Baseball Set to Host High Point in Tuscaloosa for Weekend Series

Team huddles for a pre game talk at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023.

Photo by: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Baseball Set to Host High Point in Tuscaloosa for Weekend Series

2/23/2023 3:24:00 PM | Baseball

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

The Crimson Tide and Panthers will meet for the first time in series history on Friday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball will host the High Point Panthers at Sewell-Thomas Stadium this weekend. Friday's series opener is set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch followed by a 4 p.m. start on Saturday. Things wrap up on Sunday at 1 p.m. with all three games airing live on the Crimson Tide Sports Radio Network.

The Crimson Tide's three-game series at Pepperdine was canceled on Wednesday afternoon. The conditions in Malibu, Calif., forced the cancelation with inclement weather forecasted for the weekend. Alabama is now hosting the Panthers to make up for the cancelation. HPU was freed up after their originally scheduled trip to a weekend tournament in Riverside, Calif., was also canceled due to weather concerns.

All tickets for non-premium seating at The Joe are general admission for the weekend with no ticket required. All premium seat holders received their tickets loaded on their account in their respective premium area for all three games.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow the series via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

FRIDAY: UA – Grayson Hitt (Jr., LHP) vs. HPU – Sam Garcia (Jr., LHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Ben Hess (So., RHP) vs. HPU – Brett Wozniak (Jr., LHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Jacob McNairy (Gr., RHP) vs. HPU – Gus Hughes (Jr., RHP)

Leading Off

Alabama and High Point will meet for the first time in the history of the two programs when the series opens on Friday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide has squared off with four of the current 10 member-teams that make up the Big South Conference. The most recent pairing came in 2019 when UA hosted Presbyterian to open the season. Alabama has also met with UNC-Asheville, Radford and Winthrop and owns an 18-6 combined mark against the four programs.
Alabama will continue with its rotation from last weekend. Junior left-hander Grayson Hitt will get the ball in Friday's series opener with sophomore righty Ben Hess getting the call on Saturday. Jacob McNairy, a graduate right-hander, will take the hill on Sunday.
High Point will open the series with send a trio of juniors to the mound across the three-game set. Left-hander Sam Garcia is set to start in Friday's matchup with fellow lefty Brett Wozniak taking the ball for game two. The Panthers will look to right-hander Gus Hughes on getaway day.

About Alabama

Alabama enters the new weekend at 5-0 thanks to a pair of midweek wins and a series sweep of Richmond.
A pair of big innings propelled the Tide to a 10-0, run-rule victory over UT Martin on Wednesday at The Joe.
The Tide first put up a three-spot in the third before crossing six runs in the sixth inning. An RBI-single in the seventh gave Alabama a 10-run lead to secure the run-rule victory over UTM.
Alabama's offense accumulated 12 hits against the Skyhawks, including a pair of home runs from Mac Guscette and Drew Williamson. It marked the Tide's fifth straight game with double-digit hits this season.
The Tide's trio of Jackson Reynolds, Kade Woods and Riley Quick combined for the seven-inning shutout. Reynolds tossed 3.0 innings in his start with Woods picking up the win thanks to 3.0 scoreless frames of his own. Quick tossed the final frame, striking out a pair during his time on the hill.
Alabama came away with a 7-4 win over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
The two teams traded runs in the first before a two-run third gave UA the lead. Included in that inning was a solo homer from Colby Shelton. Tech added one in the fourth, but Alabama answered with a pair in the fifth thanks to a two-run shot from Williamson.
UA added one in the sixth, but TTU would not go away quietly. The Golden Eagles scored a pair in the seventh before Braylon Myers was able to get Alabama out of the jam. The sophomore stranded the tying runs on base and was helped out with an insurance run in the seventh on a Will Hodo home run.
Myers finished his day with 2.2 innings of scoreless work, giving up one hit and striking out one batter for the save. Luke Holman got the win in his first career start. He tossed 4.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks with one strikeout.
The offense was led by the Tide's 3-4 hitters in Andrew Pinckney and Williamson. Pinckney reached base in all five plate appearances, finishing 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs scored, a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch. Williamson led the team in hits and RBI as part of a 3-for-4 effort that included his home run, four RBI, one run and a walk.
Alabama opened the 2023 season with a sweep of Richmond. The Crimson Tide batted .406 across the three games, totaling 41 hits with 13 of those going for extra bases. The hot hitting paired with a strong performance on the mound that saw UA's staff maintain a 1.44 ERA across the series while punching out 31 in 25.0 innings of work.
The Tide began the 2023 campaign with an impressive 12-3 win last Friday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
Richmond gained a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second before the Tide countered with 11 unanswered runs. Alabama plated two in the home half of the second followed by five in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
All nine starters reached base for UA with seven of the nine recording at least one hit. Guscette led the way with a 3-for-4 day that included a double and a homer to go with a team-high four RBI and two runs. Pinckney matched Guscette with a pair of runs as part of a perfect 4-for-4 day. Pinckney also doubled while adding one RBI.
Grayson Hitt picked up the win with a strong start, tossing 5.0 frames and allowing one unearned run on one hit and three walks with a career-high tying eight strikeouts.
Alabama secured a series win with a 13-1 victory on Saturday. The Tide bats produced 13 runs on 15 hits, scoring in each of the first five frames, while the arms allowed just one run and combined for 12 strikeouts.
Caden Rose highlighted the offensive effort, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a team-high five RBI and one run scored. He was part of nine total batters who tallied at least one run with Jim Jarvis, Pinckney, Dominic Tamez and Williamson all tying for the lead at two runs apiece.
Ben Hess earned the Saturday win, matching his career-high for innings with 6.0 scoreless frames, allowing just three hits and striking out six. He handed the ball over to a pair of freshmen in Quick and Alton Davis II with the pair finishing the final 3.0 frames and combining for six punchouts.
The Crimson Tide completed the series sweep with a 14-1 win on Sunday. Alabama's bats stayed hot, posting runs from the second through the sixth innings to help secure the sweep.
UA's offense was led by Pinckney once again, with the redshirt junior finishing 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored. Tamez, Camden Hayslip and Bryce Eblin all tied for the team-high in RBI with two apiece while Williamson homered as part of a 2-for-3 showing that included one RBI, two runs scored and a walk.
Jacob McNairy continued a streak of strong outings from the Tide starters with 4.0 innings of one-run baseball. McNairy then handed the ball over to Brock Blatter and Zane Probst, with the pair keeping the Spiders off the board for the final 3.0 frames.

About High Point

Joey Hammond is now in his second season as a collegiate head coach and enters this weekend with a 26-34 career record. A graduate of Charlotte, Hammond is joined on staff by assistants Miles Miller and Mickey Williard along with volunteer assistant coach Chris Maness.
High Point finished the 2022 campaign at 23-33 overall, including a 14-10 mark in Big South Conference action.
The Panthers were selected to finish third in the BSC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck

Alabama will continue its extended homestand with a midweek matchup against Jacksonville State on Wednesday, March 1. First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Gamecocks is set for 3 p.m. at The Joe with the game being broadcast on SEC Network+.