The Crimson Tide and Tigers will meet for the 300th time in history when things get underway in the series opener
4/14/2021
TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball hosts Auburn this Thursday through Saturday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide and Tigers open with a pair of 6 p.m. CT starts in both the Thursday and Friday games. Saturday's series finale will begin at 4 p.m. to accommodate Alabama football's A-Day Game. The series opener will air nationally on SEC Network with the final two games being broadcast on SEC Network+.
Follow the Tide
Fans can follow the three-game series via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network (Game 1) | SEC Network+ (Game 2 and Game 3)
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
GAME 1: UA – Tyler Ras (Jr., RHP) vs. AU – Cody Greenhill (Sr., RHP)
GAME 2: UA – Dylan Smith (Jr., RHP) vs. AU – Jack Owen (Sr., LHP)
GAME 3: UA – Connor Prielipp (So., LHP) vs. AU – Joseph Gonzalez (Fr., RHP)
Leading Off
Alabama will wrap up its five-game homestand on Tuesday, April 20 when the Crimson Tide hosts North Alabama. The single midweek contest is slated for a 6 p.m. start at The Joe with the game airing live on SEC Network+.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide
4/14/2021
TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball hosts Auburn this Thursday through Saturday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide and Tigers open with a pair of 6 p.m. CT starts in both the Thursday and Friday games. Saturday's series finale will begin at 4 p.m. to accommodate Alabama football's A-Day Game. The series opener will air nationally on SEC Network with the final two games being broadcast on SEC Network+.
Follow the Tide
Fans can follow the three-game series via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network (Game 1) | SEC Network+ (Game 2 and Game 3)
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
GAME 1: UA – Tyler Ras (Jr., RHP) vs. AU – Cody Greenhill (Sr., RHP)
GAME 2: UA – Dylan Smith (Jr., RHP) vs. AU – Jack Owen (Sr., LHP)
GAME 3: UA – Connor Prielipp (So., LHP) vs. AU – Joseph Gonzalez (Fr., RHP)
Leading Off
- Alabama and Auburn will meet for the 300th time when the two teams open the series on Thursday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time advantage, 163-136, including an 80-49 mark at home in Tuscaloosa.
- The two teams last met from May 3-5, 2019 at Plainsman Park with Auburn claiming a 2-1 series win. The Tigers opened with a 5-1 victory before the Tide evened things up with a 7-6 win in game two. The series finale finished in favor of the Tigers, 17-7, on getaway day.
- Auburn swept the last series in Tuscaloosa from April 20-21, 2018. The Tigers posted a 19-5 win in the opener before the two teams took part in a doubleheader on Saturday. Game one finished in favor of AU, 5-0, before the Tigers completed the series sweep with a 20-5 win in the nightcap.
- Alabama begins the series with righty Tyler Ras on the hill for Thursday's matchup. Ras is followed by fellow right-hander Dylan Smith on Friday. Connor Prielipp will take the hill on Saturday in the series finale. The start will be the first from the lefty since Opening Day of the 2021 season.
- Alabama is currently riding a four-game winning streak thanks to a dominant 19-3 win over Samford on Tuesday. The midweek win came two days removed from the Tide sweeping Texas A&M in Bryan-College Station last weekend.
- Alabama's bats have come alive as of late, posting some impressive numbers during the last four games with Zane Denton, Peyton Wilson, T.J. Reeves and Owen Diodati leading the charge.
- Denton and Wilson tied for the team lead in average during that stretch with each batting .471 (8-17). Denton has paced the Tide in RBI (7) in the last four games while Wilson leads UA in runs (6), total bases (10) and on-base percentage (.545). Reeves (.455) and Diodati (.429) are not far behind with equally impressive averages.
- Alabama averaged 9.3 runs and 11.3 hits per game during the four-game stretch leading up to the Auburn series.
- The Tide used 15 hits and a season-high 16 walks to cruise to a 19-3 win over Samford on Tuesday night.
- Samford got up early, 1-0, but that would be the last time the Bulldogs led on the night. Alabama evened things up with one in the third before putting together a seven-run fourth to take a commanding lead. The Crimson Tide would only add to that with a six-spot in the sixth and a five-run seventh. Samford was able to add single tallies in the seventh and eighth but never threatened the UA lead.
- The offense for UA was spread across the entire lineup. Twelve of the 13 hitters recorded a hit, including all nine starters. In addition, all nine starters contributed one or more runs with 11 of the 13 hitters posting a run by night's end.
- Caden Rose and Jackson Tate led the charge, each homering and posting a season-high tying four RBI. In addition to their homer and RBI, Rose finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs while Tate went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs of his own. Also homering was Sam Praytor with the redshirt junior recording a solo shot.
- Grayson Hitt tossed a season-high 4.0 innings in his start against Samford to pick up the win. The freshman ran into trouble early with the Bulldogs posting one run in the top of the first, but that would be all for Samford. Hitt proceeded to retire the final 10 batters he faced before handing the ball over to the bullpen.
- Tyler Ras gave Alabama 7.1 innings of three-run baseball to lead the Crimson Tide to a 5-3 win over Texas A&M on Friday evening at Blue Bell Park. Ras picked up his team-high fifth win with Friday night's standout start. The junior tossed 7.1 frames, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
- Ras then handed the ball over to Chase Lee. Alabama's closer earned the save with 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball.
- The offensive effort was led by Wilson and his 4-for-5 showing. He added two RBI, a run and one stolen base. Diodati also posted a multi-hit game, finishing 3-for-4 with a run and one RBI, which was the go-ahead RBI on Friday.
- Alabama earned a 6-3 win over Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon to clinch the series. The Tide got on top early with a four-run rally in the third and added one more in the fourth for the 5-0 advantage. The Aggies cut the lead to two with a three-run fourth, but UA answered with one insurance run in the sixth on the way to the 6-3 victory.
- The Crimson Tide was able to secure the win thanks to the bullpen, with the duo of Connor Shamblin and Landon Green combining for the final 4.2 scoreless frames. Shamblin got the win while Green picked up his first career save. Green tossed the final 3.0 innings and added three strikeouts.
- The Alabama offense delivered some clutch hits, finishing 3-for-5 with the bases loaded – all coming in that three-run fourth to put the game away early. Alabama's effort at the plate was highlighted by a pair of three-hit games from Denton and Reeves. Denton finished 3-for-5 with a team-high tying two RBI and two runs scored while Reeves went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a hit-by-pitch.
- Diodati's three-run home run in the seventh powered Alabama to a 7-4 win over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon. The Aggies moved out front in the second with one run, but Alabama answered with a three-spot in the top of the third.
- Texas A&M evened things up with two in the home half of that third before the two teams went scoreless until the sixth. That frame saw each team post one run to keep things knotted up heading to the seventh. Alabama broke the tie for good in the seventh thanks to a three-run home run from Diodati to clinch the series sweep.
- Jacob McNairy picked up the win, contributing 3.2 innings that saw the junior allow just one run on four hits with three strikeouts. McNairy was followed by William Freeman and Lee with the duo closing out the final third of the game with a combined 3.0 scoreless frames. Lee picked up his fourth save of the season and second of the weekend with a 1-2-3 ninth that featured two punchouts.
- UA was led at the plate by Denton once again, with the sophomore finishing 3-for-5 with two RBI. Also posting a multi-RBI game was Diodati, who recorded a 2-for-3 day with the homer, a walk, two runs and a team-high three RBI.
- Auburn finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign at 13-5 overall. The Tigers was set to host Texas A&M at Plainsman Park for a three-game series to start SEC play when the season was officially canceled.
- Butch Thompson is in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach and his sixth at Auburn. Thompson entered 2021 with a career record of 193-136, including a 154-115 mark at AU. A graduate of Birmingham-Southern, Thompson is assisted by Karl Nonemaker and Gabe Gross along with volunteer assistant Tim Hudson.
- Auburn was selected to finish sixth in the West and 11th overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.
Alabama will wrap up its five-game homestand on Tuesday, April 20 when the Crimson Tide hosts North Alabama. The single midweek contest is slated for a 6 p.m. start at The Joe with the game airing live on SEC Network+.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide
