The Crimson Tide and Commodores will meet for the 149th time in series history on Thursday
May 13, 2015
TUSCALOOSA, AL - Alabama will close out its regular season slate with a three-game home series at the Hoover Met against the No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores. The two teams are scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT start on SECN+ for both Thursday and Friday. The trio of games will wrap up at 3:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network in Saturday's regular-season finale.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can watch/follow the three games via the below outlets:
Gametracker: RollTide.com
Listen: 99.1 FM (Tuscaloosa) / CTSN / TuneIn App
Watch: SEC Network (Saturday)
Webcast: SECN+ (Thursday & Friday)
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY: UA -- Taylor Guilbeau (Sr., LHP) vs. VU -- Carson Fulmer (Jr., RHP)
FRIDAY: UA -- Jake Walters (Fr., RHP) vs. VU -- Philip Pfeifer (RS-Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA -- TBD vs. VU -- Walker Buehler (Jr., RHP)
LEADING OFF
• Alabama and Vanderbilt will meet for the 149th time in a series that dates back to 1893. Vanderbilt is Alabama's longest-standing SEC opponent, with the Crimson Tide owning the all-time advantage, 91-55-2. Alabama also comes out on top when hosting the Commodores, owning a 63-31-2 advantage when the Tide is on its home turf.
• Vanderbilt is coming off a 5-2 midweek win at third-ranked Louisville. Prior to the win over the Cardinals, the Commodores dropped two of three contests last week at home against No. 6 Florida.
• Alabama will begin the Thursday-Friday-Saturday series with senior left-hander Taylor Guilbeau getting the call in the opening contest. Freshman righty Jake Walters will follow on Friday for the Crimson Tide with Saturday's starter for the season finale still to be determined.
• Vanderbilt calls on junior righty Carson Fulmer in the series-opener and will then use redshirt junior southpaw Philip Pfeifer in game two. The Commodores will close out with junior right-hander Walker Buehler on the mound.
• The final series of the season will feature numerous promotions. Thursday night's opener will be the last "Dollar Dog" Night of the season with $1 hot dogs available for all fans. Also on Thursday, American Idol finalist Jess Meuse will sing the national anthem. For Friday, fans can purchase four general admission tickets for $20 and can arrive early to help honor the Crimson Tide's three seniors on their Senior Night. Following Friday's contest, fans can enjoy postgame fireworks one last time. Saturday's season finale will feature a pregame concert by James Miller and will also feature a stadium cup giveaway as fans enter the stadium. Alabama basketball head coach Avery Johnson will throw an honorary first pitch prior to Saturday's contest. The game will also be "Youth Day" where tickets for children 12 and under are $1 and the first 100 through the gate can get eye black. Following the game, kids can run the bases and also get autographs from the Crimson Tide players.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• The Crimson Tide is riding a six-game winning streak as it welcomes Vanderbilt to Hoover. Alabama most recently claimed a 5-3 midweek win over Mercer in Huntsville on Tuesday. Prior to the Tide's final out-of-conference matchup, Alabama swept 24th-ranked Auburn on the Plains this past weekend.
• Mercer joined Alabama in Huntsville on Tuesday for a solo contest inside Joe W. Davis Stadium, former home the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Tide paired timely hitting with a strong relief appearance from Will Carter for the 5-3 win. Carter, making his first relief appearance as a member of the Crimson Tide, tossed 5.0 innings and struck out an Alabama career-high nine batters for his third win of the year.
• Alabama and Auburn entered the ninth, knotted up at 2-2 following two standout pitching performances from the starters in Friday's series-opening game. With one down in the top of nine, Chance Vincent and Will Haynie knocked back-to-back solo home runs to give the Crimson Tide the 4-2 victory. Haynie's shot went over the scoreboard in left-center to put an exclamation point on the game-one win.
• The offense exploded for 17 hits to pair with a solid pitching performance, helping the Crimson Tide claim game two and the series win, 7-6. In a game that featured three lead changes, the Crimson Tide came out on top in the end thanks to a four-run seventh and a pair of runs in the eighth to ensure the victory.
• After two close victories in the in the first pair of matchups, Alabama put up an eight-spot in the ninth to leave no doubt of the series sweep, claiming the 14-4 blowout win. In the seventh, a great diving catch in left-center by Georgie Salem preserved the Crimson Tide lead and then an offensive explosion in the ninth ensured the win.
• The sweep was Alabama's first conference sweep of the season and marked the first time the Crimson Tide swept Auburn on the plains in 32 years.
• Alabama collected 42 hits on the weekend, including 17 on Saturday and 16 on Sunday.
• UA is led offensively by Mikey White and Casey Hughston, both team leaders in a combined nine statistical categories. Georgie Salem has also heated up as of late, especially in the month of April.
• White is among SEC leaders in numerous categories, ranking second in triples (6), third in doubles (18), seventh in on-base percentage (.447) and 10th in total bases (109). He leads the Crimson Tide in runs (43), doubles, triples, slugging percentage (.559) and on-base percentage. In the field, he leads the team in assists with 158 at shortstop to rank fourth in the conference.
• Hughston is among the top-15 in numerous categories across the SEC leaderboards. The sophomore currently leads the Crimson Tide in hits (71), RBI (41) and total bases (109), while adding six home runs to rank second on the team. The starting outfielder has also added a team-high five outfield assists from the right field position.
• Salem went on a tear during the month of April and has stayed hot in May. Salem started the season batting .218 (22-101) across the first 27 games, but has since raised his average by .62 points thanks to a .333 (39-117) tear over the last 26 games. The junior has also put together 12 extra-base hits to go with his seven stolen bases.
• The Tide has collected 27 multi-hit efforts this season and is 20-7 when doing so, with 13 of those double-digit performances coming in SEC play. Alabama has collected 10 or more hits in 17 of its last 28 nine-inning games as well as six of the last eight overall.
• Alabama returns 23 letterwinners from last season's team that reached the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The 2015 Tide also features five positional returners, and three pitchers who made five or more starts last season.
• The Crimson Tide was selected to finish second in the SEC Western Division in the preseason conference poll, as voted on by league coaches.
SCOUTING VANDERBILT
• Vanderbilt claimed the 5-2 victory at third-ranked Louisville this past Tuesday. Prior to the solo midweek contest, the Commodores fell in two of three games with No. 6 Florida.
• Vandy led off the game in Louisville with a solo home run to provide early insurance for the Commodores' starter and then added four more in the third. Louisville chipped away at the lead with two runs in the in the sixth inning, but could not come any closer as Vanderbilt would claim the 5-2 win in the rivalry game.
• In Friday's opener with the Gators, Vanderbilt would score two runs and that would be all the Commodores would need, as starter Carson Fulmer posted his second complete game shutout of the season, 2-0. Florida would put pressure on in the ninth, but Fulmer would work through adversity for his team-leading 10th win.
• Florida would bounce back to even the series on Saturday, outscoring Vandy for the 7-3 win. Gator starter A.J. Puk allowed just two runs while striking out 12 VU hitters for the win.
• The rubber match saw the two teams head to the ninth inning tied up at 7-7, but the Gators would rally for a pair of runs and then shut down Vandy in the ninth to come away with the series win in Nashville.
• Vanderbilt is batting .294 as a team to rank fourth in the SEC, but ranks second in hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Vandy also leads the conference in strikeouts.
• The offensive attack for the `Dores is led by SEC and national player of the year candidate Dansby Swanson. The shortstop leads VU in nine offensive categories including: average (.346), hits (71), doubles (17), triples (6), runs (59), total bases (127), walks (34), slugging percentage (.620) and on-base percentage (.437). His 59 runs lead the conference while his triples and total bases totals are second across the league. Zander Wiel is the team's RBI leader, with the junior collecting 49 to go with his .333 (67-201) average. Wiel is following closely behind Swanson in almost all offensive categories. The home run leader for the `Dores is Rhett Wiseman at 12.
• Vanderbilt's pitchers sport a 3.01 ERA (163 ER/487.2 IP), the second-lowest total in the league. They have allowed the second-fewest hits and are averaging a league-high 9.63 strikeouts per game. However, the Commodores have issued the third-most walks of any pitching staff in the SEC. Sophomore lefty Ben Bowden is the team's leader in appearances out the bullpen, having made 19 total without a start. Bowden owns a 3.10 ERA (10 ER/29.0 IP) and a 5-1 record while striking out 35. The `Dores have seven players with double-digit relief appearances this season.
• VU returns 16 letterwinners from last season's 51-21 national championship team while adding 16 newcomers.
• Vandy drew 11 votes to finish as SEC champion in the 2015 preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches.
SERIES HISTORY
• Alabama and Vanderbilt will match up for the 149th time when the two teams kick off the series Thursday.
• The Crimson Tide owns the all-time advantage, 91-55-2, in a history that dates back to 1893 with Vanderbilt being Alabama's longest-standing SEC opponent.
• The most recent meeting between the two schools saw Vanderbilt claim the bookends of a weekend series in Nashville to earn the series win from May 16-18, 2013. Vandy took game one, 7-6, but UA bounced back for the 5-4 win in 10 innings on Saturday. The Commodores rallied for the 14-10 win in a high-scoring affair in the finale.
• In 1893, Alabama's second ever season in existence, the two teams met for a four-game series. Alabama took the first ever game between the two, 2-1, and then the teams tied in game two. Vanderbilt would claim wins in the final two games of the series by scores of 10-5 and 4-1, respectively.
COMING UP
With the regular season coming to a close, Alabama will set its sights on the 2015 SEC Tournament inside the Hoover Met. The Crimson Tide has made 26 appearances all-time with a 45-39 (.536) record in those visits to the tournament. Overall, Alabama is tied for the second most tournament titles with Mississippi State at seven, while LSU has claimed the most tournament championships at 11. Most recently, the Tide fell, 7-1, to Kentucky in the opening round of last year's conference tourney.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
May 13, 2015
TUSCALOOSA, AL - Alabama will close out its regular season slate with a three-game home series at the Hoover Met against the No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores. The two teams are scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT start on SECN+ for both Thursday and Friday. The trio of games will wrap up at 3:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network in Saturday's regular-season finale.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can watch/follow the three games via the below outlets:
Gametracker: RollTide.com
Listen: 99.1 FM (Tuscaloosa) / CTSN / TuneIn App
Watch: SEC Network (Saturday)
Webcast: SECN+ (Thursday & Friday)
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY: UA -- Taylor Guilbeau (Sr., LHP) vs. VU -- Carson Fulmer (Jr., RHP)
FRIDAY: UA -- Jake Walters (Fr., RHP) vs. VU -- Philip Pfeifer (RS-Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA -- TBD vs. VU -- Walker Buehler (Jr., RHP)
LEADING OFF
• Alabama and Vanderbilt will meet for the 149th time in a series that dates back to 1893. Vanderbilt is Alabama's longest-standing SEC opponent, with the Crimson Tide owning the all-time advantage, 91-55-2. Alabama also comes out on top when hosting the Commodores, owning a 63-31-2 advantage when the Tide is on its home turf.
• Vanderbilt is coming off a 5-2 midweek win at third-ranked Louisville. Prior to the win over the Cardinals, the Commodores dropped two of three contests last week at home against No. 6 Florida.
• Alabama will begin the Thursday-Friday-Saturday series with senior left-hander Taylor Guilbeau getting the call in the opening contest. Freshman righty Jake Walters will follow on Friday for the Crimson Tide with Saturday's starter for the season finale still to be determined.
• Vanderbilt calls on junior righty Carson Fulmer in the series-opener and will then use redshirt junior southpaw Philip Pfeifer in game two. The Commodores will close out with junior right-hander Walker Buehler on the mound.
• The final series of the season will feature numerous promotions. Thursday night's opener will be the last "Dollar Dog" Night of the season with $1 hot dogs available for all fans. Also on Thursday, American Idol finalist Jess Meuse will sing the national anthem. For Friday, fans can purchase four general admission tickets for $20 and can arrive early to help honor the Crimson Tide's three seniors on their Senior Night. Following Friday's contest, fans can enjoy postgame fireworks one last time. Saturday's season finale will feature a pregame concert by James Miller and will also feature a stadium cup giveaway as fans enter the stadium. Alabama basketball head coach Avery Johnson will throw an honorary first pitch prior to Saturday's contest. The game will also be "Youth Day" where tickets for children 12 and under are $1 and the first 100 through the gate can get eye black. Following the game, kids can run the bases and also get autographs from the Crimson Tide players.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• The Crimson Tide is riding a six-game winning streak as it welcomes Vanderbilt to Hoover. Alabama most recently claimed a 5-3 midweek win over Mercer in Huntsville on Tuesday. Prior to the Tide's final out-of-conference matchup, Alabama swept 24th-ranked Auburn on the Plains this past weekend.
• Mercer joined Alabama in Huntsville on Tuesday for a solo contest inside Joe W. Davis Stadium, former home the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Tide paired timely hitting with a strong relief appearance from Will Carter for the 5-3 win. Carter, making his first relief appearance as a member of the Crimson Tide, tossed 5.0 innings and struck out an Alabama career-high nine batters for his third win of the year.
• Alabama and Auburn entered the ninth, knotted up at 2-2 following two standout pitching performances from the starters in Friday's series-opening game. With one down in the top of nine, Chance Vincent and Will Haynie knocked back-to-back solo home runs to give the Crimson Tide the 4-2 victory. Haynie's shot went over the scoreboard in left-center to put an exclamation point on the game-one win.
• The offense exploded for 17 hits to pair with a solid pitching performance, helping the Crimson Tide claim game two and the series win, 7-6. In a game that featured three lead changes, the Crimson Tide came out on top in the end thanks to a four-run seventh and a pair of runs in the eighth to ensure the victory.
• After two close victories in the in the first pair of matchups, Alabama put up an eight-spot in the ninth to leave no doubt of the series sweep, claiming the 14-4 blowout win. In the seventh, a great diving catch in left-center by Georgie Salem preserved the Crimson Tide lead and then an offensive explosion in the ninth ensured the win.
• The sweep was Alabama's first conference sweep of the season and marked the first time the Crimson Tide swept Auburn on the plains in 32 years.
• Alabama collected 42 hits on the weekend, including 17 on Saturday and 16 on Sunday.
• UA is led offensively by Mikey White and Casey Hughston, both team leaders in a combined nine statistical categories. Georgie Salem has also heated up as of late, especially in the month of April.
• White is among SEC leaders in numerous categories, ranking second in triples (6), third in doubles (18), seventh in on-base percentage (.447) and 10th in total bases (109). He leads the Crimson Tide in runs (43), doubles, triples, slugging percentage (.559) and on-base percentage. In the field, he leads the team in assists with 158 at shortstop to rank fourth in the conference.
• Hughston is among the top-15 in numerous categories across the SEC leaderboards. The sophomore currently leads the Crimson Tide in hits (71), RBI (41) and total bases (109), while adding six home runs to rank second on the team. The starting outfielder has also added a team-high five outfield assists from the right field position.
• Salem went on a tear during the month of April and has stayed hot in May. Salem started the season batting .218 (22-101) across the first 27 games, but has since raised his average by .62 points thanks to a .333 (39-117) tear over the last 26 games. The junior has also put together 12 extra-base hits to go with his seven stolen bases.
• The Tide has collected 27 multi-hit efforts this season and is 20-7 when doing so, with 13 of those double-digit performances coming in SEC play. Alabama has collected 10 or more hits in 17 of its last 28 nine-inning games as well as six of the last eight overall.
• Alabama returns 23 letterwinners from last season's team that reached the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The 2015 Tide also features five positional returners, and three pitchers who made five or more starts last season.
• The Crimson Tide was selected to finish second in the SEC Western Division in the preseason conference poll, as voted on by league coaches.
SCOUTING VANDERBILT
• Vanderbilt claimed the 5-2 victory at third-ranked Louisville this past Tuesday. Prior to the solo midweek contest, the Commodores fell in two of three games with No. 6 Florida.
• Vandy led off the game in Louisville with a solo home run to provide early insurance for the Commodores' starter and then added four more in the third. Louisville chipped away at the lead with two runs in the in the sixth inning, but could not come any closer as Vanderbilt would claim the 5-2 win in the rivalry game.
• In Friday's opener with the Gators, Vanderbilt would score two runs and that would be all the Commodores would need, as starter Carson Fulmer posted his second complete game shutout of the season, 2-0. Florida would put pressure on in the ninth, but Fulmer would work through adversity for his team-leading 10th win.
• Florida would bounce back to even the series on Saturday, outscoring Vandy for the 7-3 win. Gator starter A.J. Puk allowed just two runs while striking out 12 VU hitters for the win.
• The rubber match saw the two teams head to the ninth inning tied up at 7-7, but the Gators would rally for a pair of runs and then shut down Vandy in the ninth to come away with the series win in Nashville.
• Vanderbilt is batting .294 as a team to rank fourth in the SEC, but ranks second in hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Vandy also leads the conference in strikeouts.
• The offensive attack for the `Dores is led by SEC and national player of the year candidate Dansby Swanson. The shortstop leads VU in nine offensive categories including: average (.346), hits (71), doubles (17), triples (6), runs (59), total bases (127), walks (34), slugging percentage (.620) and on-base percentage (.437). His 59 runs lead the conference while his triples and total bases totals are second across the league. Zander Wiel is the team's RBI leader, with the junior collecting 49 to go with his .333 (67-201) average. Wiel is following closely behind Swanson in almost all offensive categories. The home run leader for the `Dores is Rhett Wiseman at 12.
• Vanderbilt's pitchers sport a 3.01 ERA (163 ER/487.2 IP), the second-lowest total in the league. They have allowed the second-fewest hits and are averaging a league-high 9.63 strikeouts per game. However, the Commodores have issued the third-most walks of any pitching staff in the SEC. Sophomore lefty Ben Bowden is the team's leader in appearances out the bullpen, having made 19 total without a start. Bowden owns a 3.10 ERA (10 ER/29.0 IP) and a 5-1 record while striking out 35. The `Dores have seven players with double-digit relief appearances this season.
• VU returns 16 letterwinners from last season's 51-21 national championship team while adding 16 newcomers.
• Vandy drew 11 votes to finish as SEC champion in the 2015 preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches.
SERIES HISTORY
• Alabama and Vanderbilt will match up for the 149th time when the two teams kick off the series Thursday.
• The Crimson Tide owns the all-time advantage, 91-55-2, in a history that dates back to 1893 with Vanderbilt being Alabama's longest-standing SEC opponent.
• The most recent meeting between the two schools saw Vanderbilt claim the bookends of a weekend series in Nashville to earn the series win from May 16-18, 2013. Vandy took game one, 7-6, but UA bounced back for the 5-4 win in 10 innings on Saturday. The Commodores rallied for the 14-10 win in a high-scoring affair in the finale.
• In 1893, Alabama's second ever season in existence, the two teams met for a four-game series. Alabama took the first ever game between the two, 2-1, and then the teams tied in game two. Vanderbilt would claim wins in the final two games of the series by scores of 10-5 and 4-1, respectively.
COMING UP
With the regular season coming to a close, Alabama will set its sights on the 2015 SEC Tournament inside the Hoover Met. The Crimson Tide has made 26 appearances all-time with a 45-39 (.536) record in those visits to the tournament. Overall, Alabama is tied for the second most tournament titles with Mississippi State at seven, while LSU has claimed the most tournament championships at 11. Most recently, the Tide fell, 7-1, to Kentucky in the opening round of last year's conference tourney.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
