Top-Ranked Test as Baseball Heads to Austin to Face No. 1 Texas

Top-Ranked Test as Baseball Heads to Austin to Face No. 1 Texas

2/24/2022 10:46:00 AM | Baseball

Game Notes Live Stats Watch: Friday Watch: Saturday Watch: Sunday

The Crimson Tide and Longhorns will meet for the 10th time in series history on Friday afternoon

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The first roadtrip of the season for Alabama baseball sends the Crimson Tide to Austin to take on the top-ranked Texas Longhorns. The three-game series is set to begin on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. CT first pitch at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Saturday's matchup is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch followed by a 1 p.m. start in the series finale on Sunday. All three games will air live on the Longhorn Network.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:
Watch: Longhorn Network
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

FRIDAY: UA – Garrett McMillan (Jr., RHP) vs. UT – Pete Hansen (R-So., LHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Antoine Jean (Jr., LHP) vs. UT – Tristan Stevens (R-Sr., RHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Grayson Hitt (So., LHP) vs. UT – Tanner Witt (So., RHP)

Leading Off

Alabama and Texas will meet for the 10th time in series history when the two programs square off on Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns hold an 8-1 advantage and have won four straight in the series. This weekend's three-game set will mark the first time the two teams have played in Austin with the previous nine games being split between seven meetings in Tuscaloosa and two at a neutral site.
The two teams last met in Omaha for the 1983 College World Series. Texas came away with a 6-4 win in 10 innings on June 9 before eliminating Alabama from the CWS with a 4-3 win two days later on June 11.
Alabama will return to the same rotation as Opening Weekend, calling on right-hander Garrett McMillan for the Friday matchup. McMillan will be followed by a pair of lefties in junior Antoine Jean on Saturday and sophomore Grayson Hitt on Sunday.
Texas will look to redshirt sophomore left-hander Pete Hansen in Friday's series opener followed by Tristan Stevens, a righty, on Saturday. The Longhorns will close out the series with Tanner Witt on the hill in the Sunday finale.

About Alabama

Alabama heads to Austin with a 5-0 record thanks to a pair of midweek wins against Jacksonville State on Tuesday and then versus Alabama State on Wednesday.
The Tide cruised to a 9-2 win over Alabama State on Wednesday. Alabama's bats combined for a season-high 14 hits and scored in five of the eight innings. The offense was led by Jim Jarvis, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Hunter Ruth picked up the win against ASU, tossing 2.0 scoreless with three strikeouts.
Alabama scored in each of the first four innings and five of eight innings overall for the 6-3 win over JSU on Tuesday.
UA got on the board with one in the first and proceeded to score two in the second and the one apiece in the third and fourth. Jacksonville State plated a run in the top of the fourth and two in the sixth, but the Tide came back with a run in the home half of the sixth to secure the win.
Seven of the nine Tide starters recorded at least one hit against the Gamecocks with Drew Williamson and Owen Diodati each posting two-hit outings. Williamson doubled and recorded one RBI to go with a run scored, while Diodati tallied an RBI and one stolen base.
Jacob McNairy was solid in his first start of the season for UA, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run baseball for the win. The senior issued two walks and struck out three while inducing three double plays.
Alabama wrapped up Opening Weekend at 3-0, downing the Xavier Musketeers in a three-game set in Tuscaloosa.
It marked the fourth time in five seasons that the Crimson Tide has recorded a sweep in the season-opening series under head coach Brad Bohannon. The Tide also improved to 37-3 in February during Bohannon's tenure.
Alabama opened the 2022 campaign in walkoff fashion, downing Xavier, 5-4, on Friday Diodati walked it off for UA on a two-run home run that capped a four-run ninth inning.
The Tide trailed by three to start the ninth but a solo home run from Dominic Tamez to open the frame cut the lead to two. A double from Zane Denton put a runner on for William Hamiter, who followed with a double of his own to bring in Denton and make it a one-run ballgame.
Diodati proceeded to hammer the first pitch he saw over the wall in right to send the Tide home victorious on Opening Day. Tamez led the offense with a 2-for-4 afternoon that featured a pair of solo home runs, two RBI and two runs scored. Redshirt senior Brock Guffey worked 2.0 scoreless innings and recorded three strikeouts to pick up the win.
The Tide held off a late push by the Musketeers to secure the 5-4 win last Saturday.
Xavier took the early lead with a first-inning home run, but Alabama answered with four in the bottom of the second. Both teams went scoreless until the seventh when the Musketeers were able to cross one. Xavier added another tally in the eighth to make it a one-run affair.
Alabama then widened the gap with an insurance run in the home half of the eighth thanks to a solo homer from Williamson. That extra run would prove crucial as Xavier was able to plate one in the ninth and reach a pair with two down before a Tide pitching change.
Guffey entered for a second consecutive game, picking up the save on Saturday. The Tide reliever took the hill with runners on first and second and two down. A hit-by-pitch loaded them up, but the left-hander managed to get a 4-3 groundout to end the ballgame in UA's favor. Hunter Furtado picked up the win in his Alabama debut, tossing 3.0 scoreless relief innings and striking out four.
Alabama completed the series sweep of Xavier with a 9-4 win last Sunday. The Tide scored one in the second before putting up a four-spot in the bottom of the third to put the game out of reach.
UA then added one in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth, scoring in five of the eight frames on Sunday. • All nine starters reached base safely in the series finale with eight of the nine recording at least one hit. Seven of the Tide's nine starters contributed at least one run while six posted an RBI by day's end.
Leading the offensive charge was Tommy Seidl. The Harvard transfer finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two runs and a walk. Jarvis matched Seidl for the team-high in runs with two, part of his 2-for-4 showing that included an RBI. Hamiter also contributed a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and adding one run.
Tide starter Grayson Hitt earned the win, tossing 4.0 scoreless frames while striking out a career-high six batters.

About Texas

David Pierce is now in his sixth season in Austin and 11th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Pierce owns a 177-94 mark in Austin and a 374-203 all-time record split across his time at Sam Houston State, Tulane and UT. A 1988 graduate of the University of Houston, Pierce is assisted by Sean Allen, Philip Miller and former MLB All-Star Troy Tulowitzki.
Texas went 50-17 overall during the 2021 campaign, including a 17-7 mark in Big 12 action. The Longhorns advanced all the way to the College World Series, falling one game short of the CWS finals following a 3-2 loss to eventual national champion Mississippi State.
The Longhorns were selected as a unanimous preseason favorite to win the Big 12 in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

Alabama vs. No. 1

Alabama has faced off with college baseball's top-ranked team on 40 occasions prior to Friday's opener with No. 1 Texas. The Tide holds an 18-22 (.450) record in those matchups.
Despite the 18-22 record, the Crimson Tide is 7-4 in three-game weekend series against the top-ranked team. Alabama has also taken part in two-game series and single games against the nation's No. 1 team in the NCAA postseason.
The Crimson Tide's most recent meetings with No. 1 came last season from March 19-21 against Arkansas in Fayetteville to open Southeastern Conference play. Alabama posted a dominant 16-1 win on Friday night before falling the final two games of the weekend. The Razorbacks evened things up with a 9-1 win on Saturday before clinching the series with a 3-1 victory on getaway day.
Alabama has faced Texas twice when the Longhorns were the nation's top-ranked team, both coming in the 1983 College World Series. Texas earned a 6-4 win in 10 innings on June 9 before eliminating the Tide with a 4-3 win two days later on June 11.

On Deck

The Crimson Tide will return to Tuscaloosa to begin an extended homestand at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The 10-game stretch will open with a pair of midweek matchups, first with UT-Martin on Tuesday, March 1. Alabama will then host in-state foe Troy on Wednesday. Both matchups are scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch on SEC Network+.