Baseball Team Hosts No. 5 South Carolina
4/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
GAMES 43-45: SOUTH CAROLINA (32-11, 10-8 SEC AT ALABAMA (23-19, 8-10 SEC)
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM (6,118) ?? TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:36 p.m. (CDT)
APRIL 27-29, 2007 -- UA SEEKS THIRD STRAIGHT SERIES WIN OVER S. CAROLINA
The Series: South Carolina Gamecocks at Alabama Crimson Tide
Friday, April 27 6:36 p.m. (CDT)
Saturday, April 28 4 p.m. (CDT)
Sunday, April 29 2 p.m. (CDT)
Rankings: South Carolina is ranked in all five major polls this week.
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (WACT 1420 AM)
Announcers: David Crane (play-by-play) and Chris Stewart (color)
Television: WVUA Sports (CTSM simulcast) (Friday Only)
Internet: All Alabama baseball games can be heard on the internet at www.rolltide.com. Live stats can also be found at www.rolltide.com
Tickets: Tickets for the Alabama-South Carolina series are $5 for adults
and $3 for youth (18 and under).
Pitchers: Alabama Crimson Tide
33 Tommy Hunter (So., RHP, 21 G, 6 GS, 4-3, 3.36 ERA)
7 Miers Quigley (So., LHP, 12 G, 11 GS, 4-3, 3.76 ERA)
To Be Announced
South Carolina Gamecocks
41 Harris Honeycutt (Jr., RHP, 10 GS, 7-2, 2.69 ERA)
38 Arik Hempy (Jr., LHP, 6 GS, 3-1, 2.05 ERA)
To Be Announced
Promotions: Saturday, April 28
Joe Sewell Day - Alabama pays tribute to 2007 College Baseball
Foundation and Hall of Fame Inductee
Alabama Baseball Lunchboxes (First 1,000 kids)
Big Al Kid's Club Day
BAMA LOOKING FOR OFFENSE AGAINST USC
The University of Alabama baseball team will be looking to hold on to its spot in the 2007 Southeastern Conference Tournament race when the Crimson Tide hosts the No. 4 South Carolina Gamecocks in a three-game SEC series this weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The series opener is set for Friday, April 27 at 6:36 p.m. (CDT) and the game will be televised locally by WVUA Sports. Alabama (23-19, 8-10 SEC) continued its struggles in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Samford here at the Joe. After starting the season with a 12-2 record, Alabama has gone 11-17 (.000) in its last 28 games, dating back to a 5-0 loss at No. 26 Southern Miss on March 6. Despite its struggles, including four losses in its last five games, the Crimson Tide looks to hold on to the No. 8 spot in the 2007 SEC Tournament race with four SEC series remaining. Alabama enters the weekend just one-half out of seventh place (LSU) and two games out of fourth place (Ole Miss, South Carolina and Florida). The Crimson Tide may be headed towards its toughest stretch of games this season as South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi State are all ranked and among the nation's Top 20 teams in the latest polls and RPI rankings. South Carolina (32-11, 10-8 SEC) will be playing on the road for the second straight weekend. The Gamecocks dropped two of three at Ole Miss last weekend in Oxford. Overall, the Alabama series will give South Carolina seven road games in a 10-day stretch from April 20-29. The Gamecocks are coming off a 14-5 loss at Clemson Wednesday night as the Tigers salvaged the final game of the four-game series. South Carolina has lost four of its five series against Alabama here in Tuscaloosa and looks to end a two series losing streak (2005-06) to the Crimson Tide. South Carolina's lone series win at the Joe came during the 2003 season when the Gamecocks swept the Crimson Tide.
ALABAMA-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES
Alabama owns a 21-20 all-time lead with South Carolina. The Crimson Tide has won back-to-back series for the first time in history. Since joining the SEC, South Carolina owns a slight 18-17 series lead. UA has won four of the five series in Tuscaloosa. Coach Wells is 16-16 (.500) against the Gamecocks. Coach Tanner is 15-14 (.517) against the Tide.
THE HEAD COACHES
Alabama head baseball coach Jim Wells (Northwestern State, 1980) is the winningest coach in school history. He has compiled a 546-265 (.673) record in 13 seasons at the Capstone. He coached his 800th game with the Tide Wednesday, April 4 at Regions Park in Hoover. Overall, Wells has posted a 739-354 (.676) record in 18 seasons. He has led Alabama to two SEC Championships, three SEC Western Division titles, three CWS appearances and six SEC Tournament titles. South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner (North Carolina State, 1980) has compiled a 881-374 -3 (.702) in 20 years of coaching. He is 486-211 (.697) during his 11-year stay in Columbia. Tanner has led the Gamecocks to two SEC Championships (2000 and 2002), six Super Regionals and three College World Series appearances (2002-03-04) and was the national runner-up in 2002. Prior to coming to South Carolina, he spent nine years at North Carolina State, where he forged a 395-163-3 (.707) record from 1988-96.
STARTING PITCHERS
Alabama is expected to send junior RHP Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.) to the mound in the series opener. Hunter (21 G, 6 GS, 4-3, 3.36 ERA) moved back into the starting rotation last weekend at Auburn and fired his first complete game of the season. Alabama is 4-2 in his previous six starts this year.
South Carolina will send junior right-hander Harris Honeycutt (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) to the mound in the series opener. He is 7-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 10 starts this season. After beginning his career with a 15-0 record on the mound, Honeycutt has dropped his last two decisions to Auburn and Ole Miss. He leads the Gamecocks in innings pitched (60.1) and strikeouts (74) this year.
ON DECK
Alabama and South Carolina will meet Saturday, April 28 at 4 p.m. (CDT). In a pregame ceremony, Alabama will honor 2007 College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Joe Sewell. Sewell played and coached for the Crimson Tide and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. He will be represented by some 25 family members who are in Tuscaloosa this weekend for a "Sewell Family Reunion."
