Diamond Notes : Pair of Midweek Games Next for Alabama as the Tide Welcomes Troy, Alabama State

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The Crimson Tide hosts Troy on Tuesday followed by a matchup with Alabama State on Wednesday

2/17/2020

TUSCALOOSA, AL. –
Alabama baseball remains at home to complete a five-game homestand with a pair of midweek matchups at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide will first host Troy on Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT before welcoming Alabama State to The Joe on Wednesday for a 2 p.m. first pitch. Fans can catch both in-state pairings live on SEC Network+.

The Tuesday game with Troy will begin the Crimson Tide's "$2 Tuesday" promotion. The deal is one of Alabama's season-long promotions at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. At the matchup with Troy, fans can get $2 general admission tickets at the window or online. Once inside The Joe, those in attendance can take advantage of $2 hot dogs at all concession stands.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow the midweek matchups via the below outlets:

Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

TUESDAY: UAWilliam Freeman (Sr., RHP) vs. TU – Dalton Wilder (Jr., RHP)
WEDNESDAY: UA – TBA vs. ASU – TBA

Leading Off

• Alabama and Troy will meet for the 37th time in series history when the two teams square off on Tuesday afternoon at The Joe. The Crimson Tide holds the series advantage, 24-12, including a 19-5 mark in Tuscaloosa.
• The two teams met twice last season with the visiting team winning each time. The Trojans first traveled to Tuscaloosa on April 2 to claim an 8-4 victory before UA headed south to Riddle-Pace Field where Alabama came away with the 7-3 win.
• Alabama and Alabama State will meet for the eighth matchup in series history on Wednesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Tide is a perfect 7-0 overall against the Hornets, including a 6-0 mark at The Joe.
• The in-state foes last faced off on Feb. 28, 2018, in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide collected 14 hits on the way to 11 runs in Alabama's 11-1 win over Alabama State. A game was scheduled for last season but was rained out.
• Alabama will call on senior right-hander William Freeman for the Tuesday start against the Trojans. The Crimson Tide's Wednesday starter is still to be announced.
• Troy looks to junior Dalton Wilder, a righty, on Tuesday afternoon.
• Alabama State's starter for Wednesday's pairing is still to be announced as the Hornets also play a Tuesday game prior to traveling to Tuscaloosa.

About Alabama

• Alabama finished Opening Weekend a perfect 3-0, sweeping the Northeastern Huskies. The Crimson Tide outscored NU, 24-3, and totaled 36 hits across the three-game stretch, Alabama's most in a series since Feb. 23-24, 2018.
• The arms matched the bats for UA, allowing just 13 hits. That total was the fewest in a three-game series since 2015 when Alabama pitchers allowed just 11 hits over the weekend against Maryland Eastern Shore from Feb. 13-15.
• Alabama blanked NU, 10-0, on Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium thanks to major contributions from the Crimson Tide's freshmen. UA's offense rallied for 10 runs on 12 hits and nine walks. Owen Diodati shined, as the freshman notched two home runs to go with a team-high three RBI and four runs scored. He also added a pair of walks to his line.
• On the mound, freshman Connor Prielipp, redshirt freshman Landon Green and sophomores Tyler Ras and Dylan Smith combined to blank the Huskies. Prielipp got the win, tossing 4.0 innings of one-hit baseball with seven strikeouts. Ras followed with 3.0 innings while Green and Smith each worked one frame to secure the victory. The group totaled 11 strikeouts while allowing just four hits on the afternoon.
• Another day of impressive pitching, combined with big offensive innings, led UA to an 8-0 shutout of the Huskies on Saturday. Connor Shamblin was solid in his first start of 2020, tossing 5.0 innings and striking out five. The sophomore was followed by Casey Cobb, with the senior contributing 2.0 scoreless frames and three punchouts before turning the ball over to redshirt junior Garret Rukes for one and junior Brock Guffey for a final clean frame.
• The offense struck early for five runs across the first two frames. Alabama added insurance late with two in the seventh and one in the eight to help secure the victory. The Tide bats totaled 12 hits, led by three-hit efforts from Tyler Gentry and Sam Praytor. Gentry, a junior, finished 3-for-4 with a team-high tying two RBI and paced UA in runs scored with a pair. Praytor contributed a 3-for-5 effort that included an RBI and one run scored by the redshirt sophomore.
• The Huskies got to Antoine Jean early on Sunday, but the freshman then settled in, retiring nine of the final 11 batters he faced before exiting the game in line for the win in a game that finished in a 6-3 score. Jean recorded 4.0 innings of work, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) with a walk and two strikeouts for the win.
• Sophomores Jacob McNairy and Chase Lee followed to combine for 5.0 shutout frames, allowing one hit between the two with each pitcher striking out four batters apiece. Lee worked the final 2.0 to pick up his first career save.
• Alabama's bats tallied 12 hits for a third straight game. The Crimson Tide offense was led once again by Diodati. He finished a perfect 3-for-3 and a double short of the cycle. Diodati added a team-high three RBI and two runs. Fellow freshman Jim Jarvis, along with senior Brett Auerbach, also contributed multi-hit efforts with two knocks apiece. Auerbach's line included a double and a home run to go with an RBI, two runs scored, a pair of walks and a stolen base.
• Alabama returns 20 letterwinners while losing 13 from the 2019 squad. The 2020 Crimson Tide welcomes back six positional starters and 11 total pitchers while hosting 16 newcomers.

About Troy

• Mark Smartt is now in his fifth season at Troy and entered the new year with a 136-101 mark during his time with the Trojans. Smartt is also in the midst of his 11th season as a head coach and came into the year with a 300-263 career record. Smartt is joined by assistant coaches Shane Gierke and Matt Hancock along with volunteer assistant coach Peyton Fuller.
• Troy returned 21 letterwinners, including seven positional starters and 10 pitchers, from the 2019 team that went 31-29 and 16-14 in Sun Belt action and advanced to the league's postseason tournament where TU went 2-2 to end the 2019 season. The 2020 roster is without 10 lettermen from a season ago, a number that includes four positional starters and five pitchers. The 2020 Troy roster also features 15 newcomers.
• The Trojans were selected to finish fourth in the East and eighth overall in the Sun Belt Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

About Alabama State

• Jose' Vazquez is in his fourth season leading the Hornets and sported an 89-73 overall record to start the 2020 campaign. Vazquez is joined by associate head coach Drew Clark and assistant coach Matt Crane. The coaching trio are all graduates of Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla.
• The Hornets were selected to win the SWAC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck

The Crimson Tide will take to the road for the first time this season, spending a weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., to square off with the UNLV Rebels. Friday's series opener is slated for an 8:05 p.m. CT start followed by a 4:05 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Things wrap up in the series on Sunday with the finale slated for 12:05 p.m.

-UA-


RTR,

Diamond Tide
 

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