Baseball Team Heads to Mississippi State
4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 30, 2009
Alabnama Game Notes vs. Mississippi State (May 1-3, 2009) 
2009 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BASEBALL
#22 Alabama (30-15, 12-9 SEC) at Mississippi State (21-24, 6-15 SEC)
Friday, May 1 (6:30 p.m.)
Saturday, May 2 (6:30 p.m.)
Sunday, May 3 (1:30 p.m.)
Polk-Dement Stadium/Dudy Noble Field (8,500)
GAME INFORMATION
Site: Polk-Dement Stadium
Series: Alabama leads, 202-166-3
Tickets: Available at Polk-Dement Stadium
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Mick Gillispie) WFFN-FM (95.3) - Tuscaloosa and WAPI-AM (1070) - Birmingham
Alabama Starting Pitchers:
1 - RHP Austin Hyatt (10 GS, 6-1, 3.45 ERA)
2 - LHP Del Howell (7 GS, 5-2, 4.79 ERA)
3 - RHP Adam Scott (11 G, 5 GS, 2-1, 4.08 ERA)
Mississippi State Starting Pitchers:
1 - TBA
2 - Nick Routt (LHP, 10 GS, 4-3, 3.41 ERA)
3 - Tyler Whitney (LHP, 10 G, 9 GS, 2-4, 5.02 ERA)
SEC Series (May 1-3, 2009)
Alabama at Mississippi State
LSU at Arkansas
Mississippi at Auburn
Florida at Georgia
Tennessee at Kentucky
Vanderbilt at South Carolina
FIRST PITCH: Alabama, winners of five of its last six and nine of its last 12 Southeastern Conference games, is back on the road this weekend to face long-time SEC Western Division rival Mississippi State in a three-game series at Polk-Dement Stadium/Dudy Noble Field on the MSU campus. The teams will meet Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) and Sunday, May 3, at 1:30 p.m. The Crimson Tide posted a 13-5 (.722) record in the month of April, which included nine wins in 12 SEC games. Alabama earned series sweeps against Tennessee (April 3-4) and Vanderbilt (April 17-18) and picked a hard-fought series win last weekend against Kentucky (April 24-26). Alabama is 4-5 (.444) in SEC road games this season and is coming off a three-game sweep of then-No. 28 Vanderbilt in its last road outing two weeks ago. It was the Tide's first series win in Nashville since 2000. The Crimson Tide has won the last three series' against the Bulldogs, including a series in its last trip to Starkville to close out the 2007 regular season.
RANKINGS: After its series win over Kentucky at Sewell-Thomas Stadium this past weekend, Alabama held steady in the national rankings released on Monday, April 27. Alabama is ranked 22nd by Baseball America, its highest ranking of the week. The Tide is also ranked 23rd by Rivals.com and Collegiate Baseball newspaper and 27th by the NCBWA.
HEAD COACH Jim Wells: Coach Jim Wells became the seventh coach in Southeastern Conference history to win 600 games when the Tide posted a lopsided 24-0 win over Alabama A&M on March 17. Wells joins former SEC greats Ron Polk (1,218), Skip Bertman (870), Keith Madison (735), Rod Delmonico (699), Roy Mewbourne (655) and Hal Baird (634) as the only coaches with 600 wins at an SEC school. Wells has compiled a 616-315 (.662) record in his 15th season as the Crimson Tide's head coach. He was named the school's 29th head baseball coach on June 4, 1995. He was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 16, 2009. Overall, Wells has compiled an 808-404 (.667) record in 1,212 games over 20 seasons 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.
WHO TO WATCH: Senior right fielder Kent Matthes (.378, 23 HR, 67 RBI) continues to lead the nation with 23 home runs. Bryce Bentz (Middle Tennessee) is second with 21 homers, followed by Rich Poythress (Georgia) with 20 home runs. The Orlando, Fla., native collected his 200th career hit with a sixth-inning single against South Alabama on April 29. He is the 15th player in school history with 200 or more career hits. Junior third baseman Jake Smith (.365, 16 HR, 45 RBI) gives the Tide one of the top home run-hitting duos in the nation. Smith has a career-high 16 home runs this season and now has 30 career home runs in his three-year career. He has doubled his home run total of last year, when he hit a career-high eight home runs as a sophomore. Alabama senior right-hander Austin Hyatt (10 GS, 6-1, 3.45 ERA) ranks second nationally in fewest walks per nine innings this season with 0.59 walks per game. Hyatt, who leads the SEC with 73 innings pitched, has recorded 62 strikeouts and five walks this season. He enters the Mississippi State series with a string of 25 consecutive innings without a walk. He has not issued a walk since the eighth inning of the Tennessee game on April 3. Junior utility-man Brandon May (.327, 8 HR, 50 RBI) led the Crimson Tide with a .378 (28-for-74) batting average in the month of April. He had 14 extra base hits and finished the month with five home runs and 27 RBI in 28 games. May was 4-for-5 in the Tide's win over South Alabama on April 29, with three extra base hits and two RBI. The USA game was 10th career four-hit game.
RPI: The NCAA released the official RPI (ratings percentage index) on Tuesday, April 28 and the Crimson Tide is rated No. 32 in this week's calculations. The Tide has seven opponents in the Top 50, including No. 11 Arkansas, No. 12 Georgia, No. 13 Florida, No. 15 LSU, No. 16 Mississippi, No. 38 Auburn and No. 42 Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide is rated 30th in the latest computations by Warren Nolan (www.warrennolan.com). UA will play 25 games this season against Warren Nolan's Top 50 teams as of Monday, April 27. The list of teams includes No. 10 Arkansas, No. 13 Georgia, No. 14 Florida, No. 15 Mississippi, No. 16 LSU, No. 36 Auburn, No. 41 Vanderbilt and No. 48 Kentucky. Alabama is No. 32 in the latest computations by Boyd Nation (www.boydsworld.com). The Crimson Tide has played or will play eight teams in this week's Top 50 RPI, according to Boyd Nation. The list includes No. 11 Arkansas, No. 12 Georgia, No. 13 Florida, No. 16 Mississippi, No. 17 LSU, No. 39 Auburn, No. 41 Vanderbilt No. 50 Kentucky.
MATTHES JOINS 200-HIT CLUB: In addition to his home run power, Matthes became the 15th player in school history to join the 200-hit club in his career. Matthes lined a single to left field to lead off the sixth inning against South Alabama on April 29 for the milestone hit. The last player to join the exclusive club was Alex Avila, who recorded 203 hits from 2006-08. Andy Phillips is the school's all-time hits leader with 322 hits from 1996-99.
MATTHES NEARS ASSIST RECORD: With five outfield assists this season, Matthes now has 21 career outfield assists, leaving him one behind Scott McClanahan's all-time record of 22 outfield assists from 1999-2002. McClanahan had eight assists in both 2000 and 2002 to lead the Crimson Tide. Matthes has five outfield assists this season, including one in each of his last two games against Kentucky (April 26) and South Alabama (April 29). He had seven outfield assists in both 2007 and 2008. Last year, he tied the UA single-game record with two outfield assists against Auburn on April 25 in Tuscaloosa.
MATTHES LOOKING FOR UA TRIPLE CROWN: Matthes leads Alabama in hitting (.378), home runs (23) and RBI (67) this season and has his eyes set on being the school's first triple crown winner since 1993. Matthes owns a three-point lead over freshman Taylor Dugas for the team batting title, the closest of his three competitors. He has seven more home runs than Jake Smith's second-place total of 16 homers and owns 17 more RBI than Brandon May (50 RBI). Al Drumheller, a two-way star, is the Tide's last triple crown winner. Drumheller led UA in hitting (.323), home runs (8) and RBI (38) during the 1993 season. In all, Alabama has had 15 triple crown winners in its storied history. Outfielder Herb Chapman was the school's first triple crown winner in 1946. Chapman (1946-47) and Joe Vitiello (1990-91) are the only players in school history to win the triple crown more than once.
SMITH A TWO-WAY THREAT: Alabama junior third baseman-turned-closer Jake Smith has become a real two-way threat for the Crimson Tide this season. The Hueytown, Ala., native is having a career year at the plate, hitting .365 (58-for-159) with 16 home runs and 45 RBI in 40 games. He is the team's third-leading hitter, while his career-high 16 homers rank second on the team. Smith has a .767 slugging percentage, .391 on-base percentage and a 1.158 OPS this season. He made his debut on the mound in a win over Alabama A&M on March 17 and now has six appearances. He is 0-1 with two saves and 2.13 ERA and now assumes the role as the Tide's closer. He has both of UA's saves in SEC games this season, closing out wins over Vanderbilt (April 18) and Kentucky (April 26). He has worked 12 2/3 innings and allowed three runs and 10 hits with 13 strikeouts and three walks. UA opponents are hitting .213 against him this season. Smith was standout pitcher and hitter during his prep career at Hueytown High School. As a senior, he finished the season 12-1 as a pitcher with four saves. He had 132 strikeouts in 96 innings with just 27 walks. His 1.17 ERA was among the best in the state, as were his six shutouts.
Here are some of the notable two-way stars in Alabama baseball history:
Paul Phillips (1998) - started 63 games ... saw action as outfielder, catcher and pitcher in 1998 ... hit .344 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI ... tallied 94 hits ... made seven appearances on the mound ... posted 1-1 record with two saves and 3.65 ERA ... struck out 12 batters in 12 innings ... earned win over Florida in 1998 SEC Tournament elimination game.
Roberto Val (1997) - started 63 games in lone season at UA in 1997 ... played left field and used as Tide's closer ... also made four starts on the mound ... hit .400 with 22 home runs and 74 RBI ... recorded 102 hits and nine triples ... led team with 87 runs scored ... went 4-1 with eight saves and 3.40 ERA in 22 games on the mound ... added 52 strikeouts and 50 innings.
Corey Spiers (1996) - played 49 games for the Tide ... hit .297 with eight home runs and 39 RBI in 42 games as starting outfielder ... also made 16 appearances on the mound with eight starts ... compiled 4-2 record with two saves and 3.36 ERA ... pitched 48 2/3 innings.
Al Drumheller (1991-93) - a two-way player in all three years of his UA career ... best season came in 1993 when he won UA's triple crown by hitting .323 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 52 starts ... compiled 9-4 record and 4.22 ERA in 18 games on the mound ... made 16 starts ... led UA in games, wins, innings pitched (98) and strikeouts (82) in 1993.
Joe Vitiello (1989-91) - a two-way player for the Tide in 1990 and 1991 ... hit .364 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI in 1990 as sophomore ... also posted 4-3 record and 3.25 ERA on the mound ... added one complete game ... he hit two home runs and was the winning pitcher in 9-0 win over Ohio State helped him earn Collegiate Baseball newspaper National Player of the Week honors in 1990 ... hit .395 as a junior (1991) with 15 home runs and 67 RBI ... went 4-5 with 5.13 ERA in 14 games on the mound ... closed out the 1991 regular season by hitting four home runs in double header sweep of Vanderbilt and picking win on the mound in game one as UA clinched SEC Tournament berth in the final day of the regular season
MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES: Alabama leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 202-166-3 in a series that dates back to the 1896 baseball season. Alabama has won three straight series against Mississippi State, dating back to the 2006 season. MSU's last series win came in Starkville during the 2005 season. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs have met every year since 1917, with the exception of 1944-45 due to World War II. Alabama and Mississippi State is the second-oldest baseball series in the UA record books. The only series older is the Alabama-Ole Miss series which began in 1895. Alabama has played more games (371) against Mississippi State than any other team. In fact, Alabama has played 1,042 all-time games against long-time SEC Western Division rivals Mississippi State (371), LSU (341) and Ole Miss (327). Alabama also has more wins (202) against MSU than any other school. The Crimson Tide posted its 200th all-time series win with a 9-7 victory at Dudy Noble Field on the final day of the 2007 regular season. Again, Alabama has posted 585 wins against long-time SEC Western Division foes Mississippi State (202), LSU (192) and Ole Miss (191). The Tide and the Bulldogs first met in 1896 with UA posting a 19-5-1 slate in the first 25 meetings with then-Mississippi A&M. Alabama won the first six games in series history and then posted a 10-game winning streak from 1912-1917. The Crimson Tide owned the series lead in the 1920s (18-6-1), 1930s (24-11-1), 1940s (24-8) and 1950s (23-12). Alabama posted an eight-game winning streak from 1940-42 and then added a nine-game winning streak from 1943-47. During the 1943 season, Alabama posted one of its most lopsided wins in school history as the Tide beat the Bulldogs, 29-10, in Tuscaloosa. Mississippi State rebounded after the 1950s to win the next four decades. State posted a winning record over the Tide in the 1960s (28-18), 1970s (27-22), 1980s (27-19) and 1990s (21-16). MSU posted an eight-game winning streak over Alabama from 1992-94, including back-to-back sweeps in 1993 and 1994. Alabama has had the upper hand since 2000, posting an 18-12 (.600) record. Since 1995, Alabama has won eight of the 14 series' with MSU. Coach Wells is 30-21 (.588) in his career against Mississippi State. He is 12-8 (.600) in games played at the Joe and has won six of the seven series' played between the two schools. Wells owns a 9-12 (.429) record in Starkville and has won only two of the seven series. Alabama posted a five-game winning streak from 2000-02, which included a three-game sweep to clinch the 2002 SEC Western Division championship. It was the Tide's first sweep of the Bulldogs since 1976. Alabama owns a 138-83-3 series lead in games played in Tuscaloosa. The Tide is 72-61 against MSU at the Joe since 1948. MSU leads the all-time series in Starkville, 80-57. The Tide holds a slim 8-5 lead in neutral site games. Alabama is 9-2 (.818) in the postseason against Miss. State, including a seven-game winning streak. The Tide had two wins to eliminate the Bulldogs from the 1997 College World Series. MSU head coach John Cohen, a native of Tuscaloosa and graduate of Tuscaloosa Academy, is 5-8 (.385) in his career against Alabama. Mississippi State will be the third different team to face Tide with Cohen at the helm. He has faced the UA while at Northwestern State (0-2) and Kentucky (5-6) and now at Mississippi State. He led the Wildcats to a 4-1 record against Alabama last season, including a three-game regular-season series sweep in Lexington.
MISSISSIPPI STATE SCOUTING REPORT: Mississippi State (21-24, 6-15 SEC) takes on SEC Western Division rival Alabama in a three-game weekend series in the Diamond Dogs' only competition of the week. Mississippi State had the week off for final exams and will hold graduation exercises on Saturday on the MSU campus. The Bulldogs are hitting .295 (440-for-1,491) this season with 47 home runs and 279 RBI in 45 games. MSU averages 6.5 runs and 9.8 hits per game. The Bulldogs are 21-24 with 6.16 ERA on the mound this season. MSU pitchers have worked 385 2/3 innings and allowed 307 runs (264 earned runs) and 448 hits with 312 strikeouts and 203 walks. MSU opponents are hitting .295 and have collected 121 extra base hits, including 65 doubles and 52 home runs. MSU has yielded the second-most home runs of any team in the SEC. Tennessee has allowed the most with 60 homers. The Bulldogs have been solid on defense with a .967 (55 errors) fielding mark and an SEC-leading 48 double plays. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Collins (.262, 2 HR, 18 RBI) paced the Bulldogs at the plate last week, hitting at a .458 clip (11-for-24) with three doubles and an eighth inning home run that lifted MSU to 9-8 midweek win over Middle Tennessee. He also notched four stolen bases in as many attempts. Sophomore catcher Cody Freeman (.253, 4 HR, 13 RBI), junior catcher Ryan Duffy (.337, 6 HR, 24 RBI) and junior infielder Russ Sneed (.342, 8 HR, 36 RBI) all had two home runs last week for the Bulldogs. Sneed, the team's leading hitter, collected a team-high five runs over the last week during a 3-for-6, two-home run series against Middle Tennessee. Senior outfielder Grant Hogue (.333, 2 HR, 20 RBI) registered four stolen bases in five attempts last week, raising his SEC-leading season total to 28 and tying Dave Klipstein (1981) for the second-most stolen bases in a season. Hogue, who enters the week riding a team-longest eight-game hitting streak, also ranks fifth at MSU with 53 career stolen bases in just two seasons. He also maintains his standing as the SEC's most-plunked player with 16 hit batters this season. MSU leads the SEC with 39 sacrifice hits and ranks second with 62 HBPs. MSU's weekend pitching rotation is expected to consist of a pair of left-handers freshman Nick Routt (10 GS, 4-3, 3.41 ERA, 4 CGs) and junior Tyler Whitney (10 G, 9 GS, 1 CG, 2-4, 5.02 ERA).
2008 ALABAMA-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.
STREAKING IN APRIL: Alabama played its best baseball of the season in the month of April, posting a 13-5 (.722) record and three SEC series wins over Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Crimson Tide went 9-3 in SEC games in April with series sweeps against Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Alabama's 13 wins were the most since posting a 13-5 record in April, 2006. The Tide hit .343 (223-for-651) in the month with 37 home runs and 159 RBI. The team averaged 9.5 runs and 12.4 hits per game. UA collected 90 extra base hits in 18 games, including 47 doubles and six triples. May was the leading hitter with a .378 (28-for-74) average with five home runs and 27 RBI. Smith (.361, 8 HR, 23 RBI), Matthes (.333, 7 HR, 24 RBI) and Wilson (.328, 3 HR, 12 RBI) all hit better than .300 in April. Smith's eight home runs were the most by any UA player in the month, while May's 17 RBI paced the club. The pitching staff went 13-5 with three saves and a 5.43 ERA. The staff has worked 160 2/3 innings and allowed 111 runs (97 ER) and 189 hits with 144 strikeouts and 48 walks. Austin Hyatt (4 GS, 2-0, 3.37 ERA), Adam Scott (6 G, 5 GS, 2-1, 4.50 ERA) and Del Howell (4 GS, 3-1, 5.13 ERA) were 7-2 (.778) in April. The Crimson Tide has made 22 errors in 18 games this month.
MAY RECORD: Alabama has compiled a 138-73 (.654) record in the month of May under Coach Wells in 211 games. The Crimson Tide was 9-6 last season in May, winning all three SEC series against Arkansas, Florida and Georgia. The Arkansas and Georgia series were on the road. 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 50-50 (.500) in the month and has had losing records in 2003 (7-10) and 2004 (4-8). Alabama is 62-48 (.564) 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 postseason during the month of May. Alabama was a glistening 19-2 (.905) in postseason games in the month of May in 1996 and 1997.
