Alabama Set To Host Tuscaloosa Regional
6/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
2006 NCAA TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL
*Alabama (41-19, 20-10 SEC) is the No. 4 national seed at the 2006 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, which begins this week at 16 campus sites.
2006 NATIONAL TOP 8 SEEDS
Seed Team Record
1 Clemson 47-14
2 Rice 50-10
3 Texas 40-19
4 ALABAMA 41-19
5 Cal State Fullerton 43-13
6 Nebraska 42-15
7 Georgia 41-19
8 Georgia Tech 45-16
*The Crimson Tide is also the No. 1 seed at the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional.
*Alabama is hosting an NCAA Regional for the fifth time in school history and the first since 2002.
*The Crimson Tide has hosted NCAA Regionals in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2006.
*UA also hosted the 1999 NCAA Super Regional here in Tuscaloosa.
*Joining Alabama this weekend for the Tuscaloosa Regional are No. 2 seed Troy, No. 3 seed Southern Miss and No. 4 seed Jacksonville State.
2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Seedings
Seed Team Record
1. ALABAMA 41-19
2. Troy 45-14
3. Southern Miss 38-21
4. Jacksonville State 35-22
*Since 1983, Alabama has been the No. 1 seed five times and the No. 2 seed eight times and the No. 3 seed once.
*In 1999, the first year of Super Regionals, Alabama was the national No. 5 seed.
*In 2002, the Crimson Tide was the national No. 3 seed in the overall NCAA Tournament.
ALABAMA’S NATIONAL SEEDS
Year National Seed
1999 No. 5
2002 No. 3
2006 No. 4
ALABAMA’S ALL-TIME NCAA TRNY SEEDINGS
Year Site Seed Record
1983 Tallahassee 2 40-9
1986 Coral Gables 2 41-18
1991 Tallahassee 3 39-18
1995 Clemson 2 39-21
1996 Tuscaloosa 1 45-18
1997 Tuscaloosaa 1 48-12
1998 Palo Alto 2 43-16
1999 Tuscaloosa 1 46-14
2000 Palo Alto 2 38-22
2002 Tuscaloosa 1 48-13
2003 College Station 2 37-22
2005 New Orleans 2 38-21
2006 Tuscaloosa 1 41-19
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
*Alabama will be making its 18th all-time NCAA Regional appearance this season.
*This will be the Crimson Tide’s 10th NCAA Regional appearance in 12 years under coach Jim Wells.
*Overall, Alabama has complied a 42-24 (.636) all-time record in NCAA Regional play.
*The Crimson Tide has a 26-12 (.684) record in NCAA Regional action under Wells.
*The Crimson Tide made its post-season debut in the 1947 South District III championships at Charlotte, NC.
*Alabama came out of the loser’s bracket to force the if necessary game with Clemson and a shot at the College World Series. Clemson beat Alabama 4-1 in the championship game and advanced to the very first CWS in Kalamazoo, Mich.
*Alabama picked up its first NCAA Regional championship with a victory in the 1950 South District III playoffs in Kannapolis, NC.
*Alabama beat Wake Forest 5-4 in the championship game to advance to the College World Series.
*The win over Wake Forest clinched the school’s first-ever CWS appearance. The 1950 CWS was also the first one played in Omaha.
*Alabama also captured the 1983 NCAA South Regional championship with wins over Miami (twice) and Florida State to earn its second CWS appearance.
*Alabama also advanced to the College World Series in 1996, 1997 and 1999 with NCAA Regional wins.
*Coach Jim Wells led the Crimson Tide to the 1996 NCAA South I Regional championship in Tusclaoosa.
*Alabama, hosting its first-ever NCAA Regional, defeated Princeton, South Alabama, Stetson and Virginia to advance to the CWS.
*Alabama won the 1997 South II Regional in Tuscaloosa to advance to Omaha for the second straight year. Bama beat Troy State, Wichita State, NC State and Southern California to make it back to the CWS.
*Alabama was the No. 1 seed at the College World Series in 1996 and 1997. Bama is the only team to be seeded No.1 for two straight years in Omaha.
*The Crimson Tide posted wins over Navy and Southern Miss (twice) to its the 1999 Tuscaloosa Regional and advance to the newly-created NCAA Super Regionals.
*In the first year of Super Regional play, Alabama swept LSU in the best-of-three series to advance to the CWS for the third time in four years.
*Alabama has not won an NCAA Regional since the 1999 season. The Crimson Tide hosted a regional in 2002, but lost in the championship game.
*After losing to SE Missouri State in the first round, Alabama bounced back to beat Auburn and SE Missouri State to face Florida Atlantic in the championship round. The Tide won the first game, but lost the if necessary game at home to the Blue Wave.
*In 2003, Alabama did not make the championship round of an NCAA Regional for the first time under Wells. After an opening round win over Houston, Alabama then yielded double digit runs in losses to host Texas A&M and Houston.
*Including all NCAA post-season games, Alabama has compiled a 55-34 (.618) all-time record.
*Alabama has five NCAA Regional championships, including 1950, 1983, 1996, 1997 and 1999.
*The Crimson Tide has a 2-0 record in Super Regional play following its best-of-three series sweep over LSU in 1999.
*Alabama is 11-10 (.524) all-time record in five College World Series appearances. The Crimson Tide has been the national runner up twice in 1983 and 1997.
WELLS’ NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
*Alabama coach Jim Wells has compiled a 27-16 (.627) all-time record in NCAA Tournament play.
*Overall, Wells has taken 12 of his 17 teams to NCAA Regionals, including 10 of 12 teams at Alabama.
*Wells is 26-12 (.684) in NCAA Tournament play in 11 seasons as head coach of the Crimson Tide.
*Wells was 1-4 (.200) in two NCAA Tournament appearances at Northwestern State (1990-94).
*He made his NCAA Tournament debut at the 1991 NCAA South I Regional in Baton Rouge, La., while the head coach at Northwestern State.
*The Demons suffered a 13-2 loss to the Tigers on May 24, 2991.
*Wells also took the Demons to the 1994 NCAA Midwest Regional at Stillwater, Oklahoma.
*He registered his first career post-season win with a 8-2 victory over Illinois State on May 28, 1994.
*Wells made his NCAA Tournament debut with Alabama at the 1995 East Regional at Clemson, SC. In fact, Wells took his first six Alabama teams to post-season play.
10 PLAYERS HAVE NCAA EXPERIENCE
*Alabama has only 10 players on its 2006 roster with NCAA post-season experience.
*The Crimson Tide had only seven players with NCAA post-season experience heading into last year’s NCAA New Orleans Regional, hosted by Tulane.
*The 10 players on the 2006 NCAA Tournament roster with previous experience includes seniors Evan Bush (2B, Rainbow City), Jordan Davis (RHP, Frisco, Texas), Matt Downs (3B, Centreville), Spencer Pennington (1B, Fayette) and Kody Valverde (C, Baton Rouge, La.).
*The list also includes sophomore Matt Bentley (1B, Hazel Green), junior Wade LeBlanc (LHP, Lake Charles, La.), junior Greg Paiml (SS, Hoover), sophomore David Robertson (RHP, Tuscaloosa) and junior Emeel Salem (CF, Mountain Brook).
*Bush has the most experience with seven career NCAA Tournament games and 23 at-bats.
*Bush is the only UA player to see action in both the 2003 College Station Regional and 2005 New Orleans Regional.
*Among the remaining position players, Valverde (.154, 2-for-13, 0 RBI) and Salem (.286 (4-for-14, 4 R) started all four games last year at the New Orleans Regional.
*Paiml (0-for-1, .000) played in all four games but is looking for his first career NCAA Tournament start this season.
*Davis (4 G, 0-0, 1 SV, 1.59 ERA) pitched in all four games last year in New Orleans and turned in a sparkling 1.59 ERA (5.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 5 K) in his four relief appearances.
*LeBlanc (2 G, 1 GS, 1-0, 7.00 ERA) made two appearances last year at the New Orleans Regional and picked up the win in the Tide’s 7-5 win over UL Lafayette in the opening round.
*Downs (1 G, 1-0, 6.23 ERA) was the winning pitcher in the elimination game last year against UL Lafayette on June 5. He allowed three runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings in relief of T.J. Large, whose shutout bid was interrupted by a lengthy rain delay.
*Downs will be making his first career start in an NCAA Tournament game against Jax State. He does not have an at-bat.
HOME SWEET HOME
*Alabama is hosting an NCAA baseball regional for the fifth time in school history.
*The Crimson Tide has advanced to Omaha in three (1996, 1997 and 1999) of its first four home regionals.
*Alabama has compiled a 15-2 (.882) record at the Joe in NCAA Tournament play.
*The Crimson Tide is 13-2 (.867) in the NCAA Regionals and 2-0 (1.000) in Super Regionals.
*Alabama also hosted NCAA Regionals in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2002.
*The Crimson Tide breezed through the 1996 NCAA South II Regionals with four wins over Princeton, South Alabama, Stetson and Virginia en route to its first trip to Omaha since 1983.
*In 1997, Alabama also went 4-0 with wins over Troy, Wichita State, NC State and Southern Cal to win the NCAA South I Regional en route to its second straight trip to Omaha.
*Alabama was the first team in College World Series history to be the No. 1 seed in back-to-back seasons (1996-97) at the CWS.
*In 1999, Alabama beat Navy and Southern Miss (twice) to earn a trip to the inaugural NCAA Super Regionals.
*The Crimson Tide swept LSU in the Super Regionals to make its third trip to Omaha in four years.
*In 2002, Bama dropped its first-ever home NCAA Regional game to SE Missouri State in 2002 and fought through the loser’s bracket to force the if necessary game only to lose to Florida Atlantic.
*Alabama’s 7-4 loss to Southeast Missouri State on May 31, 2002 snapped the Crimson Tide’s 13-game home winning streak in NCAA Regional and Super Regional action.
*In addition to hosting five NCAA Regionals, Alabama has also played host to several SEC playoff games.
*Alabama hosted the SEC Playoffs in 1950, 1955, 1957, 1968, 1973 and 1974.
*The Crimson Tide posted a 3-3 (.500) record in those games and clinched the 1968 SEC Championship on this field with a pair of shutouts (5-0 and 3-0) over SEC East champion Florida.
*Overall, Alabama is 20-5 (.800) at home in the post-season, dating back to 1950.
ALL-TIME HOME POST-SEASON RECORD
Year Result of Game
1950 Alabama 4, Kentucky 1
Alabama 13, Kentucky 0
1955 Alabama 12, Georgia 1
1957 Ga. Tech 5, Alabama 4
1968 Alabama 5, Florida 0
Alabama 3, Florida 0
1973 Vanderbilt 5, Alabama 1
1974 Vanderbilt 2, Alabama 1
1996 Alabama 19, Princeton 2
Alabama 9, S. Alabama 3
Alabama 3, Stetson 1
Alabama 18, Virginia 8
1997 Alabama 8, Troy 5
Alabama 6, Wichita St. 2
Alabama 6, NC State 3
Alabama 9, USC 8 (10)
1999 Alabama 16, Navy 3
Alabama 10, USM 4
Alabama 7, USM 6
Alabama 13, LSU 6
Alabama 13, LSU 5
2002 SEMO 7, Alabama 4
Alabama 6, Auburn 3
Alabama 7, SEMO 4
Alabama 7, FAU 2
FAU 6, Alabama 5
ALABAMA-TROY SERIES
*Alabama leads the all-time series with Troy, 12-4.
*The two teams first met in 1941 and UA won that initial meeting, 9-6.
*Bama and Troy met earlier this season in Tuscaloosa, with Troy posting an 8-5 win on March 22 at the Joe.
*It was Troy’s first win over Alabama since 1998 and first win in Tuscaloosa since 1979.
*Josh Dew (1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI) and Jared Keel (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) both homered for the Trojans.
*Jon Gianquitti (4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) gave up five runs in four innings in a starting role.
*Mike Felix (4.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 5 K) pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings out of the pen for the win. He held the Tide to five hits and struck out five batters.
*Miers Quigley (2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, BB, 3 K) took the loss for Alabama.
*Alabama managed 13 hits and left 13 runners on base in the loss.
*Valverde (3-for-5), Salem (2-for-5, RBI), Bush (2-for-5), Downs (2-for-5) and Pennington (2-for-3, RBI) all had multiple hits for the Tide in the loss
*Troy’s other wins have come in 1978, 1979 and 1998. The 8-4 win in 1998 at Pace-Riddle Field marked UA’s only visit to the Troy campus.
*The Crimson Tide and Trojans also met in the 1997 NCAA South II Regional in Tuscaloosa. Alabama won the game 8-5.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells is 4-2 (.667) in his career against the Trojans.
*Troy head coach Bobby Pierce is 1-0 (1.000) in his career against Alabama.
*Pierce was a two-year starter for coach Barry Shollenberger in 1980-81. He was a 1981 All-SEC Western Division pick as a senior.
UA ALUM AT TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL
*Troy head coach Bobby Pierce is a 1981 graduate of the University of Alabama.
*He was a two-year letterman as the starting center fielder for the Crimson Tide in 1980-81 under head coach Dr. Barry Shollenberger.
*Pierce was a 1981 All-SEC Western Division selection and a two-time Academic All-SEC pick for the Tide.
*As a senior, he led the Crimson Tide to its first 40-win season in school history with a 41-15-1 record and a share of the SEC Western Division championship.
*Pierce led UA in at-bats (214), runs scored (47), doubles (18) and triples (5). The five triples still rank fifth on the single-season charts.
*He played with two future Major League players in catcher Randy Hunt and first baseman David Magadan.
*Pierce is 1-0 (1.000) against his alma mater after an 8-5 win on Mar. 22, 2006, his first-ever game against the Tide.
*With that game, he became the first UA alum to coach against Alabama since Craig Antush (RHP, 1982-83) brought the Marshall Thundering Herd to the Joe to open the 1997 season.
*Marshall was swept in that three-game series, losing 8-2, 17-4 and 16-0.
*Another former UA player to lead a team against the Crimson Tide was Jim Whatley (OF, 1933-34), who led the Georgia Bulldogs to an SEC Championship in both 1953 and 1954.
*Whatley is one of only three former players to win an SEC Championship as a player and head coach. Whatley was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1934 SEC Championship team.
*Ole Miss’ Jake Gibbs and Kentucky’s John Cohen are also on that list. Gibbs played and coached at Ole Miss, while Cohen won a title as a Miss. State player in 1989.
ALABAMA-SOUTHERN MISS SERIES
*Alabama leads the all-time series with Southern Miss, 67-23 (.744) 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.
*Alabama posted a lopsided 13-3 win over No. 20 Southern Miss on March 13, 2006.
*It was the largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent since a 19-1 win over Auburn in 2004.
*The Crimson Tide broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-1 lead. Alabama turned a close game into an easy win with three runs in the seventh inning and four more in the eighth.
*Salem (3-for-6, 3 RBI) had three hits and three RBI in win. He had an RBI single in the four-run, fourth inning.
*Paiml (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI) added two hits and three RBI from the bottom of the order. Paiml broke open a close game with a two-run double in the fourth inning that gave UA a 4-1 lead.
*Quigley (7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K) earned the win with his best outing of the season on the mound.
*Toddric Johnson (2-for-5, RBI) had two of USM’s seven hits in the loss.
*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 34-3 (.919) in the 37 meetings with USM.
*UA head coach Jim Wells is 12-1 (.923) in his career against USM.
*USM head coach Corky Palmer is 1-10 (.091) in his career against Alabama.
*Alabama holds a 42-10 (.808) all-time record against Southern Miss in Tuscaloosa, including a 10-game winning streak.
*The Crimson Tide has won 23 of the last 24 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.
*Alabama and USM also met in the 1999 Tuscaloosa Regional. The Crimson Tide won the winner’s bracket final 10-4. Bama also beat USM in the championship game, 7-6, to advance to the first-ever Super Regional.
MISSISSIPPI TIDERS
*The Southern Miss roster contains three players from the state of Alabama, including sophomore RHP Bryan Adams (Semmes), senior LHP Cole Basinger (Demopolis) and senior LHP Brad Owen (Semmes).
ALABAMA EAGLES
*There are no players on the Alabama roster from the state of Mississippi.
OH, BROTHER
*Southern Miss freshman first baseman Michael Ewing (Beaumont, Texas) is the twin brother of Arkansas second baseman James Ewing.
*The 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional could be the sixth game of the season one of the Ewing brother’s plays against the Crimson Tide.
* Michael went 1-for-3 (.333) with a double as the backup first baseman in USM’s 13-3 loss at Alabama on March 13.
*James started four games at second base for Arkansas this season and went 3-for-15 (.200) with three runs scored and one RBI in those four games.
*He hit safely in three of the four games he played against the Tide in 2006.
ALABAMA-JACKSONVILLE STATE SERIES
*Alabama leads the all-time series with Jacksonville State, 18-7 (.720).
*The two teams first met in 1967, with Alabama taking a pair of games from JSU to open the season.
*Alabama won the first 10 meetings between the two schools from 1967-74.
*Since 1975, Bama owns an 8-7 (.533) record against JSU.
*The Gamecocks have won two of the last three meetings, beating the Crimson Tide in 2003 and 2004.
*The Gamecocks posted a dramatic 4-3 come-from-behind win in Jacksonville in 2004 as catcher Scott Smith slammed a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth off Wade LeBlanc for the heroic win.
*It was the second walk-off home run by JSU over Alabama since the series resumed in 1998.
*In 1999, Wes Brooks’ three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning propelled the Gamecocks to a 5-3 win over an Alabama team that finished third at the College World Series.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells is 4-4 (.500) in his career against Jax State. He owns a 3-2 (.600) record against the Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa and a 1-2 mark in Jacksonville.
*JSU head coach Jim Case is 2-2 (.500) against Alabama, including back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004.
SUPER SIX
*Alabama is one of six Division I schools to have played in a post-season bowl game, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the NCAA baseball tournament this year.
*The list includes Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA.
*Alabama played in the Cotton Bowl (beat Texas Tech) and the NCAA Oakland Regional (lost to UCLA in 2nd round) in basketball. The Crimson Tide is hosting the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa this weekend in baseball.
*Kansas played in the Fort Worth Bowl (beat Houston) and also played in the NCAA Oakland Regional (lost to Bradley in 1st round) in the NCAA basketball tournament. The Jayhawks are the No. 2 seed in Corvallis Regional this weekend.
*North Carolina State shutout South Florida in the Meinke Bowl and also played in the NCAA Atlanta Regional (lost to Texas in 2nd round) in hoops. The Wolfpack are the No. 2 seed at the Austin Regional this weekend.
*Oklahoma beat Oregon in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl and lost in a first-round NCAA basketball tournament game to UW Milwaukee in the Minneapolis Regional. The Sooners are the No. 1 seed this weekend at the NCAA Norman Regional.
*Texas won the national championship with a Rose Bowl win over Southern Cal. The Longhorns also made the Elite Eight in basketball losing to LSU in the Atlanta Regional. Texas is the national No. 3 seed this weekend and playing at home in Austin.
*UCLA played in the Sun Bowl in El Paso and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament by winning the Oakland Regional, which included a 62-59 second round win over Alabama. The Bruins are the No. 2 seed this weekend at the Malibu Regional, hosted by Pepperdine.
*Three other teams -- South Carolina, Michigan and Notre Dame -- played in a bowl game, the NCAA baseball tournament and the NIT.
SEC TOURNAMENT REWIND
*Alabama posted a 2-2 (.500) record at the 2006 SEC Baseball Tournament and finished fourth in the eight-team double elimination tournament.
*The Crimson Tide entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed after sharing the regular season championship with No. 2 seed Kentucky.
*Alabama is the last No. 1 seed to win the SEC Tournament back in 1996.
*Since 1997, only three No. 1 seeds have reached the SEC Tournament championship game and all three lost in the finals to Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat LSU in 1997, Arkansas in 1999 and LSU in 2003.
*The highlight of the tournament for Alabama was the pitching performance of junior left-hander Wade LeBlanc, who threw seven shutout innings in an elimination game win over Arkansas.
*LeBlanc allowed only five hits, walked two and struck out nine in the win over Arkansas and was named to the 2006 SEC All-Tournament team.
*Junior RHP David Robertson and freshman LHP Miers Quigley did not allow an earned run in 5 1/3 combined innings out of the pen. The duo also added eight strikeouts.
*Robertson appeared in two games and allowed one hit and struck out four in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
*Quigley, making his first appearance since a loss to Troy on March 22, held Ole Miss to one unearned run and two hits in three innings, with four strikeouts.
*The Crimson Tide struggled in the four games at the Hoover Met. Alabama batted just .197 (25-for-127) with two home runs and 14 RBI.
*Alabama scored just 17 runs in four games and nine of those came in an elimination game win against LSU.
*Junior CF Emeel Salem was the leading hitter and the only UA player to hit above .300 at the SEC Tournament. Salem was 5-for-16 (.313) with three runs scored and one RBI.
*Alabama’s 2-3-4-5 hitters were just 8-for-54 (.148) in the SEC Tournament with one home run and five RBI.
ALABAMA VS. IN-STATE FOES
*Alabama has compiled a 480-207 (.699) all-time record against teams from the state of Alabama.
*The Crimson Tide is 7-2 (.778) this season against in-state foes.
*Alabama has wins over Samford (11-3), Birmingham Southern (7-6), South Alabama (7-6), UAB (4-3 & 14-8) and Auburn (6-5 and 9-1).
*Bama has also suffered a home losses to Troy (8-5) and Auburn (7-6).
*Alabama was 7-2 (.778) against in-state teams last year losing once at UAB and once at Auburn.
*The Crimson Tide is 5-2 (.714) at the Joe against in-state foes this season. Bama was 5-0 (1.000) at home against in-state teams during the 2005 season.
*Alabama has played Auburn more than any other in-state foe.
*The Crimson Tide and Tigers have met 244 times since the first meeting in 1896.
*The Alabama-Samford series is the oldest in-state rivalry in the UA record books. The two schools began playing in 1894.
*In fact, the Crimson Tide beat Howard College (now called Samford) 36-2 in Birmingham.
*The runs scored (36) and margin of victory (34) are still the most in a single-game in school history.
*Alabama and South Alabama have met 94 times since the inaugural meeting in 1967.
*Alabama has played 429 (62.4 percent) of its 687 games against Auburn, Samford and South Alabama.
*Alabama’s best season against in-state foes came in 1996, when the Crimson Tide posted an 11-0 record.
*In fact from 1995-97, Alabama won 14 straight games against in-state teams the longest streak in the Wells era.
*Bama also had a nine-game winning streak in 2002 and an 11-game winning streak in 2002-03.
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
*Alabama has hosted five NCAA Regionals and all five have had at least one other in-state team.
*The 1996 NCAA South I Regional brought South Alabama to Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide eliminated South Alabama with a 9-3 win in second round action of the six-team tournament.
*The 1997 NCAA South II Regional had an in-state matchup in the first round as No. 1 seed Alabama defeated No. 6 seed Troy 8-5.
*The 1999 South I Regional brought South Alabama back to the Joe for the second time in four years for a post-season game. In a first-round game, No. 2 Southern Miss defeated No. 3 South Alabama. The two teams met again on Saturday, with USM advancing to the championship with a win over the Jags.
*The 2002 Tuscaloosa Regional was set up for an Alabama-Auburn matchup in the winner’s bracket final on Saturday. The Crimson Tide and Tigers both lost their first round games and met in an elimination game on Saturday morning.
*The 2006 Tuscaloosa Regional has two more in-state teams, including Troy and Jacksonville State.
*Troy is playing in its second NCAA Tournament in Tuscaloosa. The Trojans were the No. 6 seed at the 1997 NCAA South I Regional and went 0-2 in the tourney.
*Jacksonville State is playing an NCAA Tournament game in Tuscaloosa for the first time in history. The Gamecocks are also playing their first NCAA Division I Tournament game in the state of Alabama this weekend.
*Southern Miss is also a return post-season visitor to the Joe. The Golden Eagles played in the 1999 Tuscaloosa Regional and lost both games (10-4 and 7-6) to the Crimson Tide.
OLD FRIENDS MEET AGAIN
*Two-long time rivals in Division II athletics will be playing in the same NCAA Regional this weekend in Tuscaloosa.
*Former Gulf South Conference powers -- Troy and Jacksonville State -- are automatic qualifiers to the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional.
*Troy (45-14) earned its bid with a Sun Belt Conference regular-season and Conference tournament championship.
*Jax State (35-22) earned its way to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship.
*Troy and JSU have both won baseball national titles at the Division II level.
*Troy won back-to-back national championships in 1986-87.
*Jax State won back-to-back titles in 1990 and 1991.
*JSU, Michigan and Ohio State are the only three schools to win national championships in football, basketball and baseball.
LeBLANC, HUNTER NOTCH 10TH WIN
*Alabama junior LHP Wade LeBlanc and freshman RHP Tommy Hunter both notched their 10th win of the season at the SEC Tournament.
*LeBlanc pitched seven shutout innings and added nine strikeouts against Arkansas for his 10th win on May 25.
*Hunter went 6 1/3 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts in a win over LSU on May 26 for his 10th win.
*LeBlanc is 10-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 16 starts this year.
*Hunter is 10-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 starts on the mound.
*The duo has become the 18th and 19th 10-game winner in Crimson Tide lore.
*The last 10-game winner was lefty Brent Carter, who posted a 10-3 record as a sophomore in 2003.
*LeBlanc and Hunter also became just the fourth duo in school history to win 10 games in the same season.
*Dean Hayes (11-2) and Rick Browne (11-2) were the first pair of 10-game winners for Alabama in 1983.
*The Crimson Tide had a school-record three 10-game winners in 1997 as Heath Henderson (13-2), Jarrod Kingrey (10-1) and Pete Fisher (10-3) combined for 36 wins.
*Henderson’s 13 wins established the single-season record at Alabama.
*Manny Torres (10-3) and Jonathan Blankenship (10-3) were both 10-game winners in 1999.
LeBLANC WINS 10TH STRAIGHT
*LeBlanc won his 10th straight decision of the 2006 season, with a 4-3 win against Arkansas at the SEC Tournament on May 25.
*The junior threw seven scoreless innings and added nine strikeouts to remain unbeaten on the season.
*The 10-game winning streak is the second longest in Alabama baseball history.
*The school record is 12 straight wins by another left-hander Frank Roland (12-0) in 1956.
*Dating back to last year, LeBlanc has won his last 11 decisions, which is the longest multiple season winning streak since Scott Murphy won 12 consecutive games from May 7, 1999 through March 21, 2000.
*His last loss came to Ole Miss (3-1) at the 2005 SEC Tournament here at the Hoover Met.
*LeBlanc’s 11-game winning streak is the third-longest streak in school history over two seasons.
*Murphy’s 12-game winning streak over two seasons is the second-longest winning streak.
*The longest winning streak in Bama annals belongs to left-hander Frank Roland, who won 16 consecutive games in 1955-56.
*Roland was a perfect 12-0 in 1956 and was named First-Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
UNDEFEATED
*LeBlanc seeks to become the fifth pitcher in the Wells era to finish the season undefeated with a minimum of five decisions.
*LeBlanc is 10-0 headed into the NCAA Tournament, which is the second-longest winning streak in school history in one season.
*The longest winning streak belongs to Frank Roland, who posted a 12-0 record for the Crimson Tide in 1956.
*The four pitchers in the Wells era who went undefeated (min. five decisions) on the mound were Manny Torres (1997), Scott Murphy (1999), Brian Reed (2002) and Brandon Belcher (2005).
BAMA’S UNDEFEATED PITCHERS
Pitcher (Year) Record
Gordon Pettus (1949) 5-0
Frank Roland (1956) 12-0
Manny Torres (1997) 5-0
Scott Murphy (1999) 8-0
Brian Reed (2002) 5-0
Brandon Belcher (2005) 5-0
LeBLANC SETS CAREER STRIKEOUT MARK; CLOSES IN ON SINGLE-SEASON RECORD
*Junior left-hander Wade LeBlanc (Lake Charles, La.) became the school’s all-time strikeout leader at Tennessee on May 19, 2006 when he notched his 308th career strikeout.
*He entered the UT game tied with Brent Carter (2002-05) with 307 career strikeouts, but quickly moved to the top of the list as he fanned UT shortstop Tony Delmonico for the second out of the first inning.
*LeBlanc added nine strikeouts in an SEC Tournament win over Arkansas (May 25) and he now has 322 career strikeouts.
ALABAMA ALL-TIME STRIKEOUT LEADERS
Rk Pitcher (Years) Strikeouts
1. Wade LeBlanc (2004-Present) 322
2. Brent Carter (2002-05) 307
3. Lance Cormier (1999-2002) 289
4. Mike Sodders (1985-88) 274
5. Al Drumheller (1991-93) 262
6. Mike Innes (1968-71) 254
7. Joel Colgrove (1993-96) 237
Chris Eilers (1994-97) 237
9. Taylor Tankersley (2002-04) 232
10. Tommy Milstead (1988-91) 231
*LeBlanc has recorded 116 strikeouts this season to become the 10th pitcher in Crimson Tide annals to record 100 strikeouts in a single-season.
*LeBlanc’s 116 strikeouts this season rank second on the UA single-season list.
*He is the first UA pitcher in school history to record two seasons of 100 or more strikeouts.
*LeBlanc set the UA sophomore record with 108 strikeouts last year. He barely missed the 100-strikeout mark as a freshman, with 98 strikeouts in 2004.
*LeBlanc is two strikeouts away from tying the UA single-season strikeout record of 118 strikeouts held by Bobby Sprowl in 1977. Sprowl is currently the head coach at Shelton State CC in Tuscaloosa.
ALABAMA ALL-TIME STRIKEOUT LEADERS
Rk Pitcher (Year) Strikeouts
1. Bobby Sprowl (1977) 118
2. Wade LeBlanc (2006) 116
3. Wade LeBlanc (2005) 108
4. David Robertson (2005) 105
Brent Carter (2003) 105
6. Manny Torres (1999) 104
Heath Henderson (1997) 104
Joel Colgrove (1996) 104
9. Wade LeBanc (2006) 101
Al Drumheller (1992) 101
11. Justin Smith (1999) 100
HUNTER SETS ROOKIE WIN RECORD
*Hunter set the Alabama freshman record for single-season wins with his ninth win of the season at Tennessee on May 20.
*It ended up being quite a night for the right-hander who also pitched the Crimson Tide to share of the SEC Championship with this third complete game of the season.
*Hunter worked nine innings and allowed one run and six hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. He lost his shutout with two outs in the ninth inning when Tennessee DH Kelly Edmundson hit a solo home run in final career at-bat for the Vols.
*With his ninth win, Hunter broke the old record of eight wins set four times previously.
*LeBlanc (2004), Taylor Tankersley (2002), Scott Murphy (1999) and current volunteer assistant coach B.J. Green (1998).
*Hunter added his 10th win of the season as Alabama eliminated LSU from the SEC Tournament in May 25.
