Alabama Crimson Tide Baseball Notebook
4/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Overall Record: 31-12 (.721)
SEC Record: 13-5 (.722) (1st Overall; 1st SEC West)
Streak: 15-4 last 19 G; 5-game winning streak
Last Week: 4-0 (1.000)
April 19 -- Alabama 5, Mississippi Valley State 0
April 22 -- Alabama 9, Vanderbilt 3 (DH)
April 22 -- Alabama 14, Vanderbilt 7 (DH)
April 23 -- Alabama 6, Vanderbilt 5
This Week:
April 26 -- UAB (Hoover Met) (6:30 PM)
April 28 -- Auburn (6:36 PM) (ACN Sports)
April 29 -- Auburn (6:06 PM) (CSS)
April 30 -- Auburn (2:06 PM) (CSS)
Player of the Week:
Kody Valverde (C, Sr., 6-0, 210, Baton Rouge)
STATS: 3 GS, .583 (7-for-12), 6 R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI
*Started all three games against Vanderbilt and the Crimson Tide’s leading hitter against the top-rated pitching staff in the SEC
*He went 2-for-4 in the series finale and scored three of UA’s six runs, including the tying run in the eighth inning
*Valverde went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, one home run and three RBI in UA’s 14-7 series-clinching win. He smacked a two-run home run in the fourth inning that gave UA the lead for good. Seven of his 10 home runs this season have either tied the game or given Bama the lead.
*He was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI double in the series opener against Vandy.
Pitcher of the Week:
Wade LeBlanc (LHP, Jr., 6-3, 193, Lake Charles, La.)
STATS: 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K
*LeBlanc out dueled Vanderbilt left-hander David Price in the Crimson Tide’s 9-3 win in the series opener
*The UA lefty recorded his 20th career win and 10th career SEC win with eight shutout innings
*He allowed only four hits and added three walks and three strikeouts
*LeBlanc has won all seven decisions this season, which ranks the 5th longest winning streak by a pitcher
*Dating back to the 2005 season, LeBlanc has won his last eight decisions
Freshman of the Week:
Alex Avila (DH, Fr., 6-0, 200, Hialeah, Fla.)
STATS: 4 GS, .471 (8-17), 5 R, 4 2B, 7 RBI
vs. Vanderbilt: 3 GS, .429 (6-14), 3 2B, 5 RBI
*Avila hit .471 (8-17) this week with five runs scored, four runs and seven RBI
*He went 2-for-3 with two RBI in UA’s 5-0 win over Miss. Valley State on Wednesday. His two-run single in the seventh inning gave the Tide a 5-0 lead
*Avila was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI in series opener vs. Vandy
*Enjoyed one the best games of the season by going 4-for-6 with four runs, three doubles and four RBI in UA’s 14-7 win
*Avila recorded a career-high three doubles in the win
*He scored tying run in the 4th inning of the win
ALABAMA BASEBALL NOTEBOOK
*Alabama (31-12, 13-5 SEC) owns the best record in the Southeastern Conference and holds a two-game lead over Eastern Division leaders Kentucky (11-7) and South Carolina (11-7) for the overall SEC championship. The Crimson Tide owns a three-game lead over Ole Miss (10-8) and Arkansas (10-8) in the SEC Western Division standings.
*Alabama’s 13-5 record in SEC play equals the best start under coach Jim Wells. The 2002 team also posted a 13-5 record through 18 SEC games en route to the Western Division championship. The 13-5 record is the second best 18-game SEC record in school history. The 1955 SEC Championship team was 16-2 through 18 games (which was their full season) for the best 18-game mark at Bama.
*The Crimson Tide is 8-1 in SEC home games and 5-4 in SEC road games this season. Also, Bama is 6-3 against Western Division teams and 7-2 against Eastern Division foes. Alabama has won five of its six SEC series this season, including two sweeps (Ole Miss and Vanderbilt).
*Alabama is riding a five-game winning streak and four-game SEC winning streak. The Crimson Tide is coming off its first sweep against Vanderbilt since the 2000 season.
*The Crimson Tide owns an 11-8 (.579) record this season against Top 25 clubs. Alabama has won four of the six series with ranked opponents. The Crimson Tide beat No. 1 Miss. State (March 31-April 2) and No. 1 South Carolina (April 7-9) in consecutive weeks.
*As a team, Alabama is batting .292 (429-for-1,467) through 43 games, with 36 home runs and 181 RBI. Alabama has at least one double in 31 consecutive games.
*The Crimson Tide boasts the SEC’s best ERA (3.33 ERA) through 43 games. Alabama has four pitchers with six or more wins, including Wade LeBlanc (7-0, 2.88 ERA), Jake McCarter (6-0, 2.01 ERA), Tommy Hunter (6-2, 3.54 ERA) and Bernard Robert (6-2, 3.88 ERA). Bama’s weekend starters are 19-4 (.826) on the mound, including an 11-2 (.846) mark in SEC play.
*Alabama is fourth in the SEC with a .969 fielding percentage. Bama has played 14 errorless games this season and played 12 games with two or more errors.
*Alabama has outscored the opposition 41-7 in the second inning this year.
*The Crimson Tide is a perfect 27-0 when leading after eight innings.
*Alabama has 13 come-from-behind wins this season.
*Alabama is 9-4 in one-run games, including a 3-2 mark in SEC play.
*Senior second baseman Evan Bush is the school’s all-time leader with 20 career sac flies. He broke Beau Hearod’s (2001-03) previous school record of 18 sac flies in the first inning against Miss. Valley State on April 19. He added another sac fly in the Vandy series.
*Freshman RF Ryan Rhoden tied the UA single-game record with two sac bunts in the Tide’s 6-5 win over Vandy in the series finale. Both of Rhoden’s sac bunts moved two runners into scoring and all four eventually scored.
*Junior LF Brandon Belcher hit home runs in back-to-back games against Vandy on April 22. He slugged a three-run home run in game one and added a solo shot in game two. He has three home runs in his last four SEC games.
