Alabama Visits No. 6 Nebraska
3/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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GAMES: 17-19: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (13-3) AT NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (8-2)
HAWKS FIELD AT HAYMARKET PARK (8,486) -- LINCOLN, NEBRASKA -- 2:05 pm
MARCH 10, 2006 -- UA IS FIRST SEC TEAM TO PLAY IN LINCOLN
ON THE MOUND:
UA 23 Wade LeBlanc (LHP, Jr., 6-3, 193, Lake Charles, La.; 4 GS, 3-1, 1.93 ERA, 28 IP, 15 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 38 K)
NEB 11 Tony Watson (LHP, So., 6-4, 205, Grimes, Iowa; 3 GS, 2-0, 2.33 ERA, 19.1 IP, 15 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 18 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 weekend from Lincoln. All three games at Nebraska will be available via the internet at HuskersNside. A monthly subscription fee of $9.95 will be required to watch all three games this week from Hawks Field.
TICKETS: All club level and box seats are SOLD OUT. General admission tickets for the Alabama-Nebraska series are $7 each and available at the UNL Box Office.
BAMA BRINGS 8-GAME WIN STREAK TO NEBRASKA
Facing its toughest opponent to date, the No. 25 University of Alabama baseball team remains on the road this weekend at it visits the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers in a three-game series beginning Friday, Mar. 10 at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln. The first game is set for 2:05 p.m. (CT) and marks the 2006 home opener for the defending Big 12 Conference champions. The two teams will also meet Saturday, Mar. 11 and Sunday, Mar. 12 in Lincoln. Both games begin at 1:05 p.m. (CT). Alabama (13-3) is the first Southeastern Conference team to ever play Nebraska in Lincoln. The two teams will meet again next year in Tuscaloosa as the home-and-home series is completed in 2007. The Crimson Tide also brings an eight-game winning streak into the series opener with Nebraska. Alabama has not lost since a 2-0 home shutout at the hands of the Memphis Tigers on Feb. 21. Overall, Alabama has won 12 of its last 13 games. The eight-game winning streak is the longest by the Tide since Feb. 25-March 9, 2005, when UA also won eight straight games. The Crimson Tide posted a 10-game winning streak from March 4-21, 2003. Alabama won its first road game of the season on Wednesday, March 8 as the Tide beat South Alabama 7-6 in Mobile. Bama has won the last four meetings with the Jags, including the last two in the Port City. Senior 3B Matt Downs (Centreville) went 3-for-5 with three runs, scored, one double and two RBI in the win. He established career highs for hits, runs scored and RBI.
Downs brings a career-best four-game hitting streak to Lincoln, where he is batting .500 (8-for-16) during the streak. He is 5-for-10 with three RBI in the last two games. Alabama is batting .298 (78-for-264) during the streak with six home runs and 53 RBI. Bama is averaging 6.75 runs and 9.75 hits per game in the last eight games. Senior catcher Kody Valverde (Baton Rouge, La.) leads UA with a .385 (10-for-26) average in the last eight games. He also has one RBI and club-best 10 RBI. Freshman DH Alex Avila (Hialeah, Fla.) is hitting .381 (8-for-21) with five runs scored, one home run and three RBI. Senior 1B Spencer Pennington (Fayette) is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with four RBI in the last eight games. Downs is batting .300 (9-for-30) with one home run and eight RBI in the last eight games. He hit just .185 (5-for-27) in the Tide's first eight games. The Nebraska series is Alabama's second against a Top 30 team this season. UA opened the year and lost two out of three to then No. 26 Winthrop, who came to Tuscaloosa fresh off a series win over Miami, Fla. in Coral Gables a week earlier. The Nebraska series also marks Alabama's first road series against a Top 10 opponent since traveling to Cal State Fullerton (UA lost 2 of 3) in 1998. Alabama did play three NCAA Regionals teams, including No. 13 Houston and No. 2 Rice at the 2003 Minute Maid Park Classic in Houston. The beat UL Lafayette and Rice and lost to Houston in that six-team tournament. Alabama coach Jim Wells coached his 1,000th game Wednesday night in Mobile.
ALABAMA-NEBRASKA SERIES
*This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools in baseball.
ALABAMA vs. BIG 12 CONFERENCE
*Alabama is 9-12 (.429) all-time against teams from the Big 12 Conference.
*The Crimson Tide has compiled a nifty 8-1 (.889) record against Big 12 schools not from the state of Texas.
*Alabama is 1-11 (.083) against Big 12 members from the state of Texas.
ALABAMA VS. BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Opponent Last Mtg Record
Baylor NA 0-0
Kansas NA 0-0
Kansas State 2004 2-1
Missouri NA 0-0
Nebraska NA 0-0
Oklahoma 2002 4-0
Oklahoma State 1999 2-0
Texas 1983 1-8
Texas A&M 2003 0-3
Texas Tech NA 0-0
*Coach Wells is 8-4 (.667) against teams from the Big 12 conference.
WELLS VS. BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Opponent Last Mtg Record
Baylor NA 0-0
Kansas NA 0-0
Kansas State 2004 2-1
Missouri NA 0-0
Nebraska NA 0-0
Oklahoma 2002 4-0
Oklahoma State 1999 2-0
Texas 1983 1-8
Texas A&M 2003 0-3
Texas Tech NA 0-0
COMPARING THE STATS
*Here is a statistical comparison of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Category UA NU
Record 13-3 8-2
Batting Avg. .263 .331
Runs/Game 6.2 6.7
Hits/Game 8.6 12.1
Doubles 19 22
Triples 7 2
Home Runs 13 14
RBI 93 61
Base on Balls 82 34
Hit Batters 13 12
Strikeouts 95 71
SB-SBA 21-31 9-15
Innings Pitched 144.0 91.0
ERA 2.19 2.77
Runs Allowed/Game 3.0 2.9
Hits Allowed/Game 7.4 6.5
Base on Balls 36 32
Strikeouts 136 77
Hit Batters 6 11
Saves 5 3
Opponents Avg. .219 .204
Fielding Pct. .956 .975
Errors 28 10
Double Plays 8 11
I'M BACK
*Alabama senior backup catcher David Ferazza (Hayward, Calif.) began his collegiate career at Nebraska. Ferazza redshirted under coach Dave Van Horn in 2001.
*The Huskers were 50-21 that season and won the Big 12 title and made the school's first trip to the CWS in Omaha.
SCOUTING REPORT: Nebraska
*Nebraska (8-2) returns eight position players, including four starters, off last year's Big 12 Championship team that played in the College World Series.
*The Cornhuskers were 57-15 last year and made its third trip to Omaha (2001, 2002 and 2005) in the past five years.
*Coach Mike Anderson has compiled a 148-58 (.718) record in four years at Nebraska.
*Anderson replaced Dave Van Horn, who was the 2001 National Coach of the Year, after the 2002 season. Van Horn left Nebraska after back-to-back trips to the CWS to take the head job at Arkansas, his alma mater.
*Nebraska is batting .331 (121-for-366) in its first 10 games with 14 home runs and 61 RBI. The Cornhuskers average 6.7 runs and 12.1 hits per game.
*They are led on offense by junior outfielder Luke Gorsett (Denver, Colorado), who is batting .405 (17-for-42) with five home runs and 11 RBI. He has an .857 slugging percentage in 10 starts.
*Gorsett became the first Husker to hit for the cycle since 1995, as Nebraska swept the field at the Dairy Queen Classic in the Metrodome last weekend.
*He went 4-for-5, with a single in the first, a homer in the third and a double in the fourth, before completing the cycle with a triple to left center in the eighth, as he slid in to beat the relay throw at third.
*Gorsett was the DQ Dude, as he hit .500 (6-for-12), with two homers, four RBIs and five runs scored and was named the Tournament MVP.
*He has hit safely in all 10 games this season.
*Last year, Gosrsett was a First-Team Junior College All-American at Garden City CC, where he batted .402 with 24 home runs and 71 RBI.
*Sophomore shortstop Ryan Wehrle (Papillion, Neb.) is off to a solid start for the Big Red. Wehrle, who played second base last year, has replaced All-Big 12 Joe Simokaitias.
*Wehrle is batting .395 (15-for-38) in nine games this season, with one home run and 10 RBI. He also has 24 assists and one error at short in 33 chances (.970) so far.
*Sophomore outfielder Bryce Nimmo (Cheynne, Wyoming) is the third-leading hitter with a .382 (13-for-34) average with eight RBI in nine games.
*The Cornhuskers also have returning starters senior first baseman Brandon Buckman (Monument, Colorado), sophomore outfielder Andy Gerch (Lincoln) and senior catcher Jeff Christy (Lincoln).
*Buckman is batting .282 (11-for-39) in 10 games with three home runs and five RBI.
*Gerch, who named the 2006 Lincoln Regional MVP and was a member of the 2006 CWS All-Tournament Team, is hitting .333 (11-for-33) in eight games, with seven runs scored, one home run and three RBI.
*Christy is hitting just .212 (8-for-38) in 10 games, with two home runs and four RBI. He had thrown out four of 10 base stealers behind the dish.
*The pitching staff is among the best in college baseball.
*Nebraska hurlers have an 8-2 record with three saves and a 2.77 ERA in 10 games this season.
*NU pitchers have worked 91 innings and allowed 65 hits, 29 runs and 28 earned runs, with 32 walks and 77 strikeouts.
*The ace of the staff is junior RHP Joba Chamberlain (Lincoln), who was a Third-Team All-America selection and First-Team All-Big 12 pick last year.
*Chamberlain is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA in three starts this season. His lone setback came at No. 1 Rice on Feb. 25.
*The righty has worked 21 innings and allowed 11 hits and three earned runs, with six walks and 28 strikeouts.
*Chamberlain was scratched from the rotation this weekend against Alabama due to tendonitis.
*The game one starter against Alabama will now be sophomore LHP Tony Watson (Grimes, Iowa), who was Freshman All-America pick in 2005.
*Watson is 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA in two starts this year. He has worked 19 1/3 innings and allowed 15 hits and five earned runs, with six walks and 18 strikeouts.
*Sophomore RHP Johnny Dorn (Grand Island, Neb.), a Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 pick, will start on Saturday.
*Dorn is 2-1 with a 5.28 ERA in three starts this year. He is coming off his best performance in Nebraska's win over Minnesota (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K) last Sunday at the Metrodome.
*Dorn has worked 15 1/3 innings and allowed 14 hits, 10 runs and nine earned runs, with five walks and eight strikeouts.
*Redshirt freshman RHP Charlie Shirek (Minot, ND) will replace Chamberlain in the rotation and will start the series finale on Sunday.
*Shirek has no record and a 1.80 ERA in three appearances this season. He will make his second start of the year against Alabama.
*He has worked 10 innings and allowed seven hits, two runs and two earned runs, with five walks and five strikeouts.
*A late-inning lead usually means a win for the Big Red with senior RHP Brett Jensen in the bullpen.
*Jensen, a Second-Team All-Big 12 selection in 2005, is the nation's returning saves leader from last year. In 33 games, he was 2-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 16 saves.
*Jensen is 1-0 with two saves and a 2.89 ERA in five outings (9.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) this year.
*Nebraska has made only 10 errors in 10 games (.975 fielding mark) and turned 11 double plays.
ALABAMA HITTING NOTES
*Alabama has used 18 position players in its first seven games this season.
*The Crimson Tide has won 12 of its last 13 games, including an eight-game winning streak.
*Alabama's eight-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the SEC.
*Alabama is tied with Arkansas for the second-most wins in the SEC this season. LSU leads the way with 14 entering this weekend.
*Evan Bush (2B), Greg Paiml (SS), Emeel Salem (CF) and Kody Valverde (C) are the only UA players to start all 15 games.
*The Crimson Tide ranks 10th in the SEC this week with a .263 batting average.
*Alabama leads the SEC with 82 walks.
*The Crimson Tide ranks second in triples (7) and home runs (13) and third in stolen bases (21).
*Alabama starters are batting .256 (128-for-500) with 11 home runs and 78 RBI in 16 games.
*The bench is hitting .417 (10-for-24) with two home runs and eight RBI this season.
*Ferazza is hitting .750 (3-for-4) with two home runs and five RBI off the bench.
*Bama pinch-hitters are 6-for-18 (.333) this year.
*After starting the year 0-for-7, UA pinch hitters have six hits in their last 11 at-bats.
*Alabama has a 20-5 scoring edge in the second inning this year.
*Bama has a 19-5 scoring edge in the eighth and ninth innings this season.
*Alabama is 7-2 (.778) in day games this year.
*The Crimson Tide is 3-0 vs. LHPs and 10-3 vs. RHPs.
*Alabama is 4-1 (.800) in one-run games, including a four-game winning streak.
*Alabama is 6-0 when leading after six innings; 11-0 when leading after seven and 11-0 when leading after eight innings.
*Bama is 9-1 when hitting at least one home run and 4-2 without a homer.
*The Crimson Tide has tallied 26 hits in its last two games and is hitting .351 (26-for-74) in wins over Appy State and South Alabama.
*Alabama has logged seven doubles in its last two games, accounting for nearly one-half of its total hits.
*Bama is hitting .344 (32-for-93) with runners in scoring position in the last eight games.
*UA is also hitting .315 (29-for-92) with two outs during its eight-game winning streak, including 27 two-out RBI.
*Valverde ranks among the SEC leaders in seven offensive categories through game of March 9th.
*He leads the SEC in home runs (5), RBI (22), total bases (42) and walks (13).
*Valverde also ranks second in slugging percentage (.778) and triples (2) and seventh in on-base (.500) percentage.
*Valverde leads Alabama with six multiple hit games and six multiple RBI games.
*He needs 10 RBI for 100 career RBI at UNO and Alabama.
*Salem leads the SEC in runs scored (17), stolen bases (14) and stolen base attempts (18).
*Salem is second on the UA team with five multiple hit games.
*He has 97 career hits and is three hits shy of 100 in his Alabama career.
*Bush ranks second in the league with 12 walks and is fourth with 45 assists.
*Bush will play his 175th career game at Nebraska on Friday, March 10.
*Downs is seventh in the SEC with 11 walks in 15 games.
*Downs is 5-for-10 (.500) in his last two games, with five RBI. He was 3-for-5 with two RBI (all career highs) in UA's 7-6 win at South Alabama on March 8.
*The Crimson Tide did not hit into a double play in its first 12 games of the 2006 season. UA hit into four double plays in its series sweep of Appalachian State.
*Alabama has homered in five of its last seven games and 10 of 16 games this season.
*Dating back to the 2005 NCAA Regionals, Alabama has homered in 14 of its last 20 games.
*The Tide had its most productive three-game series on offense against FIU. Bama hit .304 (31-for-102) in the three games, with two home runs and 20 RBI.
*Alabama has five players with hitting streaks entering today's game at Nebraska.
CURRENT HITTING STREAKS
Player Strk Stats
Salem 6 10-24 (.417), 4 RBI
Downs 4 8-16 (.500), 6 RBI
Paiml 4 6-15 (.400), 4 RBI
Bush 4 5-16 (.313), 3 RBI
Valverde 3 5-10 (.500), 3 RBI
ALABAMA PITCHING NOTES
*Alabama has used 10 pitchers in its first 16 games this season.
*Alabama starters are 8-2 with a 2.00 ERA and one complete game this season.
*The Crimson Tide bullpen is 5-1 with five saves and a 2.47 ERA this year.
*UA relievers have logged 59 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings this year.
*Alabama is third in the SEC with its sparkling 2.19 ERA in 16 games.
*The Crimson Tide is second in the league in innings pitched (144.0), strikeouts (136), wins (13), saves (5) and pickoffs (5) this season.
*Alabama has not allowed a run in the fourth inning this season. UA has a 10-0 scoring edge in the inning.
*UA pitchers have recorded 19 strikeouts in the last two games.
*LeBlanc leads the SEC with 38 strikeouts this season.
*He also ranks third in innings pitched (28.0), fifth in opponents batting average (.155) and 12th in ERA (1.93).
*Hunter is sixth in the SEC with his 1.29 ERA.
*Robertson would lead the league with a 0.00 ERA, but does not have the necessary 16 innings required to be counted among the stats leaders.
*Robertson is second in the league with four saves.
*He also leads the SEC with seven games finished and fourth in total appearances (8).
*Graham is first in the league with four wild pitches.
*Alabama allowed just two runs and 13 hits in its three-game sweep of FIU (Feb. 24-26).
*The Crimson Tide threw two shutouts in the three-game series against FIU and allowed just one earned run (0.33) in 27 innings.
*Bama gave up six runs in its win over Birmingham Southern. The Crimson Tide had allowed just seven runs in its previous seven games.
*The Crimson Tide yielded just one earned run (27 IP, 0.33 ERA) in the series sweep of Kent State and posted its first shutout of the season on Feb. 18.
*Alabama had a string of 16 consecutive scoreless innings against Kent State.
*Alabama's bullpen threw 35 consecutive innings without an earned run from Feb. 12 through Feb. 28.
*BSC snapped the streak with a sixth-inning home run.
*The Crimson Tide saw its 97 2/3 innings streak without allowing a home run end against BSC on Feb. 28.
*UA gave up three home runs in the season opener and did not allow another dinger until the 12th game of the season.
*UA relievers have stranded 24 of 27 (.889) inherited runners this season.
*McCarter has stranded all seven inherited runners.
*Robertson has stranded eight of nine inherited runners this season.
*Copeland has stranded seven of eight.
*Bama pitchers stranded 17 consecutive inherited runners from Feb. 12 until Feb. 28. The streak ended in the seventh inning against BSC.
*Bama's pitching staff has three pitchers who logged more than 100 strikeouts last season, including LeBlanc (108), Robertson (105) and Robert (101).
*LeBlanc set the UA sophomore record for strikeouts and Robertson set the freshman strikeout record last year. Robert had 101 strikeouts in 115 innings at SE Louisiana in 2005.
ALABAMA FIELDING NOTES
*Alabama is 10th in the SEC with a .956 fielding mark in 16 games.
*The Crimson Tide has made 28 errors in 16 games, an average of 1.75 per game.
*Alabama has made seven errors in its last two games.
*For the season, Alabama is 6-0 when making three or more errors in a game.
*Alabama has thrown out 11 of 19 (.578) would-be base stealers, the highest percentage in the SEC.
*Valverde is the SEC co-leader with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 16 games.
*He has thrown out 9-of-17 (.529) base stealers this season, the best mark in the SEC.
*Valverde is also fourth in total chances (137) and fourth in putouts (122).
*Paiml is third in the SEC with 52 assists.
*Bush is fifth with 45 assists.
*The Crimson Tide has made a season-high four errors twice this season and won both games.
*UA beat FIU 1-0 on Feb. 24 despite four miscues. The Crimson Tide also made four errors in its 7-6 win over BSC on Feb. 28.
*Alabama made six errors in its three-game series with FIU (Feb. 24-26).
*The Crimson Tide has played four errorless games this season.
*Alabama played back-to-back errorless games against Appy State (Mar. 3-4).
*Paiml leads UA with six errors. Downs is second with five and Bush is third with four errors.
