Alabama Holds Super Regional Practice
6/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 11, 2010
CLEMSON, S.C - The Alabama baseball team held its final practice prior to the start of the 2010 NCAA Super Regional with a one-hour workout at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide took 10 minutes of infield/outfield defense and took batting practice for 45 minutes on a hot and humid afternoon on the Clemson campus.
Alabama (41-23) will meet the Clemson Tigers (41-22) in game one of the NCAA Super Regional on Saturday, June 12, beginning at 6:05 p.m. (EDT). The game will be televised by ESPNU with Mark Neely and former LSU All-American Ben McDonald calling the action for a national cable audience.
Game two of the best-of-three series is Sunday, June 13, at 7:05 p.m. (EDT) and will be televised by ESPN 2. The third game, if necessary, is set for Monday, June 14, at either 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. (EDT).
Alabama has won 12 of its last 14 games heading into Saturday's game with the Tigers and head coach Mitch Gaspard hopes the team's success will continue this weekend.
"It is really big at this point in the season, particularly," Gaspard said after Friday's practice. "The momentum and electricity in the dugout just seems to be growing week in and week out. We have really ridden the wave here into Clemson and really our two years have mirrored one another in a lot of ways with Clemson. Both teams have really played well here as of late."
The Crimson Tide won two of three against national No. 8 seed Georgia Tech last weekend to capture the 2010 NCAA Atlanta Regional, its first regional title since 2006 and first road regional win since 1983. Alabama won its final five regular season games against Mississippi and Tennessee and then won its first three SEC Tournament games before losing 4-3 in 11 innings to LSU in the SEC Championship Game.
SUPER REGIONAL NOTES
*After a coin flip by the NCAA, Clemson will be the home team in game one on Saturday, while Alabama will be the home team in game two on Sunday. If there is a third game on Monday, Alabama will be the home team by virtue of a second coin flip.
*Alabama is playing in its third NCAA Super Regional. The Crimson Tide swept the best-of-three series from LSU in 1999 and was swept in a best-of-three series by North Carolina in 2006. Clemson is in the NCAA Super Regional for the ninth time in 12 years.
*Alabama pitching coach Kyle Bunn served as Clemson's pitching coach in 2008 and 2009.
*Alabama freshman right-handed pitcher Tucker Hawley is the only South Carolina native on the Tide roster. He hails from nearby Aiken, S.C.
*Alabama sold all of its 600 allotted tickets for the NCAA Super Regional and less than 200 general admission seats remain for the best-of-three series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
*Alabama junior DH David Kindred has made the trip to the NCAA Super Regional and will be in the Tide's dugout this weekend. Kindred was diagnosed by Hodgkin's lymphoma on Tuesday, June 1. He has missed the Crimson Tide's last seven games.
