Baseball Team Enjoys Off Day at SEC Tournament
5/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 28, 2010
HOOVER, Ala. - The Alabama baseball team enjoyed its off day at the 2010 SEC Tournament with some leisure time and a brief workout.
Alabama won its first two tournament games, beating Auburn and Mississippi, to earn a bye on Friday. The Crimson Tide will return to action on Saturday, May 29, against Florida. LSU will take on Mississippi in the first semifinal at 9:36 a.m. (CDT). The Alabama-Florida game will begin 30 minutes after game one.
The Crimson Tide worked out in the weight room and then hit for one hour in the indoor cages at Hoover High School, the alma mater of junior second baseman Ross Wilson.
"Today we got a short workout in and then we are going to give them some time off to some time with family," Gaspard said after Friday's workout. "We will get back together tonight and have a team meeting around 10 o'clock and be ready to go tomorrow."
Gaspard said the day was a good thing for the Crimson Tide, who has won its last seven games, including five straight regular season games just to qualify for Hoover.
"I think right now it is good news," Gaspard added. "The effort and energy that we put forth in these first two games, it's nice to be able to take a step back. Any time you are in a tournament like this and to not have to use pitching today is nice as well. I think the day off today is good for us, particularly the way the last two or three weeks have gone. We've had our backs to the wall every game we have played, so it's nice to have a day where you can relax and l let the guys take a few swings in the cages and also spend some time with the family."
Alabama will send sophomore left-hander Adam Morgan to the mound on Friday. Morgan will be making his SEC-leading 16th start of the season and has compiled a 5-4 and 6.38 ERA this season.
"That's where we are right now this deep into the tournament. As I said yesterday, it's going to take someone who has been deep in that bullpen now to really step up and give you a really good outing. That's the advantage we have of being in the winner's bracket, we are throwing (Morgan) who has been a Friday night starter for us for most of the year.
The Crimson Tide will play the second game on Saturday against either Florida or Vanderbilt. The SEC coaches voted three years ago to flip the brackets after Friday's game in order to keep from playing the same team two of three times.
"It makes it interesting," Gaspard added. "We played the one side for two days and now we get a different matchup. You are going to play a good team in this tournament either way you go. I think at this point whoever you line up against you go out and play well."
LSU is the other undefeated team and the Tigers will play the Auburn-Mississippi winner on Saturday at 9:36 a.m. (CDT). Alabama's game will be approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of that game. Both games will be televised by SportSouth.
The "if necessary" games are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be seven innings and will be televised by CSS. The 2010 SEC Championship Game is set for Sunday, May 30, at 1:03 p.m. (CDT) and will be televised by ESPN 2.
FANS ENCOURAGED TO ARRIVE EARLY FOR SATURDAY'S SEC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
HOOVER, Ala. - With potential record-breaking crowds a possibility for Saturday's SEC Tournament semifinal games in Hoover, Ala., the SEC has made modifications to some pregame procedures. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Session 6, which begins at 9:30 a.m. CT with LSU facing Mississippi, followed by Alabama versus Florida.
The following changes will be in place on Saturday:
- The Regions Park ticket office and will-call will open at 7:30 a.m. CT.
- Gates will open 30 minutes earlier than normal, beginning at 8 a.m. CT.
- Additional temporary seating will be added to the upper concourse areas of the stadium.
- Now that local Hoover schools are out of session, several additional parking lots will be available, with complimentary shuttle service from each lot to and from the stadium throughout the day.
- A reminder to follow electronic message boards and Hoover police officers' directions as you travel to Regions Park.
Reserved tickets are sold out for Saturday, but general admission tickets still remain for Saturday's semifinal games.
Should any "if necessary" games be played Saturday night, those games will be 7-innings.
