2010 NCAA Atlanta Regional Capsules
6/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 3, 2010
Alabama's NCAA Regional History 
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 has 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.
ALL-TIME NCAA OPPONENTS: Elon will be Alabama's 40th different postseason opponent and the fourth in the last three years. The Crimson Tide faced Coastal Carolina and East Carolina for the first time in school history in 2008 and met Tennessee Tech for the first time in postseason play last year at the Clemson Regional.
ALABAMA-ELON SERIES: Alabama and Elon will be meeting for the first time at the 2010 NCAA Atlanta Regional.
ELON SCOUTING REPORT: Elon (38-22, 19-11 SoCon) is hitting .297 (629-for-2,120) this season with 83 home runs and 431 RBI … the Phoenix are averaging 7.9 runs and 10.5 hits per game … junior infielders Neal Pritchard and Scott Riddle are the top hitters … Pritchard is hitting .375 (79-for-229) with 11 home runs and 46 RBI … Riddle is hitting .317 (53-for-167) with six home runs and 31 RBI … senior outfielder Matt Hinson (.315, 16 HR, 49 RBI) leads the club with 16 home runs and .673 slugging percentage … Hinson is one of six players with 10 or more home runs this season … he is joined by Pritchard (11), Mike Melillo (11), Ryan Adams (11), Seth Canipe (10) and Justin Hitt (10) … the Phoenix have 96 stolen bases (126 atts) this season, led by Hitt's 21 (24 atts) thefts … the pitching staff has compiled a 38-22 record with a 5.41 ERA … the pitchers have recorded 14 saves, three shutouts and three complete games … junior LHP Jimmy Reyes is the ace of the staff with a 10-3 record and 3.97 ERA in 15 appearances … he has recorded 95 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings and yielded only five home runs … Reyes has two of three complete games and two of three shutouts … junior RHP Ken Ferrer is 9-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 19 games and 10 starts … the closer is junior RHP Thomas Girdwood who sports a 3-2 record with eight saves and 5.33 ERA in as team-leading 27 appearances … he is the Southern Conference all-time leader with 30 career saves … the Phoenix are fielding .962 this season and have committed 90 errors in 60 games … Pritchard (18), Adams (11) and Riddle (10) all have 10 or more errors.
ELON NOTES: Alabama and Elon played two common opponents this season including the College of Charleston and Samford … the Crimson Tide went 2-1 against College of Charleston and 0-2 against Samford … the Phoenix were 1-2 against the Cougars and 4-1 against the Bulldogs, including two wins in the Southern Conference Tournament.
ALABAMA VS. SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TEAMS: Alabama owns a 110-22-1 record against teams from the Southern Conference … the Crimson Tide is 2-3 against SoCon teams this season, winning a three-game series at College of Charleston (May 5-7) and losing both midweek games against Samford.
ALABAMA-GEORGIA TECH SERIES: Alabama leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 30-28-1 … the Crimson Tide and Yellow Jackets have met only three times since Georgia Tech left the SEC … the teams have not met since the 1996 Olive Garden Classic in Kissimmee, Fla., and are meeting in the postseason for the first time since the 1991 NCAA Atlantic Regional at Florida State … Georgia Tech has not beaten Alabama since an NCAA Atlantic Regional victory in Coral Gables in 1986 … Alabama and Georgia Tech first met in 1904 and Tech swept the three-game series in Atlanta … Tech owns an 11-6-1 record in games played in Atlanta … the Crimson Tide has not played in Atlanta since the 1957 SEC Playoffs when Tech won the best-of-three series to advance to the NCAA Playoffs … Alabama holds a 22-14 series lead in games played in Tuscaloosa … Tech also owns a 3-2 series lead in neutral site games.
GEORGIA TECH SCOUTING REPORT: Georgia Tech (45-13, 21-9 ACC) is hitting a whopping .325 (669-for-2,058) with 114 home runs and 495 RBI in 58 games … Tech ranks second nationally to Auburn with 114 home runs … the Yellow Jackets have hit 100 home runs in each of the last two years … the 114 home runs are the second-most in school history and six shy of the single-season record … Georgia Tech has seven players with 10 or more home runs, including 19 by senior first baseman Tony Plagman and sophomore infielder Matt Skole … junior infielder Thomas Nichols leads the Yellow Jackets in hitting with a .369 (65-for-176) average with 10 home runs and 40 RBI … junior shortstop Derek Dietrich is hitting .360 (81-for-225) with 16 home runs and 58 RBI … the pitching staff has been solid all season … junior RHP Deck McGuire (15 GS, 8-4, 3.01 ERA), sophomore LHP Jed Bradley (15 GS, 9-4, 4.17 ERA), sophomore RHP Mark Pope (10 GS, 7-1, 4.26 ERA) and junior RHP Brandon Cumpton (14 GS, 9-2, 4.95 ERA) are a combined 33-11 (.750) this season on the mound … the Tech Bullpen is 9-2 and a perfect 12-for-12 in save opportunities … Andrew Robinson is 4-0 with seven saves and a 2.67 ERA in a team-best 24 games … Tech is fielding .971 (65 errors) this season and has turned 51 double plays.
GEORGIA TECH NOTES: Alabama junior catcher Brock Bennett and Georgia Tech junior LHP Taylor Wood were teammates at Greater Atlanta Christian … sophomore LHP Jed Bradley attended Huntsville (Ala.) High School … sophomore RHP/infielder Jacob Esch attended the same high school (Cretin-Derhem HS) as Minnesota Twins MVP catcher Joe Mauer and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Wienke … Alabama and Georgia Tech have two common opponents including Georgia and Illinois-Chicago … the Crimson Tide went 4-0 against the Bulldogs and Flames this season … Tech was 6-0 against the Bulldogs and Flames, including a 25-6 win over Georgia on April 14 in Atlanta.
ALABAMA VS. ACC: Alabama owns a 70-63-1 record against the current members or the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Crimson Tide has played at least one game against nine of the 12 schools. Alabama and Georgia Tech have met the most, with the majority of the 59 meetings coming while Tech was a member of the SEC. Alabama owns a winning record against Clemson (12-11), Georgia Tech (30-28-1), Miami, Fla. (9-6), North Carolina State (2-1), Virginia (1-0), Virginia Tech (8-3) and Wake Forest (3-0). The Tide has a losing record against Florida State (1-6) and North Carolina (4-8). The Tide has never faced Boston College, Duke or Maryland in baseball.
ALABAMA-MERCER SERIES: Alabama leads the all-time series with Mercer, 18-6-1. The series dates back to 1905. Alabama and Mercer have not met since 1998 when the Tide posted a pair of lopsided wins. The first meeting took place in 1905 and the two teams played to a 1-1 tie. On May 2, 1913, Melford Pratt threw a nine-inning no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Mercer.
MERCER SCOUTING REPORT: Mercer (37-22, 16-11 A-Sun) captured the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship and earned the league's automatic bid to this year's NCAA Tournament … the Bears went 4-0 at the A-Sun Tournament, hosted by Lipscomb, with wins over Jacksonville (10-1), East Tennessee State (10-7), East Tennessee State (3-1) and Jacksonville (7-3) … Mercer is hitting .340 (735-for-2,159) this season with 89 home runs and 470 RBI … the Bears have racked up 735 hits this season … senior second baseman Michael Langley is the leading hitter with a .396 (99-for-250) average with six home runs and 48 RBI … sophomore third baseman Jacob Tanis (.382, 22 HR, 86 RBI) and junior first baseman John Moreland (.312, 21 HR, 52 RBI) have combined for 43 of the team's 89 home runs this season … the Bears have 80 stolen bases (90 attempts), led by sophomore outfielder Billy Burns (.374, 2 HR, 25 RBI), who has 29 steals in 33 attempts … Mercer pitchers are 37-22 with a 5.66 ERA this season … the three main arms in the rotation have been freshman RHP David Teasley (41 G, 5-1, 4.57 ERA, 5 SV), freshman RHP Matt McCall (17 G, 15 GS, 7-2, 4.87 ERA) and junior LHP Brandon Love (17 G, 12 GS, 8-3, 6.19 ERA) … J.T. Odom (33 G, 2-2, 3.48 ERA, 5 SV) has a team-leading 33 appearances out of the bullpen … the Bears are fielding .968 (69 errors) this season and have turned 31 double plays.
MERCER NOTES: Alabama freshman left-handers Taylor Wolfe and Matt Taylor and Mercer freshman catcher/first baseman Travis Benn all attended Columbus (Ga.) High School … Alabama sophomore LHP Adam Morgan and Mercer sophomore catcher Jason Butts (18 G, .364, 4 RBI) were high school teammates at Kell High School … Mercer junior lefty Russell Moses (14 G, 0-2, 9.61 ERA) hails from Mt. Olive, Ala., and attended Central Alabama Community College … Alabama and Mercer did not play any common opponents this season … Mercer played two games this year against Georgia Tech, losing 15-8 on March 23 in Macon and 19-4 on March 24 in Atlanta.
ALABAMA VS. ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE: Alabama owns a 23-6-1 record against teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference … the most recent meeting took place in 2008 when the Tide beat Lipscomb 8-4 on April 22 as Nathan Kilcrease tossed seven innings with seven strikeouts … Alabama has never faced Florida Gulf Coast, East Tennessee, North Florida, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Campbell or South Carolina Upstate.
