Baseball Team Set to Host Mississippi Valley State
3/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ALABAMA BASEBALL TEAM TAKES ON MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
The University of Alabama baseball team looks to end a three-game midweek losing streak when the Crimson Tide plays host to the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Wednesday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. (CDT). The two teams were originally scheduled to play at two-game, midweek series, but a scheduling conflict altered the schedule. The two teams will meet again later this season and the makeup date is expected to be announced this week. Alabama (15-8, 2-1 SEC) has lost its last three midweek games to No. 26 Southern Miss, Tennessee Tech and Samford. The Southern Miss and Samford games are the only two road games the Crimson Tide has played this year. The Crimson Tide won its season opening SEC series this past weekend, taking two of three from Tennessee. Alabama posted a .339 batting average in the series and hit five home runs in the three games. Freshman Jake Smith (Shannon) was 5-for-10 (.500) with two home runs and five RBI in his first SEC series. He stroked a two-run home run in his first career at-bat in Friday's series opener. He also slugged a two-run home run in Saturday's 9-1 win. Senior right-hander Bernard Robert (Denham Springs, La.) and sophomore right-hander Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.) turned in stellar pitching performances. Robert notched his 10th career complete game as he four-hit Tennessee on Saturday. He added seven strikeouts. Robert took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and shutout into the ninth. Hunter made two appearances out of the bullpen against the Vols and notched his first save of the season to seal the series opener. Hunter had an extensive relief appearance in Sunday's finale as he allowed one run and four hits in seven innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts. He left after the eighth inning with a 7-6 lead. In three relief appearances last week, Hunter worked 10 1/3 innings and allowed one run and six hits, with two walks and 14 strikeouts. Mississippi Valley State (8-16) is coming off a series sweep against Alcorn State. The Delta Devils have won five of the last seven games. MVSU has played Georgia State (0-3) and Mississippi State (0-1), two teams on the Crimson Tide's 2007 baseball schedule.
THE HEAD COACHES
Alabama head baseball coach Jim Wells (Northwestern State, 1980) is the winningest coach in school history. He has compiled a 538-254 (.680) record in 13 seasons at the Capstone. Overall, Wells has posted a 730-343 (.682) record in 18 seasons. Mississippi Valley State head coach Doug Shanks is 167-225 (.426) in his eight seasons with the Delta Devils.
ALABAMA-MVSU SERIES
Alabama lead the all-time series, 6-0. The two teams first met in 2002, with Alabama posting a 19-0 win in the inaugural meeting. The 2007 season marks the sixth straight year the Crimson Tide and Delta Devils have met on the diamond. Alabama has outscored MVSU, 77-15, including three shutouts.
STARTING PITCHERS
Alabama junior left-hander Brain Griggs (Melbourne, Fla.) will make his first career start Wednesday against Mississippi Valley State. Griggs has appeared in two games this season and allowed two hits, one walk and three strikeouts in three scoreless innings. He has seen action against Canisius (Feb. 16) and UAB (Feb. 28). Griggs will be the eighth different pitcher to start on the mound for Alabama this season. Mississippi Valley State did not name a starter for Wednesday's game.
SMITH NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
University of Alabama freshman third baseman Jake Smith (Shannon) was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Monday, March 19 following his impressive weekend series against Tennessee. He was also named to the College Baseball Foundation and Hall of Fame National Honor Roll Tuesday, March 21. Smith had a smashing SEC debut against Tennessee, going 5-for-10 (.500) with five runs scored, two home runs and five RBI. He drilled a two-run home run in his first career SEC at-bat in Friday's series opener, sparking the Crimson Tide to a 9-7 win. Smith had four hits and three RBI in the SEC opener. He added another two-run home run in Saturday's series clinching win. Smith reached base four times in the series finale, including three walks and a hit by pitch. For the week, Smith batted .533 (8-for-15) with five runs scored, one double, two home runs and five RBI. In 18 games, Smith is UA's fourth-leading hitter with a .333 (23-for-69) clip with four home runs and 21 RBI.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Alabama is fourth in the SEC with a .319 (259-for-811) batting average through 23 games ... The Crimson Tide has added 23 home runs and 154 RBI this season ... Bama averages 7.3 runs and 11.2 hits per game ... Alabama is second in the SEC in hits (259), triples (10) and total bases (391) and ranks fourth in home runs (23) ... The Crimson Tide hit .339 (37-for-109) in its weekend series with Tennessee, with five home runs and 25 RBI ... Alabama leads the league with five home runs ... The Crimson Tide also ranks second in doubles (6), total bases (60) and slugging percentage (.550) and third in hitting (.339) ... Senior center fielder Emeel Salem continues to lead Alabama with a .385 (35-for-91) average with four home runs and 19 RBI ... He also leads UA with 29 runs scored and a .486 on-base percentage ... Salem leads the SEC with 17 stolen bases (20 attempts) ... Salem is Alabama's all-time stolen base leader with 70 career steals ... He broke the previous record of 68 stolen bases held by David Fowke (1980-81) in the series opener with Tennessee ... Salem has reached base safely in all 23 games this year ... Junior first baseman Matt Bentley is hitting at a .342 (25-for-73) clip with four home runs and 17 RBI ... Bentley has homered in three of his last five games for the Tide to set a personal career high for dingers in a season ... Since Feb. 16., he has hit safely in 15 of 17 games ... Sophomore DH Alex Avila is hitting .337 (30-for-89) in 20 games with three home runs and 22 RBI ... He leads Alabama with 10 doubles ... Freshman third baseman Jake Smith is the fourth-leading hitter with a .333 (23-for-69) with four home runs and 21 RBI ... He hit two homers in his first career SEC series against Tennessee, including a two-run homer in his first career SEC at bat in Friday's series opener ... Sophomore right fielder Kent Matthes leads UA with five home runs and 27 RBI ... Senior shortstop Greg Paiml tied the UA single-game record with two sacrifice bunts in March 18 loss to Tennessee ... Paiml now has 24 career sac bunts which is second on the school's all-time list ... Allen Rice (2002-05) owns the career record with 28 sac bunts ... Alabama is 1-3 in extra inning games this season ... The Crimson Tide is 1-4 in one-run games ... Bama's last four losses have all been by one run ...
PITCHING NOTES:
The Crimson Tide has compiled a 15-8 record and 3.15 ERA through 23 games with a depleted pitching staff ... Alabama has used 11 different pitchers this season and four are currently injured ... Senior left-hander Brandon Belcher (1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) has missed his last five starts with a muscle strain in his left forearm ... Senior right-hander Patrick Kelly (8 G, 1 GS, 1-1, 10.80 ERA) broke his right hand last week ... Sophomore Austin Hyatt (8 G, 1 GS, 2-1, 1.77 ERA), who has been one of the mainstays out of the UA pen this year, has missed the last five games with soreness in his right shoulder ... Hyatt has stranded all eight inherited runners this season and first batters are 0-for-6 against him out of the pen ... Redshirt freshman Austin Graham has not pitched since a season-ending shoulder injury (non pitching related) suffered March 8, 2005 ... Sophomore lefty Miers Quigley (7 G, 6 GS, 4-0, 2.17 ERA) has pitched in the No. 1 spot in the rotation the last three weekends ... The Crimson Tide is 5-1 (.833) in his six starts this season ... Senior Bernard Robert (7 G, 4 GS, 3-2, 3.64) is coming off his best outing at Alabama with a complete-game gem against Tennessee on March 17 ... He held UT to one run and four hits in nine innings and struck out seven batters ... He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning ... Sophomore right-hander and preseason All-American Tommy Hunter (10 G, 4 GS, 2-1, 1.56 ERA) has made the move to the bullpen ... Hunter recorded his first save of the year March 16 against Tennessee and then threw seven innings (4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) in relief in the series finale March 18 ... Juniors Josh Copeland (15 G, 0-2, 3 SV, 3.18 ERA) and Will Stroup (11 G, 0-0, 5.14 ERA) have combined for 26 relief appearances in the first 23 games ...
ON DECK
Alabama travels to Oxford, Miss., for a three-game SEC series with the Ole Miss Rebels this weekend. The two teams will meet Friday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. (CDT). The Crimson Tide will return home next weekend to host the LSU Tigers in a three-game series at the Joe. All three games will be televised by JUMBO Sports and CSS.
