*Congratulations to Gabe Scott on being named SEC Player of the Week after his stellar performance in Oxford. Despite being hampered by a slow start at the plate and sporadic playing time during the non-conference schedule, Gabe has silenced any doubt as to whether he should have a spot in the everyday lineup by absolutely crushing SEC pitching to the eye-popping tune of .476/.607/.833 with five homeruns and thirteen driven in. If only conference games were considered, Gabe would surely be the leader for Player of the Year honors. Strangely enough, he hasn’t seen enough playing time overall to qualify (minimum 75% of games, 2.5 at bats per game). That will soon change, however, as he doesn’t figure to be moving from the cleanup slot anytime soon. Gabe has worked hard and endured a great deal in his four years at Alabama, and what a truly great story it is to see it all paying off. Those who didn’t make it to Oxford missed an impressive show.
*Allen Rice hit .400 (6-for-15) for the series, highlighted by his colossal grand slam that effectively served as the proverbial nail in the Ole Miss coffin in Sunday’s finale (the senior fell a triple shy of the cycle). As long as he can swing a bat, he should be in the lineup at all times.
*It was nice to see Zac Welch back in action and at 100% after a month on the shelf with a shoulder injury. The senior first baseman ripped three impressive line drive hits in six at bats. Getting both Zac and Wade back from the DL at the same time is yet another reason for optimism.
*T.J. Large didn’t get the decision in Friday night’s win, but he limited one of the SEC’s top hitting teams to just four hits in seven solid innings of work. The junior right-hander has been outstanding this season, to say the very least. He has proven that he is more than capable of being an effective Friday night ace in the nation’s toughest conference. The so-called experts at Baseball America can rave about the Vandy and Ole Miss (overrated) pitching staffs all they want, but there’s no group I’d rather have on the hill in a weekend series ours.
*Brandon Belcher deserves credit for an outstanding start on Sunday, despite what the statistics (6 earned runs) may indicate. After laboring through a lengthy first, it appeared as though the lefty’s start was destined to be a short one, but he settled down in the second and cruised. After a rocky sixth, it was obvious that he was coasting on fumes, but a five-pitch seventh and a sizeable lead kept him in the game. I was somewhat surprised (well, not really) that Coach Wells didn’t turn it over to the pen in the eighth or ninth, for by that point, Belcher was clearly out of gas, plunking hitters, throwing wild pitches, and giving up a towering two-run blast by Ole Miss’s Jon-Jon Hancock. Jordan Davis and Wade LeBlanc had been throwing in the pen for what seemed like half the game, but no change was ever made. Belcher continued to battle, and ultimately recorded the first complete game victory of his career.
*Greg Paiml appears to be emerging from a recent cold spell at the plate after a 5-for-11 weekend, which included his first homerun of the season, a two-run blast during Sunday’s offensive onslaught. Kody Valverde is also starting to come around at the plate, as he belted his third bomb of the season and added five hits in the series to improve his average to a respectable .281 mark. Generally a dead-pull hitter, Valverde drove a couple of outside pitches to the opposite field for hits in Oxford, a promising sign. However, he has struggled with two strikes and has been susceptible to chasing bad pitches out of the zone when falling behind. Paiml, too, has made noticeable progress (fourth on the team with 10 walks), but could also stand to cut down his K rate.
*Although the bunting has improved in recent weeks, the fact remains that in three of the Tide’s four SEC losses, failed bunt attempts have proven costly. Had these crucial bunts gotten down would they necessarily be 11-1 instead of 8-4? No, but this should demonstrate further just how important it is to be able to execute consistently in this department.
*Because he isn’t going to overpower opposing hitters, Brent Carter is the type of pitcher who must rely heavily on location in order to succeed, and throughout his career, he has done just that. In fact, he is one of the better control artists in the conference, if not the nation. But he didn’t have his best stuff on Saturday, and that became evident early in the game, when he was uncharacteristically falling behind to hitters and surrendering walks (four - an extremely high total by his standards). Keep in mind, though, that Brent went through a brief midseason slump after a brilliant start in ’03 before finishing strong to help carry the team into the postseason, earning All-SEC honors along the way.
*Defensively, we have made some mistakes here and there, but fielding percentage does not provide an accurate means of assessing just how good a team really is with the glove. In fact, statheads have been struggling for years to try and come up with a better system, but range factor, etc. is too complex and almost as deceptive as fielding percentage. The bottom line is that fielding cannot be evaluated by statistics without being limited by an inherent flaw. Cale Iorg has made some errors out at shortstop and that has affected his fielding percentage, but there's no way of knowing how many runs he has saved us with his exceptional glovework and range. The same can be said for the other infielders and outfielders as well. Emeel Salem made one of the most outstanding catches in recent memory last weekend, but you won't find that on a stat sheet. This is a very talented defensive team. They aren't perfect, and there are some areas that need work, but the ability is there.
*One of the more humorous moments of the weekend came during Friday night’s batting practice round, when an unsuspecting (and likely inebriated) Ole Miss fan, soaking up the atmosphere of the left field terrace and oblivious to any warnings, was struck in the shoulder and nearly knocked from his chair by a 400+ ft. Evan Bush bomb. Fortunately the fan was unhurt, although the same could not be said for his beverage, which ended up all over his shirt. There were family members and a few of our fans (Bama FANatic, etc.) in the grandstand, but DT and I were alone in enemy territory out in left field. The Ole Miss fans, however, were as nice a group of opposing fans as I have been around.
*Wade LeBlanc will be making his return to the mound tomorrow night against Memphis (a.k.a. Memphis State; Tiger High) after a frustrating absence from an injury that should have never happened (no further elaboration necessary). That we are in first place in the conference after four series without having the benefit of his presence in the rotation is a testament to the strength of the rest of the pitching staff and team. But there is no doubting the impact a healthy Wade can have, which is precisely why his return will be huge. Before, I think opponents tended to look at us as “a team you can’t afford to overlook.” Now, we are a team to be feared.
*Allen Rice hit .400 (6-for-15) for the series, highlighted by his colossal grand slam that effectively served as the proverbial nail in the Ole Miss coffin in Sunday’s finale (the senior fell a triple shy of the cycle). As long as he can swing a bat, he should be in the lineup at all times.
*It was nice to see Zac Welch back in action and at 100% after a month on the shelf with a shoulder injury. The senior first baseman ripped three impressive line drive hits in six at bats. Getting both Zac and Wade back from the DL at the same time is yet another reason for optimism.
*T.J. Large didn’t get the decision in Friday night’s win, but he limited one of the SEC’s top hitting teams to just four hits in seven solid innings of work. The junior right-hander has been outstanding this season, to say the very least. He has proven that he is more than capable of being an effective Friday night ace in the nation’s toughest conference. The so-called experts at Baseball America can rave about the Vandy and Ole Miss (overrated) pitching staffs all they want, but there’s no group I’d rather have on the hill in a weekend series ours.
*Brandon Belcher deserves credit for an outstanding start on Sunday, despite what the statistics (6 earned runs) may indicate. After laboring through a lengthy first, it appeared as though the lefty’s start was destined to be a short one, but he settled down in the second and cruised. After a rocky sixth, it was obvious that he was coasting on fumes, but a five-pitch seventh and a sizeable lead kept him in the game. I was somewhat surprised (well, not really) that Coach Wells didn’t turn it over to the pen in the eighth or ninth, for by that point, Belcher was clearly out of gas, plunking hitters, throwing wild pitches, and giving up a towering two-run blast by Ole Miss’s Jon-Jon Hancock. Jordan Davis and Wade LeBlanc had been throwing in the pen for what seemed like half the game, but no change was ever made. Belcher continued to battle, and ultimately recorded the first complete game victory of his career.
*Greg Paiml appears to be emerging from a recent cold spell at the plate after a 5-for-11 weekend, which included his first homerun of the season, a two-run blast during Sunday’s offensive onslaught. Kody Valverde is also starting to come around at the plate, as he belted his third bomb of the season and added five hits in the series to improve his average to a respectable .281 mark. Generally a dead-pull hitter, Valverde drove a couple of outside pitches to the opposite field for hits in Oxford, a promising sign. However, he has struggled with two strikes and has been susceptible to chasing bad pitches out of the zone when falling behind. Paiml, too, has made noticeable progress (fourth on the team with 10 walks), but could also stand to cut down his K rate.
*Although the bunting has improved in recent weeks, the fact remains that in three of the Tide’s four SEC losses, failed bunt attempts have proven costly. Had these crucial bunts gotten down would they necessarily be 11-1 instead of 8-4? No, but this should demonstrate further just how important it is to be able to execute consistently in this department.
*Because he isn’t going to overpower opposing hitters, Brent Carter is the type of pitcher who must rely heavily on location in order to succeed, and throughout his career, he has done just that. In fact, he is one of the better control artists in the conference, if not the nation. But he didn’t have his best stuff on Saturday, and that became evident early in the game, when he was uncharacteristically falling behind to hitters and surrendering walks (four - an extremely high total by his standards). Keep in mind, though, that Brent went through a brief midseason slump after a brilliant start in ’03 before finishing strong to help carry the team into the postseason, earning All-SEC honors along the way.
*Defensively, we have made some mistakes here and there, but fielding percentage does not provide an accurate means of assessing just how good a team really is with the glove. In fact, statheads have been struggling for years to try and come up with a better system, but range factor, etc. is too complex and almost as deceptive as fielding percentage. The bottom line is that fielding cannot be evaluated by statistics without being limited by an inherent flaw. Cale Iorg has made some errors out at shortstop and that has affected his fielding percentage, but there's no way of knowing how many runs he has saved us with his exceptional glovework and range. The same can be said for the other infielders and outfielders as well. Emeel Salem made one of the most outstanding catches in recent memory last weekend, but you won't find that on a stat sheet. This is a very talented defensive team. They aren't perfect, and there are some areas that need work, but the ability is there.
*One of the more humorous moments of the weekend came during Friday night’s batting practice round, when an unsuspecting (and likely inebriated) Ole Miss fan, soaking up the atmosphere of the left field terrace and oblivious to any warnings, was struck in the shoulder and nearly knocked from his chair by a 400+ ft. Evan Bush bomb. Fortunately the fan was unhurt, although the same could not be said for his beverage, which ended up all over his shirt. There were family members and a few of our fans (Bama FANatic, etc.) in the grandstand, but DT and I were alone in enemy territory out in left field. The Ole Miss fans, however, were as nice a group of opposing fans as I have been around.
*Wade LeBlanc will be making his return to the mound tomorrow night against Memphis (a.k.a. Memphis State; Tiger High) after a frustrating absence from an injury that should have never happened (no further elaboration necessary). That we are in first place in the conference after four series without having the benefit of his presence in the rotation is a testament to the strength of the rest of the pitching staff and team. But there is no doubting the impact a healthy Wade can have, which is precisely why his return will be huge. Before, I think opponents tended to look at us as “a team you can’t afford to overlook.” Now, we are a team to be feared.
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Will
