The Crimson Column presented by Mercedes-Benz
2/14/2019 3:12:00 PM | General
Baseball Opens 2019 Season the Weekend
Alabama baseball begins the 2019 season this weekend, hosting Presbyterian College Friday through Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide finished 22-13 (.629) at home a season ago, including a perfect 9-0 mark in the month of February under the direction of head coach Brad Bohannon. The weekend with the Blue Hose will start with senior Sam Finnerty on the mound followed by freshman Tyler Ras on Saturday, one of the Crimson Tide's 22 newcomers on this year's team. Fans can catch all the action live on SEC Network+ or at The Joe, with start times of 3 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch in Sunday's series finale.
Men's Golf Tees off in Puerto Rico
Our men's golf team also begins the 2019 spring season this weekend, teeing off at the Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande Feb. 17-19. The event will be played at the Rio Mar Country Club on the 6,902-year, par 72 River Course. It will mark the Crimson Tide's 15th consecutive year competing in the event, which is hosted by Purdue University. We have brought home six team championships and six individual titles, which includes Matthew Swan (2008), Justin Thomas (2012), Robby Shelton (2014 and 2016), Dru Love (2015) and Lee Hodges (2018).
Power of Pink
On Friday at 7:30 p.m., our gymnastics team will take on No. 2 Florida in Coleman Coliseum. In addition to being another top-10 showdown for Alabama gymnastics, it will also be our 15th annual Power of Pink meet. Started by the legendary Sarah Patterson, the Power of Pink initiative uses Alabama Athletics' platform to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Originating with the gymnastics program in 2005, it expanded to include all our women's programs in 2009. Volleyball, soccer and swimming and diving teams held their pink events in the fall. This week Coleman Coliseum and many other Tuscaloosa landmarks are lit in pink to highlight women's basketball hosting Kentucky in pink this past Monday as well as gymnastics' meet this weekend. With all that in mind, this Friday I want to encourage everyone to "think pink, wear pink and Roll Tide," as we recognize those fighting breast cancer, those who have beaten it and remember those who have lost their fight.
Men's Basketball and Women's Tennis Also in Action at Home
In addition to baseball and gymnastics, our men's basketball and women's tennis teams are also competing in Tuscaloosa this weekend. Hoops will face the Florida Gators on Saturday in Coleman Coliseum at 1 p.m., while our women's tennis team takes the court against UCF on Friday at 5 p.m. and ETSU on Sunday at 10 a.m.
We Are UA
We are looking forward to participating in We Are UA – the University's faculty and staff giving campaign – that begins next week. Each day our coaches, administrators and staff invest their time, talents and energy in the development of our student-athletes. Many of them also give philanthropically to advance the University's mission. We know that a high rate of employee giving speaks to the pride we have in the Capstone and hope to reach our goal of 100 percent athletics staff participation. I encourage all University faculty and staff to make their gift between February 20 and April 11.
Crimson Tide Networking Night
Our Student-Athlete Enhancement initiative hosted a Networking Night on Wednesday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, providing our juniors with a great opportunity to get a head start on skills that will be vital to life after Alabama. We were fortunate to have 18 former Crimson Tide letterwinners on hand, including football alum and current A-Club President Kermit Kendrick, giving back to the program in a meaningful way. The program included a session of what our Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Enhancement Jessie Gardner termed "speed networking," where the student-athletes spent 15-minute blocks with each professional, going beyond the term "networking" and into what it actually means and how to effectively develop that skill. Our alums talked about the importance of a first impression and truly connecting over just trading business cards and personal branding. At the end of the event, everyone had the chance to mingle and utilize what they'd learned in a business reception environment. These kinds of events are a great benefit to our student-athletes as they prepare to put their Alabama degrees to use in the world beyond the classroom.
Built by Bama: Brian Edmiston
Congratulations to our latest Built by Bama Service Award winner Brian Edmiston! Brian is a rock star in our department, serving as the director of event management, and plays a very important part in making sure that our events run smoothly. He goes above and beyond and does so in the most positive manner. We are so fortunate to have people like Brian, and so many others, on our staff to serve our student-athletes and fans.
Clear Bag Policy Reminder
A reminder to fans that the Clear Bag Policy is in effect at all Alabama Athletics ticketed events. For more information on the policy, including approved bags and prohibited items, visit RollTide.com/AllClear.
Metal Detector Testing at Men's Basketball
Another reminder that we will be testing our walkthrough metal detectors at two more men's basketball games during the 2018-19 season – February 16 vs. Florida and March 5 vs. Auburn. All of this is being done as a proactive effort to evaluate improved security procedures for our fans and teams, and we certainly appreciate your cooperation!
University Spotlight
Last week at the Board of Trustees meeting, President Bell announced that The University of Alabama's newest student residence hall has been named after the Honorable John H. England Jr., one of UA's and the state's greatest civic leaders. Judge England has been a member of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees since 1998 and was one of the first African Americans to graduate from what is now the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law. What a tremendous and well-deserved honor for Judge England!
#RollTideFriday
This week, we've got another photo sent in by the McGuires, and this time they're at Ravana Falls in Sri Lanka. We also have Ron Kidd in his Alabama hat and T-shirt in Yupiltepeque, Guatemala.
The McGuires
Ron Kidd
Remember to use the hashtag #RollTideFriday in your social posts and tweet your photos to me at @Greg_Byrne. We will select two photos to feature in each blog and add even more to our #RollTideFriday Fan Hub.
Upcoming Schedule of Events
View the list of upcoming events, broadcast information, start times and stat links on our composite calendar. (Note: All times are listed in Central Time.)
Access live stats from your desktop or mobile device.
