Baseball Team Opens Four-Game Set with Stony Brook
3/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 11, 2010
Alabama Game Notes (Stony Brook Series) 
ALABAMA GAME NOTES VS. STONY BROOK
MARCH 12-14, 2010 - SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM • TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
Radio Crimson Tide Sports Network
Play-by-play Mick Gillispie
Station CTSN, WFNN-FM (95.3 FM)
Tickets $5 for adults and $3 for youth (12 and under)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
Alabama
Game 1 32 Adam Morgan (LHP, 2-0, 2.81 ERA)
Game 2 40 Jimmy Nelson (RHP, 2-0, 1.12 ERA)
Game 3 27 Taylor Wolfe (LHP, 1-0, 4.50 ERA)
Game 4 26 Jonathan Smart (LHP, 0-0, 5.59 ERA)
Stony Brook
Game 1 44 Tyler Johnson (RHP, 1-0, 2.45 ERA)
Game 2 25 Nick Torpeano (RHP, 1-0, 2.45 ERA)
Game 3 15 Michael Barbot (LHP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 4 32 Adam Brown (LHP, 0-1, 3.60 ERA)
THE GAME: The Alabama baseball team opens a nine-game home stand on Friday, March 12, as the Crimson Tide plays host to the Stony Brook Seawolves at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide has had back-to-back rainouts this week and will be playing at home for the first time since Feb. 27. The Crimson Tide has played the fewest games (9) and fewest home games (4) of any Southeastern Conference team this season entering the series opener with Stony Brook. Alabama is 8-1 this season with series wins over South Alabama, Illinois Chicago and College of Charleston. Stony Brook is 2-2 on the season, after splitting games last weekend with Akron and UNC Wilmington. The Seawolves opened the season with two straight wins over Akron and UNC Wilmington, before losing to both teams on Sunday.
HEAD COACH Mitch Gaspard: Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard is 8-1 (.889) in his first season as the Crimson Tide's head coach. Overall, he has compiled a 219-129 (.628) 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.
THE RANKINGS: Alabama is ranked in three of the major baseball polls this week, including USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll (No. 25), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (No. 27) and Collegiate Baseball (No. 30).
PITCHING AND DEFENSE: Alabama leads the SEC in fielding (.981) and ranks third in earned run average (2.86) entering the Stony Brook series. The Crimson Tide has made the fewest errors (6) in the league, while the catcher's have the third-best stolen base percentage (.417). On the mound, Vanderbilt (2.11), Mississippi (2.79) and Alabama are the only teams with a sub 3.00 ERA this season. Alabama pitchers have allowed the fewest hits (69), fewest runs (26), fewest earned runs (25) and fewest walks (16) this season. The Crimson Tide is second in opponent's batting average (.237). Junior right-hander Jimmy Nelson leads the league with a 19:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is sixth in ERA (1.12) and eighth in opponent's batting average (.186). Sophomore left-hander Adam Morgan is third in the SEC with 23 strikeouts.
RAINOUTS: Alabama has had three rainouts this season, including both games with Auburn and Michigan State this week. Alabama and Auburn were scheduled to meet in the 2010 Capital City Classic on Tuesday, March 9 at Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium, but the game was rained out as well. The two teams will play a make-up game on Wednesday, March 24. Alabama and Michigan State played three innings on Wednesday, March 10 before the game was stopped with one out in the fourth inning and was never resumed. The game with Michigan State will not be made up, but Alabama is seeking a game with another opponent. The Crimson Tide's game at Samford on Tuesday, March 2 was postponed due to extreme cold weather and has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 12.
SLOW START TO HOME SCHEDULE: As college baseball rolls into its fourth weekend of play this week, Alabama finds itself having played only nine games in the first 20 days of the 2010 season. The Crimson Tide has played the fewest number of games of any SEC team. Tennessee and Mississippi have played the most games with 13 each heading into this weekend's play. Alabama has also played the fewest home games of any SEC team. The Crimson Tide is 4-0 at home this season. Georgia has the next fewest home games with five. Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State have played every game at home thus far. LSU will host Kansas this weekend at Alex Box Stadium, giving the Tigers 15 straight home games. Auburn has played its first 11 games at home, but travels to Arizona State this week for a weekend series. Mississippi State has played 13 home games, but will participate in the 2010 Whataburger Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, this weekend against UCLA, Oklahoma and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
10-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK: Alabama enters the Stony Brook series riding a 10-game home winning streak dating back to the 2009 season. The current streak began with a 3-2 series-clinching win over Kentucky on April 26, 2009. The Crimson Tide closed out the 2009 season with six straight home wins, including a three-game sweep of then No. 11 Arkansas. Alabama is 4-0 at home this season, with a win over South Alabama and a three-game sweep of Illinois-Chicago.
Alabama's 10-Game Home Winning Streak
1 Alabama 3, Kentucky 2 April 26, 2009
2 Alabama 14, South Alabama 3 April 29, 2009
3 Alabama 2, Arkansas 1 May 8, 2009
4 Alabama 8, Arkansas 6 May 9, 2009
5 Alabama 6, Arkansas 5 May 10, 2009
6 Alabama 8, Jacksonville State 4 May 12, 2009
7 Alabama 12, South Alabama 4 Feb. 20, 2010
8 Alabama 9, Illinois-Chicago 4 Feb. 26, 2010
9 Alabama 25, Illinois-Chicago 1 Feb. 27, 2010 (DH)
10 Alabama 4, Illinois-Chicago 3 Feb. 27, 2010 (DH)
OFFENSIVE EXECUTION: Alabama's early season success can be contributed to its new style of play and the team's offensive execution in the first nine games. The Crimson Tide is fourth in the SEC with a .331 batting average, but finds itself at the top of the league standings in most specialty statistics. Alabama leads the SEC in hitting with runners in scoring position (.385), runners at third base with less than two outs (.735), with two outs (.346), bases loaded (.500) and pinch-hitting (.500) entering the Stony Brook series. Alabama also has nine sacrifice bunts, six sacrifice flies and 15 stolen bases in the first nine games this season.
STONY BROOK SERIES: Alabama and Stony Brook will be meeting for the first time this weekend. The Seawolves become the Crimson Tide's 236th different baseball opponent and the 196th different intercollegiate team.
STONY BROOK HISTORY: Stony Brook, in its 43th season of intercollegiate baseball, plays in the America East Conference. The Seawolves have compiled a 721-643-3 all-time record since 1966. Stony Brook made the move to Division I baseball in 2000 and has made two NCAA Regional appearances in 2004 (at East Carolina) and 2008 (at Arizona State). The head coach is Matt Senk, who has compiled a 501-339-3 record in 20 seasons as head coach. He won his 500th game at the school with a 3-2 win over Akron on March 6, 2010. The Stony Brook campus is located just off Long Island in New York city with 23,997 students attending the SBU campus. The most famous Stony Brook alum is Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan, who is the only student-athlete in school history to have his number retired. Stony Brook is 0-2 all-time against SEC teams, losing to Tennessee and Vanderbilt in NCAA Regional play.
All-Time Results vs. SEC Teams:
2004 - Tennessee 1, SBU 0 (NCAA Greeneville Regional)
2008 - Vanderbilt 9, SBU 4 (NCAA Tempe Regional)
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES: Stony Brook enters the Alabama series with a 2-2 record, after splitting four games last weekend with Akron and UNC Wilmington at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C. The Seawolves opened the 2010 season on Saturday, March 6 with wins over Akron (3-2) and UNC Wilmington (6-2), before falling to Akron (7-0) and UNC Wilmington (11-3) on Sunday. Stony Brook hit .252 (35-for-139) with two home runs and 12 RBI in its opening weekend last week. The Seawolves average 3.0 runs and 8.8 hits per game. The offense is led by freshman infielder Maxx Tissenbaum (.385, 5-for-13, 3 R) and sophomore catcher outfielder Pat Cantwell (.375, 6-fo-16, 2 runs, 2 RBI). Senior infielder Robert Dyer (.357, 5-for-14, 2B) leads the club with four RBI. The pitching staff went 2-2 with two saves last weekend with a 5.66 ERA. The staff worked 35 innings and allowed 22 runs (22 ER) and 28 hits, with 27 strikeouts and 15 walks. A pair of sophomore right-handers Tyler Johnson and Nick Torpeano has excellent first starts last weekend for the Seawolves. Johnson worked 7 1/3 innings and allowed two runs and two hits, with 10 strikeouts and no walks in the 3-2 win over Akron in the season opener. For his efforts, he was named the America East Pitcher of the Week on March 8. Tropeano also pitched into the eighth inning (7 1/3 IP) and allowed two runs and four hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Senior right-hander Chris Maier (2 G, 0-0, 1 SV, 2.25 ERA) and freshman right-hander William Carmona (1 G, 0-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA) combined for five innings in three relief appearances last weekend. Stony Brook made only one error in its four games last weekend and turned three double plays. The Seawolves are fielding .993 this season.
ALABAMA AGAINST AMERICA EAST: Alabama is 1-1 all-time against the teams that comprise the America East Conference. The Crimson Tide and Maine Black Bears split a two-game series at Boardwalk and Baseball in Haines City, Fla., during the 1989 season. Alabama took the opener with Maine 6-1 win, while the Black Bears evened the series with a 5-2 win in game two. Alabama has never faced Albany, Binghamton, Hartford, Stony Brook, Maryland-Baltimore County or Vermont.
NEXT GAME: Alabama and Stony Brook will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 13 beginning at 1:05 p.m. (CDT).
