9 Innings with Coach Gaspard
12/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Fall Practice | Crimson and Gray World Series | Battle for the Hammer | Construction at Sewell-Thomas This is the first inning of my blog, "9 Innings", which will be featured on RollTide.com. My purpose for writing this is to allow fans an inside look into the Alabama baseball program. When I thought of putting this blog out, I wanted to be sure that each installment would cover a wide range of topics, giving fans an inside look at things that only people close to the program can personally provide. I feel responsible for making sure that people involved with the program, past and present, are well-represented as we move forward together and continue to grow the Alabama baseball tradition.
Since 1948, Alabama baseball has competed at what was first known as Thomas Field. In 60-plus seasons, the facility now known as Sewell-Thomas Stadium, has seen its Crimson Tide teams collect 29 conference championships and amass nearly 2,500 all-time wins. Over those years, Alabama baseball has produced plenty of all-time greats that played between the lines of Sewell-Thomas Stadium, and those players have created quite a storied history at The Joe.
With the full support of the athletic department, we are very fortunate to have one of best stadiums being built as we speak. You've probably seen the construction as you drive down Bryant Drive. Dating back to June of this year, the work to renovate our historic facility has been ongoing and will continue as our team prepares to move into the "new" stadium for the 2016 season.
The stadium renovations will noticeably upgrade the pre-existing facilities, giving Alabama baseball one of the premier stadiums in all of college baseball. The new Sewell-Thomas will feature a team store, luxury boxes, a hall of fame, grilling areas and even a playground - all things that were non-existent at the old stadium. The right field terrace will remain, and I can't wait to see how the community, including our students, will help us in creating the best atmosphere in all of college baseball. In addition to the upgrades on the existing structure, we will also be building a new indoor hitting facility. The indoor complex, when completed, will be a state-of-the-art facility that provides our team the opportunity to sharpen our skills year-round. This will provide us something that no one else in the country can match and gives us another great asset for our program.
With all of the construction going on at our Tuscaloosa home, the team has found a temporary home for the 2015 season at The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The "Met" is a first-class facility that seats 10,500-plus spectators and features skyboxes, a banquet room and a picnic area with a pavilion to help our fans enjoy each and every contest up in Hoover. The Met also features a state-of-the-art sound system and video board that can really help us get the stadium rocking this season. There are 4,000 parking spaces and a spacious RV park adjacent to the main parking lot, so be sure to come on out with your family and friends to help us show opposing teams what Alabama baseball is all about.
We could not be more excited about this partnership with the City of Hoover. I would like to personally thank Mayor Gary Ivey and Allen Pate, the Director of Operations for the City of Hoover, for helping make this happen. The entire Hoover community has been nothing but helpful in making this transition as easy as possible for us. Everyone involved with the city and The Met have been welcoming and accommodating to our program and its needs, and we can't wait to get the season going! I've seen what this place can look like when we play up there every year for the SEC Tournament; I want you to help us make The Met feel like home for our guys this season. I would like each and every Alabama baseball fan to join us in making The Met a truly intimidating place for our competition.
Speaking of our competition, we will kick off the new season against the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. We are looking forward to welcoming the Hawks to Alabama for the first time in the history of both programs. Alabama baseball is also excited to host Louisiana-Lafayette in a weekend series from Feb. 27-March 1. The Ragin' Cajuns are a team that spent much of last season near the top of the college baseball ranks, and we look forward to taking on the challenge that they present.
For those looking to see us in conference action, we will be hosting Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas and Vanderbilt in SEC weekend series. All of these teams will be tough but, if you can help build the atmosphere, I am confident that our coaching staff and players will put in the work on the field to help Alabama baseball make its mark on this great conference.
Our guys had a great fall semester. We put in a lot of work to help prepare us for the challenges that we will face this 2015 season. We battled each day and pressed our players to make sure that the guys are going to compete for a conference title. Our yearly wrap-up to the fall season, the Battle for the Hammer, pushed the players to their physical limits and put them through drills to make sure that our guys can endure the grind of this season and can continue playing baseball the Alabama way.
Moving forward, I would like our fans to be informed on all that is going on with the Alabama baseball program. Be sure to check back for updates on all the activities taking place in and around the program. Each inning, this blog will feature new and exciting content about Alabama baseball while keeping fans informed on everything that is going on with the program. There is nothing more exciting than what is going on in this new era at Alabama, and I hope that everyone will join us in embracing the changes for the year. I hope that you are excited as I am about this season, and I can't wait to get this thing rolling.Baseball is getting close. Roll Tide!
