61) during his streak with five doubles, one triple, two homers, 18 RBI and 14 runs.
*Patterson and Harris are hitting a combined .427 (85-199) this season, with 16 home runs and 54 RBI. The duo also has 20 doubles.
*The rest of the LSU team is hitting just .270 (198-for-734) with 19 home runs and 143 RBI.
*The third-leading hitter for the Tigers is Nick Stavinoha, who is batting .347 (34-for-98) in 26 games, with five home runs and 24 RBI.
*Stavinoha is riding an nine-game hitting streak for the Tigers.
*In SEC play, LSU is batting .275, with six home runs and 32 RBI in six games.
*Patterson is the leading hitter in league play with a .542 (13-for-24) average in six games, with four home runs and six RBI.
*On the mound, LSU is 19-6, with nine saves and a 3.55 ERA in 25 games. The Tigers staff has worked 223 innings and allowed 208 hits, 107 runs and 88 earned runs, with 75 walks and 187 strikeouts.
*Left-hander Lane Mestepey is expected to get the call on the mound on Friday night. The senior has compiled a 5-2 record and 2.79 ERA in seven starts this season, with one complete game.
*Mestepey has worked 48 1/3 innings and allowed 42 hits, 20 runs and 15 earned runs, with 10 walks and 29 strikeouts.
*Mestepey has really been tough on Alabama in the past. He has a 2-0 record in two career starts and a 0.50 ERA, with two complete games.
*He has worked 18 innings and allowed only nine hits, two runs and one earned run, with two walks and 11 strikeouts.
Mestepey Game-By-Game vs. Alabama
2001 (W, 4-2) 9-4-2-1-2-6
2002 (W, 3-0) 9-5-0-0-0-5
Totals (2-0, 0.50 ERA, 2 CG) 18-9-2-1-2-11
*He has not faced Alabama since a 5-0 shutout win in 2002. He was injured and missed the Alabama series in 2003 and 2004.
*Sophomore lefty Clay Dirks is expected to pitch on Saturday. Dirks is 6-0 with 2.95 ERA and one complete game in six starts.
*Dirks has worked 39 2/3 innings and allowed 27 hits, 14 runs and 13 earned runs, with 11 walks and 28 strikeouts.
*Dirks fired his third career complete game in posting a 6-3 win over Auburn last Saturday.
*He limited the Plainsmen to three runs on seven hits while recording no walks and five strikeouts.
*Dirks improved his record to 6-0 this season and 14-2 in his two-year LSU career. He has pitched 39.2 innings this season, recording a 2.95 ERA while registering 11 walks and 28 strikeouts.
*The Sunday starter is expected to be lefthander Greg Smith, who has a 4-1 record and 2.93 ERA in seven starts.
*Smith has worked 43 innings and allowed 39 hits, 20 runs and 14 earned runs, with 15 walks adn 43 strikeouts.
*The weekend rotation is a combined 15-3 on the mound this season for LSU.
*The LSU bullpen features the one-two punch from right-handlers Jason Determann and Jordan Faircloth.
*The duo has combined for seven of LSU's nine saves this year.
*Determann has compiled a 1-0 record and 1.42 ERA in 10 games, with a team-best four saves.
*He has worked 19 innings and allowed 17 hits, three runs and three earned runs, with two walks and 24 strikeouts.
*Faircloth is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in nine games. He is second on the club with three saves.
*Faircloth has worked 10 2/3 innings scoreless innings and allowed only seven hits, with three walks and eight strikeouts.
*In SEC play, the Tigers' staff is 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA in six games. LSU has two complete games and two saves in SEC play.
*Defensively, LSU is fielding .968 (33 errors) in 26 games and has turned 22 double plays.
*The Tigers made six errors in the win over UNO on Tuesday night after making just one errors in its previous four games.
*In SEC play, LSU is fielding a slick .980 (5 errors) in six games, with four double plays.
LOUISIANA LIGHTNING
Alabama has eight Louisiana natives on its 2005 baseball roster, in including sophomore pitcher/outfielder Brandon Belcher (Ruston), junior pitcher Kenneth Brown (Lafayette), freshman pitcher Casey Kebodeaux (Mandeville), sophomore pitcher Wade LeBlanc (Lake Charles), senior infielder Rocky Scelfo (Youngsville), freshman infielder Ben Soignier (West Monroe), senior outfielder Gabe Scott (Lake Charles) and junior catcher Kody Valverde (Baton Rouge).
LOUISIANA PURCHASE
*Alabama has enjoyed a fair amount of success over teams from the state of Louisiana.
*The Crimson Tide has forged a 297-170 (.636) all-time record against Louisiana teams, with the majority of those games coming against the flagship school LSU.
*Alabama is 112-35 (.762) against all Louisiana schools other than LSU.
*Bama is 3-0 (1.000) this season against teams from Louisiana after a three-game sweep of McNeese State (Mar. 4-6) earlier this season.
*The LSU series is the first of four straight games for Alabama against teams from Louisiana.
*The Crimson Tide will host SE Louisiana on Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Joe.
Alabama vs. Louisiana Schools
Opponent Series Record
Centenary UA leads, 6-0
UL Lafayette UA leads, 1-0
UL Monroe UA leads, 5-2
LSU UA leads, 185-135-3
Louisiana Tech UA leads, 12-2
McNeese State UA leads, 3-1
New Orleans UA leads, 7-4
Nicholls State UA leads, 4-2
Northwestern State UA leads, 3-0
SE Louisiana UA leads, 7-0
Southern UA leads, 4-0
Tulane UA leads, 60-24
SEC BLUES
*Alabama has struggled in SEC play the last two seasons and compiled a 24-36 (.400) league record in 2003-04.
*The Crimson Tide was 10-20 (.333) in SEC play last year and finished sixth in the SEC Western Division and 11th overall. Only Kentucky (7-23) had a worse SEC record last year than Alabama.
*Alabama won only one SEC series last year and its came in the next-to-last regular season series at Kentucky.
*The Crimson Tide won the first game behind Wade LeBlanc and then dropped a 9-8, 12-inning decision in game two.
*Alabama scored early in the rubber game, but lost the lead and trailed 11-5 before scoring seven runs in the eighth inning to post a 12-11 win for its first and only SEC series win.
*The Crimson Tide turned the corner in the first weekend of league play this season by sweeping Kentucky in a three-game series in Tuscaloosa.
*The Kentucky series marked Alabama's first home SEC series win since sweeping No. 15 Arkansas on April 25-27, 2003.
*The Crimson Tide had lost its last six home SEC series prior to the series win over the Wildcats.
*Alabama has lost 12 of its last 15 SEC series, dating back to the 2003 season.
*The Crimson Tide has won only five of its last 23 SEC series since the end of the 2002 season.
*Of the five series wins, three have come against Kentucky and one each against Georgia and Arkansas.
EAST AND WEST
*Alabama is 177-123 (.590) in SEC play under coach Jim Wells.
*The Crimson Tide shared the SEC Championship with LSU and Florida in 1996 and won the SEC Western Division title in 2002.
*Alabama has split the 50 SEC series with Western Division teams, posting a 25-25 (.500) record against its divisional foes.
*The Crimson Tide lost all five series against Western Division teams in 2005 and has lost 10 of the last 11 series, dating back to the 2002 season.
*Since 1995, Alabama's best season against the Western Division came in 1996, 1997 and 2000 when the Crimson Tide won four of the five series.
*Alabama has won 33 of 50 series against SEC Eastern Division teams and has compiled a 33-17 (.660) series record against the Eastern Division since 1995.
*Alabama skipper Jim Wells won his first 10 series against the Eastern Division (1995-97) and 14 of his first 15 series (1995-98) in his UA career.
*From 1995-20, Alabama won 22 of 24 series against the SEC Eastern Division.
*Dating back to the final four SEC series of the 2000 season, Alabama has won only 11 of its last 26 SEC series against Eastern Division teams.
*Alabama best record against the Eastern Division 1996 and 1999 when the Crimson Tide won all five series against the division.
*Here is a look at Alabama's divisional series record since the 1995 season.
vs. SEC Western Division
Year Series Record
1995 2-3
1996 4-1
1997 4-1
1998 3-2
1999 2-3
2000 4-1
2001 2-3
2002 3-2
2003 1-4
2004 0-5
2005 0-0
vs. SEC Eastern Division
Year Series Record
1995 3-0
1996 5-0
1997 4-1
1998 4-1
1999 5-0
2000 2-3
2001 3-2
2002 3-2
2003 2-3
2004 1-4
2005 1-1
FRIDAY NIGHT NOTES
*Alabama is 4-2 (.667) in Friday games this season. After winning its first three games, Alabama has lost two of its last three Friday night games, including a 1-0 loss at Vanderbilt last weekend.
*As a team, Alabama is batting .279 (53-for-190) on Friday, with two home runs and 26 RBI.
*Opponents are hitting .118 (21-for-178), with three home runs and 11 RBI.
*On the mound, Bama has a 1.87 ERA (53 IP, 21 H, 11 ER, 75) in Friday games, while opponents have compiled a 4.50 ERA (50 IP, 53 H, 25 ER, 28 K).
*Scelfo is the Tide's leading hitter on Friday with a .467 (7-for-15) average, with one home run and three RBI.
*Bush is just 2-for-17 (.118) in Friday games with three RBI.
*Since taking over the No. 1 spot in the rotation, Large is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts on Friday.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR
*Alabama has compiled an 20-8 (.715) record after 28 games, following its series loss at Vanderbilt and a loss at Southern Miss on Tuesday night.
*The Commodores won a pair of one-run games to take the series before the Tide erased a 6-0 deficit in the series finale and posted a 10-8 win to salvage the final game.
*Southern Miss posted a 7-4 win over Alabama in Hattiesburg to snap an 11-game series losing streak that dated back to 1987.
*The 20-8 overall record through 28 games is a one-game improvement over last year's record after 28 games.
*The Crimson Tide was 19-9 (.679) last season after 28 games following a 6-3 road win at Arkansas before dropping the next two games.
*After starting the 2004 season with 14-4 record, Alabama went 15-22 (.405) the rest of the way and missed the post season for just the the second time in Wells' 10 year tenure.
HITTING WOES OF LATE
*The Crimson Tide has struggled at the plate in its last nine games, despite a 6-3 record.
*During its last nine games, Bama is batting only .228 (66-for-289) with three home runs and 40 RBI.
*Alabama has averaged 5.3 runs and 7.3 hits per game in the last nine games.
*Senior OF Gabe Scott is batting .481 (13-for-27) during the last nine games, with four RBI.
*The rest of the team is a combined 53-for-272 (.195) with three home runs and 36 RBI.
*The UA pitching staff has a 3.38 ERA in those nine games and has held the opposition to a .231 (68-for-294) batting average.
APRIL RECORD
*Alabama has compiled a 116-65 (.641) record in 181 games in the month of April in the Wells era.
*Alabama has had a winning April record in eight of the 10 years under Wells.
*The best record came in 2002 when the Tide posted a 15-2 (.883) record in April with a 10-game winning streak.
*The Crimson Tide had losing records in 2001 (7-11) and 2004 (7-9).
*Alabama is 18-16 (.529) in the month of April in the last two years.
*The Crimson Tide longest winning streak in the month of April was 10-game winning streak in 2002.
*Bama has also had two, seven-game winning streaks and two, six-game winning streaks in April.
*Overall, Alabama has had six winning streaks in the month of April of five or more games in the Wells era.
*The longest losing streak is three games on four difference occasions, including three times in 2001.
