Alabama Hosts No. 20 Southern Miss
3/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Game 20: SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES (13-4) AT ALBAMA CRIMSON TIDE (13-6)
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM (6,118) -- TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM
MARCH 15, 2006 -- UA IN THE MIDST OF PLAYING SEVEN STRAIGHT RANKED TEAMS
Date Game Time Radio
Mar. 15 Southern Miss 6:30 PM CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
Mar. 17 at Georgia 7 PM (ET) CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
Mar. 18 at Georgia 4 PM (ET) CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
Mar. 19 at Georgia 1 PM (ET) CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
The games will not be played on TV.
ON THE MOUND:
USM 28 Patrick Ezell (RHP, Jr., 6-2, 185, Petal, Miss.; 3 GS, 1-1, 3.12 ERA, 17.1 IP, 21 H, 14 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 12 K)
UA 7 Miers Quigley (LHP, Fr., 6-4, 225, Roswell, Ga.; 3 GS, 0-1, 1.69 ERA, 10.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 9 K)
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live audio broadcasts and live stats can be found at www.rolltide.com. The games are aired on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with David Crane calling the action this week against Southern Miss and Georgia.
TICKETS: General admission tickets for the Alabama-Southern Miss game are $5 each and available at the front gate beginning at 4:30 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday.
ALABAMA HOSTS NO. 20 SOUTHERN MISS
The University of Alabama baseball team continues one of the toughest stretches of its schedule in recent history when it hosts the No. 20 Southern Miss Golden Eagles in a non-conference game Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Southern Miss is the fourth game in a stretch of seven straight games in which Alabama will play a team ranked in the Top 25. The Crimson Tide played a three-game series at No. 6 Nebraska last weekend in Lincoln and will open SEC play in Athens, Ga., this weekend against the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs.
Alabama had a stretch last season where they played 10 ranked opponents in a 12-game stretch, including consecutive road weekends against No. 9 Ole Miss (April 8-10, 2005) and No. 5 Florida (April 15-17, 2005). The last time the Crimson Tide played seven straight ranked opponents was 2003 when UA closed out the regular season at No. 17 Miss. State and then faced four ranked opponents en route to the SEC Tournament Championship at the Hoover Met.
In the latest pseudo RPI rankings, Alabama is third according to Warren Nolan and fourth in Boyd Nation's list. The Crimson Tide also has the nation's most difficult schedule according to WarrenNolan.com.
"For the most part our starting pitching has been good," Alabama head coach Jim Wells said. "We have struggled to score runs, especially last weekend against a very good Nebraska pitching staff. We are getting better. We just have to be ready for the long road ahead."
Alabama (13-6) suffered a three-game sweep at No. 6 Nebraska this past weekend in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers claimed a 2-1, 11-inning victory in the opener before posting 5-1 and 6-1 wins in the final two games of the series. The Crimson Tide struggled at the plate in its three losses at Nebraska, hitting just .180 (18-for-100) in the series, including a 1-for-26 (.038) mark with runners in scoring position.
"We were a hit or two away from winning one or maybe two games against a very good Nebraska team," Wells said. "We are not an offensive juggernaut, so we have to make the most of our opportunities. That is where we are heading into this week."
Junior CF Emeel Salem (Mountain Brook) was the Tide's leading hitter at Nebraska, going 3-for-12 (.250), with two doubles and two runs scored. Salem recorded his 100th career hit in the series finale when he smoked a double over the head of centerfielder Bryce Nimmo into a stiff wind.
Senior 2B Evan Bush (Rainbow City) and senior 3B Matt Downs (Centreville) were a combined 2-for-23 (.087) in the series at Nebraska.
Once again, the Crimson Tide got solid starting pitching in the three-game series in Lincoln. Alabama was played solid defense, with just one error and four double plays in the series.
Southern Miss (13-4) is coming off a three-game sweep of Buffalo this past weekend in Hattiesburg.
Senior 3B Marc Maddox (Hattiesburg) had one of his best weeks of the season last week. Maddox was 9-for-18 with four home runs and 13 RBI in four games last week to raise his season average 92 points.
Alabama freshman LHP Miers Quigley (Roswell, Ga.) is expected to make his fourth start of the season on Wednesday against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles will counter with junior RHP Patrick Ezell (Petal) on the mound.
ALABAMA-SOUTHERN MISS SERIES
*Alabama leads the all-time series with Southern Miss, 66-23 (.742) in a series that began in 1962.
*The two teams played on an annual basis from 1962-87, with the exception of 1970. After the 1987 season, the series took a 10-year hiatus before being resumed for the 1997 season.
*The Crimson Tide and Golden Eagles have met at least once during the regular-season every year since 1997, with the exception of the 2003 season.
*Southern Miss snapped an 11-game losing streak to Alabama with a 7-4 win last year in Hattiesburg. It was the Golden Eagles first win over the Crimson Tide since 1987.
*The Crimson Tide posted a 22-game winning streak over the Golden Eagles from 1981-87.
*Since the 1981 season, Alabama is 33-3 (.917) in the 36 meetings with USM.
*UA head coach Jim Wells is 11-1 (.917) in his career against USM.
*USM head coach Corky Palmer is 1-9 (.100) in his career against Alabama.
*Alabama holds a 41-10 (.803) all-time record against Southern Miss in Tuscaloosa, including a nine-game winning streak.
*The Crimson Tide has won 22 of the last 23 meetings with the Golden Eagles in Tuscaloosa.
*In games played in Hattiesburg, the Crimson Tide holds a 22-14 (.611) lead.
*The two teams have met twice at neutral sites, splitting a two-game series in Jackson, Miss. in 1979.
SCOUTING REPORT: Southern Miss
*The Southern Miss Golden Eagles (13-4) bring a three-game winning streak to Tuscaloosa for Wednesday night's game.
*The Golden Eagles swept Buffalo this past weekend in Hattiesburg, winning a trio (13-3-, 21-3 and 14-2) of lopsided games.
*USM is batting .315 (188-for-597) as a team with 32 home runs and 140 RBI in 15 games.
*The Golden Eagles average 9.2 runs and 11.1 hits per game this season.
*USM has four regulars hitting over .340 on the season.
*Junior OF Toddric Johnson (Jackson) leads the way with a .400 (26-for-65) average, with three home runs and 15 RBI.
*Johnson also paces the club with a .708 slugging mark, 19 runs scored and seven doubles.
*Freshman 1B/OF Michael Ewing (Beaumont, Texas) is second on the team with a .370 (20-for-54) average, with two hoe runs and 11 RBI.
*Junior OF Jody Blount (Union, Miss.) is third on the team with a .353 (18-for-51) average. He is second on the squad with five home runs and 19 RBI.
*Sophomore second baseman Trey Sutton (Hattiesburg) is batting .343 (24-for-70) in 17 games, with one home run and five RBI.
*Senior preseason All-American 3B Marc Maddox (Hattiesburg) is recovering from a slow start at the plate. Maddox is batting .270 (17-for-63) in 17 games with a team-leading six home runs and 22 RBI.
*Maddox had his best week of the season last week and raised his batting average 92 points as he was 9-for-18 at the plate with four home runs and 13 RBI.
*For his efforts he was named one the National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on Monday, March 13.
*The USM pitching staff has compiled a 13-4 record with seven saves and a 3.72 ERA this year.
*They have not recorded a shutout or complete game to date.
*Junior RHP Patrick Ezell (Petal) will get the start against Alabama on Wednesday. Ezell is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts this season.
*He has worked 17.1 innings and allowed 21 hits, 14 runs and six earned runs, with five walks and 12 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .296 against Ezell. He has allowed just three extra base hits, including two doubles and one home run, this year.
*Southern Miss has one of the nation's best closers in senior RHP Daniel Best (Ruston, La.).
*The senior has compiled a 1-0 record with four saves in six appearances this season. He has not allowed a run in 9 2/3 innings this season.
*Best has worked 9 2/3 innings and allowed six hits, walked one and fanned 11. Opponents are hitting just .097 (3-for-31) this year.
*Southern Miss has made 26 errors in 17 games (1.53 per game) this year and has a .961 fielding mark.
*Freshman SS Brian Dozier (Fulton) leads the club with 10 errors in 93 chances (.880) this season.
*Maddox has made six errors (.889) at third base in 17 games.
TOUGH STRETCH FOR BAMA
*Alabama is in the midst of playing seven straight games against Top 25 teams.
*The Crimson Tide just played a three-game road series at No. 6 Nebraska in Lincoln. UA was the first SEC team to ever play the Huskers in Lincoln.
*The Crimson Tide will also face No. 20 Southern Miss (March 15) and No. 23 Georgia (March 17-19) during this seven-game stretch.
*Alabama has not played seven straight ranked teams since the 2003 season when UA closed out the year at No. 17 Miss. State and then beat four consecutive ranked teams to win the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met.
*The Crimson Tide played 10 ranked teams in a 12-game stretch last year that included back-to-back road series at No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 5 Florida.
*The Nebraska series was the first of six consecutive weekends in which Alabama will play a ranked opponent.
*In all, Alabama will play nine of 11 weekends against ranked teams from March 10 through the remainder of the season, including eight SEC series.
TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
*Alabama's schedule has been rated as the toughest in the nation according to the latest rankings by Warren Nolan (www.warrennolan.com).
*Alabama has already played No. 26 Winthrop and No. 6 Nebraska as well as Kent State, Florida International, Birmingham Southern and South Alabama.
*The Crimson Tide also has dates with No. 20 Southern Miss (March 15) and eight SEC series against Top 25 clubs, including Georgia (No. 23), Ole Miss (No. 29), Miss. State (No. 6), South Carolina (No. 9), LSU (No. 8), Arkansas (No. 7), Florida (No. 13) and Tennessee (No. 5).
*Two other non conference opponents -- Troy and UAB -- are on the verge of the national rankings with healthy winning streaks.
TOP 10 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Rk Team SOS
1. ALABAMA .6855
2. Purdue .6832
3. Clemson .6776
4. Quinnipiac .6593
5. Rutgers .6534
6. Wake Forest .6457
7. UCLA .6353
8. Marist .6343
9. Hartford .6277
10. Fla. International .5585
THE RANKED OPPONENTS
*Alabama is 1-5 (.167) against Top 25 teams this season.
*The Crimson Tide opened the year by losing two out of three at home to No. 26 Winthrop. It was the second straight road series win for the Winthrop, who had beaten Miami (Fla.) in Coral Gables the weekend before playing Alabama.
*Alabama lost all three games at No. 6 Nebraska in Lincoln (March 10-12), suffering its first road sweep since the 2002 season.
*The Crimson Tide has 24 games remaining against Top 25 teams this season, including the next four with Southern Miss
BAMA LOOKS TO STOP SKID
*Alabama will look to put an end to its three-game losing streak when it faces No. 20 Southern Miss on Wednesday in Tuscaloosa.
*The Crimson Tide has not lost four straight games since the 2004-05 season. UA lost its final three regular season games against Miss. State to close out the 2004 season and then lost its 2005 season opener at Hawai'i.
*Alabama has not lost four straight games in the same season since a seven-game losing streak in 2003. The streak began with a 10-3 loss at Tennessee on May 3 and ended with a 15-7 win at Miss. State on May 17.
BAMA HELD TO 4 RUNS AT NEBRASKA
*The Alabama offense managed only four runs in its three losses at No. 6 Nebraska (March 10-12).
*The Crimson Tide hit just .180 (18-for-100) in the series with four runs scored, four RBI and three extra base hits.
*Alabama was also just 1-for-26 (.038) with runners in scoring position in the three losses to Nebraska.
*With that said, the Crimson Tide was just a hit or two away from winning one or two games from the Huskers at Hawks Field.
*The four runs scored at Nebraska are the fewest by Alabama in a three-game series since netting only two runs in three losses at South Carolina during the 2000 season.
*The Gamecocks swept a series from the Crimson Tide at Sarge Frye Field winning 4-1, 2-0 and 3-1.
*The 2-0 shutout on April 1, 2000 snapped the Crimson Tide's school and SEC record scoring streak at 279 consecutive games, which dated back to the 1995 season.
*The lowest run total in a three-game series came against in Florida in 1998 when the Crimson Tide was shutout twice by the Gators and managed only one run in the three-game sweep.
*The four runs scored at Nebraska are the ninth-lowest run total in a three-game series in school history.
*The four runs at Nebraska is the second-lowest run total by Alabama under Coach Wells.
*The lowest four-game run total by Alabama also came in 1988 when the Tide managed five runs in four games in losses to Florida and UNLV.
*The Crimson Tide was swept by the Gators in Tuscaloosa, including a pair of shutouts (L 2-1, L 6-0, L 4-0) and then lost to UNLV (L 6-4) in Las Vegas.
NEBRASKA SWEEPS BAMA
*The series sweep at No. 6 Nebraska marked just the 10th time in the Wells era that Alabama had been swept in a three-game series.
*Alabama had not been swept since dropping the final regular season series to Miss. State in 2004.
*The Crimson Tide had not been swept on the road since losing the final three games of the regular season at LSU in 2002.
*Alabama had also not been swept in a road non-conference series since losing all three games at Central Florida in 2001.
