Crimson Tide Opens NCAA Regional Play against East Carolina

May 28, 2008

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama baseball team earned its 19th NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearance this week when the Crimson Tide was selected to play in the 2008 Conway (S.C.) Regional on the Coastal Carolina campus.

Alabama is the No. 3 seed in the Conway Regional and will face No. 2 seed East Carolina in first-round action on Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m. (EDT). Both Alabama and East Carolina received at-large selections to the tournament. No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina, the 2008 Big South Conference champions, will take on No. 4 seed Columbia, the 208 Ivy League champions, in the other first round game at 1 p.m. (EDT).

Alabama is one of nine Southeastern Conference teams to make the 2008 NCAA Regionals, joining Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. LSU (No. 7) and Georgia (No. 8) earned national seeds at this year's tournament and are expected to host both the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. The Crimson Tide played 11 teams that made the NCAA Tournament and posted 15 wins against the field.

Alabama is in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in 14 seasons under Coach Jim Wells. The Conway Regional marks the Tide's first NCAA Tournament appearance in the Palmetto state since the 1995 East Regional in Clemson. The 1995 NCAA tournament was the first for an Alabama team under Wells.

HEAD COACH Jim Wells: Alabama head coach Jim Wells has compiled a 588-298 (.664) record in 886 games 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 782-387 (.669) record in 1,169 games as he enters 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.

2008 CONWAY REGIONAL TICKET INFORMATION: Alabama will be participating in the NCAA Baseball Regional hosted by Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., May 30th through June 2nd. Tickets are available through the Coastal Carolina ticket office at 877-424-2687 (tickets are not available online). The public sale for all-session passes begins Tuesday, May 27th at 7 a.m. (EDT). Ticket prices are as follows: Reserved All-Session - $70; General Admission Left Field - $65; General Admission Right Field - $60.

Single game tickets will be available beginning Thursday, May 29th at 7 a.m. (EDT). Reserved tickets are $15 and General Admission tickets are $10.

STORY LINES: Here are some feature ideas while covering the Alabama baseball team during the 2008 post-season.

*After an 0-4 start in SEC, Alabama won 16 of its last 26 conference games to earn the No. 5 seed at the 2008 SEC Tournament. The Crimson Tide won its last five series against Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, No. 22 Florida and No. 7 Georgia. The Crimson Tide also won three SEC series against ranked teams, including No. 4 Vanderbilt (March 21-23), No. 15 Ole Miss (March 28-30) and No. 22 Florida (May 9-11).

*Assistant coach B.J. Green was diagnosed with lymphatic leukemia almost two years ago and after months of chemotherapy he was placed on medical leave in January as he prepared for a bone marrow transplant. After several setbacks the last few months, Green was admitted to UAB Medical Center on May 7 and had a successful bone marrow transplant on May 15. He remains in the hospital and the few days following the transplant are the most critical as his body adjusts to the new stem cells. The Crimson Tide coaching staff and players have inscribed "BJ" on their caps for the 2008 season and Green's No. 12 jersey hangs in the dugout during each game in the his honor.

*Freshman second baseman Ross Wilson starred on the popular MTV mini-series "Two-A-Days" during the 2006 and 2007 seasons while the starting quarterback at Hoover High School. Wilson led the Bucs to the 2005 Class 6A state championship and lost in the title game in 2006. He is the younger brother of Crimson Tide senior quarterback, John Parker Wilson. His mom, Susan Ingram Wilson, is a former Crimson Tide cheerleader, who was on the squad in 1979 when the Tide went 12-0 and won Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's sixth national title at Alabama.

*Freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge leads the SEC with 96 hits. He and teammate Brandon May are the only teammates with more than 90 hits in the league this season. May is fourth with 90 hits through 60 games. Rutledge led the league with 91 hits in 56 regular season games. In SEC play, Rutledge led the league with 53 hits in 30 conference games. Georgia's Ryan Peisel was second with 45 his. Rutledge his safely in 54 of 60 games this year, including 28 of 39 regular season SEC games. His older brother, Michael, is a senior third baseman at Samford.

*Junior catcher Alex Avila's father, Al, is the Assistant General Manager and Vice President of the Detroit Tigers. Avila helped build the Tigers team that won the 2006 American League pennant and lost to St. Louis in the World Series. Avila also served in the same capacity with the Florida Marlins and was the architect of the Marlins 1997 World Series championship team.

*Senior left-hander Will Stroup proposed to his fiancee', Lauren Little, during "Senior Day" festivities prior to the Alabama-Florida game on May 10. After Stroup was introduced to the crowd and handed his senior gift by Coach Wells, Stoup dropped to his knees and "popped the question" to Miss Little. After a long hug and a lot of tears, she said yes. Stroup has been named to the Academic Honor Roll four times in his career, including 2005 and 2006 at Birmingham Southern and 2007 and 2008 at Alabama.

*Sophomore Brandon May began his Alabama career at second base. He played 49 games there as a true freshman and opened the 2008 season as the starting second baseman. After four games, he was moved to left field and became one of the league's top outfielders. He was named First-Team All-SEC this season. He can hit, too. He leads Alabama with .379 batting average with nine home runs and 49 RBI, May is the only player to start all 60 games for the Tide this season.

*Sophomore third baseman Jake Smith's step-brother, Russ Tibbs, is the starting second baseman at Shelton State Community College. The Bucs are in the NJCAA World Series for the second straight year and are currently undefeated in this year's national tournament after two rounds.

RANKED TEAMS: Alabama is 10-9 (.526) against ranked opponents this season and has played 10 straight games against Top 25 clubs. The streak began on May 9 with a three-game series against No. 22 Florida. The Tide wrapped up the regular season the following weekend against No. 7 Georgia in Athens. Alabama played four SEC Tournament game and all four opponents were ranked in the latest polls, including No. 19 Kentucky, No. 7 Georgia and No. 8 LSU. Alabama had four SEC wins over Top 25 teams, including No. 4 Vanderbilt (March 21-23), No. 15 Ole Miss (March 28-30), No. 22 Florida (May 9-11) and No. 6 Georgia (May 16-17). The Tide owns a 202-159 (.590) record against ranked teams under Coach Wells since 1995.

ALABAMA IS NO. 3 SEED AT CONWAY REGIONAL: The University of Alabama baseball team is headed back to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championships, as the No. 3 seed at the Conway (S.C.) Regional, hosted by Coastal Carolina later this week. Alabama (34-26) will open play against No. 2 seed East Carolina (40-19), who finished fifth in the Conference USA regular season standings. No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina (47-12), who earned the automatic bid with the Big South Conference championship, will play No. 4 seed Columbia (22-28), the Ivy League champions.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Alabama is making its 19th all-time NCAA Regional appearance this season. The Crimson Tide owns a 58-36 (.617) all-time NCAA Tournament record, including Regionals, Super Regionals and College World Series play.

*Alabama has six NCAA Regional championships, including 1950, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2006. The Crimson Tide has a 2-2 (.500) in Super Regional play. Alabama posted a two-game sweep of LSU in 1999 and was swept by North Carolina in 2006.

*Alabama is 11-10 (.524) all-time record in five College World Series appearances. The Crimson Tide has been the national runner up twice in 1983 and 1997.

*The Crimson Tide owns a 45-24 (.652) record in NCAA Regional play since its post-season debut in 1947.

*Since 1983, Alabama has been the No. 1 seed five times and the No. 2 seed eight times and the No. 3 seed twice. The Conway Regional equals the Tide's lowest seed in NCAA Regional history. Alabama was the No. 3 seed at the 1991 NCAA Atlantic Regional in Tallahassee, but that tournament featured six teams.

Seed Record Seed Record

1983 Tallahassee 2 40-9

1986 Coral Gables 2 41-18

1991 Tallahassee 3 39-18

1995 Clemson 2 39-21

1996 Tuscaloosa 1 45-18

1997 Tuscaloosa 1 48-12

1998 Palo Alto 2 43-16

1999 Tuscaloosa 1 46-14

2000 Palo Alto 2 38-22

2002 Tuscaloosa 1 48-13

2003 College Station 2 37-22

2005 New Orleans 2 38-21

2006 Tuscaloosa 1 41-19

2008 Conway, SC 3 34-26

*Since 1999, Alabama as been tabbed a national seed three times, including 1999 (No. 5), 2002 (No. 3) and 2006 (No. 4).

*Alabama's first appearance came in the 1947 South District III Playoffs in Charlotte, N.C. The Crimson Tide came out of the loser's bracket to force an if necessary game with Clemson and a shot at the College World Series. Clemson beat Alabama 4-1 in the championship game and advanced to the very first CWS in Kalamazoo, Mich.

*The Crimson Tide made its second straight South NCAA District III Playoff appearance in 1948, also in Charlotte, N.C. After an opening round win over George Washington, Alabama fell to North Carolina and George Washington and was eliminated.

*Alabama captured its first South District III championship in 1950, sweeping Clemson and Wake Forest (twice) in Kannapolis, N.C., to advance to the College World Series for the first time in school history. The 1950 CWS was the first one played in Omaha, Neb.

*The Crimson Tide would lost a best-of-three series with Rollins College in the 1955 South District III Playoffs in Winter Park, Fla. It would be 13 years before the school's next NCAA Regional game.

*Alabama captured the 1968 SEC Championship with a best-of-three series win over Eastern Division champion Florida to advance to the 1968 South District III Playoffs in Gastonia, N.C. The Crimson Tide had to win its final regular season series against LSU in Tuscaloosa to earn a share of SEC Western Division championship. The next day, Alabama beat LSU in a one-game playoff in Baton Rouge to advance to the SEC Championship series. The Crimson Tide lost to North Carolina State and Florida State in two games in the 1968 tournament. On the way to Gastonia, N.C., Alabama head coach Joe Sewell arranged for the team to stop off at Fulton County Stadium to see the Atlanta Braves.

*Perhaps the Tide's most impressive regional championship came in 1983 at the Atlantic Regional at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., where UA defeated Miami, Florida State and Miami to advance to the College World Series. The four-team field also hosted a very talented South Alabama team, making it one of the top regionals in the nation that year.

*The Crimson Tide got a taste of post-season life at Mark Light Stadium in 1986, posting a 2-2 record at the Atlantic Regional. Following an opening round loss to South Carolina, the Tide beat Navy and South Carolina before falling to Georgia Tech.

*Alabama was the No. 2 seed at the Atlantic Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1991, losing in the title game to Florida State.

*The Crimson Tide has played in 11 NCAA Regionals in 14 years under head coach Jim Wells. The Crimson Tide owns a 29-14 (.674) record in NCAA Regional play under Coach Wells.

*Alabama has hosted NCAA Regionals in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2006. UA also hosted the 1999 NCAA Super Regional here in Tuscaloosa.

*Alabama made a school-record six straight NCAA Regional appearances from 1995-2000. The Tide was the No. 2 seed at the 1995 East Regional at Clemson, where it posted a 4-2 record before falling to the host Tigers in the championship game.

*The Crimson Tide hosted back-to-back NCAA Regionals in 1996 and 1997, earning the No. 1 seed on both tournaments. The 1996 NCAA South I Regional was the first ever post-season tournament held at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama also hosted the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional in 1999 and the first-ever NCAA Super Regional in 1999.

*Alabama posted a 13-game winning streak in home regionals from 1995-1999. The Tide went 4-0 in 1996, 4-0 in 1997 and 3-0 in 1999. Alabama also swept LSU in the 1999 NCAA Super Regionals at the Joe.

*The Tide won the 1996 NCAA South I Regional championship in Tuscaloosa. Alabama, hosting its first-ever NCAA Regional, defeated Princeton, South Alabama, Stetson and Virginia to advance to the CWS.

*Alabama won the 1997 South II Regional in Tuscaloosa to advance to Omaha for the second straight year. The Tide beat Troy State, Wichita State, North Carolina State and Southern California to make it back to the CWS.

*UA was the No. 1 seed at the College World Series in 1996 and 1997, the only team in CWS history to be seeded first in consecutive world was series.

*The Crimson Tide posted wins over Navy and Southern Miss (twice) to its the 1999 Tuscaloosa Regional and advance to the newly-created NCAA Super Regionals. In the first year of Super Regional play, Alabama swept LSU in the best-of-three series to advance to the CWS for the third time in four years.

*The Crimson Tide made two appearances at the Palo Alto Regional in 1998 and 2000, finishing second to Long Beach State in 1998 and Stanford in 2000.

*Alabama hosted the 2002 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and finished second to Florida Atlantic. The Tide saw its 13-game home post-season winning streak snapped with an opening round loss to Southeast Missouri State.

*The Crimson Tide played on the road in 2003 and 2005. In 2003, Alabama was the No. 2 seed at Texas A&M and finished third in the regional, marking the first time a Wells-coached team did not reach the finals. In 2005, Alabama was the No. 2 seed at national seed Tulane at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans. UA finished second to the CWS-bound Green Wave.

*Alabama won the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, beating Jacksonville State and Troy (twice) to advance to its second NCAA Super Regional. The Crimson Tide lost to No. 5 North Carolina in the best-of-three series and finished second in the College World Series.

WELLS' NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Alabama coach Jim Wells has compiled a 30-16 (.652) all-time record in NCAA Tournament play. Overall, Wells has taken 13 of his 19 teams to NCAA Regionals, including 11 of 14 teams at Alabama.

*Wells is 29-12 (.704) in NCAA Tournament play in 14 seasons as head coach of the Crimson Tide. He was 1-4 (.200) in two NCAA Tournament appearances at Northwestern State (1990-94).

*He made his NCAA Tournament debut at the 1991 NCAA South I Regional in Baton Rouge, La., while the head coach at Northwestern State. The Demons suffered a 13-2 loss to the Tigers on May 24, 2991. Wells also took the Demons to the 1994 NCAA Midwest Regional at Stillwater, Oklahoma. He registered his first career post-season win with a 8-2 victory over Illinois State on May 28, 1994.

*Wells made his NCAA Tournament debut with Alabama at the 1995 East Regional at Clemson, S. C. In fact, Wells led Alabama to a school-record six straight NCAA Tournament berths from 1995-2000.

WELLS' NCAA TOURNAMENT YEAR-BY-YEAR

Year Site Seed Record

1991 Baton Rouge 6 0-2

1994 Stillwater 6 1-2

1995 Clemson 2 3-2

1996 Tuscaloosa 1 4-0

1997 Tuscaloosa 1 4-0

1998 Palo Alto 2 3-2

1999 Tuscaloosa 1 3-0

2000 Palo Alto 2 3-2

2002 Tuscaloosa 1 3-2

2003 College Station 2 1-2

2005 New Orleans 2 2-2

2006 Tuscaloosa 1 3-0

2008 Conway 3 0-0

Totals 30-17

ALL-TIME NCAA OPPONENTS: Alabama has played 36 different opponents in NCAA Regional play since 1950, most recently against Jacksonville State at the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. The Crimson Tide has never met East Carolina, Coastal Carolina or Columbia in NCAA Regional play.

WELLS' ALL-TIME NCAA OPPONENTS: Coach Wells' teams have faced 30 different NCAA Regional opponents since his first trip in 1991. He has a winning record against 22 of those 30 teams. Wells has never met East Carolina, Coastal Carolina or Columbia in NCAA Regional play.

ALABAMA VS. NCAA FIELD: Alabama has played 11 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament, including Arkansas, Dallas Baptist, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Lipscomb, New Orleans, LSU, Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Vanderbilt. Alabama and South Carolina did not play one another this season. Of the 11 opponents in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, only two were automatic qualifiers. LSU won the SEC Tournament Championship with an 8-2 win over Ole Miss. Lipscomb outlasted Gardner Webb, 10-9, in 15 innings to earn the Atlantic Sun's automatic bid. Alabama compiled a 15-15 (.500) record against the NCAA field.

FIRST-TIME OPPONENTS: Alabama has never faced any of three teams at the 2008 NCAA Conway Regional. East Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Columbia would all be first-time opponents. Alabama played four first-time opponents during the 2008 regular 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.

NCAA TOURNEY EXPERIENCE: Alabama has only six players, including five position players and one pitcher, with prior NCAA Tournament experience. The six players have played in a total of 21 NCAA Regional games. Senior first baseman Matt Bentley is the only UA player to play in each of the last two regionals. He played in the 2005 NCAA New Orleans Regional and the 2006 Tuscaloosa Regional. Junior outfielders Kent Matthes and Ryan Rhoden have played in more NCAA Regional game than any other UA player. Matthes and Rhoden played in five games during the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and Tuscaloosa Super Regional. Junior catcher Alex Avila played in four games during the 2006 post-season, while junior first baseman Wes Henderson played in two games in 2006. Senior RHP Josh Copeland is the only Tide pitcher with NCAA Regional experience, as he pitched against North Carolina in the 2006 NCAA Super Regionals.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS?: Alabama was the consensus preseason pick to finish dead last in the SEC Western Division and after its first four league games, the pundits appeared to be on target. Alabama snapped a season-high six-game losing streak with a 9-7 win over No. 4 Vanderbilt on March 21 and proceeded to win 16 of its next 26 league games to finish second in the Western Division and fourth overall, proving those preseason prognosticators wrong.

ALL-SEC HONORS: Four University of Alabama baseball players were named to the 2008 All-SEC Team, the league office announced on Tuesday morning, including first-team selections Alex Avila and Brandon May, freshman team pick Josh Rutledge and defensive team specialist Jake Smith.

*Avila, a junior from Pembroke Pines, Fla., was a First-Team All-SEC selection as the designated hitter after his best season with the Tide. In 54 games, he batted .336 (71 for 211) with 16 home runs and 57 RBI. Overall, Avila ranks fourth in RBI (57), sixth in home runs (16), eighth in total bases (132), ninth in slugging percentage (.626) and 12th in on-base percentage (.439). In SEC play, Avila ranks among the league leaders in total bases (3rd, 79), RBI (4th, 33), home runs (4th, 10), at-bats (6th, 126), runs scored (10th, 29), plate appearances (10th, 142) and slugging percentage (11th, .627).

*May, a sophomore from Marietta, Ga., was named First-Team All-SEC as an outfielder. The only player to start all 56 games for the Tide, May hit .365 (81 for 222) with nine home runs and 45 RBI. He hit eight of his nine home runs on the road. He ranks among the SEC leaders in seven offensive categories, including hits (6th, 81), hitting (8th, .365), doubles (8th, 17), at-bats (9th, 222), on-base percentage (10th, .454), walks (12th, 36) and plate appearances (12th, 262). In SEC games, May ranks among the league leaders in six offensive categories, including hits (4th, 45), hitting (9th, .369), doubles (10th, 9), plate appearances (11th, 141), at-bats (11th, 122), walks (12th, 17) and on-base percentage (12th, .446).

*Rutledge, a native of Cullman, Ala., was a Freshman All-SEC selection after a solid rookie year that saw him lead the SEC with 91 hits in the regular season. He also led the league with 240 at-bats and finished third in plate appearances (278), fifth in hitting (.379), 10th in stolen bases (10) and 12th in runs scored (59). In conference games only, Rutledge led the league with 54 hits and ranked second in hitting (.406) to South Carolina's Justin Smoak (.407). He was second in at-bats (133), second in plate appearances (148), 10th in on-base percentage (.452) and 11th in runs scored (28). Rutledge led the Tide with a .379 (91 for 240) average and added 55 runs and 27 RBI in 54 games. He posted a 28-game hitting streak this season, which included a school record 23-game SEC hitting streak.

*Smith, a sophomore from Shannon, Ala., was named to the 2008 SEC All-Defensive Team. He made only eight errors (.951) in 162 chances at the "hot corner" this season. On offense, he hit .242 (46 for 190) with seven home runs and 29 RBI in 55 games.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Alabama junior right fielder Kent Matthes was named to the 2008 Southeastern Conference Baseball Community Service Team, the league office announced Monday, May 20. Matthes is one of the Crimson Tide's most accessible players and is constantly surrounded by children after each Alabama home game. He is a member of the Alabama Athletic Department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a strong member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has been seen throughout the school year reading to children at local elementary schools. He read a book to the students at Taylorville Primary School on being responsible and working hard. He spoke at Faucett-Vestavia Elementary School during "Red Ribbon Week" about staying away from drugs and alcohol. Matthes also participated in "Team Spirit Day" at Sprayberry Education Center. He was also involved in the UA Athletic Department's Halloween Extravaganza, offering local children a safe place to celebrate Halloween. He was a vital part of the UA's Project Angel Tree, which provides Christmas gifts to local children whose parents are incarcerated.

SEC TOURNAMENT RECAP: Alabama posted a 2-2 record at the 2008 SEC Tournament last weekend at Regions Park in Hoover. The Crimson Tide entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed and lost to No. 4 seed Kentucky in the first round. Alabama rebounded to win is next two games, beating No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Kentucky. The Crimson Tide was eliminated in the semi finals by No. 2 seed LSU, who extended its winning streak to 19 games with a 12-8 win over the Tide. As a team, Alabama hit .299 (41 for 137) in Hoover with two home runs and 26 RBI. The pitching staff went 2-2 with a 4.89 ERA and recorded 34 strikeouts in 35 innings on the mound. Alabama made six errors in four tournament games, with five of those errors coming in the two losses to Kentucky and LSU. Alabama's four tournament games drew 41,704 fans, an average of 10,426 per game to see the Tide play. Sophomore left fielder Brandon May was the Tide's leading hitter .529 (9 for 17) at the tournament, with four runs scored and four RBI. May was the Tide's DH in three of the four games and did not make the all-tournament team as LSU DH Blake Dean had a sensational tournament, including four home runs, to earn MVP honors.

SEC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Three University of Alabama baseball players - Alex Avila, Austin Hyatt and Kent Matthes - were named to the 2008 Southeastern Conference All-Tournament Team, the league office announced on Sunday, May 25. Hyatt earned All-Tournament honors after tossing a four-hitter against SEC Champion and seventh-ranked Georgia in an elimination game on Thursday, May 22. Against the Bulldogs, Hyatt allowed two runs and four hits with six strike outs and one walk. He took a one-hitter into the eighth inning and at one point in the game retired 20 straight Georgia batters. Matthes hit .400 (6 for 15) in four games with three runs scored, one double and four RBI. He went 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI in the Tide's 13-4 win over No. 19 Kentucky on Friday, May 23. Avila hit .375 (6 for 16) in four games behind the plate with two runs scored, one double and four RBI. He was 3 got 6 and drove in two runs in the Tide's 13-4 win over No. 19 Kentucky in Friday's elimination game. He added two more hits and one RBI against LSU on Saturday, May 25.

SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Alabama made its 28th SEC post-season appearance at the 2008 SEC Tournament at Regions Park. The Crimson Tide has compiled a 51-43 (.544) all-time record in SEC post-season games. The 28 post-season appearances includes six SEC Championship series, a best-of-three series between the Eastern Division and Western Division champions, and 21 SEC Tournament berths. Alabama's six championship series appearances came in 1950, 1955, 1957, 1968, 1973 and 1974. The 2008 SEC Tournament will be Alabama's 21st appearance under the current tournament setting. The Crimson Tide has compiled a 41-36 (.532) record since the tournament's inception in 1977, including seven championships. Alabama took home SEC Tournament crowns in 1983, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003. Alabama owns a winning record against seven of the 11 league teams in SEC Tournament play. The Crimson Tide has a losing record against both LSU (5-7) and Ole Miss (1-5). The Tide has never faced Vanderbilt under the current format.

Jim Wells SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Alabama head coach Jim Wells has led the Tide to a 36-17 (.679) record in his 12 SEC Tournament appearances since 1995. Wells has guided the Tide to SEC Tournament championships in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003. Alabama's presence in the SEC Tournament was basically non-existent before Wells arrival in 1995. The Crimson Tide posted a 5-19 (.208) record in SEC Tournament play in 10 appearances from 1977-94. Alabama lost a school-record 10 consecutive SEC Tournament games from 1986-94. Since Wells' arrival in 1995, Alabama has been a fixture in the SEC Tournament, making 12 appearances and winning an SEC record six championships. Wells owns a winning SEC Tournament record against every team with the exception of Ole Miss (1-3).

FATHER TIME: Alabama's four SEC Tournament games lasted a total of 13:17, an average of almost 3:21 per game. Alabama played the fastest and slowest game at the SEC Tournament. The Alabama-Georgia elimination game on May 22 was played in 2:33, while the UA-Kentucky elimination game on May 23, lasted 4:07. It was one of two four hour games in the tourney. The 14 SEC Tournament games took 42 hours and 44 minutes to complete. The average SEC Tournament game time was 3:15. The first Alabama-Kentucky game (May 21) did not start until 10:45 p.m. (CDT), almost four hours pas the original start time. It was the latest start time for an Alabama baseball game in the Jim Wells era. The previous late start was a 9:52 p.m. (CDT) when Alabama met Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament on May 25, 2005. The Crimson Tide and Jacksonville State Gamecocks met in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on June 2, 2006 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. That NCAA Regional game began at 9:35 p.m. (CDT). The UA-UK game ended at 1:54 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, marking the latest finish for an Alabama baseball game in the Wells era.

ALABAMA VS. SEC CHAMPS: Alabama closed the 2008 regular season at SEC Champion Georgia last weekend (May 15-17) in Athens, marking the first time since 1989 that the Tide played the regular-season champion on the final weekend. The Crimson Tide closed the 1989 season at league champion Mississippi State and won two of three games from the top-ranked Bulldogs. Alabama was also involved in the SEC Championship race in 1996, 1997, 2002 and 2006, heading into the final weekend. The Tide swept Auburn to claim a share of the 1996 SEC Championship and lost to LSU on the day of the 1997 season, giving the Tigers the outright league title. In 2002, Alabama was swept in the final regular-season series at LSU to give South Carolina the SEC Championship. In 2006, Alabama swept Tennessee in Knoxville on the last weekend of the regular season and Georgia won two of three from Kentucky in Athens, as the Tide and Wildcats shared the regular season crown. Since 1995, Alabama has won eight of the 14 regular-season series with SEC champion. Here is a year-by-year look at the Tide's success against the league champs in the Wells era.

Year SEC Champion Series vs. Alabama

1995 Tennessee Alabama won 2 of 3

1996 Alabama NA

Florida Alabama won 2 of 3

LSU Alabama won 2 of 3

1997 LSU Alabama won 2 of 3

1998 Florida Alabama swept 2-game series

1999 Arkansas Alabama swept 3-game series

2000 South Carolina Alabama was swept in 3-game series

2001 Georgia Alabama won 2 of 3

2002 South Carolina Alabama lost 2 of 3

2003 LSU Alabama lost 2 of 3

2004 Georgia Alabama lost 2 of 3

Arkansas Alabama lost 2 of 3

2005 Florida Alabama lost 2 of 2

2006 Alabama NA

Kentucky Alabama and Kentucky did not play

2007 Vanderbilt Alabama lost 2 of 3

2008 Georgia Alabama won 2 of 3

TIDE WINS SEVEN SEC SERIES: Alabama won seven of its 10 SEC series this season, the second-most series wins among the 12 conference teams. Georgia won eight conference series en route to the 2008 SEC Championship. Alabama earned series win over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, No. 22 Florida and No. 7 Georgia. The three series losses to Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee were all on the road.

PERFECT AT HOME: Alabama and South Carolina were the only two SEC teams to win all five home conference series this season. The Crimson Tide earned home series wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and No. 22 Florida. The Tide posted a 10-5 (.667) home record in 2008 and has won eight straight home SEC series, dating back to last year. Alabama spoiled Georgia's bid for a perfect home SEC season, beating the No. 7 Bulldogs two out of three on the final weekend of the regular season. Georgia, Florida and Kentucky all won four home SEC series this year.

HOME GAMES: The Crimson Tide is 21-9 (.700) at home this season. Alabama has won six of its eight home series this season, including all five SEC series against No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and No. 22 Florida. 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 30 home games this season, Alabama is hitting .304 (309 for 1016) with 32 home runs and 198 RBI. Hitting Leaders: Rutledge (.392, 47-120, 32 R, 14 RBI), May (.330, 38-115, 26 R, HR, 22 RBI) and Wilson (.305, 36-118, 26 R, 4 HR, 18 RBI). Alabama pitchers are 21-9 (.700) with a 4.03 ERA and seven saves this season. The staff has worked 270 innings and allowed 159 runs (121 ER) and 288 hits, with 229 strikeouts and 108 walks. Pitching Leaders: Kilcrease (8 G, 1 GS, 3-0, 1.21 ERA), Copeland (12 G, 2-0, 2.30 ERA, 3 SV) and Stroup (10 G, 2 GS, 2-0, 3.30 ERA). UA opponents are 9-21 (.300) with 6.99 ERA at the Joe this season, with two saves. Alabama is fielding .961 (46 errors) at home this season.

WELLS' SEC HOME RECORD: Alabama is 137-69 (.665) in SEC home games in the Wells era. Alabama has recorded double-digit home wins seven times, including a 10-5 (.667) mark this season. The Crimson Tide has series wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and No. 22 Florida. The Crimson Tide posted a glistening 13-2 SEC home record in 1999 and 2002. Overall, Alabama has won 53 of the 69 SEC home series (76.8 percent) in the Wells era. The Tide won all five SEC home series in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2006 and 2008. 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 four SEC series wins this season, Alabama has won 18 of its last 20 SEC home series, dating back to the 2005 season. The Crimson Tide has also won eight straight SEC home series, dating back to the 2007 season. The current streak includes series wins over Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida. Since 1995, Alabama has won 29 of its 37 SEC series against Eastern Division teams. The Crimson Tide has won 10 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 24 of its 34 home series against Western Division teams and has won seven of its last eight series, dating back to the 2006 season. From 1996-2000, Wells directed UA to 11 straight home series wins over SEC Western Division clubs.

ROAD KILL: Alabama had the second-most SEC road series wins in the league this season, winning on the road at Arkansas and No. 7 Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs led the league by winning four its five SEC road series, losing only to Alabama on the final weekend of the regular season. Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU and Vanderbilt also won two home SEC series. Mississippi State and Tennessee lost all five SEC road series this season.

ROAD GAMES: Alabama is 10-13 (.435) on the road this season. The Crimson Tide closed the year by winning five of its last seven road games, including SEC series wins over Arkansas (May 2-4) and No. 7 Georgia (May 16-17). Alabama was the only team in the SEC to win a series at Foley Field in Athens, Ga., this season. The Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs twice on the final weekend of the regular season. The Tide is hitting .317 (274 for 863) on the road this year, with 41 home runs and 156 RBI. The Tide averages 7.4 runs and 11.3 hits per game. Hitting Leaders: May (.400, 38-95, 25 R, 8 HR, 23 RBI), Avila (.379, 36-95, 23 R, 9 HR, 33 RBI), Rutledge (.358, 38-106, 18 R, 12 RBI). Matthes (.337, 31-92, 4 HR, 12 RBI) and Kubal (.333, 22-66, 2 HR, 9 RBI). Wilson added seven home runs and 19 RBI in 23 road games. The pitching staff is 10-13 with one complete game, one shutout, four saves and a 6.46 ERA. The staff has worked 196 1/3 innings and allowed 166 runs (141 ER) and 240 hits with 156 strikeouts and 118 walks. UA opponents average 7.2 runs and 10.2 hits per game. Pitching Leaders: Stroup (12 G, 2 GS, 3-3, 4.68 ERA), Miers Quigley (7 G, 4 GS, 2-1, 5.45 ERA) and Austin Graham (11 G, 2 GS, 1-1, 3 SV, 5.61 ERA). The Tide is fielding .957 (37 errors) on the road with 22 double plays.

WELLS' ROAD RECORD: Alabama is 147-148 (.498) in 295 road games under Coach Wells since the 1995 season. The Crimson Tide is 10-13 (.435) on the road this season. UA has had only one winning road record in the last five season, posting an 11-10 (.523) record on the road en route to the 2006 SEC Championship. Last year, Alabama was 7-12 (.368) on the road. As a team the Tide hit .234 (151-for-464) on the road in 2007 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI. Matthes hit .267 (16-for-60) on the road last season with seven RBI to lead all Tide returnees. Avila (.216, 5 HR, 16 RBI) and Bentley (.208, 6 HR, 11 RBI) combined for 11 home runs and 27 RBI on the road last season. On the mound, the Tide went 7-12 with three saves and a 5.57 ERA. Hyatt was 2-0 with one save and 0.00 ERA in three road games last season. He worked six innings and allowed no runs and five hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks.

WELLS' SEC ROAD RECORD: Alabama is 100-107 (.483) in SEC road games under Coach Wells. The Crimson Tide is 6-9 (.400) in SEC road games this season with a series wins at Arkansas (May 2-4) and No. 7 Georgia (May 16-17). The Tide has series losses at No. 4 Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee. Alabama has had a winning road record six times in SEC play since 1995, but only one winning road mark in the last eight years. The Crimson Tide was 8-7 (.533) in SEC road games en route to the 2006 SEC Championship. Alabama was 6-9 (.400) in SEC road games season, winning its final road series at Mississippi State. Dating back to last season, Alabama had lost seven of its last eight SEC road series.

ROAD WARRIORS: Alabama played 23 road games this season, the most since playing 24 road games during the 1994 season. The Crimson Tide opened the season by playing nine of its first 17 games away from home. Alabama played eight road games in a 10-game stretch from April 2-16. In addition to its 15 SEC road games, Alabama played three games at the 2008 Southwest Diamond Classic and then one game at UT Arlington before returning to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will also play six in-state road game this season against Troy (Riverwalk Stadium - Montgomery), at North Alabama, at Jacksonville State, UAB (Regions Park - Hoover), at South Alabama and at Samford. The Tide also plays Southern Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. The Crimson Tide closed out the regular season by playing seven of its last 10 games on the road, including SEC series at Arkansas (May 2-4) and Georgia (May 15-17).

NEUTRAL SITES: Alabama is 60-32 (.652) in neutral sites games under Coach Wells since the 1995 season. The Crimson Tide is 3-4 (.429) in neutral site games this season. In addition to the 2008 SEC Tournament, UA also played neutral site games against UT Arlington, Nevada and Southern Mississippi. Alabama took on UTA and Nevada at the 2008 Southwest Diamond Classic in Frisco, Texas. Alabama lost to UTA, 10-9, and defeated Nevada, 7-4. The Crimson Tide was the designated home team against Southern Miss at Trustmark Park on April 16. USM won 6-3. Alabama also played Troy at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery on March 4 and UAB at Regions Park on April 2, but both of those games counted as road games for Alabama. Year-By-Year Neutral Site Record: 1995 (6-4); 1996 (10-3); 1997 (8-2); 1998 (2-3); 1999 (8-2); 2000 (5-4); 2001 (0-0); 2002 (6-1); 2003 (7-2); 2004 (0-2); 2005 (3-2); 2006 (2-2); 2007 (0-1) and 2008 (3-4).

SEC RECAP: Alabama posted a 16-14 (.533) record in conference play this season. The Crimson Tide has had a winning conference record in 12 of the 14 seasons under Coach Wells. The Crimson Tide won seven of its 10 SEC series, including the last five to end the regular season. Alabama closed the year with back-to-back series wins over No. 22 Florida and No. 7 Georgia. In SEC games only, Alabama hit .303 (329 for 1085) with 48 home runs and 186 RBI in 30 games. The Tide led the league with 48 home runs and finished second in hitting and RBI. Alabama also led the league with 329 hits, 543 total bases and a .500 slugging percentage in SEC play. The Crimson Tide was second in runs scored (208), triples (10) and at-bats (1085). UA was third with a .375 on-base mark. Alabama pitchers led the SEC with seven balks and ranked 11th with a 5.85 ERA. The Crimson Tide defense was fifth with a .969 fielding mark.

*Alabama started slow, losing three of its first five SEC series to Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee ... The Tide hit .275 (144 for 523) with 19 home runs and 67 RBI ... UA averaged 4.9 runs and 9.6 hits per game in the first 15 SEC games ... Rutledge was the leading hitter with a .403 (27 for 67) with 10 runs and five RBI ... May hit .377 (20 for 53) with four home runs and eight RBI ... The pitching staff was 6-9 (.400) with one complete game, three saves and 5.68 ERA ... Josh Copeland was 2-0 with three saves and 0.00 ERA (15.2 IP, 0 ER) in nine appearances ... Alabama made 19 errors in its first 15 SEC games.

*The Crimson Tide finished strong, winning its last five SEC series ... In its last 15 SEC games, Alabama hit. 330 (185 for 561) with 29 home runs and 119 RBI ... UA averaged nine runs and 12.3 hits per game during the last half of the SEC season ... Rutledge hit .409 (27 for 66) with 18 runs and eight RBI in the last 15 league games to pace the Tide offense ... Avila (.379, 6 HR, 22 RBI), May (.362, 3 HR, 10 RBI) and Wilson (.355, 7 HR, 16 RBI) all hit over .350 in the last 15 SEC games for the Tide ... On the mound, UA was 10-5 (.667) with three saves and a 6.09 ERA in the last half of the conference season ... In 10 appearances, Graham posted a 4-0 record with three saves and 4.71 ERA ... He recorded 25 strikeouts in 21 innings.

*Alabama posted a 9-6 (.600) record against SEC Western Division and won four of the five series ... The only series loss came at LSU (April 4-6) ... The Tide hit .299 (159 for 532) with 22 home runs and 94 RBI ... UA averaged 7.1 runs and 10.7 hits against Western Division teams this season ... Rutledge scorched the Western Division with a .452 (28 for 62) batting average ... He added 16 runs and eight RBI in 15 games ... The pitching staff was 9-6 (.600) with three saves and 4.70 ERA ... Stroup posted a 2-1 record and 0.93 ERA in eight games against Western Division teams ... Josh Copeland went 3-0 with one save and 3.55 ERA in seven games ... Austin Graham posted a 1-0 record with two saves and 5.29 ERA in eight appearances ... He recorded 22 strikeouts in 17 innings.

*Alabama posted a 7-8 (.467) against Eastern Division teams this season, with series wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Florida and No. 7 Georgia ... Alabama was 6-3 (.667) against those three teams ... The Tide hit .308 (170 for 552) against Eastern Division teams, with 26 home runs and 96 RBI ... The Tide averaged 6.8 runs and 11.3 hits in the five series ... May was the leading hitter with .466 (27 for 58) average, with 12 runs, four home runs and 10 RBI ... He homered in all three road series at Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia ... Rutledge his .366 (26 for 71) against the Eastern Division with 12 runs and five RBI ... Avila batted .338 (22 for 65) with 16 runs, seven home runs and 17 RBI ... He averaged more than one hit, one run and one RBI per game against the division ... Alabama pitchers with 7-8 with one complete game (Hyatt), three saves and 7.12 ERA ... Graham was 4-1 with one save and 6.49 ERA in seven appearances ... Alabama made only 22 errors in 21 games against the east.

*Alabama won all five home SEC series and has won eight in-a-row dating back to last year ... The Tide picked up home series wins over No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and No. 22 Florida ... The Tide hit .298 (154 for 516) in 15 home games with 18 home runs and 91 RBI ... Rutledge hit .500 (30 for 60) in 15 conference home games with 17 runs scored and eight RBI ... Wilson hit .305 (18 for 59) with three home runs and eight RBI ... The pitching staff was 10-5 with a 4.27 ERA in 15 home games ... The Tide had one complete game (Austin Hyatt) and three saves ... Graham went 4-0 with one save and 4.88 ERA in eight SEC home games ... The Tide made 15 errors in 15 games.

*The Tide was 6-9 (.400) on the road in SEC play, but closed the season with back-to-back series wins at Arkansas and No. 7 Georgia ... Alabama hit .308 (175 for 568) in SEC road games with 30 home runs and 95 RBI ... Alabama hit 18 home runs in its last six SEC road games at Arkansas (8) and Georgia (10) ... May was the Tide's leading hitter with a .435 (27 for 67) average with seven home runs and 15 RBI ... He has hit eight of his nine home runs this season away from home, including all seven in SEC play ... Avila (.358, 6 HR, 15 RBI) and Rutledge (.329, 5 RBI) also hit better than .325 in SEC road games ... The pitching staff was 6-9 with three saves and a 7.59 ERA ... Stroup (9 G, 2-3, 6.60 ERA) had two wins and Graham (1-1, 2 SV, 7.45 ERA) has one win ... UA made 20 errors in 15 SEC road games ... The Tide made 19 errors in 15 games.

*Alabama won seven SEC series this season, second only to SEC Georgia's eight series wins ... During the seven series wins, Alabama hit .317 (240 for 758) with 36 home runs and 149 RBI ... UA averaged 7.95 runs and 11.4 hits per game ... Rutledge hit .456 (41 for 90) in the Tide's seven series wins to lead the attack ... May (.344, 3 HR, 12 RBI), Wilson (.337, 7 HR, 19 RBI) and Avila (.329, 8 HR, 27 RBI) all hit better than .300 in the seven series wins ... The pitching staff went 14-7 (.667) with 5.15 ERA in the seven series wins ... Graham was 5-0 with three saves and a 5.28 ERA in 12 games ...

*The Tide's three series losses came on the road against Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee ... In those nine games, UA hit .273 (89 for 326) with 12 home runs and 37 RBI ... UA averaged 4.1 runs and 9.8 hits per game in the series losses ... May hit .438 (14 for 32) with four home runs and nine RBI against UK, LSU and UT ... Junior RF Kent Matthes was the second-leading hitter with .344 (11 for 32) average with one home run and two RBI ... UA pitchers were 2-7 (.222) with a 7.70 ERA in the three series losses ... Copeland (at LSU) and Stroup (at Tennessee) had the only two wins ... Alabama made 13 errors in the nine games.

KENTUCKY SERIES RECAP: Alabama is 0-4 against Kentucky this season and has been outscored 36-11 in the four games. UK posted a 9-3 win in the first round of the 2008 SEC Tournament on Wednesday. The Wildcats also own a three-game series sweep over the Tide earlier this season (March 14-16) in Lexington. Alabama made two errors in the tournament opener that led to five unearned runs in the loss. The Crimson Tide led 3-1 after two innings, but managed only two hits the remainder of the game. Alabama suffered a three-game sweep to open SEC play at No. 4 Kentucky. The Crimson Tide was outscored 27-8 in the three-game series. The series win was Kentucky's first over Alabama since 1993 and it was the first sweep since 1992. Alabama had not been swept since the 2006 season when the Tide lost all three games at Arkansas on May 4-6, 2006. Alabama hit .235 (23-for-102) in the UK series with three home runs and seven RBI. May hit .421 (8-for-19) in five games last week with six runs scored, one home run and three RBI. He also walked three times. In the three-game series at Kentucky, May hit .500 (5-for-10) with three runs scored, one home run and one RBI. He hit is first career SEC home run in the third inning of the series opener on March 14. May also compiled a .800 slugging percentage and .615 on-base mark in the series. Avila hit .300 (6-for-20) with five runs scored, four home runs and 10 RBI in five games from March 11-16. Avila hit four home runs in three straight games against UNA, Samford and Kentucky. He hit a pair of three-run home runs and drove in a career-best seven runs in the Tide's 17-2 win at UNA on March 11. He finished the week with a .950 slugging mark. Sophomore LHP Del Howell made his SEC debut on the mound at Kentucky on March 15 and struck out eight batters in five innings, both career highs. Austin Graham made his first career SEC start at Kentucky in the series finale on March 16 and held the Wildcats to five runs and six hits in six innings of work. He also added five strikeouts.

VANDY SERIES RECAP: Alabama won its first series of the 2008 season, taking two of three games from fourth-ranked Vanderbilt at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. After dropping the opener 2-1 to extend its losing streak to six games, Alabama bounced back to take the series by winning the next two games. The Crimson Tide beat the Commodores 9-7 in game two of the series and then posted a lopsided 10-3 series-clinching win in the finale. The Crimson Tide hit .314 (33-for-105) against the Commodores with nine extra base hits, four home runs and 17 RBI. May (6-for-10, 2 R, RBI), Rutledge (7-for-13, 4 R) and Wilson (5-for-13, R, 2B, 2 RBI) were a combined 18-for-33 (.545) in the series with seven runs scored and three RBI. Alabama had a fabulous weekend on the mound after struggling in seven of its last eight starts. The Crimson Tide posted a 2.33 ERA in the three-game series and held the Commodores to a .202 (20-for-92) batting average. All three starters pitched into the eighth inning in the series as the Tide used only four total pitchers on the weekend. Hyatt (9 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) recorded his first career complete game in the series opener with Vanderbilt. Graham (7 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 8 K) recorded his first career SEC and added eight strikeouts in a career-high seven innings in game two of the Vanderbilt series. Junior Robert Phares (7.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K), making his first SEC start, notched his first collegiate win in the Tide's series-clinching victory. Copeland made two relief appearances and retired 10 of the 11 (7 K) batters he faced.

OLE MISS SERIES RECAP: Alabama won its second straight SEC series by taking two of three from No. 15 Ole Miss at Sewell-Thomas Stadium (March 28-30). The story of the weekend for both teams was pitching, as both teams hit less than .280 in a three-game series and combined for 22 runs. Bentley was the offensive star in the Tide's 6-5 series-opening win, swatting two home runs of Lance Lynn and Scott Bittle. Bentley capped an incredible 11-pitch at-bat with a solo home run to right center field off Lynn in the sixth inning as UA took a 5-3 lead. He homered again in the eighth off Bittle to give the Tide a 6-5 lead. The home runs by Bentley are the home runs allowed by Lynn and Bittle this season. Copeland earned the win with 2 2/3 innings of relief as Ole Miss stranded seven base runners in the final three innings. The second game of the series was suspended in the third inning due to rain and lightning and resumed on Sunday with the Rebels holding a 3-2 lead. The Crimson Tide came back took the series with a 5-3 come-from-behind win in game two. Kubal and Rutledge had back-to-back two-out hits in the sixth to give the Tide the lead for good. Smith added an RBI single in the seventh for a key insurance run. Alabama missed a chance at a sweep, losing the series finale, 2-1, in nine innings. Ole Miss scored single

LSU SERIES RECAP: Alabama dropped two of three games at LSU in the Crimson Tide's final appearance at venerable Alex Box Stadium. LSU will be moving into its new baseball home in 2009. A trio of Tiger pitchers Blake Martin, Jared Bradford and Daniel Bradshaw combined for a five-hit shutout in the series opener to extend LSU's scoreless streak to 27 innings. The Crimson Tide was shut out for the first time since a 6-0 loss to Arkansas in 2007 SEC Tournament at Regions Park. The last time Alabama was shut out in an SEC road game was a 3-0 loss to Vanderbilt and David Price on April 6, 2007. It was UA's first shutout in Alex Box Stadium since a 3-0 loss in 2002. The 3-0 loss marked the fifth time Alabama has been shut out in Alex Box Stadium since the park opened in 1938. Alabama won game two, 6-5, in 11 innings as Odle's squeeze bunt scored Kubal with the winning run. Copeland threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. He struck out five LSU batters and walked six in the win. In all, Alabama pitchers issued 11 walks in the game and not one LSU batter who walked scored a run. Alabama (11) and LSU (14) stranded 25 bases runners in the game. LSU rallied from a three-run deficit in the sixth-inning to post a 9-7 win. Trailing 7-4 in the sixth, LSU got three runs in the sixth and added one in the seventh and one in the eight for the win. Alabama has lost its last six series in Baton Rouge and has not won a series since posting back-to-back series win in 1995-96. May went 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in the series finale. Smith hit a two-run home run.

TENNESSEE RECAP: Alabama dropped two of three at Tennessee (April 12-13) losing its third consecutive road series of the 2008 season. The Crimson Tide hit .322 (37-for-115) in the series with seven home runs and 19 RBI. The seven home runs were the most in an SEC series since the Tide belted seven at LSU during the 2006 season. After a rain out on Friday night, the Tide and Vols played a day-night double header on Saturday, April 12. Alabama won a slugfest, 11-10, in the opener and hit four home runs in the process. Smith, May, Bentley and Sharp all homered in the win, with Bentley and Sharp hitting back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning that put the Tide ahead to stay. The Tide fell 13-5 in game two as UT blew open a close game with a seven-run, sixth inning, highlighted by Kentrail Davis' three-run home run. UT lefty Bryan Morgado (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 K) was too much for the Tide on the mound. The Tide let one slip away in the series finale, falling 6-4. The Tide took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but 12 men left on base doomed the Tide. Alabama left the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh innings and had two runners thrown out at home. UT left fielder Shawn Griffin hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning for the win.

MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES RECAP: Alabama won its third SEC home series of the season and sixth in-a-row dating back to last year, by taking two of three from long-time SEC Western Division rival Mississippi State at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide hit .304 in the series with five home runs and 24 RBI. Alabama posted a resounding 21-7 win in the series opener, scoring six runs in the fourth inning and blowing the game open with eight runs in the seventh inning. The Tide hit four home runs in the series opener to match its season high. Avila, Wilson and Howell all homered in the win. Avila's three-run home run capped the six-run fourth inning. Wilson tied an Alabama record with two home runs in the seventh inning off two different pitchers. Howell added a seventh-inning grand slam, the first of his career. Alabama's 21 runs in the series opener marked the third time in series history the Tide had scored 20 runs against the Bulldogs and were the second-most runs scored by UA in series history. UA beat MSU 29-10 in 1943 for the most runs scored in series history. Alabama also beat Mississippi State 20-1 in 1946. The Bulldogs bounced back to win the second game of Saturday's double header 6-4. MSU erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring two runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The Crimson Tide won the series with a 4-3 victory in Sunday's rubber game. Wilson hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning off Michael Busby to win the game. It was one of only five hits by the Tide offense in the series finale. Wilson hit three home runs in the series to double his season total to six homers. Sophomore RHP Austin Graham pitched three scoreless innings for the win in relief. Mississippi State hit .333 (37-for-111) in the series and all 11 extra base hits were doubles. The Bulldogs had at least one base runner in all 27 innings, but left 38 men on base in the three-game set.

AUBURN SERIES RECAP: Alabama won its seventh straight SEC home series as the Tide took two of three from arch-rival Auburn, April 25-27, at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide hit .342 (38 for 111) in the series with four home runs and 23 RBI. Alabama averaged 8.67 runs and 12.67 hits per game against Auburn. The Crimson Tide hit four home runs, including three in-a-row in the seventh inning, to cruise to a 17-7 series-clinching win in the finale. Rutledge and sophomore third baseman Jake Smith had four hits each to lead the Tide's 21-hit attack. Avila added three hits and senior first baseman Matt Bentley cracked two home runs and drove in a career-high six runs. Alabama scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to even the series with a 5-4 win on Saturday in front of the fourth-largest paid crowd (6,459) in stadium history. Junior Tyler Odle had a pinch-hit single and May added an RBI single to right in the inning. Junior right fielder Kent Matthes had a two-run double in the first inning and turned in a highlight-reel catch to rob AU's Joseph Sanders of a home run in the fourth inning. Senior Josh Copeland (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K) was the winning pitcher, while sophomore Austin Graham (2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K) earned his first career save. Auburn's Michael Hurst (0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER) suffered the loss. Auburn used a four-run sixth inning, including Brian Fletcher's three-run home run, to beat Alabama, 5-4, in the opener. Grant Dayton (5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) earned the win on the mound, while Bryan Woodall notched his 10th save of the year. Rutledge had three hits to lead the Alabama offense, while freshman second baseman Ross Wilson and junior first baseman Wes Henderson added two hits each. Avila knocked in two runs with a bases loaded single in the fifth inning. Junior Miers Quigley (5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) took the loss.

ARKANSAS SERIES RECAP: Alabama picked up its first road series win of the season, by taking two of three from Arkansas at Baum Stadium May 2-4. The Crimson Tide hit eight home runs in the series and out scored the Hogs 22-13 in the first two games to clinch the series. Arkansas avoided the sweep with a 5-4 win in the finale on Sunday, scoring the winning run on a throwing error in the bottom of the eighth inning. In all, two Alabama led to three unearned runs in the loss. The Crimson Tide scored six runs in the fourth inning of the series opener to erase a three-run deficit and built a 7-4 lead en route to an 11-7 win. Kent Matthes capped the inning with a three-run home run into the Arkansas bullpen. The Tide added three insurance runs in the eighth inning. Freshman RHP Jimmy Nelson earned his first SEC win with 4 1/3 innings of relief in the opener. The Tide clinched the series with an 11-6 win on May 3. Alabama hit a season high five home runs, including back-to-back homers by Avila and May in the fourth inning and May and Matthes in the eighth inning. May, who hit two home runs in the game, was 3 for 4 with three runs scored and four RBI. The Tide scored nine runs in the final two innings to erase a 3-2 deficit. Alabama hit .339 (40-118) in the series with eight home runs and 24 RBI. Alabama also finished the series with 15 extra base hits.

FLORIDA SERIES RECAP: Alabama won its fourth straight SEC series by winning two of three from No. 22 Florida (May 9-11) in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide has now won eight straight home conference series, including all five this season against Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida. Against the Gators, the Tide posted two thrilling come-from-behind wins in the ninth inning. Sophomore Del Howell stroked a pinch-hit two run double in the ninth inning to give the Tide a 7-6 win in the series opener. In the series finale, Alabama erased a five-run deficit with five runs in the eighth inning and then won the game in improbable fashion with a run in the ninth to post an 8-7 win. In the eighth, junior Kent Matthes launched a three-run home run to close the gap to 7-5. Tyler Odle later tied the game with a two-run triple. In the ninth, senior Matt Bentley smacked what appeared to be a game-winning three run home run, but Florida right fielder Riley Cooper leaped over the wall to rob Bentley of the home run. Pinch runner Jeff Texada tagged a second base and third base coach Dax Norris waved him home when Riley's throw missed the cut off man. UF first baseman Jon Townsend's relay throw was late as Texada slid across the plate with the winning run. Alabama hit .283 (30 for 106) with two home runs and 14 RBI. May led the Tide with a .417 (5 for 12) average and scored one run. Bentley and Wilson had four hits each in the series. The Tide was just 6 for 29 (.230) with runners in scoring position in the series. Florida hit .294 (32 for 109) with five home runs and 18 RBI. The Gators out scored the Tide 19-17. Alabama pitchers compiled a 2-1 record and 6.00 ERA, with 29 strikeouts in 27 innings. Graham was 2-0 with 4.76 ERA, winning both games in relief. He had eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. The Tide made three errors in the series and turned two double plays.

ALABAMA-GEORGIA RECAP: Alabama closed out the 2008 regular season with a series win at No. 7 Georgia. Alabama and Georgia played two vastly different games on Friday at Frank Foley Field in Athens, Ga., with the two teams splitting a double header on the next-to-last day of the regular season. The Crimson Tide walloped five home runs and won a 17-13 slugfest in the opener, while the Bulldogs earned the slit with a 5-4 game in tightly contested game in the nightcap. Alabama jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the opener and held off a furious Georgia rally. Jake Smith hit two home runs in the game for the Tide, while Alex Avila (grand slam), Ross Wilson (3-run HR) and Del Howell (3-run HR) also hit home runs. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs combined for 30 runs and 34 hits, including nine home runs in Friday's opener. Junior Tyler Odle paced the Tide's 20-hit attack with a career high four hits. Wilson (3 for 6, 3 R, HR, 5 RBI) and Avila (3 for 6, 2 R, HR, 5 RBI) combined for six hits and 10 RBI in the win. Georgia took advantage of leadoff walk and an error in the bottom of the ninth inning to post a 5-4 win in the nightcap. Third baseman Ryan Peisel drew a lead off walk against losing pitcher Will Stroup and scored all the way from first base on Matt Olson's single to left-center field and Alex Kubal's error that allowed the winning run to cross the plate. Stroup (5-3) allowed two runs and two hits in two-plus innings as he suffered his third loss of the season. Georgia first baseman Rich Poythress and catcher Bryce Massanari were a combined 13 for 15 with five home runs and 12 RBI in the double header. Alabama overcame a 9-4 deficit in the fourth inning to take a 13-9 lead, before Georgia scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by Massanari's three-run home to tie the game at 13-13. Alabama scored three times in the ninth off Fields to earn the 16-13 win. Josh Rutledge led off the inning with single and scored the winning run on a wild pitch. The two teams hit six home runs in the finale. Alabama has now won four straight series with Georgia.

2008 HONORS AND AWARDS: Alabama has had four SEC Player of the Week winners in the last five weeks. Wilson was also named SEC Freshman of the Week, following the Tide's series win against Mississippi State (April 19-20). Freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after the Auburn (April 25-27) series and sophomore left fielder Brandon May was named SEC Player of the Week after the Tide's first road series win at Arkansas (May 2-4).

WILSON NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: University of Alabama freshman second baseman Ross Wilson was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, after helping the Crimson Tide to a series win at No. 7 Georgia (May 16-17). The Hoover, Ala., native had his best weekend of the regular season, leading Alabama to a pair of high-scoring wins over Georgia. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs combined for 68 runs and 20 home runs in the three-game series. Alabama won the opener, 17-13, and then clinched the series with a 16-13 win on Saturday. Wilson was 6 for 13 (.462) with eight runs, two home runs and eight RBI in the series. He went 3 for 5 in the series opener with three runs scored and five RBI. His three-run home run in the third inning gave the Tide a 10-1 lead. Wilson hit a two-run home run that gave Alabama a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning in game two. He capped the series by going 2 for 4 with one double and one RBI. He also scored a career-high four runs, including an insurance run in the ninth inning off of Joshua Fields. For the season, Wilson is hitting .279 (64 for 229) with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 55 games. He ranks second among SEC freshman with 12 home runs. In SEC play, Wilson hit .272 (34 for 125) with seven home runs and 20 RBI.

MAY NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: May was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week after leading the Crimson Tide to a crucial road series win at Arkansas, the SEC Office announced Monday, May 5. Against Arkansas, May hit .500 (7 for 14) with six runs scored, five extra-base hits and five RBI. He added two hits and scored three runs in UA's 11-7 series-opening win at Arkansas. May recorded his first career multi-homer game in the Tide' 11-6 win on Saturday that clinched Alabama's first road series win of the year. He finished the game going 3 for 5 with three runs scored, three extra-base hits and four RBI. He was 2 for 4 with an RBI double in Sunday's finale. In four games, May hit .450 (9 for 20) with three home runs and seven RBI, leading the Tide to a 3-1 road record. He also tallied a 1.050 slugging percentage and .476 on-base mark during the week. He went 2 for 6 with two runs scored, one home run and two RBI in the Tide's 10-6 win at Samford. May's two-run home run in the third inning ignited the Crimson Tide offense and brought the team back from a four-run deficit en route to the win.

RUTLEDGE NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Rutledge was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after sterling performance for the Crimson Tide after his performance against arch-rival Auburn, the league office announced on Monday, April 28. Rutledge had a monster week at the plate for Alabama as he hit .524 (11 for 21) with one double, one triple, four RBI and seven runs scored. He compiled a .600 on-base mark and a .667 slugging percentage in five games last week. He also posted three multi-hit games over that span. In a three-game series with arch-rival Auburn, Rutledge hit .727 (8 for 11) with four runs scored and reached base via one double, one triple, two runs batted in, two walks and one hit by pitch. He tallied an on-base percentage of .800 and posted a slugging percentage of 1.000 while leading Alabama to its seventh straight home series win. He was 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the series opener with the Tigers, including a triple and run scored in first inning. He went 1-for-2 with one run scored, one walk and one hit by pitch in game two of the series. The Cullman, Ala., native capped the weekend with a 4-for-5 performance on Sunday with one run scored and two RBI. It was Rutledge's third four-hit game of the season, tying Brandon May for the most on the team.

WILSON NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Wilson was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after leading the Crimson Tide to an SEC Western Division series win over long-time rival Mississippi State, April 19-20. Wilson was Alabama's leading hitter against Mississippi State, going 4-for-9 (.444) with three home runs and five RBI. He also scored five runs, added four walks and posted a 1.444 slugging percentage with 13 total bases in the series. He tied the Alabama single-game record with two home runs in the seventh inning in the series opener against MSU. He led off the inning with a solo home run off Forest Moore and capped the inning with a two-run home run off former Hoover High School teammate Greg Houston. Wilson hit a game-winning two-run home run in the seventh inning in the series finale as Alabama claimed the series with a 4-3 win.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The 2008 Alabama baseball roster contains three seniors, 19 juniors, six sophomores and eight freshmen. The 36 players hail from 10 different states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and New Jersey.

SOMETHING OLD: The Crimson Tide roster contains 19 veteran players, with the majority of the experience coming from the position players. The Tide returns 11 players who started at least one game last season, including Alex Avila, Matt Bentley, Del Howell, Kent Matthes, Brandon May, Kyle Moore, Tyler Odle, Ryan Rhoden, Jake Smith and Jeff Texada. Alabama returns six experienced pitchers, including Josh Copeland, Austin Graham, Austin Hyatt, Casey Kebodeaux, Miers Quigley and Will Stroup.

SOMETHING NEW: Alabama welcomes 15 newcomers to the 2008 roster, including seven transfers and eight true freshmen. The transfers include pitchers Jarrod Hewes (Faulkner State CC), Jamie Manning (Wallace State CC), Patrick Nappi (Shelton State CC) and Robert Phares (Shelton State CC); catchers Mike Sharp (Kansas CC) and David Woods (Meridian CC); and outfielder Alex Kubal (Gulf Coast CC). The list of true freshmen include pitchers Connor Hoehn, Nathan Kilcrease, Jimmy Nelson and Tyler White and infielders Jon Kelton, Josh Rutledge and Ross Wilson. Freshman pitcher Austin Evans and junior catcher Vin DiFazio both redshirted last year.

COACHING STAFF: Alabama has three new additions to its coaching staff in 2008, including assistant coaches Mitch Gaspard and Dax Norris and volunteer coach Drew French.

Gaspard is in his 13th season as Wells' top assistant coach. He previously worked for Wells at Northwestern State (1990-94) and Alabama (1995-2001). He spent the last five years as head coach at Northwestern State, where he compiled a 211-128 (.622) and led the Demons to Southland Conference championships in 2002 and 2005. Gaspard serves as the Crimson Tide's recruiting coordinator, hitting coach and works with the infield/outfield defense. He serves as the first base coach during games.

Norris is his first season as an assistant coach at Alabama. He was hired as a volunteer assistant coach in July, 2007, but was named interim assistant coach in January, 2008, when B.J. Green was placed on medical leave. Norris spent last season as assistant coach at Niceville (Fla.) High School under another former Tide assistant coach, Kevin Berry. Norris was a two-year letterman at UA in 1995-96 and earned All-American honors in 1996, leading the Tide to the SEC Championship and the College World Series. He played 11 seasons in professional baseball with the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations, reaching the Triple A level with both organizations. Norris works with Crimson Tide hitters and catchers. During the games, he serves as third base coach.

French is in his first season as UA's volunteer coach. He joined the staff in January, when Norris was elevated to interim assistant coach. French spent last season as the pitching coach at Concordia University in Austin, Texas. He assists Coach Wells with the Crimson Tide pitchers and also works with the outfielders.

B.J. Green: Alabama assistant coach B.J. Green was placed on medical leave in January, 2008 as he was diagnosed with leukemia. Green was admitted to UAB Medical Center on May 7, 2008 in preparation for his bone marrow transplant. He undergoing 16 rounds of chemo and the transplant is scheduled for Thursday, May 14. The Crimson Tide coaching staff and players have written "BJ" on their caps this season his honor and Green's No. 12 jersey hangs in the dugout during each game.

MAY RECORD: Alabama has compiled a 137-72 (.656) record in the month of May under Coach Wells. The Tide has played 209 games since 1995. From 1995-2001, Alabama went 88-23 (.793) in the month of May. The Crimson Tide went 29-2 (.935) in May during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Since 2002, Alabama is 47-48 (.495) in the month and has had losing records in 2003 (7-10) and 2004 (4-8). Alabama is 60-47 (.561) in SEC games in the month of May since 1995. The Tide went 10-2 (.833) in SEC play in the month of May in 1996 and 1997. In addition, the Tide has compiled a 56-23 (.667) record in the post-season during the month of May. Alabama was a glistening 19-2 (.905) in post-season games in the month of May in 1996 and 1997. The Crimson Tide was 6-6 (.500) during the month of May last season. The Tide hit .293 (122 for 477) with 15 home runs and 68 RBI. The Crimson Tide and the opposition scored 66 runs apiece last year in 12 games in May. The Tide staff was 6-6 with two saves and 5.62 ERA. Bentley hit .356 (16 for 45) with four home runs and nine RBI in 12 games, while May hit .302 (13 for 43) with two RBI in 12 games. Hyatt was 1-0 with one save and 0.00 ERA in three games last season in May.

MAY DAY: Alabama sophomore left fielder Brandon May (Marietta, Ga.) has had much success in his UA career during the month of May, including a trio of four-hit games. In 24 career games, he is batting .378 (37 for 98) with 19 runs, six doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. In 13 games this season, May is batting .458 (27 for 59) with 13 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI. He has hit safely in 12 of 13 games. Last year, May hit .256 (10 for 39) with six runs, one double and one RBI in 11 games. He had four-hit games against Florida on May 4, 2007 and May 11, 2008, and Kentucky on May 23, 2008.

HOME RUNS: Alabama has cracked 78 home runs in 60 games this season, an average of 1.3 home runs per game. The 78 home runs surpasses last year's total of 58 homers in 57 games. Alabama is in the top 20 nationally in home runs and home runs per game this season. The Crimson Tide is fourth in the SEC with those 78 home runs. In SEC play, Alabama led the league with 48 home runs in 30 conference games.

*A total of 14 different players have hit at least one home run for the Crimson Tide this season. A total of 11 different players have hit at least one home run in SEC play.

*Alex Avila (16), Ross Wilson (12), Matt Bentley (10) and Kent Matthes (10) have hit double figure home runs, marking the first time since 2000 the Tide has had four players with 10 or more home runs.

*The 2008 season marks the eighth time under Coach Wells the Crimson Tide has had at least three players hit double-digit home runs in a season.

Year THREE Players with 10 or more Home Runs

2008 Alex Avila (12), Ross Wilson (12), Matt Bentley (10) and Kent Matthes (10)

2003 Beau Hearod (20), Adam Pavkovich (10) and Al Hecklinski (10)

2002 Scott McClanahan (14), Hearod (12) and Jeremy Brown (11)

2000 Sam Bozanich (18), Brent Boyd (14), Kelly Gulledge (13), Ben King (13) and Brown (10)

1999 Andy Phillips (22), G.W. Keller (15), Brown (15) and Gulledge (11)

1998 Matt Frick (22), A. Phillips (21), Jayson Cox (15), Keller (14), Drew Bounds (13) and Paul Phillips (10)

1997 Dustan Mohr (25), Roberto Vaz (22), Keller (21), Robbie Tucker (20), Frick (16), A. Phillips (15), Joe Caruso (15)

and David Tidwell (10) (UA set NCAA record w/4 players with 20+ home runs)

1996 Caruso (14),Chris Moller (13) and Mohr (10)

*The Tide has homered in 50 of 60 games this season, including 22 of 30 SEC games.

*Alabama is 28-12 (.700) when hitting at least one home run and 8-14 (.364) without a home run. The Tide is 18-15 (.545) when the opposition hits at least one home run and 17-10 (.630) when opponents go without a home run.

*Alabama hit a season-high 10 home runs in its three-game series at Georgia (May 16-17), including five home runs in the series opener on May 16. The Crimson Tide also hit five home runs in an 11-6 win at Arkansas on May 3.

*The 10 home runs at Georgia are the most by Alabama in an SEC series since hitting 11 home runs against Ole Miss (April 21-23) during the 2000 season.

*The Crimson Tide stroked a season-high five home runs against Arkansas (May 4) and Georgia (May 16). The last time Alabama hit five home runs in a game was Feb. 21, 2004 against Cincinnati. The last time Alabama hit five home run in an SEC game was April 22, 2000 against Ole Miss.

*Alabama hit 30 home runs in its 15 SEC road games, including 18 home runs in its last two road series at Arkansas (8) and Georgia (10).

*The Crimson Tide 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 has hit 40 solo home runs, 22 two-run home runs, 12 three-run home runs and four grand slams this season.

*The Crimson Tide has 21 home runs with no outs, 34 home runs with one out and 23 home runs with two outs.

*Alabama has hit 16 home runs in the seventh inning, the most of any inning this season. In fact, 37 of the 78 home runs have come in the sixth (8), seventh (15), eighth (10) and ninth (4) innings.

*The Tide has hit 25 home runs this season with two strikes in the count.

*Alabama players have eight multi-home run games this season, including three by Bentley, two by Wilson and one by Avila, May and Smith. Bentley hit two home runs against Samford (March 12), Ole Miss (March 28) and Auburn (April 27). Wilson has multi-home run games against Mississippi State (April 19) and South Alabama (April 23). Avila hit two home runs at North Alabama (March 11). May hit two home runs against Arkansas (May 3). Smith added a pair of homers in the Tide's 17-13 win a No. 7 Georgia on May 16.

*The Crimson Tide has hit three home runs in an inning three times this season against Youngstown State (Wilson, Avila and Matthes), Mississippi State (Wilson, 2 and Howell) and Auburn (Bentley, Odle and Smith). Prior to the YSU game, the last time UA swatted three home runs in an inning came against Mississippi State's Paul Maholm (Jeremy Brown, Aaron Clark and Beau Hearod) on May 4, 2001.

*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 five 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). Junior catcher Mike Sharp hit is first career home run at Tennessee on April 12.

*Avila has homered against 10 of the 11 SEC teams in his UA career, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. He added Georgia to the list on the final weekend of the 2008 regular season as he hit three home runs in three straight games against the Bulldogs. He has never homered in his career against Auburn (9 games).

*Avila has homered in his last at-bat in each of the last two seasons against North Carolina (3-run HR) and Florida (solo HR).

*Bentley has homered against eight of the 11 SEC teams in his UA career, including Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee. He has not homered against Georgia (May 15-17), LSU or Vanderbilt.

BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS: Alabama has hit back-to-back home runs six time this season, including four times in its last three SEC games. Alabama hit three straight home runs in the seventh inning against Auburn on April 27. The Tide also hit back-to-back home runs twice in its win at Arkansas on May 3.

Date Opponent Consecutive Home Runs Inning

March 7, 2008 Youngstown State Ross Wilson and Alex Avila 7th

April 12, 2008 at Tennessee Matt Bentley and Mike Sharp 6th

April 27, 2008 Auburn Bentley and Tyler Odle 7th

Auburn Odle and Jake Smith 7th

May 3, 2008 at Arkansas Avila and Brandon May 4th

May and Kent Matthes 8th

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS: Alabama hit three consecutive home runs in the seventh inning against Auburn on April 27, 2008, which is believed to a be a first in the modern era of Crimson Tide baseball. Bentley cracked a three-run, opposite field home run to left field and Odle followed with an opposite field blast to left center field. Smith capped the home run streak with a shot down the left field line. All three home runs came off Auburn bullpen ace Bryan Woodall.

HOME RUN HISTORY: Here is a look at the career home runs for each UA player.

Player Solo 2-Run 3-Run GS Total Last Home Run

Avila 20 7 6 2 35 at Georgia (5/17/08)

Bentley 14 7 2 0 23 vs. Auburn (4/27/08)

Clark 1 0 0 0 1 vs. Mississippi Valley State (5/1/07)

Henderson 1 0 0 0 1 vs. New Orleans (3/19/08)

Howell 0 1 1 1 3 at Georgia (5/16/08)

Kubal 2 1 0 1 4 vs. Kentucky (5/23/08)

Matthes 10 4 5 0 19 vs. Florida (5/11/08)

May 5 4 0 0 9 at Georgia (5/17/08)

Moore 2 2 0 0 4 at Samford (4/29/08)

Odle 3 1 0 0 4 vs. Kentucky (5/21/08)

Rhoden 1 2 1 0 4 vs. Youngstown State (3/8/08)

Sharp 1 0 0 0 1 at Tennessee (4/13/08)

Smith 6 4 1 1 12 at Georgia (5/17/08)

Texada 1 1 0 0 2 vs. Vanderbilt (3/22/08)

Wilson 5 5 1 1 12 at Georgia (5/16/08)

SCORING SPREE: Alabama and Georgia combined for 68 runs in their three-game SEC series to close out the 2008 regular season on May 16-17. The 68 runs are the most runs recorded by either team in an SEC history in school history. Alabama scored 37 runs in the three-game series, while Georgia added 31 runs. The two teams combined for 31 runs in the Tide's 17-13 win in the series opener. The Tide and Bulldogs wrapped up the series with 29 runs in the Tide's 16-13 win. The previous high for Alabama was 66 combined runs against Vanderbilt (1999) and Mississippi State (1983). The Alabama record for most combined runs in any three-game series is 78 runs with Tulane in 1897. In 1997, Alabama and Michigan combined for 75 runs in three-game UA sweep.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY: Alabama had has seven of its 10 SEC weekends affected by weather this season, resulting in 12 rain delays, three suspensions and four double headers. Here is a look at the Tide's 2008 weather woes.

Kentucky (March 14-16) - Alabama opened the 2008 SEC season in frigid Lexington, Ky., and endured two lengthy weather delays in its opening weekend. In the series opener, the start of the game was delayed 2:43 minutes to rain and wet field conditions. The wind chill at game time was in 30s. In game two of the series, Alabama and Kentucky endure a 5:03 rain delay in the bottom of the fourth inning. The game was finally resumed shortly before 9 p.m. (EST) and ended after 11 p.m. (EST), making for a 12-hour day at the yard.

Vanderbilt (March 21-23) - There were no weather delays for the Vanderbilt-Alabama series.

Ole Miss (March 28-30) - Alabama and Ole Miss had three rain delays in game two of the series totaling 2:15 before the game was suspended shortly after 7:30 p.m. (CST). The was resumed in the top of the third inning on Sunday, March 30 and a second-game, consisting of seven innings, followed.

LSU (April 4-6) - The series opener was marred by rain and lightning as the start of the game was delayed 16 minutes by rain. A 35-minute rain delay followed in the bottom of the third inning before the game was suspended at 8:43 p.m. (CST). The suspended game was completed on Saturday, April 5 at 1 p.m. and the second game of the series was played at 7:30 p.m. The second game went 11 innings and ended shortly before midnight, marking a 13-hour day at Alex Box Stadium for both teams.

Tennessee (April 11-13) - The series opener was finally rained out at 9:36 p.m. (EDT) after four attempts to start the game ... The teams played two nine-inning games on April 13 and spent over 10 hours at the park to complete the two games.

Mississippi State (April 18-20) - The series opener was rained out for the third straight weekend. The game was called at 7:30 p.m. and a double header was scheduled for Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m. (CDT).

Auburn (April 25-27) - The Tide and Tigers almost made it through the three game series rain free before heavy rains in the bottom of the seventh inning in the series finale on April 27 caused a 24-minute rain delay.

at Arkansas (May 2-4) - There were no weather delays for the Alabama-Arkansas series.

Florida (May 9-11) - - There were no weather delays for the Alabama-Florida series, marking the second dry home series of the 2008 season.

at Georgia (May 16-17) - The series opener between Alabama and Georgia was rained out on May 15 and the two teams played a double header on Friday, May 16. The Georgia series marked the sixth weather-related double header for the Tide this season, including five (Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, MSU and Georgia) in league play.

COMEBACK KIDS: Alabama made a living with comeback wins during the early years of the Jim Wells era. The Crimson Tide has posted 290 come-from-behind wins since the 1995 season, including 29 comeback wins in 1999. The Tide has 90 last at-bat wins since the 1985 season, with 13 coming during the 1999 season. UA has also posted 42 walk-off wins under Wells, including seven in 1995. The Tide has 20 come-from-behind wins this season, including five last at-bat wins Ole Miss (Mar. 28), UAB (Apr. 1), Florida (May 9 & May 11) and Georgia (May 17).

THRILLING FINISHES: Alabama has had four last at-bat wins in its last six games. UA had two walk-off wins in its series win over No. 22 Florida on May 9-11 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide beat the Gators 7-6 in the series opener and recorded its first walk-off win of the 2008 season. Alabama did it again in the series finale, erasing a five-run deficit with two outs in the eighth inning to post an improbable win to clinch the series. Alabama added another last at-bat win over No. 7 Georgia on the final day of the regular season, scoring three runs in the ninth inning off All-American closer Joshua Fields. Alabama also beat Ole Miss on March 28 when Matt Bentley homered to give UA a 6-5 lead in the eighth inning. Alex Kubal doubled home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to push the Tide past UAB, 6-4, on April 1.

May 9 - Alabama 7, Florida 6

In the series opener, Alabama took a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning and sophomore right-hander Austin Graham got two quick outs without incident before walking the next two batters. Graham then struck out UF catcher Teddy Foster to end the game, but the ball got past catcher Mike Sharp to load the bases. Florida left fielder Avery Barnes then lined a two-out single to right-center field to give the Gators a 6-5 lead. The Tide responded with a rally of its own in the bottom of the ninth inning and scored the win from an unlikely hero. Freshman Josh Rutledge stroked a one-out single to right field to start the rally. After freshman second baseman Ross Wilson lined out, Florida turned to lefty Tony Davis to face junior Alex Avila with the game on the line. Avila fought off a couple of two-strike pitches and then lined an opposite field single to left to put runners at first and second. Alabama inserted pinch-hitter Ryan Rhoden and Florida then turned to righty Josh Edmondson to close out the game. Rhoden was lifted for a pinch-hitter the Tide sent seldom-used left-hander Del Howell to the plate with two outs. Howell smashed a first-pitch change up over the head of right fielder Riley Cooper to score Rutledge and Avila with the tying and winning runs as UA posted a dramatic 7-6 win.

May 11 - Alabama 8, Florida 7

As improbable as Friday's win was, the Tide's win on Sunday was even more unimaginable. Alabama trailed 7-2 with two outs in the eighth inning before junior Kent Matthes launched a three-run home run off freshman reliever Tommy Toledo to make it a 7-5 game. Howell and sophomore Jake Smith then followed with back-to-back singles and junior Tyler Odle tied the game with a two-run triple over center fielder Matt den Dekker's head, making the score 7-7. The bottom of the ninth was even more wacky for the Tide. After Wilson led off with a strikeout, Avila was hit by a Tony Franklin pitch and sophomore Brandon May followed with a bloop single to center to put runners and first and second with one out. Senior Matt Bentley then slammed what appeared to be a game-winning three run home run, but Cooper scaled the wall in right to rob Bentley of the dramatic home run. Pinch-runner Jeff Texada tagged at second base and third base coach Dax Norris waved him all the way from second base on the play. Cooper's throw missed the cut off man and Texada slid across the plate just ahead of first baseman Jon Townsend's relay throw for one the most bizarre wins in Tide history.

May 17 - Alabama 16, Georgia 13

Alabama overcame a five-run deficit and then scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning off All-American closer Joshua Fields to post a 16-13 come-from-behind win over No. 7 Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Ga., to clinch its fifth straight Southeastern Conference series. The Crimson Tide scored three runs in the ninth inning off Fields. Rutledge led off the inning with a single and moved to second when freshman Ross Wilson drew a walk. May struck out after fouling off three straight bunt attempts for the first out and junior catcher Alex Avila flied out to left field for the second out. Junior Kent Matthes was hit by a pitch on a two-strike count to load the bases. With senior first baseman Matt Bentley at the plate, Fields uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Rutledge to score the go-ahead run. Catcher Jake Crane's throw was wild to home plate and Wilson scored on his throwing error. Matthes advanced to third on a second throwing error by third baseman Ryan Peisel. Bentley then stroked a two-out double to right-center field to score Matthes and put the Tide in front 16-13. Sophomore Austin Graham (6-1) was the winning pitcher, despite allowing four runs and three hits in three innings, with one walk and one strikeout. Fields (2-3) allowed three earned runs in one inning of relief for the loss.

HEAVY HITTERS: Alabama freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge (Cullman, Ala.) and sophomore left fielder Brandon May (Marietta, Ga.) are the only Southeastern Conference teammates with 90 or more this season. Rutledge enters NCAA Regional play with an SEC-leading 96 hits, while May is fourth with 90 hits this season. The only other two SEC players with 90 or more hits this season are Vanderbilt's David Macias (92) and Kentucky's Sawyer Carroll (92). May is tied for third in the league with a .377 batting average, while Rutledge is fifth with a .375 batting average.

Josh Rutledge SEC HITS LEADER: Alabama freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge (Cullman, Ala.) leads the Southeastern Conference with 96 hits entering NCAA Regional play. He led the SEC with 91 hits during the regular season. Rutledge added five hits in four SEC Tournament games to hold to his lead over Macias and Carroll. The statistics will continue throughout the post-season. Rutledge is seeking to become the sixth player in school history to lead the SEC in total hits, joining George Johnson (55, 1967), David Magadan (114, 1983), Mike Twardoski (94, 1986), Dax Norris (105, 1996) and G.W. Keller (107, 1999). In 30 SEC games, Rutledge led the league with 54 hits, as he averaged 1.8 hits per conference game. Georgia's Ryan Peisel and South Carolina's Justin Smoak finished second with 46 hits in SEC play.

*A National and SEC Player of the Year candidate, Rutledge is second on the team with .375 (96 for 256) with 11 extra base hits, 29 RBI and a team-high 60 runs scored. He has hit safely in 52 of 60 games this season, including a 28-game hitting streak from March 26-May 10. He is currently first in the SEC in hits (96), second in at-bats (256), third in plate appearances (289) and fifth in hitting (.375).

*Rutledge was also UA's leading hitter in SEC play, with a .406 (54 for 133) batting average. He leads the league with 54 hits and finished second to South Carolina's Justin Smoak (.407) in hitting this season. Rutledge was also second in plate appearances (148), second in at-bats (133) and 10th in on-base percentage (.452). The rookie hit safely in a school record 23 straight SEC games from March 28-May 10.

*Rutledge was also UA's leading hitter at home (.392), vs. SEC Western Division teams (.452), SEC home games (.500), February (.422) March (.363) and April (.391). He was also the Tide's leading hitter in SEC series against No. 15 Ole Miss (.636) and Auburn (.727).

RUTLEDGE LEADS SEC ROOKIES: Rutledge also leads all SEC freshmen in hitting, total hits and multi-hit games heading into the NCAA Regionals. Through 60 games, Rutledge leads all SEC freshmen with a .375 (96 for 256) average, 96 hits and 30 multi-hit games.

RUTLEDGE HITTING STREAK ENDS AT 28 GAMES: Rutledge went 0 for 5 in the series finale against Florida on May 11 to snap his hitting streak at 28 games. It was the third-longest streak in Alabama history the longest hitting streak by a true freshman. Andy Phillips set the Alabama and SEC record with a 36-game hitting streak during the 1999 season. Roberto Vaz was second place all-time with a 32-game hitting streak. The previous freshman record was 27 games held by David Magadan in 1981. During the streak, Rutledge is batted .430 (52 for 121) with 27 runs, six extra-base hits and 19 RBI. He had 16 multi-hit games since the streak began on March 26 at Jacksonville State. The 28-game hitting streak was also the longest in the SEC this season. Ole Miss third baseman Cody Overbeck had the second-longest hitting streak at 24 games, which was snapped in the series opener at Alabama on March 28.

RUTLEDGE SETS UA RECORD: In addition to his 28-game hitting streak, Rutledge also hit safely in a school record 23 consecutive SEC games this season. The SEC hitting streak began on March 21 against Vanderbilt and ended with an 0- 5 performance against Florida on May 11. During the streak, Rutledge is hit .459 (45 for 98) with 22 runs, five extra base hits and 10 RBI. He also had 14 multi-hit games in the streak. For the season, Rutledge has hits safely in 25 of 27 SEC games. He was also held hitless against Kentucky on March 16.

SIX-PACK: One sure way to know the outcome of an Alabama baseball game this season is to check the scoreboard at the end of the sixth inning. The Crimson Tide is 28-3 (.903) this season when leading after six innings and 5-19 (.208) when trailing after six innings.

SCORING FIRST: Alabama is 21-11 (.656) when scoring first this season and 14-14 (.500) when the opponent scores first. The Crimson Tide is 15-8 (.652) when scoring in the first inning and 10-12 (.455) when the opponent scores in the first inning. There have been 14 games in which neither team scored in the first inning. In SEC play, the trend is reversed as UA is 6-7 (.462) when scoring first and 10-7 (.588) when the opponent scores first. Alabama is 5-4 (.556) in league games when its scores in the first inning and 8-5 (.615) when SEC opponents score in the first inning.

BIG INNINGS: Alabama has scored five or more runs in an inning 14 times this season. The Crimson Tide has nine five-run innings, three six-run innings and two eight-run innings. Alabama scored eight runs in the seventh inning against both Youngstown State (March 7) and Mississippi State (April 19) and in both innings the Tide hit three home runs. Alabama has scored at least five runs in an inning in four of its last seven SEC games. UA opponents have scored five or more runs in an inning nine times this season, including two five-run innings, three six-run innings, two seven-run innings and two eight-run innings.

DOUBLE DIPPING: Alabama has compiled a 225-10 (.957) record under since 1995 when scoring 10 or more runs in a game. The Crimson Tide is 15-0 (1.000) this season when scoring 10 or more runs and owns a 41-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 259-13 (.956) all-time record in 268 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)

ONE-RUN GAMES: Alabama has compiled a 117-96 (.549) record in 213 one-run games under Wells. The Tide is 7-8 (.468) this season in one-run games. Alabama posted a 5-8 record in one-run games last season. Overall, Wells coached teams are 155-119 (.566) in 274 one-run games. He was 38-23 (.623) in one-run games at Northwestern State.

EXTRA INNINGS: Alabama is 65-62-3 (.511) in extra inning games. The Tide is 22-25 (.468) in extra inning games under Wells, including a 1-3 (.250) 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.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Alabama batters have been hit with a school record 89 pitches this season. The previous record was 80 HBPs set by the 2003 team. Bentley leads the team with 18 HBPs, while Rutledge and Smith have 14 apiece.

Most Hit Batters: 1. 89 (2008). 2. 80 (2003); 3. 78 (2005); 4. 71 (200), 5. 59 (2007); 6. 57 (1999); 7. 55 (1998 and 1996); 9. 54 (2006 and 2001).

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT, II: By contrast, Alabama pitchers have hit 49 batters this season, the third-highest total in school history. The school record is 62 hit batters held by the 2005 team.

Most Hit Batters: 1. 62 (2005); 2. 51 (2007); 3. 49 (2008); 4. 47 (1999); 5. 46 (2001); 6. 44 (2000); 7. 42 (2002); 8. 37 (2006 and 2003); 10. 36 (1998 and 1991).

WILD PITCHES: Alabama continues to lead the SEC with 61 wild pitches this season. The 61 wild pitches equal the second-most in school history. The Tide also hit 62 batters in 1997. The single-season for HBPs is 62 set by the 1999 pitching staff. Graham leads the league with nine, while Howell has eight and Stroup and Hyatt has seven apiece. Alabama opponents have scored 19 times from third base this season as a result of a wild pitch (12), balk (3) or passed ball (4).

Alabama single-season wild pitch leaders: (1) 62 (1999); 2. 61 (1997); 3. 56 (2008), 4. 57 (2007); 5. 54 (1993); 6. 52 (2000); 7. 49 (2006); 8. 48 (2005); 9. 47 (1991) and 10. 44 (1989 and 1996).

BALKS: The Crimson Tide also leads the SEC with 20 balks this season. Quigley heads the list with an SEC-leading eight balks, while junior RHP Robert Phares and Kebodeaux have three each. Alabama's 20 balks are more than twice as many as Florida's (10) second place total. Alabama opponents have scored three times from third base this season as the result of a balk.

STRIKEOUTS: The Alabama offense has set the school record for most strikeouts this season with 450 entering the NCAA Regionals. The previous record was 437 strikeouts by the 1997 team that hit a school record 161 home runs and won the NCAA statistical national championship with a school and SEC record .621 slugging percentage. The 2008 team is the eighth UA team with 400 or more strikeouts in a season.

ERRORS: Alabama leads the S

University of Alabama Athletics

Crimson Tide Opens NCAA Regional Play against East Carolina

Related News

Players Mentioned

Austin Evans

Austin Graham

Wes Henderson

Del Howell

Austin Hyatt

Casey Kebodeaux

Jon Kelton

Nathan Kilcrease

Alex Kubal

Kent Matthes

Brandon May

Kyle Moore

Jimmy Nelson

Tyler Odle

Miers Quigley

Ryan Rhoden

Josh Rutledge

Jake Smith

Tyler White

Ross Wilson

Related Videos