Diamond Notes : 2009 NCAA Clemson Regional: Team Profiles and Quotes

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May 28, 2009

Alabama meets Oklahoma State on Friday in NCAA Tournament

CLEMSON, S.C. - The Alabama baseball team held a 75-minute workout at Doug Kingsmore Stadium today in preparation for Friday's NCAA Tournament opener against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

"We had a good workout today and it was good to familiarize our team with this nice ballpark," Alabama head coach Jim Wells said in his session with the media. "We have had good practices since the SEC Tournament. We are mentally ready, now we just need to go play and play well."

Alabama will face Oklahoma State at 2:06 p.m. (CDT) in the first game of the Clemson Regional on Friday. The game will televised by Comcast Sports South (CSS).

All four teams worked out at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Thursday and the coaches and teams met with the media following each practice.

The teams will attend a tournament dinner at Memorial Stadium tonight before opening NCAA play on Friday.

Here are some quotes from the four head coaches and capsules of the three teams joining Alabama at the Clemson Regional.

Alabama Head Coach Jim Wells

On recovering from a tough end of the pre-NCAA Tournament season
"We have had good practice sessions. Physically, we are where we should be, we just need to get their emotionally."

On Oklahoma State
"They are a very talented team. They are an older club and a very capable team. They are a scary ball club because they are good."

On the importance of a Game 1 win
"It is pretty important to get that first win. If you win you can play three games, but if you don't win then you would have to play four more."

On selecting pitchers
"We are using our best guy in the first game. We are using the same guys that we have all season. It will be that way no matter who we play in the second game."

On Austin Hyatt's control
"He is just a strike-thrower. People ask how he wins, and there really isn't anything special...he just throws strikes. He is very quiet and competitive and just finds a way to win."

On Kent Matthes
"We were surprised to some degree that he would have as good a season as he is having. We did not see it coming. He just started hitting the ball really well and we thought it was just a nice streak, but it is still going. He is the kind of player that is good at everything. He runs well and fields well. He is the same guy every day.

CLEMSON REGIONAL PROFILES:

ALABAMA-OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES: Alabama leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 2-0. The only two meetings have taken place at the College World Series in 1996 and 1999. Alabama opened the 1996 CWS with a 7-5 win over OSU. The game was the first CWS game for the Crimson Tide in the Jim Wells era. The two teams also opened the 1999 CWS, with the Tide winning 10-3.

OSU SCOUTING REPORT: Oklahoma State (32-22, 9-16 Big 12) was awarded an at-large bid into this year's NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys hit .304 (562-for-1,849) with 73 home runs and 364 RBI in 54 games this season. OSU averaged 7.2 runs and 10.4 hits per game. The top four hitters - senior infielder Tyrone Hambley (.338, 9 HR, 38 RBI), junior outfielder Neil Medchill (.337, 14 HR, 55 RBI), sophomore infielder Tom Belza (.336, 2 HR, 43 RBI) and senior outfielder Michael Dabbs (.335, 13 HR, 38 RBI) - are separated by just four batting average points. Medchill and Dabbs have combined for 27 home runs and 93 RBI this season. OSU pitchers have three complete games, two shutouts and a 4.60 ERA. The staff has more strikeouts (486) and less hits allowed (471) than innings pitched (472). Junior lefty Andrew Oliver (15 GS, 5-6, 5.58 ERA, 1 CG) is the ace of the staff and one of the top prospects in the upcoming 2009 MLB Draft. He has 91 strikeouts in 80 innings of work. Freshman right-hander Randy McCurry (25 G, 3-1, 9 SV, 2.45 ERA) has emerged as the closer and posted staggering numbers in his rookie season. He has 49 strikeouts and held opponents to a .250 batting average in 36 2/3 innings. He has nine of the 14 saves. The Cowboys also play stellar defense with a .977 fielding mark. OSU has made only 45 errors (0.83 per game) and turned 38 doubles plays in 54 games.

OSU NOTES: Oklahoma State posted a 23-6 non-conference record and had the sixth best non-conference RPI in the nation ... The Cowboys finished ninth in the Big 12 Conference (9-16 record) and did not make the eight-team tournament last week in Oklahoma City ... OSU will be making its 37th NCAA Tournament appearance, which ranks as the fourth most all time ... The Cowboys finished the 2009 regular season with a 32-22 record and are ranked 26th in the latest official NCAA RPI rankings ... OSU is one of eight Big 12 Conference teams in this year's tourney, which is a conference record and is also tied with the SEC for the most teams in this year's tournament. Under sixth-year head coach Frank Anderson, OSU has made five NCAA Regional appearances ... The 2009 berth marks the fourth-straight year the Cowboys have appeared in the NCAA Tournament. OSU has twice advanced to an NCAA Super Regional (1999, 2007) and is tied for fifth all time with 19 appearances in the College World Series ... Alabama has played Oklahoma State in a bowl game (2007 Independence Bowl), NCAA Basketball Tournament (1995) and NCAA Baseball Regionals (1996, 1999 and 2009) ...

ALABAMA VS. BIG 12 TEAMS: Alabama owns a 10-17 (.374) record against the current Big 12 Conference field. The Crimson Tide has played six of the 10 teams and owns a winning record against three clubs. Alabama owns a winning mark against Oklahoma (4-0), Oklahoma State (2-0) and Kansas State (2-1) and is a combined 8-1 against those three schools. The Tide has a losing record against Texas (1-8), Nebraska (1-5) and Texas A&M (0-3) and is a combined 2-16 against those three teams. Alabama has never faced Baylor, Kansas, Missouri or Texas Tech in baseball.

Oklahoma State Head Coach Frank Anderson

On their pitching rotation
"We have not set anything yet. We wanted to get through the first practice and then do some scouting and we will get together and set them tonight."

On the Clemson Regional
"Anytime you are playing in an NCAA Regional, there are going to be good teams. It is no different here. There are four really good teams playing this weekend."

On Alabama
"They might be one of the most offensive teams in the country. They also have really good pitching. Playing in the SEC is tough, just like in the Big 12. We are going to have to be ready to play. They have a lot of older kids that have been around the game, which helps them out a lot. The veterans really lead that ballclub, but they also have some other guys that can really hit the ball well, so we have to watch out for them too."

On the importance of winning the opening game
"It is extremely important that we win that first game. We are going to do everything that we can to win. If it is putting a starter in late in the game, then we will do it. We will do something different if we need to so we can get that win."

On traveling far from home
"It is actually one of the easiest trips we have made all season. This is the farthest we have had to travel, but it was pretty easy. Other trips we had to deal with layovers and things."

On scouting for Alabama
"We were able to get some footage from satellite...you are always able to get things that way. We have been going through video of them."

On Alabama's Kent Matthes
"He is one of those top 5-to-10 guys in the country that really stands out. This year there aren't players like Buster Posey and (Matt) Weiters, but he is their target guy and we have to watch out for him."

On Clemson
"We have not looked at them yet. Right now we are focused on Alabama. They are such a fundamentally sound team and we really have to be ready for them."


-UA-


RTR,

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