Diamond Notes : Bama Brings 3 Game Winning Streak Into Lipscomb Game

[Diamond Tide]

Share
 

Tuesday, March 28, 2006


INTERNET BROADCAST: Live audio broadcasts and live stats can be found at www.rolltide.com. The games are aired on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with David Crane (play-by-play) and Chris Stewart (color) describing the action. Live stats are also available at www.rolltide.com.


TICKETS: Tickets for the Alabama-Lipscomb game are $5 each and available at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium Box Office, which opens two hours prior to each game. Tickets for the Alabama-Miss. State series are $5 each or $15 for the series book and are available at the UA Ticket Office or the Sewell-Thomas Stadium Box Office.

BAMA CONTINUES HOMESTAND WITH LIPSCOMB: The No. 16 ranked University of Alabama baseball looks to carry its momentum from its weekend sweep of the Ole Miss Rebels into Wednesday night’s (March 29) non-conference match up with the Lipscomb Bisons in a 6:30 p.m. (CT) game at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama (19-8, 5-1 SEC) swept Ole Miss this past weekend to take over sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division. Alabama and Vanderbilt are tied for the overall SEC lead with identical 5-1 records. The Crimson Tide had its most productive offensive SEC series in three years this weekend against the Rebels. Alabama batted .354 (35-for-99) in the three-game sweep with 30 runs scored. The .354 batting average was the highest in an SEC series since a three-game sweep of Arkansas in 2003. The Crimson Tide batted .364 (40-for-110) with 30 runs scored against the Razorbacks. Senior 3B Matt Downs (Centreville) went 6-for-13 (.462) with five runs scored and three RBI in the Ole Miss series. Junior SS Greg Paiml (Hoover) was 4-for-10 (.400) and had the two most meaningful hits in the series. His double in the right-center field gap scored junior LF Brandon Belcher (Ruston, La.) with the winning run in a 9-8 comeback win in the 10th inning in game two. He laced the three-run double into the gap as UA built a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 12-2 win in the series opener. He scored three runs and had five RBI in the series. Senior 2B Evan Bush (Rainbow City) remains hot at the plate after a slow start. Bush went 5-for-13 (.385) in the Ole Miss series with two home runs and six RBI. He slugged two home runs in the series opener and then delivered the game-tying single in the ninth inning on Saturday. His two-run double off the left field wall gave the Tide a 3-2 lead in an eventual 9-2 win in the series finale. Alabama also got three quality starts on the mound from junior LHP Wade LeBlanc (Lake Charles, La.), junior RHP Bernard Robert (Denham Springs, La.) and freshman RHP Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.). LeBlanc worked 7 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts in the opener. Robert worked a season high eight innings and recorded a season-best seven strikeouts, but took a tough-luck no decision when Ole Miss took a brief 8-7 lead in the ninth inning. Hunter logged his first career complete game and picked up his first career SEC win in the finale. He added seven strikeouts en route to being named SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this year. Lipscomb (12-10, 5-4 A-Sun) is coming off series win at Stetson this past weekend. The Bisons have won six of the last eight games since March 12. Junior OF Zac Miller (Mt. Home, Ark.) is the leading hitter with a .388 (31-for-80) average in 22 games, with two home runs and 15 RBI. He also leads the team with 19 runs scored and a .538 slugging mark in 22 starts.


ALABAMA PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
Odr No. Name
1 2 Emeel Salem
2 26 Matt Downs
3 14 Evan Bush
4 9 Kody Valverde
5 16 Alex Avila
6 34 Ryan Rhoden
7 24 Spencer Pennington
8 32 Brandon Belcher
9 3 Greg Paiml



ALABAMA-LIPSCOMB SERIES: This is the first-ever meeting between Alabama and Lipscomb in baseball.


ALABAMA VS. ATLANTIC SUN

*Alabama has posted a 23-8-1 (.734) record against the revamped Atlantic Sun Conference and has played only four of the 11 current schools.

*Alabama is 18-6-1 against Mercer, in a series that dates back to 1905. The Crimson Tide and Bears last played in 1998.

*Alabama is also 2-1 against Stetson (1950, 1996) and Florida Atlantic (2002) and 1-0 against Belmont (2003).

SCOUTING REPORT: Lipscomb Bisons

*The Lipscomb Bisons (12-10, 5-4 A-Sun) are coming off a series win at Stetson this past weekend in DeLand, Fla.

*Since March 12, the Bisons have won sox of the last eight games.

*Lipscomb and Alabama have played one common opponent this season. UA beat Samford 11-3 on Feb. 14, while Lipscomb handed Samford a 7-1 loss on March 7.

*Lipscomb brings a .275 (206-for-750) batting average into Wednesday night’s game with only 10 home runs and 114 RBI.

*The Bisons average 5.9 runs and 9.4 hits per game.

*Junior OF Zac Miller (Mt. Home, Arkansas) is the team’s best offensive player. In 22 starts, he is batting a robust .388 (31-for-80) with two home runs and 15 RBI. He also leads the club with 19 runs scored and a whopping .539 slugging mark.

*Senior OF Nathan Sensing (Nashville) is the only other regular hitting over .300 this season for Lipscomb. Sensing is batting .310 (27-for-87) in 21 starts, with three home runs and 14 RBI. He leads the club in home runs and ranks third in RBI.

*Senior SS Tadd Brewer (Sturgis, Ky.) leads the team with 18 RBI in 22 starts. Brewer is hitting .295 (26-for-88) and also leads the team in doubles (7) and stolen bases (5-7).

*On the mound, Lipscomb is 12-10 with a 5.52 staff ERA this season.

*The staff has worked 194 innings and allowed 215 hits, 147 runs and 119 earned runs, with 100 walks and 174 strikeouts.

*Freshman RHP Charles Williams (Chattanooga) has emerged as the top arm out of the pen.

*Williams is 1-0 with a 1.57 ERA and three saves in eight appearances this season as a rookie. He has worked 23 innings and allowed 18 hits, six runs and four earned runs, with nine walks and 10 strikeouts.

*Defensively, Lipscomb has made 33 errors (1.67) in 22 games for a .961 fielding mark. Brewer, the starting shortstop, has made 11 errors this season.


ALABAMA NO. 3 IN LATEST RPI

*Alabama is third this week in the latest RPI rankings, according to Warren Nolan (www.warrennolan.com) and Boyd Nation (www.boydsworld.com).

*The Crimson Tide is the highest ranked team in the SEC through games on Monday, March 27, 2006. Mississippi State (4) and Arkansas (8) are also in the Top 10 this week.


TOP 10 RPI (Warren Nolan)
Rk Team RPI
1. Clemson .6881
2. Georgia Tech .6649
3. ALABAMA .6574
4. Miss. State .6529
5. Wake Forest .6517
6. Georgia .6381
7. Nebraska .6341
8. Arkansas .6301
9. CS Fullerton .6292
10. Virginia .6284


TOP 10 RPI (Boyd Nation)
Rk Team RPI
1. Clemson .691
2. Georgia Tech .665
3. ALABAMA .660
4. Wake Forest .654
5. Mississippi State .653
6. CS Fullerton .641
7. Georgia .640
8. Nebraska .636
9. Arkansas .631
10. Virginia .629


BAMA SCHEDULE AMONG NATION’S TOUGHEST

*Alabama’s schedule has been rated as the third most difficult in the nation according to the latest rankings by Warren Nolan (www.warrennolan.com).

*Alabama has already played 10 games against ranked teams (4-6, .400), including No. 26 Winthrop, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 20 Southern Miss and No. 23 Georgia.

*The Nebraska (Mar. 10-12) and Georgia (Mar. 17-19) series were back-to-back road series for the Crimson Tide in mid March.

*Bama also has dates with No. 1 Miss. State (March 31-April 2), No. 5 South Carolina (April 7-9), No. 15 LSU (April 14-16), No. 17 Vanderbilt (April 21-23), No. 10 Arkansas (May 5-7), No. 18 Florida (May 12-14) and No. 21 Tennessee (May 18-20).


TOP 10 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Rk Team SOS
1. Clemson .6750
2. Brown .6642
3. ALABAMA .6419
4. Stanford .6371
5. Wake Forest .6253
6. Auburn .6099
7. Florida .6093
8. Long Beach State .6087
9. Georgia Tech .6087
10. Kent State .6084

(Courtesy Barry Allen University of Alabama Media Relations)

RTR,

Diamond Tide