Josh Copeland
9/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
One of three seniors on the Crimson Tide roster, Copeland is the elder statesman of the Tide bullpen ... has settled into his role as the Crimson Tide’s late-inning reliever, either as a set-up man or closer ... dropped down to a three-quarter delivery in 2006, increasing his ground balls and strikeouts and making him more effective against right-handed hitters ... has made 52 career appearances out of the bullpen, including a team-high 27 appearances in 2007 ... has posted a 3-3 record with four saves and 3.41 ERA in his three-year career ... allows only one home run for every 165 batters faced in his career.
CAREER POST-SEASON NOTES:
His lone post-season appearance came against No. 5 North Carolina at the NCAA Super Regional on June 9, 2006 ... allowed two hits in 1.2 scoreless innings with one walk and one strikeout.
JUNIOR (2007):
Appeared in a team-leading 27 games out of the bullpen ... was one of the Tide’s most effective relievers ... compiled 1-2 record with four saves and career-best 2.84 ERA ... the career-high four saves came against Canisius, Villanova, McNeese State and South Carolina ... also added two holds ... stranded 17 of 27 inherited runners ... closed the season by stranding 12 of last 15 inherited runners ... allowed first batters to hit .292 in 24 at-bats ... ranked second in the SEC in appearances and relief appearances ... did not allow an earned run in 20 of 27 outings ... posted 1-1 record and 2.57 ERA in 13 SEC games ... notched his first save against Canisius (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) on Feb. 18 ... notched a save against Villanova (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) on Feb. 24 ... also earned a save against McNeese State (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) on March 2 ... fired two scoreless innings with three strikeouts against No. 17 Nebraska on March 9 ... posted five consecutive scoreless outings (4 IP, 0.00 ERA) out of the pen from March 14-25 ... earned his third career win and first SEC win at No. 13 Ole Miss on March 23, throwing only one pitch for the win as the Tide scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to post an 8-5 win ... had a season-high four strikeouts against LSU on April 1 ... stranded nine consecutive inherited runners from April 7-20 ... earned his fourth save of the season ?? his first SEC save ?? against No. 4 South Carolina (0.2 IP, K) on April 29 ... stranded the tying run at third base as he struck out Trent Jones and got a ground out from Trent Kline to end the game and preserve UA’s 11-10 comeback win at home.
SOPHOMORE (2006):
Made 13 relief appearances ... posted a 1-0 record and a 3.38 ERA ... did not allow an earned run in nine of 13 outings ... made SEC appearances against Vanderbilt and Arkansas ... opened the year with 8.2 scoreless innings out of the pen over his first four games ... threw four scoreless innings and added four strikeouts against No. 26 Winthrop on Feb. 13 ... logged 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts against Kent State on Feb. 18 ... threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in Alabama’s 5-0 win over Mississippi Valley State on April 19 ... posted his only win of the season against UAB (1.1 IP) at the Hoover Met on April 26 ... threw 1.2 scoreless innings against No. 5 North Carolina in the NCAA Super Regional on June 9 ... played for the Wareham (Mass.) Gatemen in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2005 ... appeared in 11 games and went 0-2 with 5.91 ERA and recorded 13 strikeouts in 10.2 innings ... also participated in the 2005 Cape Cod League All-Star Game Home Run Derby and finished second in the competition with three home runs.
FRESHMAN (2005):
Appeared in 21 games for the Tide, including 12 appearances on the mound and nine games as a position player ... posted a 1-1 record with a 4.03 ERA ... all three of his starts on the mound came within a six-day span against Jacksonville State (Mar. 23), at Vanderbilt (Mar. 27) and at Southern Mississippi (Mar. 29) ... made his Crimson Tide debut at Hawai’i on Feb. 12 ... threw five shutout innings in his first career start against Jacksonville State (5 IP, 5 H, 5 K) on March 23 ... earned his first career win against Memphis (3 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 2 K) with three innings of solid relief on April 12 ... delivered a sacrifice fly in his first collegiate plate appearance against UNC-Asheville on Feb. 19 ... recorded his first career hit at UAB (1-for-3, BB) on Feb 23.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Was a three-year starter at Northgate High School in Palmetto, Ga. ... played for Coach Greg Hamilton ... the 2003 and 2004 Coweta County High School Player of the Year ... was rated 19th on Baseball America’s Top 100 list of high school prospects ... in a three-year career, he hit .583 (82-for-151) with 36 home runs and 83 RBI ... as a senior in 2004, he hit .450 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI ... as a junior in 2003, he was named First-Team All-State by The Atlanta Journal Constitution ... hit .513 (41-for-80) with 13 home runs and 46 RBI as a junior and posted an 8-2 record and 1.40 ERA on the mound ... averaged 12.7 strikeouts per seven innings as he recorded 100 strikeouts in 55 innings ... led his team to a 20-8 record, the Coweta County regional title and a berth in the Class 4A state playoffs ... as a sophomore in 2002, he hit .571 (39-for-71) with 13 home runs and 37 RBI and was 5-1 with two saves on the mound in 10 appearances ... played for the Baseball America team at the 2003 World Wooden Bat Association Tournament in Jupiter, Fla. ... also played summer ball for the Ohio Warhawks in 2002 and 2003.
PERSONAL:
Full name is Joshua Christopher Copeland ... son of Kenneth and Julie Copeland ... has two brothers, Jacob and Jesse ... born Dec. 13, 1985.
