Roadtrip to Samford Highlights Pair of Midweeks for Baseball

The University of Alabama Baseball Team celebrates against UIC at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Sunday, Mar 5, 2023.

Photo by: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Roadtrip to Samford Highlights Pair of Midweeks for Baseball

3/6/2023 4:20:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes Live Stats Watch: Tuesday Watch: Wednesday Purchase Tickets (Wednesday)

The Crimson Tide will travel to Birmingham on Tuesday before hosting Alabama State Wednesday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball will take to the road for the first time this season, traveling to Samford on Tuesday evening. The Crimson Tide will then return home to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Wednesday for a matchup with Alabama State. Both contests are scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch. Fans can catch the pairing with the Bulldogs on ESPN+ with the Tide's home game against the Hornets airing on SEC Network+.

Follow the Tide

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

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

TUESDAY: UA – Luke Holman (So., LHP) vs. SAM – Carson Hobbs (Jr., RHP)
WEDNESDAY: UA – TBA vs. ASU – TBA

Leading Off

Alabama and Samford will meet for the first of two games this season and the 112th time in series history when the two teams square off on Tuesday in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series advantage, 96-15, including a 20-6 mark on the road.
The Tide came away victorious in both pairings last season, first with a 10-1 win in Tuscaloosa on April 5 followed by a 9-3 victory in Birmingham on April 26. The two wins are part of a current five-game winning streak for UA.
Alabama and Alabama State are set to square off for the 10th time in series history on Wednesday evening at The Joe. The Tide holds the all-time series advantage at 9-0, including an 8-0 mark in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide and Hornets met last season on Feb. 23 in Tuscaloosa with Alabama earning a 9-2 win.
Alabama will look to sophomore right-hander Luke Holman for the Tuesday start. Holman will be making his third start and fourth appearance overall. The Crimson Tide's starter for Wednesday is still to be announced.
Samford calls on junior Carson Hobbs on Tuesday night. The righty will be making his first start of the 2023 campaign and fifth appearance overall.
Alabama State's starter is still to be announced.

About Alabama

Alabama went 4-0 for the week to improve to 12-0 on the season. The Tide's 12-game winning streak to start the year is the standalone third-longest stretch in program history and ties for the ninth-longest winning streak at any point in program annals. UA first downed Jacksonville State last Tuesday before sweeping UIC in Tuscaloosa over the weekend.
The Tide offense combined for a .398 average in the four games and homered 10 times, including four grand slams – one in each of the four games. The four-game stretch with a grand slam was a program first. Alabama's pitching staff was equally impressive, maintaining a 1.69 ERA while striking out 39 across 32.0 innings.
A dominant day at the plate powered Alabama to a 17-3 win over Jacksonville State on Tuesday at The Joe.
The Tide set season-highs for hits, walks and runs in the midweek matchup. Camden Hayslip and Bryce Eblin tied for the team-high RBI total with four apiece. Eblin finished 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored to go with the RBI. Hayslip entered midway through the game and notched his four RBI on a grand slam, Alabama's first of the season.
Luke Holman earned his second win in as many starts after tossing 4.0 innings and allowing one run on two hits and two walks with a career-high seven strikeouts.
The Crimson Tide used three home runs to claim an 11-1 win in seven innings over UIC on Friday evening at The Joe.
Alabama jumped out front with five runs on only one hit in the first. The lone hit was a grand slam from Tommy Seidl to stake the Tide to a big lead early. UA then added two in the second, including a solo homer from Colby Shelton, before UIC got on the board with one in the top of the third. The Crimson Tide answered with a run of its own in the fifth followed by three in the sixth, one of which came on Shelton's second homer of the evening, to secure the 11-1 win.
Seidl finished with a career-high and UA season-high six RBI as part of a 2-for-3 night with a run. Grayson Hitt picked up his second win of the season with 5.0 frames of one-run ball, allowing four hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Alabama blanked UIC on Saturday for the 10-0 series-clinching shutout win in seven innings.
A pitchers' duel early saw both teams go scoreless until the fifth. UA broke through for three in the home half of that frame before posting a six-spot in the sixth. The Tide then crossed one in the seventh to secure the run-rule shutout.
The offense was led once again by Shelton. The freshman stayed red-hot with a second two-homer game in as many days, including his first career grand slam. Shelton finished 2-for-4 with a team-high five RBI and two runs scored. Also homering was Andrew Pinckney, with the right fielder going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Ben Hess picked up the win with a solid 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and issuing three walks to go with eight strikeouts. Alton Davis II completed the shutout and earned the save with 1.1 frames.
Alabama built a lead early and held on late to earn a 9-7 win over UIC on Sunday for the series sweep.
The Flames plated one run apiece in the first and second innings before Alabama gained the advantage thanks to a five-run second. The Tide then added a pair of runs in the third but a four-run fourth by the Flames cut the lead to one. Alabama answered with two runs in the fourth and allowed just one tally over the final 5.0 innings to secure the 9-7 win.
Zane Probst picked up the win with 1.0 scoreless inning of relief that saw the junior strike out the side. Braylon Myers earned his third save of the season, getting out of a jam in the eighth and finishing with 1.2 scoreless frames and two punchouts.
Alabama's bats were led by Shelton with the freshman recording a grand slam for a second straight day and finishing 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. Mac Guscette and Drew Williamson each added a home run of their own, with Guscette's going for two runs while Williamson's was a solo shot.

About Samford

A longtime assistant at Samford, Tony David is in his second season at the helm of the Bulldogs' program after finishing 28-29 in his first campaign as a collegiate head coach. David is joined on staff by associate head coach Tyler Shrout along with assistant Brad Moss and volunteer assistant Cam Shepherd.
The Bulldogs were selected to finish fourth in the SoCon in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Samford was also predicted to finish third in the preseason media poll.

About Alabama State

Jose' Vazquez is in his seventh year as head coach at Alabama State and entered the 2023 season with a 160-121 career record. A 2003 graduate of ASU, Vazquez is joined on staff by associate head coach Drew Clark, assistant coach Branch Kloess and graduate assistant coach Jabronski Williams.
The Hornets were selected to finish atop the Eastern Division and second overall in the in the SWAC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches and communications directors.

On Deck

Alabama will welcome Columbia to Tuscaloosa for a three-game series at The Joe. The Crimson Tide's final non-conference weekend will get started on Friday at 6 p.m. Game two of the series with the Lions is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch followed by a 1 p.m. opening on getaway day. All three games will air live on SEC Network+.