Consecutive Midweeks Begin 10-Game Homestand for Baseball - University of Alabama Athletics
Alabama baseball begins a 10-game homestand this week when the Crimson Tide plays host to UT-Martin on Tuesday before welcoming Middle Tennessee to Sewell-Thomas
rolltide.com
The Crimson Tide will host UT-Martin on Tuesday before welcoming Middle Tennessee on Wednesday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball begins a 10-game homestand this week when the Crimson Tide plays host to UT-Martin on Tuesday before welcoming Middle Tennessee to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Wednesday. Both contests are set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch and will air live on SEC Network+.
The Tuesday matchup with UT-Martin will feature the Crimson Tide's "$2 Tuesday" promotion. The deal is one of Alabama's season-long promotions at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The "$2 Tuesday" promotion allows fans to purchase $2 general admission tickets at the gates 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: UA – Dylan Smith (So., RHP) vs. UTM – Austin Kasick (Fr., LHP)
WEDNESDAY: UA – William Freeman (Sr., RHP) vs. MTSU – Zach Keenan (Jr., RHP)
Leading Off
• Alabama and UT-Martin will meet for the first time in series history when the two teams square off on Tuesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• The Tide has squared off with nine of the 11 member teams from the Ohio Valley Conference, missing only SIUE and UT-Martin. Alabama holds a 71-19 all-time record against the current OVC teams and has a winning record against each of those nine schools. The most commonly played OVC team is Jacksonville State with UA holding a 31-10 mark against the Gamecocks.
• Alabama and Middle Tennessee will meet for the 29th time in series history when the two teams square off on Wednesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series advantage, 19-9, as well as a 15-7 lead in games played in Tuscaloosa.
• The Tide and Blue Raiders last met on March 12, 2019 at The Joe. Alabama secured a 2-0 win in the midweek affair, using a combination of five arms in the shutout effort.
• Alabama will utilize a pair of righties in the midweeks. The Crimson Tide will first look to sophomore Dylan Smith on Tuesday against the Skyhawks before calling on senior William Freeman in Wednesday's pairing with the Blue Raiders.
• Tennessee-Martin will send freshman left-hander Austin Kasick to the mound on Tuesday. Kasick will be making his first career start and has appeared just once this season.
• Middle Tennessee looks to junior Zach Keenan, a right-hander, in Wednesday's contest. Keenan is 1-1 on the year and will be making his second start for the Blue Raiders.
About Alabama
• Alabama went 4-0 on the week to continue its undefeated start to the season. The Crimson Tide first started with a 10-3 win over Alabama State on Wednesday, before sweeping UNLV in Las Vegas over the weekend.
• A pair of four-run innings helped Alabama secure the 10-3 win over Alabama State on Wednesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama jumped out to a four-run lead after one inning, added two in the third and then piled on four more in the bottom of the eighth to lock down the midweek victory.
• The offense combined to score a season-high tying 10 runs on eight hits and six walks, led by the Tide's 5-6-7 hitters in junior Tyler Gentry and freshmen Owen Diodati and Zane Denton. The group combined for five of UA's eight hits in addition to contributing five RBI and three runs scored.
• Alabama baseball finished Friday's doubleheader with a two-game sweep and clinched the series win over UNLV. The Tide took game one by a score of 8-0 before a late-game comeback helped UA to a 5-4 victory in the nightcap.
• Connor Prielipp shined once again on Friday, striking out a season-high eight and walking just one while retiring 14 straight before allowing the free pass. The left-hander worked 5.0 frames and then handed it over to the duo of sophomore Tyler Ras and junior Ryan O'Connell.
• Alabama's bats produced nine hits, including three solo home runs. Two of the solo homers came from redshirt sophomore Sam Praytor. The Tide catcher finished a perfect 3-for-3 with two roundtrippers, two RBI, a pair of runs scored and an intentional walk. The other solo home run came from Brett Auerbach. The senior went 1-for-4 with two RBI, a pair of runs and his team-leading fourth stolen base of the season.
• A ninth-inning, game-winning home run from junior Jackson Tate completed the comeback as the Tide came away with a 5-4 win in the day's second game. Alabama took a 1-0 lead after one but was matched in the home half by UNLV. The Tide added single tallies in the second and third but were countered once again by the Rebels, making it a 3-3 contest after three full. In the fourth, UNLV took a one-run lead before both teams went quiet until the eighth. In that eighth inning, Alabama was able to tie things up and then used the Tate homer in the ninth to move ahead for good.
• The bullpen kept the Tide in the game. Casey Cobb was first to enter, working 2.0 innings of scoreless baseball with four strikeouts. The senior was followed by junior Brock Guffey who picked up his first win of the season with 1.0 scoreless frame, using just 10 pitches to get out of the inning. Chase Lee entered for the save as the sophomore recorded a strikeout and two groundouts to send the Tide home with a Friday sweep.
• A trio of home runs led Alabama baseball to a 5-1 victory over UNLV on Sunday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Gentry homered twice on Sunday, finishing 2-for-4 with a career-high tying four RBI and two runs scored. Also homering was Praytor, who went 1-for-3 with a solo shot. The home run for Praytor was his third of the weekend following a two-homer performance in game one of Friday's doubleheader with the Rebels.
• The Tide arms were good once again. Freshman Antoine Jean picked up his second win of the season with 4.0 innings of one-run baseball. He was followed by sophomore Jacob McNairy and redshirt freshman Landon Green. The duo combined for 5.0 scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three UNLV batters.
• 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 UT-Martin
• Ryan Jenkins is in his third season as head coach for the Skyhawks with an overall record of 36-71 coming into the 2020 campaign. A 2013 graduate of Auburn, Jenkins is joined by associate head coach Matt Heath, assistant coach Hunter Morris and volunteer assistant Caleb Brewer.
• The Skyhawks returns 18 letterwinners from the 2019 team that finished 25-31 overall and 12-18 in OVC action to finish eighth in the conference. The 2020 roster is without 16 lettermen from and features 21 newcomers.
• UT-Martin was selected to finish 10th overall in the Ohio Valley Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.
About Middle Tennessee
• Jim Toman is starting his second season with the Blue Raiders in 2020 and went 18-37 in his first season in Murfreesboro. Toman is joined by associate head coach Kyle Bunn, assistant coach Blake Hunt and volunteer assistant coach John Panchella. Bunn spent one season as the pitching coach for the Crimson Tide in 2010 under Mitch Gaspard, helping UA to an NCAA Regional appearance.
• The Blue Raiders were selected to finish 12th overall in Conference USA in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.
On Deck
The Crimson Tide will continue its long homestand this weekend when Alabama hosts Harvard for a three-game set. The series kicks off on Friday at 3 p.m. followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday. The two teams are set for a 10:30 a.m. first pitch in the finale on Sunday. All three games can be seen live on SEC Network+.