Crimson Tide Baseball Notebook
2/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Monday, February 19, 2007
Overall Record: 6-1 (.857)
Last Week’s Record 3-1 (.750)
Feb. 14
Feb. 16
Feb. 17
Feb. 18
This Week’s Schedule:
Feb. 23 Villanova at
Feb. 24 Villanova at
Feb. 25 Villanova at
OFFENSIVE NOTES: Alabama is hitting .349 (88-for-252) in its first seven games with 11 home runs and 61 RBI ... The Crimson Tide has averaged 9.4 runs and 12.6 hits through the first seven games ... This time last year the Crimson Tide was hitting only .246 (56-for-248) with seven homers and 40 RBI ... The 2006 team averaged 6.4 runs and 8.0 hits per game through seven games ... The Crimson Tide did not hit its 11th home run last season until the 12th game (Feb. 28) of the year ... One of the keys to Alabama’s early season success has been the ability to score in the early innings ... The Crimson Tide has outscored the opposition 36-1 through the first innings of play this season ... Alabama has scored in the first inning in five of its first seven games and owns a 10-0 scoring edge in the first inning this season ... Sophomore second baseman Jeff Texada is the Crimson Tide’s leading hitter with a .435 (10-for-23) clip through seven games ... Texada has added one home run and four RBI and ranks third on the team with eight runs scored ... Sophomore right fielder Kent Matthes has supplied the power early in the season ... The Orlando native is batting .414 (12-for-29) through seven games and leads Alabama with four home runs, 14 RBI and an .897 slugging mark ... His four home runs through seven games are the most by an Alabama player since Beau Hearod swatted four home runs in 2003 ... Matthes’ 14 RBI are also the most by an Alabama player through the first seven games of the season since Hearod tallied 15 RBI in 2003 ... Matthes added an inside-the-park home run that caromed off the top of the wall in left-center field by against Troy on Feb. 14 ... It was the first by an Alabama player in 12 years ... Dustan Mohr was the last UA player with an inside-the-park home run against Penn State on March 5, 1995 ... Senior center fielder Emeel Salem recorded his 11th career triple in the fourth inning on Feb. 18 to tie Allan Stallings (1982-85) and Andy Phillips (1996-99) for second place on the school’s all-time list ... G.W. Keller (1997-99) holds the UA career record with 12 triples ...
PITCHING NOTES: The pitching staff has a 6-1 record and 2.18 ERA through seven games ... The staff has worked 66 innings and allowed 50 hits, 21 runs and 16 earned runs, with 15 walks and 69 strikeouts this season ... Opponents are batting only .202 (50-for-247) against the Crimson Tide ... Alabama starters are 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA this season ... The starters have logged 36 1/3 innings and 22 hits, allowed four runs and two earned runs, with eight walks and 38 strikeouts ... Opponents are hitting only .169 (43-for-220) of the UA starters ... Sophomores Casey Kebodeaux (4.2-4-2-0-2-6), Tommy Hunter (5-1-0-0-1-8) and Miers Quigley (5-1-0-0-0-7) did not allow an earned run in 14 2/3 innings this past weekend against Canisius ... The trio of starters allowed two unearned runs and six hits in the three-game series, with three walks and 21 strikeouts ... The Crimson Tide bullpen 1-1 with two saves and 4.25 ERA this season ... The pen has worked 29 2/3 innings and allowed 28 hits, 17 runs and 14 earned runs, with seven walks and 31 strikeouts ... Opponents are hitting .239 (28-for-117) against UA’s bullpen ... Sophomore Austin Hyatt has turned in four scoreless outings to date for the Crimson Tide ... He recorded his first hold on Feb. 18 with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief against Canisius (1 H, 2 K) ... For the season, Hyatt has worked 7 2/3 innings and allowed only two hits, while striking out 10 batters ... Junior Josh Copeland (1.0-1-0-0-0-2) earned his first career save on Feb. 18 with a scoreless ninth inning ... He had four strikeouts in two innings of work against Canisius this past weekend ...
TROY REWIND:
Alabama suffered a 7-5 loss in 12 innings to Troy on Feb. 14 ... Jake Smith led the way with three hits and three RBI ... Kent Matthes added an inside-the-park home run that caromed off the top of the wall in left-center field ... Matthes’ inside-the-park home run was the first by an Alabama player in 12 years ... Dustan Mohr was the last UA player with an inside-the-park home run against Penn State on March 5, 1995 ... Troy scored three runs on four hits in the eighth inning as the Crimson Tide used three pitchers and only threw eight total pitches ... Sophomore Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.) threw three scoreless innings of relief against Troy ... The right-hander allowed one hit and struck out four batters in his first relief appearance of the season ...
CANISIUS REWIND: Alabama swept the three-game series with Canisius this past weekend in Tuscaloosa ... The Crimson Tide outscored the Golden Griffins 33-8 in the series ... Alabama’s 18-2 win in the series opener were the most runs scored by the Crimson Tide since a 23-1 win over McNeese State on March 6, 2005 ... The Crimson Tide’s 17 hits were the most since May 18, 2005 at Tennessee ... Alabama used a total of 21 players in the 18-2 win over Canisius and three players made their Crimson Tide playing debuts ... Freshman Del Howell (Tuscaloosa) made his Alabama debut and collected an RBI double in his first collegiate at-bat in the seventh inning ... Freshman Brock Bennett (Tucker, Ga.) made is Alabama debut and stroked a first-pitch single to right field in the eight-run seventh inning ... Left-hander Brian Griggs (Melbourne, Fla.) made his Alabama debut on the mound with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed two hits and struck out one batter ... The Crimson Tide scored eight runs in the seventh inning (the most in an inning this season) and had five extra base hits in the inning ... Senior center fielder Emeel Salem (Mountain Brook) matched his career-high with four RBI in the win on Friday ... Salem also had four RBI in last year’s 13-1 win over Jacksonville State in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional ... Sophomore first baseman Wes Henderson (Oxford) had an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season during the Tide’s eight-run seventh inning ... The Crimson Tide clinched the series with a 7-1 win on Feb. 17th ... Hunter matched his career high eight strikeouts against Canisius ... He also had eight strikeouts last season in an SEC Tournament win over LSU ... Matthes went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI on Saturday. Matthes hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and added a two-run triple in the seventh ... Sophomore catcher Ryan Rhoden (Tuscaloosa) was 2-for-4 with one RBI in the win on Saturday ... Freshman Brandon May (Marietta, Ga.) made his first career start at second base ... May was 1-for-3 with an RBI single in his first collegiate start for the Tide ... Junior Kyle Moore (Wetumpka) made his first start of the season in left field ... Moore was 2-for-4 with one RBI in the win over Canisius ... Alabama completed the sweep with an 8-5 win on Sunday, Feb. 18th ... Junior Elvin Vargas (New York, N.Y.) made his first collegiate start on Sunday in right field. Vargas went 2-for-3 with a double and single in the win ... The double was his first collegiate hit ... Sophomore right-fielder Kent Matthes (Orlando, Fla.) went 2-for-4 in the series finale with two home runs and four RBI ... Sophomore left hander Miers Quigley (Roswell, Ga.) picked up his first win of the season with five scoreless innings and a career-high seven strikeouts ... In three appearances this season, Quigley is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA ... He has worked 12 innings and allowed six hits and one earned run, with five walks and 12 strikeouts.
