⚾ 🥎 ⚾ Baseball Downs Alabama State, 10-3, on Wednesday Afternoon

[UA Press Release]

Pair of Midweek Games Next for Baseball as the Tide Welcomes Troy, Alabama State - Alabama Athletics

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...

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Leading Off

• 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 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.

 

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[Bama News]

Baseball enters first midweek matchup after big opening weekend

Alabama baseball will look to continue its momentum from last weekend’s sweep of Northeastern in its first midweek game of the season: Wednesday’s home game against Alabama State.

cw.ua.edu

The opening weekend series for Alabama baseball produced more than just three wins. Freshman newcomers rang in the new year with strong performances, older faces established they are ready for the long haul this season and both the pitching and power are at high tide.

Alabama (3-0) posted 36 hits against Northeastern, 12 in each game, the most in a three-game series since Feb. 23-24, 2018 against Washington State. Freshman Owen Diodati led the Crimson Tide in most offensive categories, going 6 for 9 with five extra-base hits, included three home runs to right field and eight RBIs. A 2.000 slugging percentage, the highest in Division I baseball as of Tuesday night, earned the Ontario native the first SEC Freshman of the Week honors this season.

“Coach Bo [Alabama coach Brad Bohannon] talked a lot with me in the preseason about trusting myself in these situations and that helped a lot,” Diodati said. “For me it’s just taking it day-by-day and at bat by at bat. That’s easier said than done.”

Senior utility man Brett Auerbach earned his ‘UTL’ letters on the roster by playing center field on Friday, catcher on Saturday and third base on Sunday. Auerbach posted a productive weekend, going 4 for 11 with two doubles, two RBIs, one home run, two stolen bases and five walks.

“Brett is valuable in so many ways – he can help you win without getting a hit,” Bohannon said. “I tell him, ‘You’re going to play based on how other guys do,’ but I really trust him [to play different positions.]”

The Crimson Tide pitching staff showed its strong depth over the weekend by allowing 13 hits to Northeastern, the fewest in a three-game series since Feb. 13-15, 2015 against Maryland Eastern Shore where Alabama gave up 11.


Eleven different pitchers took their chance on the mound over the weekend and accumulated 29 strikeouts and six hitless innings combined. The starters — freshmen Connor Prielipp and Antoine Jean and sophomore Connor Shamblin — all fared well in their extended outings with two total earned runs allowed, both by Jean on Sunday. The team’s 0.67 ERA ranks third in Division I as of Tuesday night.

The Alabama bullpen was equally as impressive, with sophomores Tyler Ras and Jacob McNairy throwing three innings of one-hit baseball each and senior Casey Cobb and sophomore Chase Lee throwing two no-hit innings apiece.

Bohannon had been on record multiple times in the weeks leading up to Northeastern on how close the rotation is from No. 2 to No. 10, and after the performance over the weekend it may have become even more unclear for the third-year coach.

“We could’ve started McNairy today [Sunday] and brought Antoine in after him, or Casey Cobb too,” Bohannon said. “It’s a very good thing to have, and it’ll be a huge piece for whatever success we have this year.”

Alabama State is 3-0 on the season after a sweep of its games in the Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans. The Hornets were scheduled to play UAB on Tuesday, but like Alabama’s home game against Troy, their game was postponed due to rain. Senior right-hander Will Freeman will get the start on the mound for Alabama.

“I’m excited to see [Freeman] out there; he was outstanding in the preseason,” Bohannon said. “The first weekend exceeded my expectations. The competition will get tougher, but those guys will get better too. But as a staff we’re commanding the ball well.”

 

[UA Press Release]

Baseball Downs Alabama State, 10-3, on Wednesday Afternoon - University of Alabama Athletics

A pair of four-run innings helped Alabama baseball secure the 10-3 win over Alabama State on Wednesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. With the victory, the

rolltide.com

The Crimson Tide used a pair of four-run innings to help secure the midweek win

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A pair of four-run innings helped Alabama baseball secure the 10-3 win over Alabama State on Wednesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. With the victory, the Crimson Tide improves to 4-0 on the season.

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.

Reliever Dylan Smith (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen thanks to 2.0 scoreless frames that included two strikeouts. Redshirt freshman Landon Green and redshirt junior Garret Rukes each worked a scoreless frame in the final two innings to ensure the victory.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"We won 10-3 today and did some good things. When you play 56 games – baseball is hard; it's a hard sport. Hitting is hard. Pitching is hard. The pitchers don't have a joystick, so I don't want to make too much out of (tonight's performance). I'm really glad to get the win. We're 4-0. I just want us to keep it going in a positive direction."

How It Happened

• B1 | Brett Auerbach led the game off with a walk. The senior then stole second to put himself in scoring position. After a strikeout and walk, Gentry doubled to score a pair and give Alabama its first runs of the game. Diodati followed, singling to left-center to put runners on the corners for UA. A wild pitch moved Gentry to home while Diodati advanced two bases to third. An infield groundout in the next at-bat crossed the freshman and ended the Crimson Tide's scoring sequence. (4-0, Alabama)
• T2 | A two-out single to right put the Hornets on the board. (4-1, Alabama)
• B3 | T.J. Reeves walked to lead off the third and was followed by Drew Williamson to put two aboard with none down. A wild pitch moved the sophomores into scoring position and one out later, Diodati sent a single through the right side to score Reeves. Following an ASU pitching change, Denton sent a sacrifice fly to left to score Williamson and add a second run in the frame. (6-1, Alabama)
• T7 | The Hornets drew a leadoff walk before sending a two-run home run over the wall in left to cut deficit in half. (6-3, Alabama)
• B8 | Denton led off the frame with a double to center. ASU then went to the bullpen, but the new arm was greeted with an RBI-double down the line in left from freshman Myles Austin. After a wild pitch, fellow freshman Peyton Wilson dropped a ball in front of the Hornets' right fielder to score Austin and increase the lead. With Wilson still on base, Jackson Tate sent a ball over the wall in deep left-center for the junior's first home run of the season. (10-3, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• Dylan Smith earned his first career win in today's game. It was his 15th career appearance.
• The Crimson Tide matched its season-high total for runs with 10 in today's contest.
• Alabama 5-6-7 hitters combined to go 5-for-11 with two doubles, five RBI and three runs scored.
• With his two walks in today's game, T.J. Reeves has now reached base safely in 14 straight games dating back to May 4, 2019.
• ATTENDANCE: 2,268

The Crimson Tide will hit the road this weekend, traveling to Las Vegas, Nev., to take on UNLV. The weekend will begin with an 8:05 p.m. CT first pitch on Friday followed by a 4:05 p.m. start on Saturday. Alabama's series finale with the Rebels is slated for 12:05 p.m. on getaway day. All three games can be seen through UNLV's YouTube channel.