ALABAMA, UAB MEET IN HOME-AND-HOME SERIES
3/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 23, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 24-ranked University of Alabama baseball team will make a brief appearance in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday and then its back on the road for four more games Wednesday and this weekend.
The Crimson Tide will host the UAB Blazers Tuesday, at 6:35 p.m. (CST), in the first game of a home-and-home series with the Blazers. Alabama will play UAB at Regions Park in Hoover on Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m. (CST), before traveling to Gainesville, Fla., for a weekend series against the Gators.
Tuesday's game with UAB will be the Tide's only home game in an eight-game stretch, which includes back-to-back SEC weekends at Mississippi and Florida.
Alabama (15-7, 3-3 SEC) continues to lead the SEC in hitting (.343) and fielding (.975) after two SEC weekends. The Crimson Tide is coming off a 19-6 win over No. 12 Mississippi on Sunday. Alabama has scored 10 or more runs in nine of its last 11 victories and averages 9.6 runs and 12.5 hits per game.
Senior right fielder Kent Matthes (.439, 15 HR, 41 RBI) continues to lead the nation with 15 home runs this season. He has homered in 13 of his 21 games this season, with three multi-homer games against SE Missouri (Feb. 22), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (March 7) and Mississippi (March 22). He has at least one home run against nine of UA's 11 opponents.
Freshman left fielder Taylor Dugas (.422, 2 HR, 16 RBI) is riding a 12-game hitting streak, where he is batting .481 (26-for-54) with two home runs and 12 RBI. He is second in the SEC with nine doubles.
Junior third baseman Jake Smith (.342, 6 HR, 19 RBI) has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, including a five-game hitting streak. Since Feb. 28, Smith is batting .418 (23-for-55) with six home runs and 17 RBI. He was 3-for-21 (.143) in his first six games.
Alabama head coach Jim Wells said Monday that sophomore right-hander Jimmy Nelson would get his first start of the year Tuesday against UAB. Nelson is 1-2 with a 3.46 ERA in a team-leading 11 relief appearances this season. Wells said that Wednesday's starter would be determined after Tuesday's game.
UAB (11-9, 1-2 CUSA) is hitting .316 as a team this season, but relies on team speed. The Blazers have stolen 44 of 48 bases this season, led by senior outfielder Brint Hardy (18-for-20) and junior shortstop Jonathan Merritt (13-for-14).
The Blazers are expected to send senior right-hander James Oliver to the mound on Tuesday. He is 1-2 with a 6.50 ERA in six games and four starts this season. UAB will also wait until after Tuesday's game to name its Wednesday starter against the Tide.
Alabama leads the all-time series with UAB, 39-14. The two teams split two meetings last season, with Alabama winning 6-4 in Tuscaloosa on April 1 and UAB winning 8-5 at Regions Park on April 2.
UAB at Alabama Fact Box
Tickets: $1 each at Sewell-Thomas Stadium
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network - WFFN-FM (95.3) - Tuscaloosa and WAPI-AM (1070) - Birmingham
Chris Stewart and Mick Gillispie
Alabama Starting Pitchers:
1 - RHP Jimmy Nelson (11 G, 1-2, 3.46 ERA)
2 - TBA
UAB Starting Pitchers:
1 - RHP James Oliver (6 G, 4 GS, 1-2, 6.50 ERA)
2 - TBA
Promotions:
Tuesday, March 24
"Dollar Day" (all tickets are $1)
"Future All-American Night" (all kids get to take the field with the Crimson Tide for the National Anthem)
"Family Day" (a family of four receives four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes and four popcorns for $20)
