Baseball Season is Here – Alabama Hosts Manhattan for Opening Weekend
2/15/2024 2:36:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide and Jaspers will meet for the first time in series history on Friday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball is set to open the 2024 campaign this weekend as the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide hosts Manhattan at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Opening Day is set for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. open on Sunday. All three games of the series will air on SEC Network+.
Opening Weekend will feature numerous promotions at The Joe. The 2024 season opener on Friday will have three separate giveaways – fans can get an Opening Day T-shirt and a 'Welcome, Coach Vaughn' gameday button for game one only, while also picking up a magnet schedule. The magnet schedules will be available at the gates all weekend long.
On Saturday, fans can get in free by presenting their Alabama men's basketball ticket at the gate. Additionally, the first 250 students through the Right Field Terrace gate will receive a gift card for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich. Sunday's series finale will feature free admission for anyone attending the Crimson Tide women's basketball game.
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 – Ben Hess (Jr., RHP) vs. MC – Justin Solimine (Gr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Riley Quick (So., RHP) vs. MC – Noah Mattera (Gr., LHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Aidan Moza (Jr., RHP) vs. MC – TBA
Leading Off
• Alabama and Manhattan will meet for the first time in history when the two teams open the 2024 regular season on Friday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• The Crimson Tide has squared off with only four of the current 13 member teams in the MAAC and holds a 10-0 all-time mark against those programs. The Tide has faced Canisius (3-0), Niagara (4-0), Rider (1-0) and Siena (2-0).
About Alabama
• Alabama finished the 2023 season at 43-21 overall, including a 16-14 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Crimson Tide advanced to the postseason, playing in the SEC Tournament for a third straight year, the first time UA appeared in three consecutive Tournaments since 2014-16.
• The Tide went 2-2 in the SEC Tournament, reaching the quarterfinal round of games. Alabama defeated then-No. 25 Kentucky to advance to the double-elimination round where UA fell to second-ranked Florida. The Tide extended its time in Hoover with a 7-4 win over then-No. 19 Auburn before a 9-2 loss to then-No. 8 Vanderbilt ended the run.
• The Crimson Tide's success during the regular season, paired with the wins in Hoover, earned Alabama an NCAA Regional host bid, the first for UA since 2006. The Tide swept the weekend in town with a 3-0 record to be crowned NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Champions.
• Alabama advanced to the NCAA Winston-Salem Super Regional where the Tide fell in consecutive days to the Tournament's No. 1 seed, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
• The Tide made a coaching change on the morning of May 4. Jason Jackson was tasked with taking over as interim head coach, leading the team to a 13-6 record.
• Jackson's record included three straight SEC series wins to close out the regular season, highlighted by a series victory over then-No. 5 Vanderbilt in his first weekend as acting head coach.
• Alabama's offense batted .293 (634-2,162) on the season, an improvement from 2022's mark of .279. The Crimson Tide bats totaled 100 doubles, 12 triples and 112 home runs on the way to 1,094 total bases and a .506 slugging percentage. UA combined for 340 walks and 77 hit-by-pitch for a team .402 on-base mark. The Tide also scored 488 runs while stealing 47 bases in 65 attempts.
• The 2023 team ranked in the top-10 of numerous Alabama single-season lists including: walks (2nd), home runs and sacrifice flies (4th), hit-by-pitch (6th), RBI (7th), runs and total bases (8th) and slugging (9th). The '23 group also averaged 5.31 walks per game, the highest mark in UA single-season history.
• On the mound, Alabama maintained a 4.26 ERA (263 ER/555.2 IP) and combined for seven shutouts. The Tide pitchers struck out 593 compared to just 236 walks and held opposing hitters to a .233 average.
• The '23 group tied the program-high mark for strikeouts in a season while the seven shutouts tied for the second-most in a single year.
• Alabama finished the regular season as the only team ranked in the top-three of hitting and pitching on the conference lists. The Tide also led the league for run differential during conference play at plus-48.
• The 2023 defense fielded at a .978 clip and was highlighted by Gold Glove winner Jim Jarvis. The senior was also one of two All-SEC Defensive Team honorees for UA, joining Drew Williamson on the league's defensive roster.
• Maryland's Rob Vaughn was hired as Alabama's new head coach on Monday, June 12, and was officially introduced one day later at a press conference. Vaughn retained Jackson, promoting him to the title of associate head coach.
• Vaughn added Anthony Papio and Mike Morrison less than a month later to round out his coaching staff.
• Alabama welcomes back 15 letterwinners for the 2024 season. Included in those 15 are two positional starters and eight pitchers that returned for the new campaign.
About Manhattan
• Dave Miller enters his second season at Manhattan and his sixth season overall as a Division I collegiate head coach. He owns a career record of 99-136, including a 22-34 record in his first year with the Jaspers in 2023. Miller is joined on staff by assistants Steven Rosen and Steve Englert along with volunteer director of player development Will Hesslink.
• Manhattan finished the 2023 season at 22-34 overall but owned a 13-11 mark in MAAC play. The Jaspers advanced to the MAAC Championship before falling to Canisius to end the season.
• The Jaspers were selected to finish fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.
On Deck
Alabama will break on Monday before a pair of midweek contests at home. The Tide will first host Middle Tennessee on Tuesday, Feb. 20 followed by Alabama State on Wednesday. Both matchups are slated for a 4 p.m. start on SEC Network+.
