Alabama Baseball Team Back Home to Host Miss. Valley State
4/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
GAME 40: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (20-19) AT ALABAMA (27-12, 10-5 SEC)
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM (6,118) -- TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM (CT)
APRIL 19, 2006 -- BAMA HOME FOR FIRST TIME SINCE APRIL 5th
Date Game Time
April 19 Miss. Valley State 6:30 PM (CT)
April 21 Vanderbilt 6:30 PM (CT
April 22 Vanderbilt 4 PM (CT)
April 23 Vanderbilt 2:06 PM (CT)
Radio:CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
ON THE MOUND:
MVSU TBA
UA 21 Jake McCarter (Jr., RHP, 6-0, 190, Kerrville, Texas; 12 G, 3 GS, 5-0, 2.39 ERA, 37.2 IP, 34 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 11 BB, 33 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 (play-by-play) and Chris Stewart (color) describing the action. Live stats are also available at www.rolltide.com.
TICKETS: Tickets for the Alabama-MVSU are $5 (adults) and $3 (children) and are available at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium Box Office. Tickets are also on sale for the Vanderbilt (April 21-23) and Auburn (April 28-30) series.
CRIMSON TIDE HOME AFTER TWO-WEEK TRIP
After spending the last two weeks on the road, the No. 12 University of Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team returns home for the stretch run of the 2006 season. The Crimson Tide will play seven if its next eight games at Sewell-Thomas Stadium beginning with its penultimate non-conference game on Wednesday, April 19 against Mississippi Valley State in a 6:30 p.m. (CT) game. The MVSU will also mark Alabama's final non-conference home game as the regular-season winds down. The Crimson Tide will play its final non-SEC game next Wednesday, April 26 against the UAB Blazers at the Hoover Met, site of the 2006 SEC Tournament (May 24-28). Alabama (27-12, 10-5 SEC) is coming a seven-game road trip that covered three cities and 1,354 total miles. Bama went 4-3 (.571) on the trip with its first-ever series win at No. 1 South Carolina (April 7-9) and one win each over SE Louisiana (April 12) and LSU (April 16). As a team, Alabama batted .321 (81-for-252) in the seven games with 12 home runs and 51 RBI. Bama averaged 7.7 runs and 11.6 hits per game on the trip. Five starters hit .357 or better on the trip, including senior catcher Kody Valverde (.423, 2 HR, 8 RBI), senior 3B Matt Downs (.393, 2 HR, 8 RBI), freshman DH Alex Avila (.379, 2 HR, 7 RBI), junior SS Greg Paiml (.360, 2 HR, 3 RBI) and junior LF Brandon Belcher (.357, HR, 5 RBI). Senior 2B Evan Bush led the team with three home runs and 12 RBI on the seven-game road trip, including a two-home run, seven-RBI game at LSU on Sunday. For the season, the Tide is hitting .285 (378-for-1,328) with 32 home runs and 227 RBI. Bama is averaging 6.4 runs and 9.7 hits per game this year. For the first time this season, Alabama has three starters with a .300 batting average or higher. Six starters are hitting .286 or better on the season. Junior CF Emeel Salem (Mountain Brook) leads the way with a .337 (55-for-163) average with one home run and 19 RBI. He leads the SEC with 20 stolen bases and ranks third in the league with 55 hits and seventh in the SEC with 35 runs scored. Valverde (Baton Rouge) is hitting .317 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. He leads the team in both home runs and RBI. He is also seventh in the SEC in both home runs and RBI. Senior 1B Spencer Pennington (Fayette) is third on the team with a .306 (30-for-98) with nine RBI. Pennington, who had only 21 career hits entering the 2006 season, has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games since March 22. During that time, he is batting .347 (17-for-49) with four multi-hit games. Mississippi Valley State (19-20, 15-5 SWAC) had a four-game winning streak heading into Tuesday night's game at Belhaven. The Delta Devils are 9-1 in their last 10 games. Alabama is 17-7 in non-conference play this season, including a 15-4 mark here at the Joe.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE SERIES
*Alabama holds a 5-0 (1.000) series lead over Mississippi Valley State, in a series that dates back only four years to the 2002 season.
*Alabama has scored double figure runs in all five meetings with MVSU and averages 14.4 runs per game.
*The two teams first met on March 12, 2002 with the Crimson Tide claiming a 19-0 win in Tuscaloosa.
*The two teams met a second time in 2002 (May 14), with the Crimson Tide winning a much closer game, 10-7.
*Alabama posted an easy 21-0 win over MVSU on Feb. 27, 2003. The 21-0 win is the third most lopsided shutout in school history.
*The Crimson Tide scored in six of the eight innings, including five runs in the third and six runs in the fifth.
*Alabama posted a 12-6 win on April 20, 2005 to remain perfect against the Delta Devils.
*The Crimson Tide scored in seven of the eight innings and pounded out 19 hits in the win.
*Spencer Pennington went 3-for-4 with three RBI in the victory.
*Evan Bush was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored.
*Matt Bentley went 2-for-3 and scored one run.
Alabama-MVSU File
at Tuscaloosa: UA leads, 5-0 (1.000)
at Itta Bena: Never Played
Wells vs. MVSU: 5-0 (1.000)
Shanks vs. UA: 0-5 (.000)
UA Win Strk: 5 (2002-Present)
MVSU Win Strk: Never
ALABAMA-MVSU ALL-TIME SCORES
Year Result Site
2002 W 19-0 Tuscaloosa
W 10-7 Tuscaloosa
2003 W 21-0 Tuscaloosa
2004 W 10-2 Tuscaloosa
2005 W 12-6 Tuscaloosa
ALABAMA VS. SWAC
Alabama owns a 39-4 (.907) record against the members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
*The Crimson Tide has five wins over Miss. Valley State in the last five seasons.
*Prior to the 2002 meeting with MVSU, Alabama had not played a team from the SWAC since 1993.
SCOUTING REPORT: Miss. Valley State
*The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (19-20, 15-5 SWAC) bring a four-game winning streak into this week's play. MVSU has also won nine of its last 10 games.
*The Delta Devils will play five games on the road this week, beginning with Tuesday night's game at Belhaven College. MVSU comes to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night for is annual date with Alabama before moving on to Montgomery for a three-game SWAC series with Alabama State this weekend.
*MVSU is 7-13 (.350) in road game this season entering Tuesday's game at Belhaven.
*The Valley has also compiled a 4-15 (.210) non-conference record with losses to Georgia Tech, Southern Miss and Troy.
*As a team, the Devils are hitting .259 (302-for-1164) through 39 games, with 11 home runs and 191 RBI.
*They average 6.2 runs and 7.7 hits per game.
*One thing is certain about the Devils on offense, they like to run. MVSU is second in the SWAC and second in the nation with 148 stolen bases (171 attempts) this year.
*The Valley averages 3.8 steals and 4.4 steal attempts per game this season.
*Junior shortstop Zack Penprase (Moorpark, Calif.) is the leader on the base paths with 49 stolen bases (.925) in 53 attempts. He leads the NCAA with 1.26 stolen bases per game heading into Tuesday's game at Belhaven.
*Three other players have double figure steals and attempts for the Devils this year, including Corey Littleton (27-30), Ross Myers (18-20) and Kyle Latiolais (11-13).
*Littleton is third in the NCAA with 0.84 thefts per game.
*Penprase is also the leading hitter with a stout .364 (51-for-140) average. He also leads MVSU with 33 runs scored, 27 RBI and seven triples.
*Senior infielder Derrick Weeks (Indianola, Miss.) is second on the team with a .336 (36-for-107) average, with two home runs and 17 RBI. He has played 33 games.
*Senior outfielder Greg Thomas (Sacramento, Calif.) has compiled a .386 (17-for-44) in just 19 games. He has scored 15 runs.
*Littleton (Jackson, Miss.) is hitting only .211 (20-for-95) in 32 games, but leads the Devils with three home runs and ranks third with 17 RBI.
*On the mound, the Devils are 19-20 with a 7.66 staff ERA in 39 games, with four saves and two CGs.
*The Devils have worked 303 innings and allowed 422 hits, 309 runs and 258 earned runs, with 164 walks and 198 strikeouts.
*MVSU has not yet named a starter for Wednesday's game at Alabama.
*On defense, the Valley has struggled and made 70 errors (.949) in 39 games this season. They average 1.79 miscues per game.
*Penprase (17) and Latiolais (11) have made 28 errors this season.
OFFENSE SHOWS IMPROVEMENT
*The Crimson Tide offense has shown marked improvement over the last half of the 2006 regular season.
*Alabama has raised its season batting average 35 points in the since March 13.
*In those 20 games, Alabama is batting .315 (222-for-704) with 19 home runs and 130 RBI.
*Bama is averaging 7.3 runs and 11.1 hits in those 20 games.
*The Crimson Tide's offense struggled during the first half of the season and hit just .250 (156-for-624) in the first 19 games, with 13 home runs and 97 RBI.
*Alabama averaged only 5.8 runs and 8.25 hits per game through the first 19 games of the season.
*Valverde (.333) and Salem (.307) were the only UA starters hitting .300 or above in the first 19 games of the season.
*Salem is the leading hitter over the last 20 games with a .364 (32-for-88) average.
*Eight of Alabama's nine starters have a higher batting average in the last 20 games than in the first 19 games.
*The most improvement comes from Belcher and Avila.
*Belcher is batting .333 (24-for-72) in the last 20 games, a 104-point improvement from his .229 average in the first 19 games.
*Avila has made a 99-point improvement by hitting .328 (21-for-64) in the last 20 games, compared to .229 in the first 19 games.
*Downs has seen an 86-point increase (.224 to .310), while Paiml has made a 75-point increase (.254 to .329) in the last 20 games.
*Here is a look at Alabama's starters in the first 19 games compared to the last 20 games.
ALABAMA HITTING COMPARISON
First Last
Player 19 G 20 G
Avila .229 .328
Belcher .229 .333
Bush .222 .293
Downs .224 .310
Paiml .254 .329
Pennington .270 .328
Rhoden .221 .341
Salem .307 .364
Valverde .333 .295
Team .250 .315
TIDE OFFENSE SHINES AT LSU
*Alabama had its most productive offensive weekend in SEC in play in six years, during
its three-game series at No. 20 LSU (April 14-16) earlier this season.
*In the three-game series, Alabama hit a whopping .390 (48-for-123) with seven home runs and 27 RBI. The Crimson Tide averaged nearly 10 runs and 17 hits per game in the series.
*It was the Crimson Tide best offensive weekend in SEC play since hitting .395 (47-for-119) at Kentucky on April 12-14, 2002.
*The .390 series average at LSU is the fifth highest batting average in an SEC series in the Wells era.
*Alabama's 48 hits at LSU are the second most in a series in the Wells era. The Crimson Tide had 53 hits against LSU in 1996 and 49 hits at Kentucky in 2001.
*The LSU weekend was aided by a 17-6 win in the series finale as the Tide avoided the three-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers.
*Alabama pounded out 27 hits in the win, the most in a game since posting 28 hits in a 30-4 win at UAB on April 14, 1999. Bama hit an NCAA record 13 home runs in that win against the Blazers.
*The 27 hits were the most in an SEC game since Alabama racked up 28 hits in a 28-2 win over No. 1 LSU on May 10, 1997 in Tuscaloosa.
*Valverde, Downs and Avila were a combined 21-for-40 (.525) in the weekend series with three home runs and 13 RBI.
*Earlier this year, Alabama batted .354 (35-for-99) with three home runs and 35 RBI in a three-game sweep of Ole Miss (March 24-26) at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
*Alabama scored 30 runs in the Ole Miss series and scored at least nine runs in all three games.
*The 30 runs were the most by the Tide in an SEC series since scoring 30 runs in that same series with Arkansas in 2003.
*Alabama had not scored at least nine runs per game in an SEC series since May 3-5, 2002 against Miss. State.
*The Crimson Tide swept the Bulldogs (9-5, 9-7 and 11-4) to clinch the 2002 SEC Western Division title in the final home series of the 2002 regular-season.
*The best offensive SEC series in the Wells era came April 26-28, 1996 at LSU, where Alabama batted .431 (53-for-123) in the series win at Alex Box Stadium.
*After dropping the ??96 opener, Alabama scored 29 runs on 41 hits the next two days for its second straight series win at Alex Box Stadium.
BAMA BATS POUND LSU
*Alabama salvaged the final game of its series at No. 20 LSU with a 17-6 win on Sunday, April 16.
*The 17 runs and 27 hits against the Tigers were the most by Alabama in a game this season.
*The 17 runs scored were the most by Alabama since a 19-0 win over Auburn on April 19, 2004.
*The 27 hits were the most by the Crimson Tide since collecting 28 hits in a 30-4 win at UAB on April 14, 1999. UA hit a school record 13 home runs in that win over UAB.
*The 27 hits were the most in an SEC game since a 28-hit attack in a 28-2 win over No. 1 LSU on May 10, 1997.
*All nine UA starters had at least two hits in the win over LSU. Salem (4-6), Avila (4-4), Valverde (4-5) and Bus (4-6) all had four hits in the win, while Belcher added three hits.
*The middle of the UA batting order -- Avila, Valverde and Bush -- were a combined 12-for-15 (.800) in the win with two home runs and 12 RBI. They also added seven doubles and scored 11 runs.
*Avila was 4-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBI, all career highs.
*Valverde went 4-for-5, with two doubles, four runs scored and four RBI, all career highs.
*Bush was 4-for-6 with three runs, two home runs and seven RBI.
*The seven RBI were the most by an Alabama player since Beau Hearod had seven RBI in a win over UMass on March 9, 2003.
SEVEN STRAIGHT HITS
*Alabama opened its Sunday, April 16 game at LSU with seven consecutive hits, missing the school record for consecutive hits by one.
*Bama scored five runs on seven hits in the inning and chased LSU starter Derik Olvey (6 H, 5 ER), who faced six batters and did not record an out.
*Rhoden laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt to move Belcher and Pennington into scoring position to end the streak at seven hits.
*Salem (double), Downs (single), Avila (RBI single), Valverde (RBI single), Bush (3-run HR), Belcher (single) and Pennington (single) accounted for the seven consecutive hits at LSU.
*The school record is eight straight hits against Samford (April 17) in 1991 and St. Louis (March 8) and Alcorn State (April 5) in 1994.
*The eight straight hits against Samford all came in the first inning. The eight straight hits against St. Louis and Alcorn State both came in the seventh inning.
