Alabama Baseball Team Opens NCAA Regional Against Elon
6/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 2, 2010
Alabama's NCAA Atlanta Regional Game Notes 
2010 NCAA ATLANTA REGIONAL TOURNAMENT BRACKET (June 4-7, 2010)
Russ Chandler Stadium - Atlanta, Ga.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Game 2 No. 2 Alabama (37-22) vs. No. 3 Elon (38-22) 3 p.m. (EDT)
Game 1 No. 1 Georgia Tech (45-17) vs. No. 4 Mercer (37-22) 7 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Game 3 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 3 p.m. (EDT)
Game 4 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 7 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Game 5 Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 3 p.m. (EDT)
Game 6 Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 7 p.m. (EDT)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Game 7 Same as Game 6, if necessary 7 p.m. (EDT)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Announcers: Chris Stewart and Mick Gillispie
Station: Crimson Tide Sports Network
WFFN-FM (95.3)- Tuscaloosa
WAPI-AM (1070) - Birmingham
TV: CSS
Announcers: Matt Stewart and Rusty Ensor
Internet: www.NCAASports.com
www.RollTide.com
Alabama's Probable Starting Pitchers:
Game 1 28 Nathan Kilcrease (RHP, 31 G, 6-2, 2.47 ERA)
Game 2 40 Jimmy Nelson (RHP, 15 GS, 8-2, 3.69 ERA)
Game 3 32 Adam Morgan (LHP, 16 GS, 6-4, 6.04 ERA)
TODAY'S GAME: Alabama will be making its 21st NCAA Regional appearance when the Crimson Tide travels to the 2010 Atlanta (Ga.) Regional at Russ Chandler Stadium this week, hosted by Georgia Tech. The No. 2 seed Crimson Tide will meet No. 3 seed Elon Phoenix on Friday, June 4, at 2 p.m. (CDT). No. 1 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will meet No. 4 Mercer Bears at 6 p.m. (CDT). The Yellow Jackets are the No. 8 national seed at this year's tournament. The winner of the Atlanta Regional will meet the winner of the Auburn Regional in next week's NCAA Super Regionals. Alabama earned its 13th NCAA Tournament berth in the last 16 years after closing the regular season with five straight wins before it reached the SEC Tournament Championship game. Alabama is 8-1 in its last nine games, which included an eight-game winning streak before a 4-3 loss to LSU in 11 innings in the SEC Championship game. The 2010 Atlanta Regional is the Tide's first regional appearance under first-year head coach Mitch Gaspard. The Crimson Tide owns a 59-39 NCAA postseason record, including Regionals, Super Regions and the College World Series. Alabama is 46-37 in NCAA Regional play and has won six championships in 1950, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2006.
HEAD COACH Mitch Gaspard: Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard is 37-22 (.627) in his first season as the Crimson Tide's head coach. Overall, he has compiled a 248-152 (.620) record in seven seasons as a head coach. He was named the school's 30th head coach on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009, 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.
TOURNAMENT TESTED: Alabama has recorded 21 wins and played 37 games against teams in the 2010 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Crimson Tide compiled a 21-16 (.568) slate and recorded key series wins against Auburn, College of Charleston, Minnesota, Mississippi and Vanderbilt. The complete list of opponents to make this year's tournament field includes Arkansas (0-3), Auburn (3-2), College of Charleston (2-1), Florida (2-2), Jacksonville State (2-0), LSU (0-4), Minnesota (2-0), Mississippi (3-1), South Carolina (1-2), Stony Brook (4-0) and Vanderbilt (2-1). Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley), LSU (SEC), Minnesota (Big 10) and Stony Brook (America East) were all automatic qualifiers.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Alabama is making its 21st all-time NCAA Regional appearance this season. The Crimson Tide owns a 59-39 (.602) NCAA Tournament record, which includes Regionals, Super Regionals and College World Series play. Alabama will play its 100th NCAA postseason game on Saturday, June 5 at the Atlanta Regional.
*The Crimson Tide owns a 46-27 (.630) record in NCAA Regional play since its postseason debut in 1947. Alabama has played in 13 NCAA Regional championship games in its history and has captured six NCAA Regional titles, including 1950, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2006. Alabama will play its 75th NCAA Regional game on Saturday, June 5 at the Atlanta Regional.
*Alabama hosted NCAA Regionals in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2006. The Crimson Tide has won four of the five regionals in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is 17-2 (.895) in NCAA Regional play at home, including an 11-game winning streak from 1996-99. The Tide has captured the 1996 NCAA South I Regional, 1997 South II Regional and the 1999, 2002 and 2006 Tuscaloosa Regional.
*Alabama hosted its first ever NCAA Regional in 1996, posting wins over Princeton, South Alabama, Stetson and Virginia en route to its first College World Series berth since 1983. The Tide swept through the 1997 NCAA South II Regional with wins over Troy, Wichita State, North Carolina State and Southern Cal to post its second straight trip to Omaha. The streak continued at the 1999 Tuscaloosa Regional with wins over Navy and Southern Mississippi (twice) to advance to the newly-created NCAA Super Regionals.
*The Crimson Tide had its 13-game home NCAA Tournament winning streak snapped with a 7-4 loss to No. 4 seed Southeast Missouri State to open the 2002 Tuscaloosa Regional. Alabama bounced back with wins over Auburn and SE Missouri to advance to the championship game with Florida Atlantic. The Tide posted a 7-2 win in game one, but dropped a 6-5 decision in the "if necessary" game as FAU advanced to the Super Regionals against Georgia Tech.
*Alabama swept through the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional with wins over Jacksonville State and Troy. After an easy win over JSU in the first round, Alabama posted a hard-fought, 4-3 win over Troy to advance to the title game. UA won its sixth regional title with an easy 14-5 win over the Trojans to advance to its second NCAA Super Regional.
*Alabama has played 14 NCAA Regionals away from home, including 1947, 1948, 1950, 1955, 1968, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009. The Crimson Tide has won only two road regionals (1950 and 1983) with the last coming in the 1983 South Regional at Dick Hoswer Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. Alabama posted wins over Miami (6-4), Florida State (7-5) and Miami (11-9) to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1950.
*The Crimson Tide is 29-26 (.527) in NCAA Regionals on the road.
*Alabama's first appearance came in the 1947 South District III Playoffs in Charlotte, N.C. The Crimson Tide came out of the loser's bracket to force the "if necessary" game with Clemson and a shot at the College World Series. Clemson beat Alabama 4-1 in the championship game and advanced to the very first CWS in Kalamazoo, Mich.
*The Crimson Tide made its second straight South NCAA District III Playoff appearance in 1948, also in Charlotte, N.C. After an opening round win over George Washington, Alabama fell to North Carolina and George Washington and was eliminated.
*Alabama captured its first South District III championship in 1950, sweeping Clemson and Wake Forest (twice) in Kannapolis, N.C., to advance to the College World Series for the first time in school history. The 1950 CWS was the first one played in Omaha, Neb.
*The Crimson Tide would lose a best-of-three series with Rollins College in the 1955 South District III Playoffs in Winter Park, Fla. It would be 13 years before the school's next NCAA Regional game.
*Alabama captured the 1968 SEC Championship with a best-of-three series win over Eastern Division champion Florida to advance to the 1968 South District III Playoffs in Gastonia, N.C. The Crimson Tide had to win its final regular season series against LSU in Tuscaloosa to earn a share of SEC Western Division championship. The next day, Alabama beat LSU in a one-game playoff in Baton Rouge to advance to the SEC Championship series. The Crimson Tide lost to North Carolina and Florida State in two games in the 1968 tournament. On the way to Gastonia, N.C., Alabama head coach Joe Sewell arranged for the team to stop off at Fulton County Stadium to see the Atlanta Braves.
*Perhaps the Tide's most impressive regional championship came in 1983 at the South Regional at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., where UA defeated Miami, Florida State and Miami to advance to the College World Series. The four-team field also hosted a very talented South Alabama team, making it one of the top regionals in the nation that year.
*The Crimson Tide got a taste of postseason life at Mark Light Stadium in 1986 and posted a 2-2 record at the Atlantic Regional. Following an opening round loss to South Carolina, the Tide beat Navy and South Carolina before falling to Georgia Tech.
*Alabama was the No. 2 seed at the Atlantic Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1991, losing in the title game to Florida State.
*The Crimson Tide played in 12 NCAA Regionals in 15 years under former head coach Jim Wells. The Crimson Tide owns a 29-14 (.674) record in NCAA Regional play under Coach Wells. Alabama has hosted NCAA Regionals in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2006. UA also hosted the 1999 NCAA Super Regional in Tuscaloosa.
*Alabama made a school-record six straight NCAA Regional appearances from 1995-2000. The Tide was the No. 2 seed at the 1995 East Regional at Clemson, where it posted a 4-2 record before falling to the host Tigers in the championship game.
*The Crimson Tide hosted back-to-back NCAA Regionals in 1996 and 1997, earning the No. 1 seed on both tournaments. The 1996 NCAA South I Regional was the first ever postseason tournament held at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama also hosted the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional in 1999 and the first-ever NCAA Super Regional in 1999.
*Alabama posted a 13-game winning streak in home regionals from 1995-1999. The Tide went 4-0 in 1996, 4-0 in 1997 and 3-0 in 1999. Alabama also swept LSU in the 1999 NCAA Super Regionals at the Joe.
*The Tide won the 1996 NCAA South I Regional championship in Tuscaloosa. Alabama, hosting the first-ever NCAA Regional, defeated Princeton, South Alabama, Stetson and Virginia to advance to the CWS.
*Alabama won the 1997 South II Regional in Tuscaloosa to advance to Omaha for the second straight year. The Tide beat Troy State, Wichita State, North Carolina State and Southern Cal to make it back to the CWS.
*UA was the No. 1 seed at the College World Series in 1996 and 1997 to become the first team in CWS history to be seeded first in consecutive world series.
*The Crimson Tide posted wins over Navy and Southern Miss (twice) to win the 1999 Tuscaloosa Regional and advance to the newly-created NCAA Super Regionals. In the first year of Super Regional play, Alabama swept LSU in the best-of-three series to advance to the CWS for the third time in four years.
*The Crimson Tide made two appearances at the Palo Alto Regional in 1998 and 2000, finishing second to Long Beach State in 1998 and Stanford in 2000.
*Alabama hosted the 2002 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and finished second to Florida Atlantic. The Tide saw its 13-game home postseason winning streak snapped with an opening round loss to Southeast Missouri State.
*The Crimson Tide played on the road in 2003 and 2005. In 2003, Alabama was the No. 2 seed at Texas A&M and finished third in the regional, marking the first time a Jim Wells-coached team did not reach the finals. In 2005, Alabama was the No. 2 seed at national seed Tulane at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans. UA finished second to the CWS-bound Green Wave.
*Alabama won the 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, beating Jacksonville State and Troy (twice) to advance to its second NCAA Super Regional. The Crimson Tide lost to No. 5 North Carolina in the best-of-three series. The Tar Heels then finished second in the College World Series.
*The Crimson Tide was the No. 3 seed at the 2008 Conway (S.C.) Regional, its lowest seeding in four-team NCAA Tournament. After a lopsided win over No. 2 East Carolina in the tourney opener, Alabama dropped its next two games to Coastal Carolina and East Carolina to end its season.
*Alabama was the No. 2 seed at last year's NCAA Clemson Regional and went 0-2 against Oklahoma State and Tennessee Tech.
*Alabama also has a 2-2 (.500) in Super Regional play, defeating LSU in 1999 and losing to North Carolina in 2006. Alabama swept LSU in a two-game series in the first NCAA Super Regional in Tuscaloosa to advance to its third College World Series in four years. North Carolina swept Alabama in a two-game NCAA Super Regional in 2006.
*Alabama is 11-10 (.524) all-time record in five College World Series appearances. The Crimson Tide has been the national runner up twice in 1983 and 1997.
*Since 1999, Alabama as been tabbed a national seed three times, including 1999 (No. 5), 2002 (No. 3) and 2006 (No. 4).
*Since 1983, Alabama has been the No. 1 seed five times and the No. 2 seed nine times and the No. 3 seed twice.
