No. 1 Visits Tuscaloosa for Second Straight Week as Baseball Hosts Top-Ranked Texas A&M

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – For a second straight series, 12^th-ranked Alabama baseball will host the nation's top-ranked team, this time in the Texas A&M Aggies. The three-game set begins with a pair of 6 p.m. CT starts on both Thursday and Friday followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch in the finale. Thursday's matchup will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network with the final two contests streaming on SEC Network+.

The upcoming series will feature numerous promotions at The Joe. The theme for the three-game set will be 'Bama Salute', with multiple military recognitions and presentations planned throughout the series. As part of the 'Bama Salute' promotion, Alabama Athletics is offering free admission to all military personnel. In addition, guests of the military personnel will receive a ticket discount the entire weekend. Both ticket deals can be purchased here.

On Thursday, fans can get their third 'Gameday at The Joe' button. This weekend's button features the 'Bama Salute' logo. The buttons are part of a season-long promotion and will be handed out at select series openers. Saturday's matchup will be the second 'Alabama Hat Series' giveaway. Fans can get a cap at the gate that is unique to the series with the Aggies, with the second hat design featuring a script 'Tuscaloosa' Alabama hat design.

The series finale with A&M will continue 'Kids' Day at The Joe'. All kids 12-and-under will have the chance to run the bases postgame. Additionally, Saturday will be the Tide's fourth baseball card giveaway of the season. The giveaway is part of a season-long promotion highlighting the 2024 roster. Kids can get their pack of cards and stay after the game to get autographs from the group of players featured on this Saturday's set of cards.

Follow the Tide

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

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

THURSDAY: UA – Greg Farone (Sr., LHP) vs. A&M – Ryan Prager (R-So., LHP)
FRIDAY: UA – Ben Hess (Jr., RHP) vs. A&M – Tanner Jones (Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Zane Adams (Fr., LHP) vs. A&M – Justin Lamkin (So., LHP)

Leading Off

Alabama and Texas A&M will meet for the 35th time in history when the two teams open the series on Thursday night at The Joe. The Aggies hold the all-time advantage, 20-14, including an 8-6 mark as the visitors.
The teams met from May 12-14 of last season in Bryan-College Station, with the Crimson Tide going 2-1 to take the series. The Aggies claimed an 11-5 win to open the weekend, but Alabama responded with a 12-1 victory on Saturday to even the series. After early rain pushed Sunday's rubber match into the evening, the Tide shut out the Aggies, 11-0, for the first time in the series history for the crucial series win.
A&M's last trip to Tuscaloosa came from April 1-3, 2022. The Aggies took game one, 3-2, before UA evened the series up with a 10-9 win in game two. The series finale finished at 8-4 in favor of Alabama.

About Alabama

Alabama enters the Texas A&M series having gone 2-2 over the last four games. The Crimson Tide earned a series win over the top-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks across last weekend before falling to UAB on Tuesday evening.
The series win over Arkansas was the Tide's first against the nation's top-ranked team since 2009. The series victory was highlighted by Sunday's 5-0 shutout win. The shutout was the first for Alabama in program history against No. 1 and first against the Hogs since 2019.
Alabama fell to UAB, 5-2, on Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The Blazers scored out of the gate, plating a pair in the first. Alabama answered with solo homers from Gage Miller and Justin Lebron to knot it up at 2-2 after one full.
Both teams would remain scoreless until the fifth when UAB plated two more before adding an insurance run in the eighth for the 5-2 advantage, the eventual final.
Alabama suffered a 5-3 loss to top-ranked Arkansas last Friday evening in Tuscaloosa.
The Razorbacks belted back-to-back homers in the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Arkansas then followed with a pair of runs in the third to make it 5-0, where the score would stay until the home half of the eighth.
In that eighth, Alabama scratched across three runs. Bryce Eblin and Miller started the rally with back-to-back singles followed by consecutive RBI-singles from Ian Petrutz and Lebron. After a walk to load the bases, the Tide added another tally on a TJ McCants sacrifice fly and had the tying runs on base with one down, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the inning at 5-3, the eventual final.
Alabama downed top-ranked Arkansas, 4-3, in extra innings last Saturday evening.
Home runs were the only offense to start, as Alabama took a two-run lead on a Will Hodo solo shot in the second followed by a Miller solo bomb in the third. Arkansas answered with solo homers in the fifth and sixth to make it 2-2.
The Tide regained the lead in the eighth, using a two-out RBI-double from McCants to score one. The lead would not last long, as another solo homer in the Razorback ninth sent the game to extras. Arkansas was held scoreless in the top of the 10th to bring the Crimson Tide to the plate.
Alabama led off the home half with a double from Kade Snell. The redshirt junior was replaced by pinch-runner Mason Swinney, who would come home in the next at-bat on a slow dribbler back to the mound from McCants. The Hogs' pitcher first bobbled the ball before throwing it past the first baseman to allow Swinney to score the game-winning run.
Alton Davis II picked up the win last Saturday, allowing one run on one hit to go with three strikeouts across the final 2.0 innings. Tyler Fay joined Davis II out of the pen, with Fay tossing 3.0 relief frames and striking out three while allowing one run on one hit. The relief duo backed up starter Greg Farone, who allowed one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work.
The Crimson Tide leaned on starter Zane Adams last Sunday afternoon, securing a 5-0 shutout victory to clinch the series with Arkansas.
Adams earned the win with a gem, working 8.0 scoreless frames with only four hits and a walk to go with five strikeouts. He was followed by Davis II, who posted a scoreless ninth with a walk and a strikeout for the shutout win.
The Crimson Tide offense provided Adams with all the support he would need, scoring one in the third, two in the seventh and adding a pair for insurance in the eighth. Alabama's bats registered 10 hits against the Razorbacks with four players contributing two-hit games. Eblin led the way, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and one run.

About Texas A&M

Jim Schlossnagle is in his third year leading Texas A&M in 2024 and entered the new season with an 82-47 record at A&M, part of a career 893-440 mark across his previous 22 years as a head coach. A 1992 graduate of Elon, Schlossnagle is joined on staff by associate head coach Nolan Cain along with assistant coaches Michael Earley and Max Weiner.
Texas A&M finished 2023 with a 38-27 record overall, including a 14-16 mark in SEC play. The Aggies made their way to the SEC Tournament Championship to earn a bid in the NCAA Stanford Regional. After opening the Regional with back-to-back victories, the Aggies season came to a close at the hands of the Cardinal, who defeated A&M in the Regional final.
The Aggies were selected to finish third in the West and sixth overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck

The Crimson Tide will wrap up its nine-game homestand on Tuesday, April 23, when Alabama hosts Samford for its final home midweek of the 2024 season. The in-state pairing is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch on SEC Network+.

University of Alabama Athletics