Baseball Team Hosts Illinois-Chicago
2/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2010
2010 Alabama Baseball Game Notes 
2010 Illinois-Chicago Game Notes
ALABAMA GAME NOTES
VS. ILLINOIS CHICAGO
FEBRUARY 26-27, 2010
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM - TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
Radio Crimson Tide Sports Network
Play-by-play Mick Gillispie
Friday: CTSN; WENN (95.3 FM)
Saturday: WTSK (790 AM)
Alabama
Game 1 32 Adam Morgan (LHP, 1 GS, 1-0, 4.50 ERA)
Game 2 40 Jimmy Nelson (RHP, 1 GS, 0-0, 1,80 ERA)
Game 3 26 Jonathan Smart (LHP, 1 G, 0-0, 18.00 ERA)
Illinois Chicago
Game 1 18 Chris Kovacevich (LHP, 1 GS, 0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Game 2 33 Eric Wyman (LHP, 1 GS, 0-1, 20.77 ERA)
Game 3 15 Rafael Garcia (RHP, 0-1, 22.50 ERA)
TODAY'S GAME: The Alabama Crimson Tide plays host to the Illinois-Chicago Flames in a three-game series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The series begins Friday, Feb. 26, at 6:35 p.m. and concludes with a double header on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 12:05 p.m. Both games of the double header will consist of nine innings. Alabama brings a 2-0 record into the weekend after a two-game sweep of in-state rival South Alabama to open the 2010 season last weekend. UIC is 1-3 on the season after last weekend's four-game series at the Team USA Complex in Cary, N.C. The Flames dropped two games to Canisius and split a pair of games with LeMoyne. Former Alabama All-American and 2009 SEC Player of the Year Kent Matthes will throw out the first pitch on Friday. Matthes led the NCAA with a school-record 28 home runs last season.
HEAD COACH Mitch Gaspard: Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard is 2-0 in his first season as the Crimson Tide's head coach. Overall, he has compiled a 213-128 (.625) record in seven seasons as a head coach. He was named the school's 30th head coach on Tuesday, Sept. 1, replacing Jim Wells, who retired after 15 seasons. Gaspard begins his 10th overall season with the Crimson Tide baseball program this spring, after serving two stints as an assistant coach under Wells from 1995-2001 and 2008-09, where he helped land some of the nation's top recruiting classes. Gaspard spent six years as the head coach at Northwestern State, where he compiled a 211-128 (.622) record from 2002-07. He led the Demons to a pair of Southland Conference championships, one SLC Tournament title and a berth into the 2005 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
UIC SERIES: Alabama leads the all-time series with UIC, 2-0. The two teams first met last season, with the Crimson Tide sweeping the abbreviated series. The teams were scheduled to play a four-game series in Tuscaloosa, but two games were canceled due to weather issues. The series opener was canceled due to thunderstorms, which produced several tornado warnings in Tuscaloosa County. The series finale was canceled due to snow as Tuscaloosa received two inches of snowfall on Feb. 29 and the teams did not complete the series.
Feb. 28, 2009 - Alabama 4, UIC 2 (Game 1)
Kent Matthes slammed a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Alabama overcame a one-run deficit and posted a 4-2 win over the UIC Flames in game one of a Saturday double header. Matthes' three-run home run came off UIC starter Chris Kovacevich, who allowed four runs and eight hits through seven innings. Alex Kubal's solo home run in the seventh provided a key insurance run. Alabama escaped jams in the eighth and ninth innings for the win. Austin Hyatt was the winning pitcher, while Jimmy Nelson notched the save. Clay Jones led the Tide with two hits. Andy Leonard went 3-for-4 with a solo home run for the Flames.
Feb. 28, 2009 - Alabama 20, UIC 4 (Game 2)
Alabama scored five first inning runs and cruised to a 20-4 win in the second game of the double header on a cold Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The first five Crimson Tide batters reached base as Matthes and Ross Wilson provided the offense. Matthes had a two-run single and Wilson capped the inning with a two-run home run off losing pitcher Mike Kool, who gave up seven runs on six hits in one-plus inning. The Tide pounded out 21 hits in the win, including four doubles and four home runs. Taylor Dugas went 4-for-5 and scored three runs, while Wilson finished with three hits and five RBI. Wes Henderson came off the bench in the fifth inning and went 3-for-3 with one home run and six RBI. Adam Morgan earned his first career win on the mound with six solid innings. He took a shutout into the sixth inning before allowing a solo home run to Steve McGuiggan.
Alabama hit .390 (30-for-77) in last series against UIC and averaged 12 runs and 15 hits per game. The Crimson Tide had five doubles and six home runs in the game series, which accounted for 36.7 percent of its hits. The Crimson Tide struck out only four times in 18 innings. Alabama also did not commit an error.
The Crimson Tide pitching staff posted a 3.00 ERA in the series, limiting the Flames to six runs and 15 hits in 18 innings. UA pitchers struck out 17 and walked four in the two games. UIC hit .224 (15-for-67) in the series and averaged three runs and 7.5 hits per game.
UIC SCOUTING REPORT: The Flames bring a 1-3 record to Tuscaloosa after losing three of four games last weekend at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. UIC lost two games to Canisius and split two games with LeMoyne. The Flames hit .307 (42-for-137) in the four-game series with 13 extra-base hits and 24 RBI. UIC averaged 7.25 runs and 10.5 hits per game. The offense was led by junior second baseman Matt Serna (.500, 2 2B, 6 RBI) and junior outfielder John Rosinski (.353, 5 R, 2 RBI). The pitching staff yielded 53 runs and 50 hits in 36 innings last weekend for an 11.75 ERA. The staff also issued 29 walks and recorded 24 strikeouts. UIC pitchers yielded 19 extra-base hits, including 10 doubles, two triples and seven home runs in four games. The Flames are expected to send two left-handers and one right-hander to the mound against Alabama. Junior LHP Chris Kovacevich (0-1, 6.00 ERA) will pitch the opener, while LHP Eric Wyman (0-1, 20.77 ERA) and RHP Rafael Garcia (0-1, 22.50 ERA) will start Saturday's twin bill. UIC committed six errors and turned five double plays last weekend.
SOUTH ALABAMA RECAP: Alabama opened the 2010 season with a two-game sweep of the South Alabama Jaguars last weekend.
The Crimson Tide won the season opener 12-4 in Tuscaloosa and then finished off the series with a 5-3 win in Mobile. The 12-4 win in the season opener was the first win for first-year Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard, who has brought an exciting brand of baseball to the Joe this season.
Alabama hit .361 in the two-game series and averaged 8.5 runs and 13 hits per game. Four starters - sophomore centerfielder Taylor Dugas, freshman catcher/outfielder Brett Booth, freshman outfielder Andrew Miller, senior third baseman Jake Smith and junior second baseman Ross Wilson - are hitting over .400.
The Crimson Tide pitching staff recorded 19 strikeouts and walked three batters in 18 innings and threw 68 percent of their pitches for strikes on the weekend.
Alabama played two errorless games, marking the first time since 2001 that Alabama has opened the year with back-to-back errorless games.
It was the Tide's first sweep of the Jaguars since the 2000 season and the first win in Mobile since 2006.
Alabama 12, South Alabama 4 (February 20, 2010)
Sophomore left-hander Adam Morgan struck out a career-high 11 batters and Jake Smith went 4-for-5 and knocked in two runs as Alabama beat South Alabama 12-4 yesterday in Tuscaloosa. Morgan worked six innings and held the Jags to three runs and three hits. He threw only 66 pitches in his season debut, including 54 strikes. Smith tied his career high with four hits and drove in runs in the first and eighth innings in Gaspard's coaching debut.
Alabama 5, South Alabama 3 (February 21, 2010)
Alabama scored four runs in the final two innings to erase a two-run deficit en route to a 5-3 win over South Alabama at Stanky Field in Mobile. The Crimson Tide scored three runs in the eighth inning, sparked by back-to-back-to-back doubles by Brett Booth, Taylor Dugas and Josh Rutledge, tying the game at 3-3. Jon Kelton drove in the go-ahead run with pinch-hit, two-out double to right. Andrew Miller singled and scored an insurance run in the ninth. Tyler White, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning, earned the win, while Jake Smith notched the save. Dugas had three hits and two RBI for the Tide.
NEXT GAME: Following the UIC series, Alabama will play six straight games away from home, beginning Tuesday, March 2, at Samford. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field in Birmingham.
