Alabama Hosts SEC West Rival Mississippi State
4/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 17, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Complete Release in PDF Format
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Two teams in need of a Southeastern Conference series win square off this weekend in Tuscaloosa, as the Alabama Crimson Tide (20-18, 6-9 SEC) host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-21, 3-12 SEC) in a pivotal SEC Western Division clash at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The series begins Friday, April 18, at 6:35 p.m. (CDT) and continues Saturday, April 19, at 4:05 p.m. (CDT) and Sunday, April 20, at 2:06 p.m. (CDT). The series finale will be televised as part of an unprecedented SEC tripleheader on Comcast Sports Southeast.
Alabama has won two of its first five SEC series this season, and is unbeaten at home, with series wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt (March 21-23) and No. 15 Ole Miss (March 28-30). The Crimson Tide has won 15 of its last 17 SEC home series, dating back to the 2005 season. Since 1995, Alabama has won 50 of its 68 SEC home series. The Tide has won 28 of 36 series against Eastern Division teams and 22 of 32 series against Western Division teams.
Mississippi State has lost all five SEC series this season, but will have the services of its top three pitchers in the weekend rotation for the first time since league play began five weeks ago. Junior RHP Chad Crosswhite, junior LHP Justin Pigott and junior RHP Aaron Weatherford all return from injury this weekend. Crosswhite has started the last two SEC weekends against Kentucky and Vanderbilt after making one SEC relief appearance the first three weeks. Pigott, who is rehabbing a shoulder injury, has not pitched for MSU since March 15 against Ole Miss. Weatherford missed a month of action and, since his return on April 2, has thrown nine scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts.
This weekend will also mark the final appearance at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for MSU's legendary skipper, Ron Polk. Polk announced his retirement from the game earlier this season. The University of Alabama will honor Polk in a special pregame tribute on Saturday, April 19.
HEAD COACH Jim Wells: Alabama head coach Jim Wells has compiled a 574-289 (.665) record in 863 games and is in his 14th season at the Capstone. He is the winningest coach in school history and has worked more games than any other Tide coach. Wells has led the Crimson Tide to two SEC Championships (1996 and 2006), three College World Series appearances (1996, 1997 and 1999), three SEC Western Division titles (1996, 2002 and 2006), six SEC Tournament championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003) and 10 NCAA Regionals. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1996 and 2002 and the Baseball America National Coach of the Year in 1996. Overall, Wells has compiled a 768-378 (.670) record in 1,146 games and is in his 18th season at the Division I level. Prior to Alabama, he spent five years at Northwestern (La.) State, where he compiled a 192-89 (.683) record and led the Demons to three Southland Conference championships and two NCAA Regional appearances.
WEATHER FORECAST: Friday: Partly Cloudy, 80 degrees, 60% chance of scattered storms; Saturday: Partly Cloudy, 73 degrees; Sunday: Sunny skies, 80 degrees.
MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES: Alabama leads Mississippi State, 200-165-3 in a series that dates back to 1896. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have met every year since 1917, with the exception of 1944-45 due to World War II. The Alabama-MSU series is the second oldest series in the UA record books, trailing only the Alabama-Ole Miss series which began in 1895. Alabama has played more games (368) against Mississippi State than any other team. In fact, Alabama has played 1,029 all-time games against long-time SEC Western Division rivals Mississippi State (368), LSU (337) and Ole Miss (324). Alabama also has more wins (200) against MSU than any other school. The Crimson Tide posted its 200th series win with a 9-7 victory at Dudy Noble Field on the final day of the 2007 regular season. Alabama has posted 581 wins against long-time SEC Western Division foes Mississippi State (200), LSU (191) and Ole Miss (190). The Crimson Tide went 19-5-1 in the first 25 meetings with then-Mississippi A&M. Alabama won the first six games in series history and then posted a 10-game winning streak from 1912-1917. The Crimson Tide owned the series lead in the 1920s (18-6-1), 1930s (24-11-1), 1940s (24-8) and 1950s (23-12). Alabama posted an eight-game winning streak from 1940-42 and added a nine-game winning streak from 1943-47. During the 1943 season, Alabama posted one of its most lopsided wins in history as the Tide beat the Bulldogs, 29-10, in Tuscaloosa. Mississippi State rebounded after the 1950s to win the next four decades. State posted a winning record over the Tide in the 1960s (28-18), 1970s (27-22), 1980s (27-19) and 1990s (21-16). MSU posted an eight-game winning streak over Alabama from 1992-94, including back-to-back sweeps in 1993 and 1994. Alabama has had the upper hand since 2000, posting a 16-11 record. Since 1995, Alabama and MSU have split 12 regular season series. UA Coach Jim Wells is 28-19 (.596) in his career against Mississippi State. He is 11-7 (.611) in games played in Tuscaloosa and has won five of the six series played between the two schools. Alabama posted a five-game winning streak from 2000-02, including a three-game sweep to clinch the 2002 SEC Western Division championship. It was the Tide's first sweep of the Bulldogs since 1976. MSU head coach Ron Polk, who is making his final appearance at the Joe this weekend after announcing his retirement three weeks ago, owns a 73-50 (.595) all-time record against Alabama. All but seven of those 123 career games have come as head man at Mississippi State. Polk was swept in his debut series against Alabama, losing all three games (5-4, 5-4 and 4-0) in 1976. Polk earned his 500th career win at MSU against Alabama on May 7, 1988, in Tuscaloosa. He is 70-46 (.603) against Alabama as MSU's skipper. Polk was 4-3 (.571) against the Tide during the 2000-01 seasons at Georgia. The dean of SEC coaches coached his 100th all-time game against Alabama on Mar. 19, 2000, while the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. UGA won that game, 8-7. He then coached his 100th game as MSU head coach against Alabama on May 12, 2002. Alabama won that game, 11-4. Alabama owns a 134-81-3 series lead in games played in Tuscaloosa. The Tide is 68-59 against MSU here since 1948. MSU leads the all-time series in Starkville, 80-57. The Tide holds a slim 8-5 lead in neutral site games. Alabama is 9-2 (.818) in the postseason against MSU, including a seven-game winning streak. The Tide had two wins to eliminate the Bulldogs from the 1997 College World Series.
MISSISSIPPI STATE SCOUTING REPORT: Mississippi State (15-21, 3-12 SEC) snapped a six-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over Ole Miss in the annual Governor's Cup Game at Trustmark Park on Tuesday, April 15. This is Ron Polk's final season as skipper at MSU. The legendary coach announced his retirement prior to the start of SEC play, after spending 35 years as head baseball coach at Georgia Southern (1972-75), Mississippi State (1976-1997; 2002-Present) and Georgia (2000-01). He is the winningest coach in SEC history, compiling a 1,365-688-2 (.665) record in 2,055 games. Polk is 1,131-576-2 (.662) in 29 years at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are in the midst of six-game road trip. In addition to the annual Governor's Cup game, MSU visits Alabama (April 18-20) this weekend, before taking on Southern Mississippi next week (April 23-24) in Hattiesburg. The Bulldogs have been hit by injuries throughout the 2008 season. For the first time since SEC play began, the Bulldogs will have the services of its three top pitchers from last season on the mound. The Alabama series marks the return of junior LHP Justin Pigott, who has not pitched since suffering a shoulder injury against Ole Miss on March 15. Junior RHP Chad Crosswhite will be making his third straight SEC start after missing three weeks of action. Junior RHP Aaron Weatherford is also back after being sidelined for more than a month in early March. The Bulldogs' talented closer has thrown nine scoreless innings and recorded 18 strikeouts since his return. He was the winning pitcher against Ole Miss (1.2 IP, 3 K) on Tuesday. State will also have the services of catcher and leading hitter Cody Freeman, who missed nine games with a knee injury. Freeman (25 G, .394, 2 HR, 11 RBI) served as the DH against Ole Miss on Tuesday. The Bulldogs may be without their most productive hitter this weekend as sophomore third baseman Connor Powers (35 GS, .348, 11 HR, 38 RBI) continues to nurse a pulled hamstring. He suffered the injury last Sunday against Vanderbilt and did not play against Ole Miss. He is listed a questionable for the Alabama series. Powers is MSU's leading hitter in SEC play with a .339 average with six home runs and 17 RBI. He leads MSU with 14 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games in 2008. Overall, MSU is batting .296 (376-for-1,272) with 38 home runs and 212 RBI. The Bulldogs average 6.7 runs and 10.4 hits per game. In SEC play, MSU is hitting .258 (132-for-512) with 14 home runs and 51 RBI. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.8 runs and 8.8 hits per in SEC play. Freshman outfielder Ryan Collins (Callaway, Fla.) and freshman outfielder/infielder Jason Nappi (Birmingham, Ala.) have carried the offensive load for State this season. Collins is hitting .366 (34-for-93) with two home runs and 16 RBI in 35 games. Nappi is hitting .321 (42-for-131) in 35 starts, with eight home runs and 33 RBI. Nappi has hit two grand slams this season, both coming against UAB. In the Bulldogs' 24-10 win over the Blazers in Birmingham on March 18, Nappi hit two home runs and set an SEC record with 11 RBI in the win. On the mound the Bulldogs are 15-21 with a 6.27 ERA (321.2 IP, 373 H, 256 R, 224 H, 169 BB, 292 K) with four saves, two shutouts and one complete game. Sophomore RHP Rickey Bowen (Jasper, Ala.) is the only pitcher to make a start in all eight weekend series. Bowen is 2-4 with a 7.20 ERA in eight starts on the hill. He has worked 45 innings and allowed 42 runs (36 ER) and 51 hits with 37 strikeouts and 23 walks. Bowen came within one out of no-hitter against Ole Miss earlier this season and settled for a two-hit shutout as MSU avoided the sweep. Bowen will pitch the Saturday game against the Tide.
BROTHERLY LOVE: The Alabama-Mississippi State series will feature two brothers in opposite dugouts, causing a bit of a strain for Ken and Jeanne Nappi this weekend. Alabama junior right-hander Patrick Nappi is the older brother of MSU redshirt freshman outfielder Jason Nappi. The elder Nappi has not seen action on the mound for the Tide this season, but he could still be used out of the pen. The younger Nappi is State's fourth-leading hitter with a .321 (42-for-131) average with eight home runs and 33 RBI in 35 games. Alabama recruited both of the Nappi brothers, but Jason elected to sign with MSU out of Mountain Brook High School for the 2007 season. The Nappis are the second set of brothers to play against each other this season at the Joe. UA freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge played against his brother, Michael, when the Crimson Tide and Samford Bulldogs met on March 12. Josh went 1-for-5 in the Tide's 9-5 win, while Michael, a senior transfer from Miss. State, went 0-for-4. In 2005, Alabama freshman shortstop Cale Iorg and Tennessee junior outfielder Eli Iorg played in the SEC, but did not face one another as the Tide and Vols did not play that season.
STRIKEOUTS: Mississippi State and Alabama are ranked first and second in the SEC with the most strikeouts this season. MSU had struck out a league-leading 286 times, while UA hitters have 284 strikeouts. State averages 7.9 strikeouts per game on offense, while the Tide averages 7.5 per game.
BASE ON BALLS: Mississippi State and Alabama are tied for 11th in the SEC for the most walks allowed this season. Both State and Alabama pitchers have issued 169 walks this season to pace the SEC in that category. MSU pitchers also lead the SEC with 44 hit batters this year.
RUTLEDGE LEADS SEC ROOKIES: Alabama freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge (Cullman, Ala.) is the freshman leader in the Southeastern Conference in hitting, total hits and multi-hit games. Through 38 games, Rutledge leads all SEC freshmen with a .377 (60-for-177) average. He also paces the league in hits (60) and multi-hit games (19). The charts to the right shows the Top 10 SEC freshmen leaders in average, hits and multi-hit games entering this weekend's slate of games. Overall, Rutledge is the only freshmen among the league leaders in hitting and total hits. He is 7th in the league with his .377 batting average, while his 60 hits are fourth in the league behind Georgia "Player of the Year" candidate Gordon Beckham (64 hits), Vanderbilt's David Macias (61 hits) and Kentucky's Sawyer Carroll (61 hits).
FRESHMEN PHENOMS: Alabama's baseball program has benefitted from a number of quality freshmen throughout the years. The 2008 Crimson Tide baseball team may have one of the best freshmen in the modern era of UA baseball. Rutledge leads the team with a .377 (60-for-159) batting average and 34 runs scored. He has also added six extra base hits, 10 stolen bases and 16 RBI. Only one other freshman has led the Crimson Tide in hitting, as David Magadan (.389) led the team as rookie in 1981. In 55 games, Magadan hit .389 (77-for-198) with on home run and 43 RBI. He also scored 32 runs and added 20 doubles. Jeremy Brown (1999) holds the Alabama single-season record for most hits (91), home runs (15) and RBI (68) by a Tide freshman. Here is a look at some the more notable freshmen offensive performances in school history.
Player (Year) Season Stats David Magadan (1981) 55 G, .389 (77-198), 32 R, 20 2B, 1 HR, 43 RBI Philip Doyle (1988) 30 G, .337 (34-101), 17 R, 2 HR, 16 RBI Joe Vitiello (1989) 35 G, .353 (42-119), 24 R, 8 2B, 8 HR, 29 RBI Joe Caruso (1994) 44 G, .303 (50-165), 28 R, 6 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI Dustan Mohr (1995) 55 G, .293 (72-246), 12 HR, 44 RBI Sam Bozanich (1998) 59 G, .333 (75-225), 17 2B, 3 HR, 28 RBI Jeremy Brown (1999) 69 G, .347 (91-162), 20 2B, 15 HR, 68 RBI Scott McClanahan (1999) 48 G, .321 (27-84), 21 R, 1 HR, 10 RBI Brent Boyd (1999) 63 G, .313 (73-233), 15 2B, 7 HR, 32 RBI Ben King (2000) 62 G, .294 (60-204), 51 R, 13 HR, 50 RBI Peter Stonard (2001) 54 G, .320 (61-194), 34 R, 11 2B, 32 RBI Cale Iorg (2005) 62 G, .280 (66-236), 40 R, 11 2B, 5 HR, 38 RBI
SOUTHERN MISS RECAP: Alabama dropped a 6-3 decision to Southern Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., on Wednesday, April 16. The Golden Eagles scored four unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning en route to the win. Freshman SS Josh Rutledge's two-out throwing error opened the floodgates for USM as the Eagles scored four unearned runs on five straight two-out hits to chase starter Casey Kebodeaux (3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Southern Miss was 7-for-16 in the game with two outs and scored five of the six runs with two outs. Alabama stranded nine base runners in the loss, including the bases loaded in the second inning and runners at second and third with less than two outs in the third inning. Avila had three hits to lead the UA offense, while May and Kubal had two hits each. Graham (1.1 IP, 1 K) and Nelson (4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) allowed one unearned in 5 1/3 innings of relief.
TEAM NOTES: Alabama defeated Cal Poly in the 2008 season opener, 10-1 ... The Crimson Tide captured the 2008 Southwest Diamond Classic championship in Frisco, Texas, with a 2-1 record ... After losing to Texas Arlington on the first day, Alabama rebounded to beat Nevada and Dallas Baptist to win the championship ... Alabama has played in four minor league ballparks this season, including Dr Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, Texas), Riverwalk Stadium (Montgomery, Ala.), Regions Park (Hoover, Ala.) and Trustmark Park (Pearl, Miss.) ... Alabama honored the 1983 College World Series team (March 8) at Sewell-Thomas Stadium as the team celebrates its 25th anniversary this season .. The Crimson Tide played the dedication game at University Field in Florence, Ala., on Tuesday, March 11 ... The Crimson Tide beat North Alabama, 15-2, in front a stadium record 1,874 fans ... It was UA's first trip to Florence since 1967 ... The Crimson Tide has played throughout the state of Alabama this season with stops in Montgomery, Florence, Jacksonville, Hoover, Mobile and Birmingham ... Alabama celebrated the 60th anniversary of Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Friday, March 21, which included a post-game fireworks show ... Alabama played its final game at venerable Alex Box Stadium on April 6, losing 9-7 to LSU in Baton Rouge ... The Crimson Tide will honor MSU retiring coach Ron Polk in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, April 19 ... The dean of SEC coaches is retiring after 35 years of coaching ... Polk will coach is 125th all-time game against the Tide on Saturday ... Alabama will honor the 1960 team on Friday, April 25 against Auburn ... The 1968 SEC Championship team will hold its 40-year reunion during the Auburn series (April 25-27) ... Alabama is 14-6 (.700) at home this season, including a 4-2 mark in SEC play ... The Tide is 3-3 against SEC Western Division teams this season and has been outscored 27-25 in six games ... Alabama is 12-10 in night games and 8-8 in day games ... The Crimson Tide is 5-6 in the month of April ... Alabama is 4-3 in Friday games this season ... The Crimson Tide is 4-3 in Austin Hyatt's seven starts ... Alabama has hit 41 home runs in 38 games ... The 41 home runs have been hit by 12 different players ... Alabama hit seven home runs in the Tennessee series, the most against an SEC opponent since hitting seven home runs at LSU in 2006 ... The Tide hit four home runs in the series opener, tying the most home runs in a game this season ... UA also hit four home runs against Youngstown State on March 7 ... Alabama leads the SEC with 1,327 at-bats ... The Tide is second in the league with 55 hit batters ... Alabama has the fewest walks (130) and second-most strikeouts (284) in the league ... Alabama is the SEC co-leader in complete games (2) and shutouts (2) this season ... The Tide also leads the league in wild pitches (49) and balks (18).
STARTERS: Alabama's starters are hitting .302 (387-for-1,281) with 40 home runs and 222 RBI in 38 games. A total of 16 different players have started at least one game for the Crimson Tide this season. May is the only player to play and start all 38 games this season. Wilson is second on the list with 37 starts, as he did not start the Mississippi Valley State game on April 8. Rutledge, Avila and Bentley have started 36 games. Alabama's opponent starters are hitting .271 (332-for-1,225) with 30 home runs and 177 RBI. Alabama's starting pitchers are 13-16 (.448) with two complete games and 5.79 ERA. The Tide has 13 quality starts (6 IP, 3 ER or less) on the mound this year. Alabama has used eight different starting pitchers. Hyatt (2-3, 5.19 ERA) leads the way with a career-high seven starts. Quigley (4-2, 3.76 ERA) has six starts and one complete game shutout to his credit. Opponent starters are 11-16 (.407) with two complete games, one shutout and a 6.18 ERA. In SEC play, Alabama's starters are hitting .272 (138-for-508) with 18 home runs and 63 RBI. The Tide has six players that have started all 15 SEC games, including Avila, Bentley, May, Rutledge and Wilson. Matthes and Smith have started 14 of the 15 SEC games. The Crimson Tide has used five different starters in SEC play. The starters are 2-8 with one complete game and a 7.42 ERA in conference play. Hyatt (0-3, 6.52 ERA) leads the way with five SEC starts.
RESERVES: The Crimson Tide bench is 11-for-45 (.244) with eight runs scored, two doubles, one home run and four RBI this year. Alabama's pinch-hitters are 6-for-26 (.231) this season. Odle has been the most productive player off the bench, going 4-for-10 (.400) in nine appearances. Rhoden is 3-for-10 (.300) with three RBI in seven appearances off the bench. Alabama opponents are hitting .225 (16-for-71) off the bench this season, with nine runs scored and nine RBI. The Tide's bullpen is 7-2 with seven saves and 3.14 ERA this season. Copeland has been the Tide's top reliever this season. He is 2-1 with 0.82 ERA and four saves in 14 appearances. He has 20 strikeouts in 22 innings and holds opponents to a .231 batting average. The bullpen has recorded 16 scoreless outings this season. From March 22-April 1, the Alabama bullpen allowed only three earned runs (1.30 ERA) in 20 2/3 innings and accounted for three wins and three saves in seven games. UA opponents have compiled a 7-4 (.636) record with seven saves and a 5.39 ERA. In SEC play, Alabama's bench is hitting .400 (6-for-15) in limited duty, with one home run and four RBI. Smith hit a solo home run and Rutledge added a two-run, pinch-hit single in the Tide's 9-7 win over Vanderbilt on March 22. Alabama's bullpen is 4-1 with three saves and a 2.53 ERA in league play. Copeland (9 G, 2-0, 0.00 ERA) has not allowed a run in 15 2/3 innings this season. He also has 17 strikeouts. Stroup (2-0, 2.13 ERA) has appeared in five SEC games and has 12 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
WINS: Alabama is hitting .326 (226-for-694) in its 20 wins this season and averages 8.8 runs and 11.3 hits per game. The Crimson Tide has 72 extra base hits, including 40 doubles and 29 home runs. Alabama owns a 40-13 scoring edge in the first two innings and holds a 24-4 scoring lead in the seventh inning during its wins. Hitting Leaders: Rutledge (.427, 38-89, 25 R, 12 RBI), Kubal (.404, 21-52, 13 R, 2 HR, 11 RBI) and May (.400, 28-70, 19 R, 7 2B, 2 HR, 23 RBI). On the mound the Tide is 20-0 with a two complete games and a 3.05 ERA this season. The Crimson Tide has worked 180 innings and allowed 75 runs (61 ER) and 147 hits, with 168 strikeouts and 80 walks. Pitching Leaders: Copeland (8 G, 2-0, 0.63 ERA, 3 SV, 14.1 IP, 18 K), Quigley (4 GS, 4-0, 0.87 ERA, 24 IP, 3 ER, 20 K), Kilcrease (4 G, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 10.2 IP) and Stroup (6 G, 3 GS, 4-0, 2.84 ERA, 25.1 IP, 29 K).
LOSSES: The Crimson Tide is hitting .272 (172-for-632) in its 18 losses this season and averages 4.3 runs and 9.6 hits per game. Alabama has been outscored 150-77 in its 18 losses. On of the telling signs is the Tide's early deficits. Alabama has been outscored 87-25 in the first four innings of its losses, including a 22-5 deficit in the first inning; 22-7 in the second inning; 21-9 in the third inning and 22-4 in the fourth inning. Hitting Leaders: May (.338, 23-68, 14 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI), Matthes (.329, 23-70, 10 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI), and Rutledge (.314, 22-70, 9 R, 3 RBI). Alabama pitchers are 0-18 with a 6.74 ERA. The staff has worked 152 1/3 innings and allowed 150 runs (114 ER) and 201 hits, with 122 strikeouts and 89 walks. Pitching Leaders: Copeland (6 G, 0-1, 1.17 ERA) and Hyatt (4 G, 0-3, 4.95 ERA).
HOME RUNS: Alabama has hit 41 home runs in its first 38 games of the 2008 season. The Crimson Tide has homered in 22 of 38 games this season, including a season-high four straight games from March 4-8. The Tide has hit 14 of its 41 home runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Also, 16 of the 34 home runs have come with two strikes in the count. The Crimson Tide hit only 12 two-strike home runs all of last season. The Tide is 14-8 (.636) when hitting at least one home and 6-9 (.400) when failing to hit a home run. Alabama hit two home runs in the series finale at LSU (April 6) to snap its longest home run drought of the season. May's second inning home run against LSU was Alabama's first home run since March 28, covering a span of six games, 56 1/3 innings and 192 at-bats. Alabama hit a season-high four home runs against Youngstown State (March 7) and Tennessee (April 12). In the YSU game, Alabama hit three home runs in the seventh inning en route to a 15-7 win. The four home runs were the most by an Alabama team since the Tide swatted four home runs against Georgia State on Feb. 10, 2007. The three home runs in the seventh inning were the most in an inning in seven years. The last time UA hit three home runs in an inning came at Mississippi State on May 4, 2001 when Jeremy Brown, Aaron Clark and Beau Hearod homered in the fourth inning against Paul Maholm. The Tide's 41 home runs have been hit by 12 different players this season. Avila leads the team with nine home runs, including two home runs against North Alabama (March 11). He hit four home runs in a three-game stretch against UNA, Samford (March 12) and Kentucky (March 14). Bentley is second on the team with eight home runs, including two multi-home run games against Samford (March 12) and Ole Miss (March 28). Freshman 2B Ross Wilson has the Tide's only grand slam of the season. Wilson's seventh inning grand slam against Youngstown State was the first by an Alabama player since Avila belted a grand slam at Mississippi State on May 17, 2007. A total of five players have hit their first career home run this season. May homered in the 2008 season opener against Cal Poly for his first career home run and then hit his first SEC home run at Kentucky on March 14. May now has four home runs this season, including three dingers in a four-game SEC stretch from April 6-12. Wilson slugged his first career home run against UT Arlington (Feb. 28). Junior CF Alex Kubal hit his first home run against Nevada (Feb. 29). Junior 1B Wes Henderson hit his first career home run against New Orleans on March 19. Junior Jeff Texada hit his first career SEC home run (150 at-bats) against Vanderbilt (March 22). Smith hit his first home run of the season against Vandy (March 22), to snap a 106 at-bat homer less streak. The Tide is 5-5 in games in which it does not allow a home run and 6-6 in games in which the opponent hits a home run. Alabama opponents have homered in 14 of 27 games this season, including five straight games from Feb. 29-March 5. The Tide allowed a season-high four home run in a 17-8 loss to New Orleans on March 19. Odle belted his first home run of the season and second of his career against Mississippi Valley State on April 8. Junior catcher Mike Sharp became the 12th different Tide player to homer this season when he hit his first home run at Tennessee on April 12.
BASES LOADED: Alabama has struggled this season with the bases loaded. In 38 regular-season games, the Tide is hitting .212 (11-for-52) with the bases loaded and has gone hitless in its last 10 at-bats with the bases full. In 15 SEC games, Alabama has managed only one hit (21 at-bats, .048) all season with the bases loaded. The Tide is hitless in its last 15 at-bats in conference play with the bases full. The streak dates back to the Ole Miss (March 28-30) series. The Tide was 0-for-3 against Ole Miss, 0-for-3 at LSU and 0-for-9 at Tennessee with the bases loaded. Alabama has left the bases loaded 19 times this season, including two times in the same game against Troy (March 4), New Orleans (March 18), Ole Miss (March 29) and Tennessee (April 23). The Tide is 1-3 (.250) in those games. Alabama is 4-11 (.267) in the 15 games in which the Tide has left the bases loaded at least once this season. The Tide has stranded three base runners in an inning against Cal Poly (Feb. 23), Texas Arlington (Feb. 28), Troy (March 4), North Alabama (March 11), Samford (March 12), Kentucky (March 14 and March 16), New Orleans (March 18), Vanderbilt (March 29), UAB (April 2), LSU (April 6), SE Louisiana (April 9), Tennessee (April 13) and Southern Miss (April 16). The Tide has left the bases loaded at least once in four of its last six games.
LOBs: Alabama has left 35 men on base it its last three games against Tennessee (14), Tennessee (12) and Southern Miss (9). For the season, the Tide has stranded 300 base runners, an average of 7.9 per game. Overall, Alabama is hitting .301 (123-for-409) with runners in scoring position this year. Kubal and May are both hitting well above .400 with runners in scoring position. Kubal leads the team with a .448 (13-for-29), while May is next with a .422 (19-for-45) clip. Bentley has the lowest average among the regulars, hitting .171 (6-for-35) with runners in scoring position. In its last three games, Alabama is 6-for-32 (.167) with runners in scoring position. Alabama was 3-for-16 in its 13-5 loss to Tennessee, but went 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the ninth inning to make the final score 13-5. Alabama was 0-for-11 RISP through the first eight innings.
WILD PITCHES: Alabama also leads the SEC with 49 wild pitches this season. Ten different pitchers have at least one wild pitch this season. Alabama has six of the SEC's Top 10 wild pitch leaders this season. A trio of Tide pitchers, including senior LHP Will Stroup, junior RHP Austin Hyatt and sophomore LHP Del Howell leads the SEC with seven wild pitches. Howell has seven wild pitches in only 14 1/3 innings on the mound. Junior RHP Casey Kebodeaux is sixth in the SEC with six wild pitches. Junior RHP Austin Graham and junior LHP Miers Quigley (5) are tied for eighth with five wild pitches. Freshman RHP Jimmy Nelson has added four in 13 1/3 innings. Alabama is on pace to shatter the single-season record with 71 wild pitches this season. The record for wild pitches is 62 set in 1999. The Tide's 49 wild pitches are already the 8th most in a season in school history. Alabama opponents have scored 16 times from third base this season as a result of a wild pitch (11), balk (3) or passed ball (2).
BALKS: The Crimson Tide also leads the SEC with 18 balks this season. Quigley heads the list with an SEC-leading six balks, while junior RHP Robert Phares and Kebodeaux have three each. Alabama's 17 balks are twice as many as Florida's (9) second place total. Alabama opponents have scored three times from third base this season as the result of a balk.
ERRORS: Alabama leads the SEC with 67 errors (.954) in 38 games this season. The Crimson Tide has the most errors (67) and the lowest fielding percentage (.954) of any SEC team. Alabama is on pace to make 99 errors this season, which would be the sixth-most errors in school history. The school record for errors in a season is 130 set by the 1986 club. Four other teams have made 100 errors in a season, including 1975 (120), 2000 (108), 1991 (108) and 1985 (101). Alabama has played better defense in SEC games, fielding .965 (19 errors) in its first 15 conference games. The Tide is ninth in the SEC in fielding and tied for eighth in most errors in SEC games. Alabama made 10 of the 19 errors in three SEC games, including four against Vanderbilt (March 22) and three in each game of a double header at Tennessee (April 12). The Crimson Tide has played eight error less games this season, most recently against Tennessee (April 13) and is 5-3 (.625) when playing error less baseball. Alabama has made at least one error in 30 of its first 38 games and has 21 multiple error games this year. The Crimson Tide recorded a season-high six errors in a 12-8 loss at Texas Arlington on March 1. Alabama also made four errors in a game four times this season against Cal Poly (Feb. 23), New Orleans (March 18 and March 19) and Vanderbilt (March 22). Junior infielder Jeff Texada leads the team with 10 errors this season. Rutledge has eight errors and Wilson has seven errors.
SCORING FIRST: Alabama has developed a scoring trend during its first 38 games of the 2008 season. The team that has scored first has posted a 24-14 (.632) record. Alabama is 12-6 (.667) when scoring first and 8-12 (.400) when the opponent scores first. The Crimson Tide is 11-3 (.786) when its scores in the first inning and 6-9 (.400) when opponents score in the first inning. There have been nine games in which neither team scored in the first inning. Alabama and the 2008 opponents have scored an identical 29 first-inning runs this season. In its 20 wins this season, Alabama has outscored the opposition 93-35 in the first four innings, including an 24-7 scoring edge in the first inning. In its 18 losses, Alabama has been outscored 87-25 in the first four innings, including a 22-5 deficit in the first inning. UT Arlington scored seven first innings runs in a 12-8 win over Alabama on March 2. The Tide trailed Kentucky 12-0 after three innings on March 15 and trailed New Orleans 12-0 after 2 1/2 innings on March 18.
HOME GAMES: The Crimson Tide is 14-6 (.667) at home this season. Alabama has won three of its five home series this season, including back-to-back wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Ole Miss. The two home series losses came to Cal Poly (Feb. 22-23) and New Orleans (March 18-19). The Crimson Tide posted a five-game home winning streak from March 5-12. In 20 home games this season, Alabama is hitting .298 (199-for-668) with 20 home runs and 130 RBI. Hitting Leaders: Rutledge (.380, 30-79, 21 R, 8 RBI), May (.333, 24-72, 18 R, HR, 20 RBI), Matthes (4 HR, 23 RBI - leads team) and Avila (5 HR - leads team and 12 RBI). Alabama pitchers are 14-6 with a 3.60 ERA and six saves this season. The staff has worked 180 innings and allowed 104 runs (72 ER) and 172 hits, with 153 strikeouts and 78 walks. Pitching Leaders: Copeland (8 G, 1-0, 0.77 ERA, 3 SV, 11.2 IP, 13 K), Kilcrease (6 G, 2-0, 1.23 ERA, SV, 14.2 IP, 12 K), Stroup (4 G, 2 GS, 2-0, 3.18 ERA, 17 IP, 15 K). UA opponents are 6-14 with 6.29 ERA at the Joe this season, with two saves. Alabama is fielding .955 (36 errors) at home this season.
WELLS' HOME RECORD: Alabama has compiled a 372-107 (.776) record at the Joe under Coach Wells since 1995. The Crimson Tide is averaging 26.6 wins per season under Wells. Alabama led the nation in home wins in 1997 (36), 1998 (30), 1999 (37) and 2002 (35). Alabama won a school record 37 home games in 1999 as the Tide posted a 37-4 (.902) record at the Joe. Included in that win total was three wins at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and two wins at over LSU at the NCAA Super Regional as the Tide advanced to the College World Series for the third time in four years. Alabama won a school-record 32 regular-season home games in 1997, 1999 and 2002. Alabama has won 88 of its 109 (80.7 percent) home series since the 1995 season. Alabama also posted a school-record 27-game winning streak at the Joe from May 1, 2001 until April 17, 2002.
WELLS' SEC HOME RECORD: Alabama is 130-65 (.667) in SEC home games in the Wells era. Alabama has record double-digit home wins six times. including a glistening 13-2 SEC home record in 1999 and 2002. Overall, Alabama has won 50 of the 66 SEC home series (75.8 percent) in the Wells era. The Tide won all five SEC home series in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2006. In fact, Alabama won 18 consecutive SEC home series from 1996-2000. Tennessee snapped the streak by winning two of three at the Joe from April 13-15, 2000. The Tide has had one only losing SEC home record under Wells, going 4-11 (.267) in 2004 when it lost all five home series.
SEC HOME SUCCESS: With series wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Ole Miss under its belt, Alabama has won 15 of its last 17 SEC home series, dating back to the 2005 season. The Crimson Tide won four of five SEC home series (Arkansas) in 2005 to start the current streak. Alabama won all five SEC home series in 2006 and then won four of five series (LSU) last year. The Tide has won both home series in 2008, with three series remaining against Mississippi State (April 18-20), Auburn (April 25-27) and Florida (May 9-11). Alabama enters the Miss. State series having won its last five home SEC series against Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Since 1995, Alabama has won 28 of its 36 SEC series against Eastern Division teams. The Crimson Tide has won nine straight SEC home series against Eastern Division foes, dating back to the 2005 season. From 1995-2000, Wells guided the Tide to 13 straight home series wins against Eastern Division teams. Since 1995, Alabama has won 22 of its 32 home series against Western Division teams and has won five of its last six series, dating back to the 2006 season. From 1996-2000, Wells directed UA to 11 straight home series wins over SEC Western Division clubs.
APRIL RECORD: Alabama has compiled a 152-92 (.623) record in the month of April under Coach Wells. The Tide is 5-6 (.456) this season in the month of April. Last year, Alabama went 7-9 (.438) in April, one of only three losing records in the month since 1995. Alabama also had sub .500 records in 2001 (7-11) and 2004 (7-9). Ironically, the only three times Alabama had a losing record in April were the three years the Tide has not played in an NCAA Regional. Despite its losing record last season in April, Alabama did earn a win at No. 1 Vanderbilt on April 8 and closed the month with series win against South Carolina. In 2006, Alabama posted a 13-5 record in April, which included back-to-back series win against No. 1 Mississippi State and No. 1 South Carolina. The Tide posted a 15-2 record in April, 2002, which included a 10-game winning streak.
ONE-RUN GAMES: Alabama has compiled a 113-91 (.554) record in 204 one-run games under Wells. The Tide is 3-4 (.429) this season in one-run games. Alabama posted a 5-8 record in one-run games last season. Overall, Wells coached teams are 150-115 (.566) in 265 one-run games. He was 38-23 (.623) in one-run games at Northwestern State.
EXTRA INNINGS: Alabama is 65-61-3 (.516) in extra inning games. The Tide is 22-24 (.478) in extra inning games under Wells, including a 1-2 (.333) this season. UA went 3-0 in extra innings games during the 2000 season. The Tide was 3-4 (.429) in extra innings games in 2006 and 2007. Since 2004, Alabama is 8-15 (.348) in extra inning games.
DOUBLE DIPPING: Alabama has compiled a 217-10 (.956) record under since 1995 when scoring 10 or more runs in a game. The Crimson Tide is 7-0 (1.000) this season when scoring 10 or more runs and owns a 33-game winning streak, dating back to 2005. Alabama's last loss when scoring 10 or more runs was an 11-10 loss at No. 9 Ole Miss on April 9, 2005. The Crimson Tide won five straight games when scoring 10 or more runs to end the 2005 season and then went 12-0 in 2006 and 9-0 in 2007. Coach Wells has compiled a 251-13 (.951) all-time record in 264 games when scoring 10 or more runs. He was 35-3 (.921) at Northwestern State when scoring 10 or more runs. The Crimson Tide is 96-3 (.970) since the start of the 2001 season when scoring 10 or more runs in a game. Alabama won 42 consecutive games when scoring 10 or more runs from May 19, 2000 until March 30, 2003. The 42-game winning streak when scoring 10 or more runs was the longest by a Wells coached team. His previous best was 36 consecutive games from 1993-96 at Northwestern State (9-0) and Alabama (27-0).
FIRST-TIME OPPONENTS: Alabama has met four first-time opponents this season, including Cal Poly, Texas-Arlington, Dallas Baptist and Youngstown State. All of those meetings came in the first 11 games of the 2008 season.
CELEBRATIONS: The Crimson Tide baseball team hosts three reunions this season at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama welcomed back to campus the 1983 College World Series runner-up, March 7-9, when the Crimson Tide hosted Youngstown State. The 1983 CWS team is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season. Alabama celebrated the 60th birthday of "The Joe" on Friday, March 21, when the Crimson Tide opened SEC play against Vanderbilt. The celebration included a large birthday cake and party favors for Tide fans, along with the return of former baseball lettermen for the game. One former player, representing each decade of "The Joe's" existence threw out the first pitch. The final celebration will take place April 25-27, when the Crimson Tide hosts the Auburn Tigers. That celebration will honor the 1968 SEC Champions for their 40th reunion in Tuscaloosa.
ALABAMA'S PRO PLAYERS: Thirteen former University of Alabama baseball players made their 2008 season debuts when professional baseball opened its season the first week of April. The only Major League player in the group is left-hand pitcher Taylor Tankersley, who began his third season with the Florida Marlins earlier this week. Tankersley, who played at Alabama from 2002-04, was a first-round pick of the Marlins in 2004. The Crimson Tide has five former players at the Triple-A level, including Lance Cormier, Wade LeBlanc, Adam Pavkovich, Andy Phillips and Paul Phillips. Three of those Triple-A players are in the International League, including Cormier (Norfolk Tides), Andy Phillips (Louisville Bats) and Paul Phillips (Charlotte Knights). LeBlanc opened the season with the Pacific Coast League's Portland Beavers. Pavkovich is back for his third season with the Salt Lake Bees. Phillips was on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster this spring and was one of the last players sent to Louisville. LeBlanc is on the fast-track to the big-leagues in just his second full season with the San Diego Padres. He was mentioned this spring by manager Bud Black as the Padres potential No. 5 starter, but will begin the year in Triple-A. Alabama's lone Double-A player is New York Yankees farmhand David Robertson, who opened his third professional season with the Eastern League's Trenton Thunder. Robertson played in low-A, high-A and Double-A last season and finished the year with more any innings pitched than any other professional pitcher not to allow a home run in 2007. He is also on the fast track to the big leagues with the Yankees. The Crimson Tide has six players at the Single-A level, including Matt Downs, Tommy Hunter, Cale Iorg, T.J. Large, Greg Paiml and Emeel Salem. Hunter, Paiml and Salem began their first full season of pro ball on April 4. Hunter, a supplemental first-round pick by the Texas Rangers in June, 2007, was the opening day starter for the Bakersfield Blaze in the California League. Downs (San Jose Giants) and Large (Lancaster Jethawks) also play in the California League. Iorg, who was taken in the sixth round last season by the Detroit Tigers, opened the 2007 season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League. Paiml (Kannapolis Intimidators) and Salem (Columbus Catfish) are both in the South Atlantic League.
