Alabama Hosts McNeese State in Three-Game Series
3/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Game 13: McNEESE STATE COWBOYS (6-7) at ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (9-3)
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM (6,118) -- TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM
MARCH 4, 2005 -- TODD BUTLER REUNITED WITH FORMER SCHOOL
ON THE MOUND: MSU - 17 RH Jacob Marceaux (4 GS, 0-2, 2.00 ERA) vs. UA - 23 LH Wade LeBlanc (2 GS, 1-1, 3.18 ERA)
RADIO/TV: The Alabama-McNeese State series will be broadcast through the Crimson Tide Sports Network and will be aired locally in Tuscaloosa on THE TUSK (WACT, 1420-AM). Veteran sportscaster Chris Stewart will describe the action from the Joe in the series opener. The Friday and Sunday games will be aired on the network, while Saturday's game will only be available in Tuscaloosa.
Date Game Time Radio/TV
March 4 vs. McNeese State 6:30 PM CTSN (WACT 1420-AM)
March 5 vs. McNeese State 4 PM WACT 1420-AM
March 6 vs. McNeese State 2 PM CTSN (WACT 1420-AM)
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live audio broadcasts and live stats can be found at www.rolltide.com.
TICKETS: Tickets to all Bama home games are $5 and can be purchased at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium box office two hours prior to each home game.
ALABAMA HOSTS MCNEESE STATE
The Alabama (9-3) Crimson Tide baseball team hosts the McNeese State Cowboys (6-7) in a three-game series this weekend at the Joe. The series opener is set for Friday, Mar. 4 at 6:30 p.m. The two teams will also play Saturday, Mar. 5 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Mar. 6 at 2 p.m. The McNeese State series will reunite Alabama assistant coach Todd Butler with his former team. Butler, a 1991 McNeese State graduate, was the head coach of the Cowboys from 2001-03. In his final season, he led McNeese State to the Southland Conference Tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Houston Regional hosted by No. 1 seed Rice. The Cowboys lost in 10 innings to the eventual national champions and then Butler returned to Alabama, where he was the hitting coach from 1995-2000. The series opener will feature two of the top pitchers in college baseball as Alabama's sophomore lefty Wade LeBlanc (1-1, 3.18 ERA) will face McNeese State junior right-hander Jacob Marceuax (3 GS, 0-2, 2.00 ERA) in what is expected to be one of the finest pitching matchups in the nation this season. LeBlanc originally signed with McNeese State, but transferred to Alabama in August, 2003 and was the National Freshman of the Year in 2004. Marceaux boasts a mid 90s fastball and has first-round draft pick status all over his collegiate pitching resume.
BAMA DIAMOND NOTES
Alabama has won four in-a-row and eight of its last nine games ... Bama is hitting .321 in its last nine games, with six home runs and 48 RBI ... The Crimson Tide is fielding at a ..960 clip in the last nine games ... The Crimson Tide is third in the SEC with a 1.97 ERA and ranks 11th in hitting (.299) and fielding (.952) ... Alabama hit three home runs in its 8-4 win over Samford (Mar. 2) matching the number of home runs hit in the first 11 games ... Bama leads the SEC with six triples ... UA is second in the league in stolen bases (23) and attempts (28) ... Alabama has hit into an SEC-leading 13 double plays ... UA pitchers lead the SEC in opponents batting average (.191), strikeouts (134), wild pitches (15), balks (7) and pickoffs (6) through 12 games ... Junior Evan Bush is eighth in the league with 13 RBI ... He has seven RBI in the last three games ... Senior Morrow Thomley leads the SEC in triples (2) and senior Rocky Scelfo is second in the league in HBPs (5) ... Senior Brent Carter leads the league in strikeouts (34) and ranks fourth in opponents batting average (.122) and innings pitched (21.0) ... Junior RHP T.J. Large leads the SEC with three wins and is second in the SEC in strikeouts (28), sixth in ERA (0.46) and 10th in opponents average (.159) ... Alabama is 2-0 on Friday this year ... Bama is 7-0 at home ... The Crimson Tide are 4-3 at night ...
ALABAMA-McNEESE STATE SERIES
*McNeese State defeated Alabama 7-6 in the only baseball meeting between the two schools.
*The Cowboys rallied for a one-run win in the opening round of the 1994 Lake Area Classic played on the McNeese State campus.
*Alabama assistant coach Todd Butler was an assistant at McNeese State when the Cowboys posted the 7-6 win.
*Alabama assistant coach Todd Butler was the head coach at McNeese State from 2001-03.
*Butler compiled a 90-83 (.520) and led the Cowboys to the 2003 SLC Tournament championship and the NCAA Regional at No. 1 seed Rice.
*Alabama sophomore left hander Wade LeBlanc and senior outfielder Gabe Scott both played at Barbe High School in Lake Charles.
*LeBlanc originally signed with McNeese State but asked for his release to come to Alabama when Butler returned as an assistant coach in the summer of 2004.
BAMA VS. SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
*Alabama owns a 20-6 (.769) record against the current members of the Southland Conference. The Crimson Tide swept a three-game home series with SE Louisiana last year.
*Alabama enters the 2005 season with an eight- game winning streak against SLC teams, dating back to the 2001 season.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells spent five seasons at Northwestern State and compiled a 192-89 (.683) career record from 1990-94.
*During his tenure, Wells won three SLC titles (1991, 93, 94) and was named SLC "Coach of the Year" three times.
*He took the Demons to two NCAA regionals in 1991 and 1994.
*Former Alabama assistant coach Mitch Gaspard is the current head coach at Northwestern State, a position he has held since the 2002 season.
SCOUTING REPORT: McNeese State
*The McNeese State Cowboys (6-7) are one-game under .500 this season, but are coming off an impressive road win at Southern Miss (3-2) on Feb. 26.
*After an 0-4 start, McNeese has rebounded to win six of its last nine games since Feb. 12.
*The Cowboys were scheduled to host UNC Wilmington on Wednesday in Lake Charles, La., but the game was rained out.
*A veteran offensive teams returns for second-year head coach Chad Clement, who was an assistant coach under Todd Butler (2001-03).
*The Cowboys are batting .245 (104-for-424) in 13 games, with nine home runs and 66 RBI.
*Redshirt freshman infielder Bryan Cartie is the leading hitter through 13 games, with a lofty .371 (13-for-35) batting average. He has added 12 runs scored and 10 walks this season and has posted a whopping .522 on base mark.
*Senior catcher Michael Thompson is the second-leading hitter with a .346 (9-for-26) clip in eight games. He has one home run and five RBI.
*The best returning player on the MSU squad is 2004 Triple Crown winner, Charlie Kingrey. The sophomore from Kinder, La., is hitting .333 (12-for-36) with two home runs and 11 RBI in just eight games. He has also scored 11 runs.
*On the mound, McNeese State has logged a 6-7 record and 4.06 ERA in 13 games. The Cowboys have worked 113 innings and given up 107 hits, but recorded 104 strikeouts.
*The ace of the staff is junior RHP Jacob Marceaux (Jennings, La.), who boasts a mid 90s fast ball and is a likely top draft pick in this summer's MLB Draft.
*Marceaux is 0-2 with a 2.00 ERA in four starts this season. He has logged 27 innings and allowed only 19 hits, 10 runs and six earned runs, with five walks and 28 strikeouts.
*Opponents are hitting just .186 (19-for-102) against him this season. His best outing was a seven-inning, two-hit shutout at No. 1 Tulane in a no decision.
*Senior RHP Seth Lastraps will get the ball in game two of the series. In four starts, the Kingwood, La., native is 2-2 with a 5.89 ERA.
*He has worked 18 1/3 innings and allowed 23 hits, 16 runs and 13 earned runs, with five walks and 15 strikeouts.
*The Sunday starter is junior RHP Cameron Chandler, who is fresh off a 3-2 win at Southern Miss last Saturday in Hattiesburg.
*The Tyler, Texas native and Eastfield CC product is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his four starts this season.
*He has worked 25 innings and allowed 18 hits, eight runs and six earned runs, with five walks and 21 strikeouts.
*The Cowboys are fielding .960 after 13 games and have made 20 errors thus far. MSU has turned only six 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 293-170 (.633) all-time record against Louisiana teams, with the majority of those games coming against the flagship school LSU.
*Alabama is 108-35 (.755) against all Louisiana schools other than LSU.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR
*Alabama has compiled a 9-3 (.750) record after 12 games, following its 8-4 win over Samford on March 2nd.
*At this same time last season, Alabama was 9-3 (.750) and coming off a 6-1 loss to Louisiana Tech in the first-round of the Centenary Gent Classic in Shreveport.
BAMA HAS WON EIGHT OF LAST NINE
*After losing two of its first three games, Alabama has rebounded to win eight of its last nine games, including an 8-4 win over Samford on March 2.
*During its last nine games, Alabama is batting .321 (96-for-289) with six home runs and 48 RBI.
*Bama is averaging 6.4 runs and 10.7 hits per game since Feb. 13.
*Seniors Rocky Scelfo (.563, 9 R, HR, 3 RBI) and Allen Rice (.500, 6 R, 3 2B, 4 RBI) are hitting a combined .514 (19-for-37) in the last nine games.
*Sophomore Emeel Salem (.462, 9 R, 2 RBI, 4 SB) and Morrow Thomley (.394, 4 R, HR, 7 RBI) are hitting a combined .424 (25-for-59) in this recent stretch.
*On the mound, Bama is 8-1 with a 1.46 ERA since Feb. 13. UA pitchers have worked 80 innings and allowed 50 hits, 24 runs and 13 earned runs, with 30 walks and 104 strikeouts.
*Junior T.J. Large (3 GS, 3-0, 0.46 ERA) and senior Brent Carter (2 GS, 2-0, 0.64 ERA) have five of the eight wins for the Crimson Tide since Feb. 13.
*The duo has combined for 52 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings since Feb. 13.
BAMA HAS ALSO WON FOUR STRAIGHT
*Following its 8-4 win over Samford on March 2, Alabama has now won four straight games.
*The current streak is the second four-game winning streak of the 2005 season for the Crimson Tide.
*Alabama also won four straight games from Feb. 13-19.
*During its latest four-game winning streak, Alabama is hitting .305 (40-for-131) with five home runs and 25 RBI.
*Scelfo has paced the Tide over the last four games hitting at a .583 (7-for-12) clip, with seven runs scored, one home run and three RBI.
*Junior Evan Bush is 4-for-9 (.444) with two home runs and seven RBI in his last three games.
*The pitching staff is 4-0 with 1.50 ERA during the most recent four-game winning streak.
MARCH MADNESS
*Alabama has compiled a 129-58 (.690) record during the month of March in the Wells era.
*Alabama is 1-0 this season following its 8-4 win over Samford on March 2.
*The Crimson Tide was 10-7 (.588) last year, the worst record in the month of March since a 9-7 (.563) record in 2001.
*Alabama is a combined 19-14 (.576) in the two seasons (2001, 2004) that it did not make the post-season.
*Alabama is 109-44 (.713) during March in the eight years it has advanced to post-season play.
*The Crimson Tide's longest winning streak in the month of March was a 10-game streak from March 4-21, 2003. Bama also had a nine-game winning streak from March 8-22, 2002.
*The longest losing streak in the month is four games from March 23-27, 2001.
