Bama gets the evening game in Tallahassee tomorrow after FSU takes on Stetson in the early afternoon. The Tide will match up with UCF. The Knights are throwing So. RHP Dom Stagliano, who is 3-4 in 13 starts. He's got an ERA of 3.73 and an even 1.000 WHIP on the season. Bama will counter with Greg Farone, who comes in with a 4-3 record, a 4.52 ERA, and a 1.330 WHIP. As a team, UCF is hitting a respectable .285 to go with an .808 OPS... but they don't show a ton of power with just 57 HR's (they have 1 guy with double digit HR's and he has just 10) and they don't take a lot of walks. On paper, they are the best defensive team in the Big 12. On the flip side, Bama is hitting .305 with 87 HR's and sporting a .920 OPS. If you've seen Bama play much this year, you know that if the bats get going, they can score in bunches.
I don't know much about UCF and haven't seen them play all year... but this is still a game Bama should win. My main concern is that for whatever reason, Alabama has struggled in the opening games on weekends this season, especially on the mound. First it was Ben Hess with a slow start to the season who struggled, then he was moved to Sunday and found his groove, while Farone slid into the Thurs/Fri role and started to regress a bit. My hope is that the extra rest from the last week has been beneficial to them and they come out focused and sharp. This is absolutely a Regional that the Tide can claim if they play good, sound baseball.
I don't know much about UCF and haven't seen them play all year... but this is still a game Bama should win. My main concern is that for whatever reason, Alabama has struggled in the opening games on weekends this season, especially on the mound. First it was Ben Hess with a slow start to the season who struggled, then he was moved to Sunday and found his groove, while Farone slid into the Thurs/Fri role and started to regress a bit. My hope is that the extra rest from the last week has been beneficial to them and they come out focused and sharp. This is absolutely a Regional that the Tide can claim if they play good, sound baseball.
