First Roadtrip for Alabama Sends Tide to UAB on Tuesday

[Diamond Tide]

The Crimson Tide and Blazers will meet for the 85th time in series history on Tuesday

2/26/2024

TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball will travel up the road to Regions Field on Tuesday evening as the Crimson Tide squares off with the UAB Blazers. First pitch in Birmingham between the two in-state foes is set for 6 p.m. CT with the game airing on ESPN+.

Follow the Tide
Fans can follow the midweek via the below outlets:
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: UABSports.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchup
TUESDAY: UA – Zane Adams (Fr., LHP) vs. UAB – Braxton Shelton (So., RHP)

Leading Off

• Alabama and UAB will meet for the first time this season and 85th time in series history when two programs square off on Tuesday evening at Regions Field. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time advantage, 56-28, including a 20-12 mark in Birmingham.
• The in-state foes met twice last season, first on March 21 in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide claiming a 12-2, run-rule victory in eight innings. The Blazers returned the favor a month later on April 18, earning a 4-3 victory in an extra-innings game that lasted 11 frames.

About Alabama

• Alabama finished off the week a perfect 5-0 to start the 2024 campaign at 8-0 overall. The Crimson Tide first downed Middle Tennessee on Tuesday followed by a win over Alabama State on Wednesday. The weekend for UA finished in a sweep of Valparaiso.
• Last week saw the Crimson Tide outscore its opponents, 56-7, and belt 12 homers as part of 23 extra-base hits. The offense batted .379 as a group while UA's pitching staff limited opponents to a lowly .178 mark. Alabama's arms maintained a 1.46 ERA (6 ER/37.0 IP) and accumulated 41 total strikeouts and posted one shutout.
• Alabama used late offense to pull away from Middle Tennessee for a 6-1 win last Tuesday.
• The Tide gained an early advantage with a two-run third inning, but the lead was soon cut in half when MTSU got on the board with one run in the fourth. The Tide bounced right back with a run in the fifth before adding a single tally in the seventh followed by a two-run eighth to pull away for the 6-1 final.
• Alabama's two-run eighth was highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Bryce Eblin and Gage Miller. Eblin led the Crimson Tide offense, spotting the stat sheet with a 2-for-3 showing that included a triple, the homer, one RBI, a walk, one stolen base and a team-high three runs scored. Also homering was TJ McCants, with the senior adding a walk, one run and a team-leading three RBI.
• Greg Farone got the start against MTSU, tossing 2.2 scoreless frames with a walk and five strikeouts before turning it over to the bullpen. Reliever Austin Morris earned the win with 3.0 scoreless innings and four punchouts.
• Two big innings powered Alabama to a 12-0 win over Alabama State last Wednesday.
• Both teams were held scoreless through the first three innings before the Crimson Tide rallied for a seven-run fourth and a five-run fifth, all the offense needed in the run-rule victory.
• The bats were led once again by McCants and Eblin. McCants registered a six-RBI showing, finishing 2-for-3 with a grand slam, one run and a walk to go with his RBI. Eblin contributed three RBI of his own, part of a 2-for-3 effort that included a walk and two runs scored.
• Alabama's pitching staff posted its third shutout of the season against ASU, led by starter Zane Adams who gave up one hit and walked a pair while striking out two for the win.
• A season-high 15 hits helped the Tide to a 14-2 win over Valparaiso on Friday in Tuscaloosa.
• Alabama wasted no time getting on the board, exploding for a six-run second. Valparaiso countered with a two-run third, but that would be all for the Beacons. The Crimson Tide posted eight runs over the final three innings of play for the run-rule victory.
• Miller highlighted Alabama's offense, going 2-for-4 with a double, one homer, two runs scored and a team-high five RBI. Mac Guscette and Will Hodo led the Tide in hits, each contributing three on the day. Guscette reached base safely in all four plate appearances, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and a hit-by-pitch while tallying one RBI and two runs scored. Hodo went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs of his own.
• Ben Hess notched his second win as many starts last Friday, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk with five punchouts across his scheduled 4.0 innings of work.
• Alabama clinched a series over Valparaiso with a 13-3 win on Saturday.
• Valpo delivered the first blow with two in the top of the first. The Crimson Tide answered with a seven-spot in the home half, hammering four home runs in the frame to make it a 7-2 affair after one full. The Beacons plated one in the third but would add no more, as the Tide went on to score six unanswered for the 13-3 run-rule victory in seven innings.
• Miller, Ian Petrutz, Coleman Mizell and Justin Lebron all contributed a homer in that fourth. Aidan Moza got the win last Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts in his start.
• The Crimson Tide completed the weekend sweep thanks to an 11-1 win on Sunday.
• Valparaiso got out front early for a second straight day, plating one run in the top of the first. Alabama answered with a two-spot in the home half and proceeded to score in six of the seven innings for the run-rule victory.
• McCants and Evan Sleight tied for the team lead in RBI with three apiece. McCants finished 2-for-5 with two home runs and two runs scored to go with his RBI, while Sleight led the Tide in hits thanks to a perfect 3-for-3 showing that included two doubles, a walk and one run along with the RBI. Miller and Hodo each tied for the lead in runs scored with three apiece, with Miller adding his third home run in as many games.
• Farone got the win, working his scheduled 3.0 innings. He allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts in his shortened outing before handing it over to the bullpen.
• About UAB
• Casey Dunn is in his 20th season overall and third at UAB in 2024. The former Samford head coach opened the new year with a career 578-483 mark, including a 48-61 record across his first two seasons with the Blazers. A 1999 graduate of Auburn, Dunn is joined on staff by associate head coach B.J. Green along with assistants Brandon Moore and Brad Moss.
• UAB finished the 2023 season with a 17-36 overall record, including an 8-22 mark in Conference USA action.
• The Blazers were selected to finish last in the American Athletic Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck
Alabama will continue its week away from Tuscaloosa with a roadtrip to Texas from March 1-3 for the Frisco Classic at Riders Field, home to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. The Crimson Tide will play three games in three days, first with 21st-ranked Indiana on Friday at 6 p.m. Game two of the weekend pits UA against Arizona at 4 p.m. on Saturday followed by the weekend finale with No. 23 Dallas Baptist on Sunday at 4 p.m. All three games will be streamed online at D1Baseball.com.


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RTR,

Diamond Tide