Top-Ranked Test as Baseball Heads to Austin to Face No. 1 Texas - Alabama Athletics
The first roadtrip of the season for Alabama baseball sends the Crimson Tide to Austin to take on the top-ranked Texas Longhorns.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The first roadtrip of the season for Alabama baseball sends the Crimson Tide to Austin to take on the top-ranked Texas Longhorns. The three-game series is set to begin on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. CT first pitch at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Saturday's matchup is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch followed by a 1 p.m. start in the series finale on Sunday. All three games will air live on the Longhorn Network.
Follow the Tide
Fans can follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:Watch: Longhorn Network
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
FRIDAY: UA – Garrett McMillan (Jr., RHP) vs. UT – Pete Hansen (R-So., LHP)SATURDAY: UA – Antoine Jean (Jr., LHP) vs. UT – Tristan Stevens (R-Sr., RHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Grayson Hitt (So., LHP) vs. UT – Tanner Witt (So., RHP)
Leading Off
• Alabama and Texas will meet for the 10th time in series history when the two programs square off on Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns hold an 8-1 advantage and have won four straight in the series. This weekend's three-game set will mark the first time the two teams have played in Austin with the previous nine games being split between seven meetings in Tuscaloosa and two at a neutral site.• The two teams last met in Omaha for the 1983 College World Series. Texas came away with a 6-4 win in 10 innings on June 9 before eliminating Alabama from the CWS with a 4-3 win two days later on June 11.
• Alabama will return to the same rotation as Opening Weekend, calling on right-hander Garrett McMillan for the Friday matchup. McMillan will be followed by a pair of lefties in junior Antoine Jean on Saturday and sophomore Grayson Hitt on Sunday.
• Texas will look to redshirt sophomore left-hander Pete Hansen in Friday's series opener followed by Tristan Stevens, a righty, on Saturday. The Longhorns will close out the series with Tanner Witt on the hill in the Sunday finale.
About Alabama
• Alabama heads to Austin with a 5-0 record thanks to a pair of midweek wins against Jacksonville State on Tuesday and then versus Alabama State on Wednesday.• The Tide cruised to a 9-2 win over Alabama State on Wednesday. Alabama's bats combined for a season-high 14 hits and scored in five of the eight innings. The offense was led by Jim Jarvis, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Hunter Ruth picked up the win against ASU, tossing 2.0 scoreless with three strikeouts.
• Alabama scored in each of the first four innings and five of eight innings overall for the 6-3 win over JSU on Tuesday.
• UA got on the board with one in the first and proceeded to score two in the second and the one apiece in the third and fourth. Jacksonville State plated a run in the top of the fourth and two in the sixth, but the Tide came back with a run in the home half of the sixth to secure the win.
• Seven of the nine Tide starters recorded at least one hit against the Gamecocks with Drew Williamson and Owen Diodati each posting two-hit outings. Williamson doubled and recorded one RBI to go with a run scored, while Diodati tallied an RBI and one stolen base.
• Jacob McNairy was solid in his first start of the season for UA, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run baseball for the win. The senior issued two walks and struck out three while inducing three double plays.
• Alabama wrapped up Opening Weekend at 3-0, downing the Xavier Musketeers in a three-game set in Tuscaloosa.
• It marked the fourth time in five seasons that the Crimson Tide has recorded a sweep in the season-opening series under head coach Brad Bohannon. The Tide also improved to 37-3 in February during Bohannon's tenure.
• Alabama opened the 2022 campaign in walkoff fashion, downing Xavier, 5-4, on Friday Diodati walked it off for UA on a two-run home run that capped a four-run ninth inning.
• The Tide trailed by three to start the ninth but a solo home run from Dominic Tamez to open the frame cut the lead to two. A double from Zane Denton put a runner on for William Hamiter, who followed with a double of his own to bring in Denton and make it a one-run ballgame.
• Diodati proceeded to hammer the first pitch he saw over the wall in right to send the Tide home victorious on Opening Day. Tamez led the offense with a 2-for-4 afternoon that featured a pair of solo home runs, two RBI and two runs scored. Redshirt senior Brock Guffey worked 2.0 scoreless innings and recorded three strikeouts to pick up the win.
• The Tide held off a late push by the Musketeers to secure the 5-4 win last Saturday.
• Xavier took the early lead with a first-inning home run, but Alabama answered with four in the bottom of the second. Both teams went scoreless until the seventh when the Musketeers were able to cross one. Xavier added another tally in the eighth to make it a one-run affair.
• Alabama then widened the gap with an insurance run in the home half of the eighth thanks to a solo homer from Williamson. That extra run would prove crucial as Xavier was able to plate one in the ninth and reach a pair with two down before a Tide pitching change.
• Guffey entered for a second consecutive game, picking up the save on Saturday. The Tide reliever took the hill with runners on first and second and two down. A hit-by-pitch loaded them up, but the left-hander managed to get a 4-3 groundout to end the ballgame in UA's favor. Hunter Furtado picked up the win in his Alabama debut, tossing 3.0 scoreless relief innings and striking out four.
• Alabama completed the series sweep of Xavier with a 9-4 win last Sunday. The Tide scored one in the second before putting up a four-spot in the bottom of the third to put the game out of reach.
• UA then added one in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth, scoring in five of the eight frames on Sunday. • All nine starters reached base safely in the series finale with eight of the nine recording at least one hit. Seven of the Tide's nine starters contributed at least one run while six posted an RBI by day's end.
• Leading the offensive charge was Tommy Seidl. The Harvard transfer finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two runs and a walk. Jarvis matched Seidl for the team-high in runs with two, part of his 2-for-4 showing that included an RBI. Hamiter also contributed a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and adding one run.
• Tide starter Grayson Hitt earned the win, tossing 4.0 scoreless frames while striking out a career-high six batters.
