Diamond Notes : In-State Pairing for Alabama Sends the Tide to Jacksonville State

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The Crimson Tide and Gamecocks will meet for the 41st time in series history on Wednesday night

4/23/2019

TUSCALOOSA, AL -
Alabama baseball will take a quick trip to Jacksonville State on Wednesday evening to complete the home-and-home series with the Gamecocks. First pitch of the midweek matchup at Rudy Abbott Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE TIDE

Fans can follow Wednesday's game via the below outlets:


Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: JSUGamecockSports.com

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP

WEDNESDAY: UA – Tyler Ras (Fr., RHP) vs. JSU – TBA

LEADING OFF

• Alabama and Jacksonville State will square off for the 41st time in series history when the two teams meet at Jim Case Stadium on Wednesday evening. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series advantage, 30-10, as well as a 4-3 lead in Jacksonville.
• The two teams last met in Tuscaloosa on Feb. 18 of this season with the Crimson Tide taking down Jacksonville State on a Monday afternoon at The Joe by a score of 13-2. A seven-run second inning highlighted UA's big offensive day in the win. The bats totaled 13 runs on 10 hits, including the seven-run second that put the game out of reach early.
• Alabama sends right-hander Tyler Ras to the hill on Wednesday night. The freshman has appeared in 11 games with nine starts this season and holds a 1-2 mark with a 3.18 ERA (10 ER/28.1 IP).
• The Jacksonville State starter is still to be announced following the Gamecocks' Tuesday matchup with Auburn.

ABOUT ALABAMA

• Alabama closed out the week at 1-3. The Crimson Tide first took down in-state foe UAB, 3-2, on Tuesday night at Regions Field before falling in the weekend series with fifth-ranked Vanderbilt at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• The Crimson Tide completed the 2019 series sweep of UAB with a 3-2 win at Regions Field in Birmingham on Tuesday night. Alabama's pitchers combined for an impressive performance on the mound. The Crimson Tide used five arms to scatter seven UAB hits and allow two earned runs.
• Garret Rukes collected the win with 2.0 scoreless frames, allowing only one hit while striking out one. The redshirt sophomore entered with one on and proceeded to face the minimum, using a 6-4-3 double play in the seventh to cap off his night. Graduate Jeremy Randolph secured his sixth save of the season, working the final inning.
• The Tide's freshman duo of T.J. Reeves and Drew Williamson each contributed a team-high two hits to go with a run scored and one RBI apiece. Williamson added a double and two walks, finishing 2-for-3 at the dish to highlight the UA offense.
• Alabama fell in a back-and-forth contest with fifth-ranked Vanderbilt, 7-4, on Friday night.
• The Commodores got on the board in the top of the first, but UA was able to answer with two runs in the bottom of the second. Vanderbilt tied things up with one in the fourth and took a lead with three in the fifth, but Alabama came right back once again. The Crimson Tide posted two in the home half of the fifth to make it a one-run game, but a single tally by Vandy in the sixth and one more in the ninth widened the advantage to 7-4, the eventual final.
• Alabama starter Sam Finnerty suffered the loss despite another solid outing. The senior allowed six runs on nine hits and two walks with four punchouts. Finnerty kept things close but the three-run, rain-soaked fifth were key to the VU victory.
• Four home runs proved the difference on Saturday night UA suffered a 13-5 loss Vandy.
• Despite an impressive pitching performance by the Crimson Tide staff, Alabama fell, 2-0, in a pitchers' duel with the Commodores on Sunday afternoon. Alabama's pitchers limited the high-powered Vandy offense to only eight hits and four walks, highlighted by 3.0 scoreless frames from junior Deacon Medders. The right-hander allowed one hit and issued two free passes while striking out a career-high seven batters in relief.
• Randolph suffered the hard-luck loss in his first start as a member of the Crimson Tide. The graduate tossed 2.2 innings, allowing one run on a solo homer and striking out three before turning it over to the bullpen. Junior Casey Cobb gave up one run in his 1.0 inning on the hill with sophomore Brock Guffey and redshirt freshman Chase Lee combining with Medders for 5.1 scoreless frames to close out the afternoon.

ABOUT JACKSONVILLE STATE

• Jim Case is in his 18th year at the helm of the Jacksonville State program and entered the 2019 season with a career record of 547-443 - all with the Gamecocks. A 1983 graduate of Louisiana Tech, Case is assisted by Mike Murphree and Evan Bush, a former Alabama standout infielder. Bush played for the Crimson Tide from 2003-06, earning Third Team All-SEC honors from SEBaseball.com in 2004. In his senior season, Bush helped lead Alabama to the Southeastern Conference championship as well as a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
• JSU returned 15 letterwinners, including five positional starters and nine pitchers, from the 2018 team that finished 33-25 overall and 18-12 in OVC action to finish fourth. The 2019 roster is without eight lettermen from a season ago, a number that includes four positional starters and three pitchers.
• The Gamecocks were selected to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

ON DECK

Alabama returns home for a three-game weekend series with No. 14 LSU. The Friday matchup is slated for 6 p.m. followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday. Things will wrap up on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. All three games will air live on SEC Network+.


-UA-



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