Baseball Team Meets Georgia at Regions Park
3/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 2010
Alabama GAME NOTES vs. GEORGIA
March 3, 2010
Regions Park • Hoover, Ala.
GAME INFO:
Tickets: $10 adults, $8 youth (13 and under)
$5 (UA faculty/staff and students)
Radio: WTSK-AM (790) (Tuscaloosa Only)
Audio, Live Stats: www.RollTide.com
TODAY'S GAME: The No. 28 Alabama Crimson Tide plays its first of five straight games away from Tuscaloosa, when the Crimson Tide travels to Regions Park in Hoover to face the No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, March 3, at 6:35 p.m. In addition to the game with Georgia, the five-game road trip will also include a three-game series at College of Charleston (March 5-7) and a non-conference game with Auburn (March 9) at Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium in the 2010 Capital City Classic. The Crimson Tide is 1-0 away from home this season after a 5-3 come-from-behind win over South Alabama at Stanky Field in Mobile on Feb. 21.
HEAD COACH Mitch Gaspard: Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard is 5-0 in his first season as the Crimson Tide's head coach. Overall, he has compiled a 216-128 (.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.
BEST START SINCE 2002: With a 5-0 record Alabama is off to its best start since the 2002 season, when the Crimson Tide opened the year with a 9-0 record. Alabama has achieved its perfect record with series sweeps over South Alabama and Illinois-Chicago.
SEC STATS LEADERS: Alabama leads the SEC with a .389 batting average after five games. The current batting average is 44 points higher than second-place Auburn, who his hitting .345 in six games. The Crimson Tide ranks second in the league in on-base percentage (.537) and slugging percentage (.466). Alabama pitchers have given up the fewest runs (15), hits (33) and walks (6) in the SEC. The Tide's strikeout-to-walk ratio (7:1) is also the best in the league. Alabama is third in the league with a .983 fielding mark. Taylor Dugas is fourth in hitting (.471), Adam Morgan is second in strikeouts (15) and Jimmy Nelson is seventh in opponents batting average (.147).
NEXT GAME: Following tonight's game, Alabama will travel to Charleston, S.C., for a three-game weekend series with the College of Charleston Cougars. The series opener is scheduled for Friday, March 5. at 5 p.m. (CT). The teams also play on Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7, with both games set for 12 p.m. (CT).
PLAYING TIME: Alabama has used 27 different players in its first five games of the 2010 season. The Crimson Tide has used 18 position players and 11 pitchers this season, including Jake Smith and Brett Whitaker, who are two-way players. In addition, Alabama has used 14 first-time players through the first five games, including six true freshmen, two redshirt freshmen and seven transfers.
The list of true freshmen include outfielder Brett Booth, outfielder Andrew Miller, pitcher Trey Pilkington, outfielder Matt Taylor, pitcher Adam Windsor and pitcher Taylor Wolfe. The redshirt freshmen include outfielders Brandt Hendricks and Kent Myer. The list of transfers include outfielder David Kindred, pitcher Jonathan Smart, catcher Chris Smelley, outfielder John David Smelser, pitcher Jason Townsend and pitcher/DH Brett Whitaker.
Several of the newcomers made an immediate impact for the Tide.
Booth is hitting .429 (6-for-14) with one home run and seven RBI in five games. He is second on the team with seven RBI and has scored five runs. He had an RBI single in his first collegiate at-bat against South Alabama on Feb. 20 and recorded his first career home run, a third-inning grand slam, against Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 27.
Miller is hitting .333 (3-for-9) with two runs scored and two RBI. He was instrumental in the Tide's 12-4 opening day win over South Alabama on Feb. 20. Miller's two-run single in the fourth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and put the Tide ahead en route to the win.
Pilkington threw one scoreless inning in his Alabama debut against UIC on Feb. 27, with two strikeouts.
Smelser is hitting .500 (4-for-8) in four games with three runs scored and two RBI. He had three hits and one RBI in the Tide's 25-1 win over UIC in game one of its doubleheader on Feb. 27. In game two, he drove in the winning run with a safety squeeze in the bottom of the ninth as the Tide won 4-3.
Wolfe tossed one perfect inning of relief in his UA debut against UIC on Feb. 27. He had one strikeout.
Whitaker has enjoyed a dual role on the Tide team this season. At the plate, Whitaker is hitting .400 (2-for-5) with two runs scored and two RBI. He recorded his first career hit against UIC on Feb. 27. He has also made two relief appearances for the Tide, working two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He was the winning pitcher in Alabama's 4-3 win over UIC in game two of its Feb. 27 doubleheader.
STARTING LINEUPS: Alabama has used five different starting lineups in the first five games and 18 different players have started at least one game. The breakdown includes 15 position players and three pitchers. Sophomore center fielder Taylor Dugas, junior shortstop Josh Rutledge, junior second baseman Ross Wilson, senior first baseman Clay Jones and senior third baseman Jake Smith are the only players to start all five games. Alabama has started six different outfielders, five designated hitters and three catchers in the first five games.
The Crimson Tide starters are hitting a combined .347 (51-for-147) with five home runs and 39 RBI. The starters have scored 43 runs and compiled a .503 slugging percentage and .434 on-base mark. On the mound, UA starters are 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA this season. The starters have worked 26 innings (averaging just over five innings and 60 pitches per start) and allowed seven runs and 17 hits with 28 strikeouts and three walks. The starters have held the opposition to a .189 batting average.
BENCH PLAYERS: Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard believes in the team concept and that has played out with staggering bench numbers in the first five games. The Crimson Tide bench is hitting a whopping .607 (17-for-28) with 12 runs scored, three doubles and 11 RBI.
Alabama pinch-hitters are 7-for-13 (.538) this season with one extra base hit and three RBI in five games. Jon Kelton and John David Smelser are among the Tide's leaders with two pinch-hits this season. The lone extra base hit was recorded by Kelton and produced the game-winning RBI in the Tide's 5-3 win at South Alabama on Feb. 21.
Alabama's bullpen has also been solid this season with a 3-0 record, one save and a 4.24 ERA. The Crimson Tide has used nine different relievers, including first-year players Trey Pilkington, Jonathan Smart, Jason Townsend, Brett Whitaker, Adam Windsor and Taylor Wolfe.
Junior right-hander Nathan Kilcrease is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and one hold in his two relief appearances. He has retired all 12 batters he has faced this season, including nine in-a-row against UIC on Feb. 26. He has added three strikeouts.
Whitaker and sophomore right-hander Tyler White have the other two wins, while Jake Smith has the lone save.
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO RECAP: Alabama completed a three-game sweep of Illinois-Chicago this past weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, winning the three-game series by a combined 28-8 score.
Alabama hit .408 in the series with 38 runs scored, four doubles, four home runs and 15 RBI. The Crimson Tide averaged 12.7 runs and 14 hits per game against the Flames. Alabama outscored UIC 15-1 in the first three innings of the series. Senior first baseman Clay Jones was the leafing hitter with a .500 (5-for-10) with four runs, two home runs and six RBI. Junior shortstop Josh Rutledge added six runs and six RBI. Booth also knocked in six runs.
The pitching staff held the Flames to eight runs and 19 hits in 25 innings for a 2.88 ERA. The Crimson Tide used 10 pitchers in the three-game series. The bullpen picked up two wins from Kilcrease and Whitaker. Kilcrease worked three perfect innings in the series opener with three strikeouts.
GEORGIA SERIES: Georgia owns a narrow 64-63-2 lead in a series that dates back to 1904. Alabama and Georgia will be meeting for the 130th time tonight in Hoover. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have met every year since 1996, the longest-running series for Alabama against any SEC Eastern Division opponent. Alabama has five straight series wins over Georgia in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. The Crimson Tide won two of three last year from the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs to open SEC play in Tuscaloosa. In 2008, Alabama closed out the regular season with a series win against the sixth-ranked Bulldogs, who won the regular season conference championship and advanced to the College World Series. Georgia's last series win came in 2004. The two teams met on regular basis from 1904-48 before the series was halted. The teams renewed their rivalry when the two division winners met in a best-of-three SEC Championship series. Alabama won the first two games to win the SEC Championship and advance to the NCAA Regionals. The series was resumed in 1986 when the SEC moved from divisional play and played a 27-game conference format. The league moved back to divisional play in 1992, but Alabama and Georgia have met every year since with the exception of 1994 and 1995. Since the 1986 season, Alabama owns a 38-30 series lead with the Bulldogs and have won 12 series. Georgia has eight series wins and the two teams split a rain-shortened two-game series in 1989. Alabama is 41-32-1 all-time against Georgia in Tuscaloosa, including a nine-game winning streak from 1946-86. Former Tide coach Jim Wells was 16-5 at home against the Bulldogs. Alabama is 20-31-1 all-time in Athens. The Crimson Tide has won two of three neutral site games, with all three taking place in the SEC Tournament. Georgia won an SEC Tournament elimination game in 1986 in Baton Rouge, while Alabama posted SEC Tournament elimination game victories in 2000 and 2008. Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard will be meeting Georgia for the first time in his career. Georgia coach David Perno is 9-16 in his career against the Tide and has lost six of the eight series.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME: Alabama and Georgia are playing a non-conference game tonight at Regions Park. The two teams rotated off each other's schedules in 2010 and 2011, so the two coaching staffs got together and came up with a non-conference series in minor league ballparks to help further promote college baseball. The two teams are playing this year at Regions Park in Hoover and are scheduled to meet in 2011 at the Gwinnett Ballpark, the home of the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves, half an hour northeast of Atlanta. Alabama will play one other non-conference game this season against an SEC opponent when the Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers meet in the second annual Capital City Classic in Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium on Tuesday, March 9. Last year's game drew almost 8,000 fans to the Montgomery Biscuits home stadium.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Georgia brings a 6-2 record and a national ranking into Wednesday's game at Regions Park. The Bulldogs own a four-game winning streak, following its three-game sweep of Stetson this past weekend in Athens.
Georgia is hitting .328 (96-for-293) as a team with 31 extra base hits (20 doubles, three triples, eight home runs) and 55 RBI. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.1 runs and 10.3 hits per game through eight games. The offense is led by sophomore catcher Christian Glisson, who is hitting an SEC-leading .522 (12-for-23) with eight runs scored and five RBI. Freshman infielder Kyle Farmer is hitting .458 (11-for-24) in his young career with four runs scored, five doubles and five RBI. Farmer is sixth in SEC in hitting. Sophomore outfielder Zach Cone is hitting .441 (15-for-34) with two doubles, two triples, one home run and four RBI. He scored a team high 11 runs and hit for the cycle in a loss to Duke earlier this season.
The Bulldogs pitching staff has a 6-2 record with three saved and 5.07 ERA in eight games. The staff has allowed 79 hits and recorded 71 strikeouts in 71 innings. Sophomore left-hander Chase Hawkins (1 GS, 0-0, 2.08 ERA) is expected to start on the mound against Alabama. He has allowed one run and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings in his first career start against Duke on opening weekend. He added three strikeouts and no walks. Senior left-hander Alex McRee (4 G, 0-0, 3 SV, 3.60 ERA) is the Bulldogs closer this season. He has worked five innings and allowed two runs and three hits with 11 strikeouts and six walks.
Georgia owns a .968 fielding percentage and has turned six double plays in eight games. Georgia catchers have allowed 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts this season.
ALABAMA-GEORGIA TIES: Alabama has seven players on its roster from the state of Georgia, including Brock Bennett (Tucker), David Head (Ellenwood), Jon Kelton (LaGrange), Adam Morgan (Marietta), Matt Taylor (Midland), Jason Townsend (Albany) and Taylor Wolfe (Fortson). J.B. "Ears" Whitworth was the head baseball coach at both Alabama and Georgia. He was 21-11 (.656) in two seasons at Alabama (1933-34) and led the Crimson Tide to its first-ever SEC Championship in 1934. Whitworth served one season as Georgia head coach, where he compiled a 1-10 (.091) record in 1943. Former Crimson Tide great Jim Whatley served as head baseball coach at Georgia from 1952-75. During his 24-year career, he compiled a 336-327 (.507) record and he led the Bulldogs to two SEC Championships (1953-54) and four Eastern Division crowns (1953, 1954, 1955 and 1975). He was twice named SEC Coach of the year in 1953 and 1954. Whatley lettered in four sports at Alabama, including football, basketball, baseball and track, earning as many as 13 varsity letters in his career.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR: Alabama has shown marked improvement as a team compared to the first five games of the 2009 season. The Crimson has raised its team batting 126 points and lowered its team ERA by 1.56 runs per games compared this time last season. Alabama is hitting .389 (68-for-175) with five home runs and 50 RBI. In 2009, the Tide hit only .273 (47-for-172) with seven home runs and 26 RBI through the first five games. UA is averaging 11.0 runs and 13.6 hits per game this season, compared to 6.2 runs and 10.6 hits per game through five games last season. The pitching staff has held the opposition to 15 runs and 33 hits in 43 innings this season, compared to 28 runs and 53 hits in 46 innings at this time last year. The defense has improved, too. Alabama has made only three errors in the first five games of the 2010 season, compared to seven errors this time a year ago.
HOMETOWN HEROES: The Alabama baseball roster contains nine players from the Tuscaloosa area. The list includes Brett Booth, Clay Jones, David Kindred, Jonathan Smart, Chris Smelley, John David Smelser, Cal Tinsley, James Tullidge and Brett Whitaker. The group contains one Mr. Baseball and amassed seven high school state championships and six single-season and career records at their respective highs schools. Smelser was named Mr. Baseball in the state of Alabama after leading Hillcrest High School to the 2007 Class 6A state title. Kindred and Smelley played on the same high school team, along with former UA left-hander Del Howell, that won three straight state championships at American Christian Academy from 2004-06. Smelser and Jones are the all-time hits leaders at their respective high schools.
SHELTON STATE CONNECTIONS: In addition to the large quantity of local players on this year's team, the Alabama roster also contains a high number of players who played junior college baseball at nearby Shelton State Community College. The list includes Clay Jones, David Kindred, Adam Scott, Jonathan Smart, John David Smelser, Cal Tinsley and Brett Whitaker. All seven played for Bobby Sprowl, who is former pitcher and assistant coach at Alabama. Sprowl once held the Alabama single-season strikeout record with 118 strikeouts in 1977. He also had a fine Major League career with Boston and Houston.
Jones hit .394 (172-for-436) with 18 home runs and 118 RBI in 124 career games for the Bucs. He was a first-team ABCA Junior College All-American in 2007. Jones also played on two (2007-08) NJCAA World Series teams and batted .434 (14-for-32) with seven runs scored, two doubles, one home run and 13 RBI in nine career games. He was named to the 2007 NJCAA World Series All-Tournament Team.
Kindred played one year at Shelton State and hit .382 (50-for-131) with seven home runs and 46 RBI in 2009. He played in the 2009 NJCAA World Series, the third straight appearance for the Bucs.
Scott compiled a 13-5 record with six saves and a 3.01 ERA in his two-year career at Shelton State. He played on back-to-back NJCAA World Series teams, finishing runner up in 2008. He was named to the 2008 NJCAA World Series All-Tournament Team after capping an extraordinary postseason that saw him win three games in the state tournament and two in the world series.
Smart posted a 19-4 record and 2.66 ERA in his 34-game career with the Bucs. He was named to the 2007 ABCA Junior College All-American team after going 10-2 on the mound with 1.76 ERA. He played on back-to-back NJCAA World Series teams, finishing runner up in 2008.
Smelser also played only one season at Shelton State, hitting .259 (49-for-172) with one home run and 28 RBI in an injury-plagued 2009 season. He was on the same team with David Kindred and Brett Whitaker, helping the Bucs to the 2009 NJCAA World Series, the school's third straight appearance.
Tinsley played in 95 career games at Shelton State and was a member of back-to-back NJCAA World Series teams in 2008 and 2009. He hit .280 as a sophomore in 2008, with 20 runs scored and 28 RBI. He hit .375 (3-for-8) in four NJCAA games with one run scored, one triple and two RBI. As a freshman, he hit .375 (13-for-40) with five RBI.
Whitaker was a two-way star for the Bucs in 2008 and 2009. He played on back-to-back NJCAA World Series championship teams, finishing runner up in 2008. He hit .335 (132-for-394) with nine home runs and 104 RBI in his 121-game career. He also made 46 career relief appearances and posted a 9-4 record with seven saves and 4.21 ERA. He was the MVP of the 2009 Alabama State Junior College Tournament after hitting .583 (7-for-12) with six RBI in three games. He was also the winning pitcher in the championship game against Faulkner.
