Alabama Set to Face Ole Miss in SEC Tournament Opener
5/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Game 57: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (37-19) VS. OLE MISS REBELS (40-16)
HOOVER MET (10,800) -- HOOVER, ALABAMA -- 8:06 PM (CSS)
MAY 25, 2005 -- FIRST ROUND OF SEC TOURNAMENT
ON THE MOUND: UA -- 40 Trey Shields (6 G, 2 GS, 2-0, 3.45 ERA) vs. UM -- TBA
RADIO/TV: All Alabama games from the 2005 SEC Baseball Tournament will be aired live on The Crimson Tide Sports Network. The games can be heard in Tuscaloosa on WACT-AM (1420). In Birmingham, the games are aired on WAPI-AM (1070). David Crane and Chris Stewart will call the action from Hoover this week. Also, all first and second round games will be televised live by CSS Sports. Matt Stewart and Nick Belmonte or Chuck Hussion and Rusty Ensor will call the action from the Hoover Met.
Date Game Time Radio/TV
May 25 vs. Ole Miss 8:06 PM CTSN, WACT 1420-AM, CSS-TV
May 26 vs. Fla/Ark Loser 1:06 PM CTSN, WACT 1420-AM, CSS-TV
vs. Fla/Ark Winner 8:06 PM CTSN, WACT 1420-AM, CSS-TV
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live audio broadcasts and live stats can be found at www.rolltide.com -- AND -- ww.secsports.com
TICKETS: Tickets are available at the Hoover Met Box Office each. "Dr. Pepper Six Packs" are $48 and the six tickets are good for any game.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION (2005 SEC Tournament)
SEC Trny Game 4 - Wednesday, May 25 (8:06 PM -- CSS)
Pitcher G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
Trey Shields 6-2 1 0 0 3.45 15.2 14 6 6 3 12 0
SEC Trny Game 6 or 8 - Thursday, May 26 (1:06 PM or 8:06 PM -- CSS)
Pitcher G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
W. LeBlanc (L) 11-11 4 4 0 4.06 71.0 60 34 32 20 91 1
SEC Trny -- TBA
Pitcher G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
Brandon Belcher 14-9 5 0 0 4.37 59.2 60 38 29 25 44 1
SEC Trny -- TBA
Pitcher G-GS W L SV ERA IP H R ER BB K CG
T.J. Large 16-15 7 4 0 3.39 90.1 67 46 34 47 87 1
BAMA TAKES ON OLE MISS IN SEC TRNY OPENER
After a one-year absence, the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide (37-19, 17-13 SEC) baseball team enters the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will take on the No. 4 seed Ole Miss Rebels (40-16, 18-12 SEC) in a first-round game on Wednesday, May 25 at approximately 8:06 p.m. (CT). The Crimson Tide and Rebels will play the fourth and final game of day one of this five-day, double elimination tournament. Ole Miss shared the SEC Western Division championship with the No. 2 seed LSU Tigers. The Tigers beat the Rebels two of three this season in Baton Rouge to win the tie-breaker between the two schools. Alabama finished third in the SEC Western Division and was one-game back of LSU and Ole Miss. Alabama took two of three from Ole Miss (W 5-4, L 12-10, W 12-6) earlier this season (April 8-10) for its first series win in Oxford since 1997. Senior LF Gabe Scott went 7-for-12 (.583) in the series with three home runs and seven RBI and was named SEC Player of the Week. Scott hit two home runs in the series, including a solo shot to tie the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning. Alabama missed the SEC Tournament last year after posting a 10-20 SEC record and finishing 11th in the overall standings. Alabama has won the last two SEC Tournaments in which it has participated and three of the last four since 1999. Alabama also did not qualify for the SEC Tournament in 2001 despite a 15-15 league slate. UA has won seven SEC Tournament titles, including six under Jim Wells.
2005 SEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (May 25-29)
Wednesday, May 25
Game 1 - (7) Miss. State vs. (2) LSU (10 AM)
Game 2 - (6) S. Carolina vs. (3) Tennessee (1 PM)
Game 3 - (8) Arkansas vs (1) Florida (5 PM)
Game 4 - (4) Ole Miss vs. (5) Alabama
Thursday, May 26
Game 5 -- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (10 AM)
Game 6 -- Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (1 PM)
Game 7 -- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (5 PM)
Game 8 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (8 PM)
Friday, May 27
Game 9 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7 (1:30 PM)
Game 10 - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8 (5:30 PM)
Saturday, May 28
Game 11 -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 (10 AM)
Game 12 -- Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10 (1:30 PM)
Game 13 -- If Necessary (Repeat Game 11) (5 PM)
Game 14 -- If Necessary (Repeat Game 12) (8:30 PM)
Sunday, May 29
SEC Championship Game (3 PM)
2005 SEC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
*Alabama (37-19, 17-13 SEC) enters the 2005 Southeastern Conference baseball tournament as the No. 5 seed.
*Alabama finished third in the SEC Western Division behind co-champions LSU (18-12) and Ole Miss (18-12).
*The No. 5 seed is the highest for Alabama since the Crimson Tide was seeded second in 2002.
*This is the first time Alabama has been the No. 5 seed since the tournament went to an eight-team format.
2005 SEC Tournament Seedings
Seed Team Record
1 Florida 20-10
2 LSU 18-12
3 Tennessee 18-11
4 Ole Miss 18-12
5 ALABAMA 17-13
6 South Carolina 16-14
7 Mississippi State 13-16
8 *Arkansas 13-17
* - Won tie breaker with Vandy and Auburn by virtue of its series win over Florida.
BAMA'S SEC TRNY SEEDINGS (Since 1995)
Year Seed Record
1995 No. 2 18-11
1996 No. 1 20-10
1997 No. 2 20-9
1998 No. 4 19-10
1999 No. 3 20-10
2000 No. 6 16-14
2002 No. 2 20-10
2003 No. 7 14-16
DID YOU KNOW?
*The 2001 Alabama baseball team is the only team with a .500 record (or better) not to qualify for the SEC Tournament.
*Auburn (15-15 SEC) and Alabama (15-15 SEC) tied for eighth place in the overall SEC standings in 2001 and by virtue of its three-game sweep of Alabama on the Plains, Auburn was awarded the No. 8 seed and Alabama stayed home.
*Since the eight-team format was adopted in 1996, there have been 16 teams with losing conference records qualify for the SEC Tournament, including Miss. State and Arkansas this season.
*Alabama (14-16 SEC) qualified with the sub .500 record in 2003 and won the SEC Tournament title.
SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
*Alabama has compiled a 43-34 (.558) all-time record in SEC post-season, which includes divisional playoff series prior to 1977.
*Since 1977, Alabama has compiled a 34-23 (.596) mark in SEC Tournament games and has won seven SEC Tournament titles.
*Alabama has won more SEC Tournament championships than any other school. The Crimson Tide has seven championships, while LSU is second on the list with six titles.
*Alabama has the second-best winning percentage (.596) in tournament history. LSU leads the way with a .620 winning percentage.
*Alabama's 34 wins rank fourth all-time in SEC Tournament play. LSU (49), Miss. State (48) and Florida (43) all have more wins than the Tide.
*LSU and Miss. State open the 2005 SEC Tournament and those two teams have combined for 97 all-time wins and 11 championships.
*Under head coach Jim Wells, Alabama is a remarkable 30-8 (.789) in SEC Tournament play and has won six post-season crowns.
*Wells has a winning record against every SEC team in post-season action. He has led Alabama to a 6-0 (1.000) mark against Miss. State and a 7-2 (.778) record against Florida.
*Alabama is 10-3 (.769) under Wells against the three teams in its half of the 2005 SEC Tournament bracket.
*Bama is 1-0 vs. Ole Miss, 2-1 vs. Arkansas and 7-2 against Florida in SEC Tournament play since 1995.
*Prior to Wells arrival at the Capstone, Alabama was just 4-16 (.200) in SEC Tournament play from 1977-94.
*The Crimson Tide lost 10 consecutive SEC Tournament games from 1986-94.
*Alabama ended that losing streak with an 8-7 walk-off win over LSU during the 1995 SEC Western Division Tournament in Starkville.
*The Crimson Tide won all four games in its final at-bat at Dudy Noble Field to claim its first SEC Tournament title since 1983.
*Alabama has had a total of seven players win SEC Tournament MVP honors.
*Alabama and Arkansas played in front the of the largest crowd (16,165) in SEC Tournament history when the two teams met in the SEC Championship game on May 23, 1999. Alabama won the game, 9-3.
*In fact, Alabama is responsible for nine of the Top 10 crowds in SEC Tournament history, including the seven-highest attended games in history.
SEC TRNY RECORD (Since 1977)
Opponent Record
Auburn 4-3
Arkansas 2-1
Florida 8-6
Georgia 1-1
Kentucky 2-1
LSU 4-5
Ole Miss 1-2
Miss. State 7-3
South Carolina 2-0
Tennessee 2-0
Vanderbilt 0-4
BAMA'S SEC TRNY RECORD (Wells Era)
Opponent Record
Auburn 3-2
Arkansas 2-1
Florida 7-2
Georgia 1-0
Kentucky 2-0
LSU 4-3
Ole Miss 1-0
Miss. State 6-0
South Carolina 2-0
Tennessee 1-0
Vanderbilt 0-0
YEAR-BY-YEAR SEC TRNY RECORD
Year Record (Finish)
1950 3-1 (1st)
1955 2-0 (1st)
1957 1-2 (2nd)
1958 0-2 (2nd)
1968 2-1 (1st)
1973 0-2 (2nd)
1974 0-2 (2nd)
1981 0-2 (4th)
1982 0-2 (4th)
1983 3-0 (1st)
1984 0-2 (4th)
1986 1-2 (3rd)
1989 0-2 (6th)
1991 0-2 (6th)
1993 0-2 (6th)
1994 0-2 (6th)
1995 4-1 (1st)
1996 5-1 (1st)
1997 4-1 (1st)
1998 2-2 (t3rd)
1999 4-0 (1st)
2000 2-2 (t3rd)
2002 4-1 (1st)
2003 4-0 (1st)
1950-76 was a playoff between Eastern and Western Division champion for SEC title.
ALL-TIME SEC TOURNEY APPEARANCES
Team Appearances
Florida 26
Miss. State 25
LSU 22
Auburn 19
ALABAMA 18
Georgia 15
South Carolina 13
Arkansas 12
Kentucky 12
Ole Miss 11
Tennessee 11
Vanderbilt 10
ALL-TIME SEC TOURNEY VICTORIES
Team Wins
LSU 49
Miss. State 48
Florida 43
ALABAMA 34
Auburn 28
Tennessee 22
Vanderbilt 20
Georgia 20
South Carolina 17
Kentucky 15
Arkansas 14
Ole Miss 12
ALL-TIME SEC TOURNEY LOSSES
Team Losses
Florida 42
Miss. State 40
Auburn 35
Georgia 30
LSU 30
Kentucky 24
ALABAMA 23
Vanderbilt 21
South Carolina 21
Ole Miss 19
Arkansas 19
Tennessee 17
ALL-TIME SEC TOURNEY WINNING PCT
Team Record (Pct)
LSU 49-30 (.620)
ALABAMA 34-23 (.596)
Tennessee 22-17 (.564)
Miss. State 48-40 (.545)
Florida 43-42 (.506)
Vanderbilt 20-21 (.488)
South Carolina 17-21 (.447)
Auburn 28-35 (.444)
Arkansas 14-19 (.424)
Georgia 20-30 (.400)
Ole Miss 12-19 (.387)
Kentucky 15-24 (.385)
SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
*Alabama has won seven SEC Tournament championships, more than any other school.
*LSU is second all-time with six SEC Tournament championships, but only one (2000) since 1995.
*Alabama set the all-time SEC Tournament record by posting a 5-1 (.833) ledger en route to the 1996 SEC Tournament Championship. The five wins are the most by any team in post-season history.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells and former LSU head coach Skip Bertman are the only two head coaches in SEC history to lead their team to six SEC Tournament championships.
*Wells has guided Alabama to SEC Tournament championships in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003.
*Bertman led LSU to SEC Tournament titles in 1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 2000.
*Only nine of the 12 SEC teams have ever won the SEC Tournament. Kentucky, Arkansas and Georgia have never won the post-season tournament championship.
*Only six head coaches have won multiple titles. The list includes Wells (6), Bertman (6), Ron Polk (3), Joe Arnold (3), Rod Delmonico (3) and Hal Baird (2).
SEC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS (All-Time)
Team Championships
ALABAMA 7
LSU 6
Miss. State 5
Florida 5
Tennessee 3
Auburn 3
Ole Miss 1
South Carolina 1
Vanderbilt 1
SEC TOURNAMENT CHAMPS (By Coach)
Coach Championships
Jim Wells 6
Skip Bertman 6
Ron Polk 3
Joe Arnold 3
Rod Delmonico 3
Hal Baird 2
Jake Gibbs 1
Paul Nix 1
Larry Schmittou 1
Jay Bergman 1
Jack Rhine 1
Barry Shollenberger 1
Pat McMahon 1
Ray Tanner 1
FAB FIVE
*Alabama has only five players on its 2005 roster with post-season experience.
*The list includes seniors Brent Carter, Allen Rice, Gabe Scott and Zac Welch and junior Evan Bush.
*Of the five players with previous post-season experience, only four have ever played in the SEC Tournament.
*Rice and Welch have both played in nine SEC Tournament games, while Bush has four games under his belt.
*Carter has pitched in two SEC Tournament games and made one start.
*Scott has never played in an SEC Tournament game and only has one post-season at-bat to his credit. He delivered a pinch-hit single in the Tide's 16-5 loss to Texas A&M at the College Station Regional on May 31, 2003.
*Overall, Rice has appeared in 17 post-season games for Alabama and is batting .327 (17-for-52) with one home run and nine RBI.
*Welch has played in 15 post-season games and is batting .298 (14-for-47) with five doubles, one triple and 13 RBI.
*Bush is 3-for-24 (.125) in his seven career post-season games at Alabama, with seven runs scored and two RBI.
*Carter is 2-0 with one save and a 3.54 ERA in his five post-season appearances. He threw a complete game in Alabama's win over Florida Atlantic in the 2002 Tuscaloosa Regional to force the if necessary that Bama lost in extra innings.
HOOVER MET RECORD
*Alabama has compiled a 25-9 (.735) all-time record at the Hoover Met.
*Alabama is 22-6 (.786) in SEC Tournament games at the Met and has won championships in 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2003.
*Alabama is 3-3 (.500) in regular season games at the Hoover Met since its first game in 1989. The Crimson Tide posted a lopsided 14-3 win over UAB in its first game at the Met.
*Alabama has won six consecutive games at the Hoover Met. The Tide's last loss was a 7-4 decision to Florida on May 25, 2002 in the SEC Tournament.
ALABAMA-OLE MISS SERIES
*Alabama leads the overall series with Ole Miss, 185-126-1 (.596). The series dates back to the 1895 season and is the oldest running series in the Alabama record book.
*The Crimson Tide and Rebels have met every year since 1946.
*Alabama ended a lengthy series losing streak by winning two of three games from Ole Miss in Oxford earlier this season.
*It was Alabama's first series win over Ole Miss since the 2000 season and the first series win in Oxford since 1997.
*The Crimson Tide erased a 4-1 deficit in the opener to claim a 5-4 win. Rocky Scelfo scored the winning run on Emeel Salem's ninth inning double. Gabe Scott hit two home runs in the win, including a solo shot in the eighth to tie the game at 4-4.
*Ole Miss out slugged Alabama 12-10 on Saturday to even the series. The Rebels had 19 hits in the win, the most against the Crimson Tide this season.
*Alabama hit three home runs in the series finale to complete the series win. Allen Rice belted a grand slam in the third inning. Brandon Belcher picked up the win and logged his first complete game.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells has compiled a 16-18 (.471) career record against Ole Miss.
*Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco has compiled a 10-5 (.667) record against Alabama since taking over at Ole Miss in 2001.
*Bianco has won all four of the five series against the Crimson Tide.
SEC RECORD BREAKDOWN
*Alabama posted a 17-13 record in SEC play this season and finished third in Western Division and fifth in the overall standings.
*Alabama was 10-20 last year in SEC play and finished sixth in the West and 11th overall.
*Alabama won six of its 10 SEC series in 2005. The Tide won only one SEC series last year.
*Alabama went 8-7 (.533) against the SEC Western Division and won three of the five series. The Crimson Tide posted series wins over LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn.
*Alabama was 4-11 (.268) against SEC Western Division teams in 2004.
*Alabama went 9-6 (.600) against the SEC East this season and won three of the five series. Bama had series wins over Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia.
*Alabama was 6-9 (.400) last year against the SEC East.
*Alabama won four of five home series this season and finished the season with a 10-5 (.667) SEC home record.
*Alabama did not win an SEC home series in 2004 and closed the year with a 4-11 (.268) mark at the Joe.
*The Crimson Tide won two road series (Ole Miss and Auburn) this season and compiled a 7-8 (.467) SEC road record. Alabama was 6-9 (.400) in SEC road games last year.
*Alabama went 5-4 (.556) against the top four seeds at this year's SEC Tournament. The Crimson Tide won both series with LSU and Ole Miss and dropped a road series to Florida. Alabama and Tennessee did not play.
ROBERTSON SETS FRESHMAN STRIKEOUT RECORD
*Alabama freshman right-hander David Robertson (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) recorded two strikeouts in the Crimson Tide's 11-9 win at Auburn on May 22 to set the UA single-season freshman record for stirkeouts.
*Robertson has 99 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings this season to break the previous record of 98 strikeouts set in 2004 by Wade LeBlanc.
*He is second in the SEC to Tennessee's Luke Hochevar (122) with those 99 strikeouts.
