The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Notes For The Southern Miss Series
4/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2002
THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULE:
Fri. 4/26 * UAB vs. SOUTHERN MISS (7 pm CDT)
Sat. 4/27 *UAB vs. SOUTHERN MISS (2 pm CDT)
Sun. 4/28 * UAB vs. SOUTHERN MISS (1 pm CDT)
THE BLAZERS: Are 13-27 overall (5-13 C-USA) and coming off an 8-3 loss at Mississippi State on Tuesday (Apr. 23). UAB took two of three games from the Memphis last weekend's Conference USA series (Apr. 19-21), and has won four of its last six games overall.
THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Southern Miss is 27-15 overall and 11-6 in C-USA play. The Golden Eagles are coming off a weekend series at Saint Louis, where they split a pair of games (a third was lost to weather).
THE UAB-SOUTHERN MISS SERIES: Southern Miss lead the all-time series 30-21, dating back to the 1980 season.
AT YOUNG MEMORIAL FIELD: UAB holds a 21-10 overall edge and has won the last two meetings, dating back to the 2000 season.
LAST YEAR: UAB won an early-season non-conference meeting 3-2 at Young Memorial Field (Mar. 7) and Southern Miss swept the three-game C-USA series in Hattiesburg 5-1, 12-1, 8-6 (May 11-13).
GINO SHAKES UP THE ROTATION: Blazer head coach Larry Giangrosso will shake up his starting pitching rotation this weekend; seniors Joe Yarbrough, Ross Dobbins and Andre Parks have all been "weekend" starters this year, but as the season moves into the home stretch, Giangrosso has decided to go with a trio of freshmen -- right-handers Rusty McIntyre (Decatur, Ala./Decatur HS), Tony Falls (Montgomery, Ala./R.E Lee HS), and Jeff Brown (Montgomery, Ala./Calvary Christian Academy) -- all of whom have made their mark in 2002.
UAB STARTING PITCHERS: The Blazers' projected rotation for the Southern Miss series is:
Fri. 4/26 * Rusty McIntyre (Fr., RHP, 1-0, 1.98 ERA)
Sat. 4/27 * Tony Falls (Fr., RHP, 3-2, 1.27 ERA)
Sun. 4/28 * Jeff Brown (Fr., RHP, 1-1, 3.82 ERA)
SOUTHERN MISS STARTERS: The Golden Eagles' projected rotation is:
Fri. 4/26 * Shea Douglas (Jr., LHP, 8-1, 2.11 ERA)
Sat. 4/27 * Bob McCrory (So., RHP, 4-2, 2.21 ERA)
Sun. 4/28 * Charlie Rogers (Sr., RHP, 5-1, 5.20 ERA)
RUSTY McINTYRE: The true freshman from Decatur, Ala. (Decatur HS) got his first win as a Blazer in a start at Alabama State Apr. 16, working five complete innings, allowing one run on four hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. McIntyre has a total of six appearances this season (two starts, 13.2 total innings pitched), with his first start coming at home vs. Alabama (Apr. 10); in that game he worked two and 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, with four walks and one strikeout (he was not involved in the decision that night).
TONY FALLS: Although he'll be making his first collegiate start vs. Southern Miss Saturday, true freshman Tony Falls (Montgomery, Ala./R.E. Lee HS) has been a major contributor for the Blazers in 2002. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 1.27 ERA in 21 appearances and 35.1 innings -- all in relief. Falls got a pair of wins in the Oakland series (Mar. 1-2), and is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA in nine appearances vs. C-USA opponents (20.0 innings). He also has a pair of saves (vs. Houston on Mar. 17 and at Alabama State on Apr. 16). Falls' performance vs. Alabama State in his hometown of Montgomery, Ala. on Apr. 16 was typical -- he entered the game in the ninth inning with UAB leading 6-3, faced five batters, struck out two, and got his second save of the year. He outdid himself, however, in UAB's 9-8 win over Memphis in 15 innings Friday (4/19) at AutoZone Park. Falls entered the game with two outs in the seventh inning and the score tied 8-8; he worked 8.1 innings -- his longest outing of the season -- and allowed no runs on five hits -- he faced 28 batters -- with no walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts -- and pitched his way to his third win of the season. For the week, he allowed no runs in 9.1 innings, giving up six hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts. JEFF BROWN: Brown has started three C-USA games this season -- at. Saint Louis on Apr. 6, vs. Tulane on Apr. 14 and at Memphis on Apr. 21. He is 1-1 overall with a 3.82 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched. As a starter Brown is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in 18.0 innings. He was brilliant in his most recent start, working a complete game (8.0 innings) at Memphis (Apr. 21) for his first victory as a collegian, allowing only three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in a 12-2 UAB victory. Brown held the Tigers hitless in that game for five and 1/3 innings, and was extremely impressive. Prior to moving into the starting rotation, he had eight appearances in relief. As a reliever he is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched.
CALL HIM "GINO": Larry Giangrosso (UAB '75) is in his third season as head coach of the UAB Blazers. The Birmingham native is 66-89 (.426) overall at UAB. Giangrosso was named head coach at UAB on June 16, 1999. Prior to that, he spent nine seasons as head coach at Central Alabama Community College (1991-99), where he posted a 320-183-1 (.636) record and led his teams to a state championship (1998) and three conference titles. Giangrosso also had a very successful stint as head coach at Birmingham's W.A. Berry High School (1979-90), where he had a 254-115 (.688) record and led the Bucs to the Alabama 4A state title (1981), as well as five regional and four Jefferson County championships.
A PIONEER: Coach Larry Giangrosso played baseball for UAB in the mid 1970s, prior to the establishment of the NCAA-sanctioned athletics program in 1978. The team competed essentially as a club program (it was administered by the school's Physical Education Department), but the baseball was definitely real -- the team competed against many of the local and state colleges (e.g. Birmingham- Southern) that UAB faces now (Gino has the letter jacket to prove it).
INJURY PROBLEMS: Injuries have played a big role in the Blazers' woes this season; virtually every position has been affected at one time or another, and several players have missed a great deal of playing time or are out completely. A summary of the UAB injury situation as of Apr. 25: RHP Andre Parks (back; currently out of starting rotation; now works out of the bullpen); INF J.B. Fesmire (back; last played vs. Connecticut on Mar. 9; will take a medical redshirt); OF Chad House (bruised knee; missed four games but now 100%); OF Kyle Leon (abdominal strain; missed eight games, but now 100%); OF Quincy Williams (hamstring; has played in 25 games but rarely at 100%); C Al Hecklinski (shoulder; played in eight early games - will take a medical redshirt); C Brad Bamberg (abdominal strain; missed 12 games but now closer to 100%);
YOUTH MOVEMENT: The Blazers have counted heavily on the contributions of several true freshmen this season, including second baseman Seth Rollin (Montgomery, Ala./Jeff Davis HS), center fielder Chad House (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS), and pitcher Tony Falls (Montgomery, Ala./Lee HS). Rollin and House are every day starters who have appeared in 35 or more games this season, and Falls has been one of the Blazers' top bullpen performers, with 21 appearances. Also beginning to make an impact are pitcher Jeff Brown (Montgomery, Ala./Calvary Christian Academy) who has 11 appearances and three Conference USA starts under his belt, and pitcher Rusty McIntyre (Decatur, Ala./Decatur HS), who has six appearances including starts vs. Alabama (Apr. 10) and Alabama State (Apr. 16).
LAST WEEK A GOOD ONE: The Blazers had their best week of the 2002 season Apr. 15-21, going 3-1 overall and winning their first C-USA series of the year by taking two of three games at Memphis (Apr. 19-21). Friday's 15-inning marathon vs. the Tigers ties the UAB record for second-longest game in the program's history (the Blazers lost a 15-inning game at home to Southern Illinois in 2001). The longest game in UAB history was a 19-inning affair at South Alabama in 1981. There were numerous strong offensive performances, as UAB hit .298 as a team for the week.
ROLLIN ROLLIN': Freshman second baseman Seth Rollin has been swinging a very hot bat in recent weeks; Rollin is hitting .426 (20-47) in his last 11 games with four doubles, one triple, four home runs and nine runs scored and seven RBI -- he has hit a home run in four of his last six games. He's also hitting .407 (11-27) in his last six games. Rollin returned to his home town of Montgomery, Ala., when the Blazers played at Alabama State (Apr. 16). The familiar surroundings of Montgomery's Paterson Field, where he played many of his high school games, seemed to agree with Rollin; he homered in his first two at-bats and added a single later to finish three-for-four for the game with two RBI and two runs scored. Rollin hit .368 (7-19) for the week of Apr. 15-21 with three home runs and three RBI. He enters the Southern Miss series with a seven-game hitting streak.
KYLE LEON: Junior DH/outfielder Kyle Leon (Guelph, Ontario/transfer from Charleston Southern) has a .311 season batting average, the highest among the Blazers' everyday players (he also leads UAB with a .404 batting average vs. C-USA opponents... 23-57). Leon, who missed eight games earlier in the season with an abdominal strain, has started 17 games in the outfield and 15 at designated hitter. Leon hit .500 (6-12) in the Tulane series, with two doubles (including one for 2 RBI that tied the game in the fifth inning Sunday) and four RBI -- he went 4-4 in the Sunday game. Leon continued his hot hitting vs. C-USA opponents by hitting .438 (7-16) in the Memphis series, with one double, one home run and six RBI. He's now hitting .404 (23-57) in 15 C-USA games.
CHAD HOUSE: The freshman outfielder from Memphis, Tenn. (Christian Brothers HS) has been one of the bright spots of the 2002 UAB season for the Blazers. He is currently hitting .288 (36-125) in 35 games (he missed four games with a bruised knee in March) and has played very solid defense throughout the year. He had a good series in his hometown of Memphis, hitting .375 (6-16) with two doubles and two RBI and a .412 on-base percentage. In his last nine games, House is hitting .297 (11-37) with three doubles and four RBI. Before his injury (he ran into the outfield wall trying to catch a fly ball in the Mar. 15 game vs. Houston), House was leading the Blazers with a .396 batting average; he had a team-high 10-game hitting streak that dated back to the Mississippi State game on Feb. 22, and was leading the team in hits (21) and multiple-hit games (7). He also had a .492 on-base percentage, and had reached base 53 percent of the time when leading off an inning.
MATT WOMBLE: The diminutive Blazer first baseman (he's actually 5-11, 175 but he looks small at first base) packs surprising punch at the plate; he's hitting .261 (37-142) for the season, with 11 doubles, two home runs, and a team-high 27 RBI. He hit .312 (5-16) in the Memphis series, with a double a home run and six RBI. Womble's three-run homer in the third inning of Friday's game vs. the Tigers at AutoZone Park (Apr. 19) was a monster shot, conservatively estimated at 368 feet (it landed on the bluff beyond the left field wall). In 18 C-USA games, he's hitting .243 (18-74). In his last nine games, Womble has a .405 batting average (15-37) with five doubles, one home run and five RBI. He hit .400 (6-15) for the week of Apr. 8-14, with two doubles and one RBI. Womble enters the Southern Miss series with the team's longest current hitting streak -- eight games.
MATT GAULDEN: The Blazer third baseman is also a potentially dangerous man at the plate; his .261 overall and .200 C-USA batting average don't really tell the tale completely. Gaulden is second on the team lead with 10 doubles and has three home runs (including a three RBI shot that proved to be the game-winner vs. Tulane on Apr. 14 -- it was one of his two hits in the series) . Gaulden hit a solo homer in the Sunday game at Memphis (Apr. 21) and had a double and two RBI for the week. Gaulden hit .429 in the Memphis series (6-14). In his last nine games, Gaulden is hitting .297 (11-37) with one double, two home runs, and six RBI.
ERIC LYON: Outfielder Eric Lyon hit .421 (8-19) for the week of Apr. 15-21. He drove in seven runs, including three with a home run in the second inning of Sunday's game vs. Memphis (Apr. 21); the senior from Kirkland, Wash. hit .357 (5-14) in the Memphis series, with one double, one homer, and six RBI. In his last nine games Lyon is hitting .323 (10-31) with two doubles, one home run and 10 RBI.
MARK GARNER: The senior shortstop from Spanish Fort, Ala. (Daphne HS) led the team in batting average (.324) and hits (60) in 2001, but has struggled this season, hitting .182 (25-137) in 40 games this season (he's the only Blazer to start all 40 games thus far). Garner is hitting. 172 (10-58) in 18 C-USA games this season, with four RBI.
MITCH JONES: Junior outfielder Mitch Jones (Chelsea, Ala./Chelsea HS) is also struggling this season. A freshman All-America in 2000, Jones hit .183 last season and is hitting .165 (20-121) in 37 games this season. Interestingly, Jones has three home runs this season -- all of which have come in his first at-bat of the game. Jones has is hitting .176 in his last nine games (3-17). He did, however hit .333 (2-6) in the Tulane series (Apr. 12-14); Jones has a .154 batting average (8-52) in 17 C-USA games this season.
JUSTIN MILLER: Junior catcher Justin Miller is batting .202 overall with four doubles, one home run, and eight RBI. In 28 games as a starter, he's batting .207 (all of his extra-base hits and RBIs have come as a starter). In 17 C-USA games to date, Miller is batting .196 (three doubles, one home run,four RBI). He seems to like playing every day -- in five appearances as a pinch hitter and/or defensive substitute, he hitting .167 (2-12). He did however, have one of the biggest hits of the 2002 season to date as a substitute; his double in the top of the 15th inning at Memphis (Apr. 19) set up the winning run (by pinch runner Scottie Holden) in UAB's 9-8 victory.
A RELUCTANT SWITCH HITTER: Senior catcher Brad Bamberg (Montevallo, Ala./Central Alabama CC) is currently hitting .174 (4-23) in 15 games (he's started nine). After undergoing shoulder surgery in the off season, Bamberg found it difficult to swing the bat comfortably in his natural right-handed stance, so he switched to batting left-handed, something he had never done in his life before this season.
CODY CILLO: Although he hasn't had many opportunities to "close" this season, junior reliever Cody Cillo (Lynwood, Wash./Edmonds CC) is the team's "go-to guy" in the late innings. Cillo got his third save of the 2002 season the Sunday win over Tulane (Apr. 14), working the final 4.0 innings. He allowed two runs on six hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Cillo has three of the UAB team's total of five saves this season, and a better-than-two-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio (24 K - 11 BB in 25.1 innings).
"JOLTIN' JOE": One of the biggest surprises last weekend was senior LHP Joe Yarbrough, who, after making his regular Friday start in the 9-8 victory over Memphis, served as a pinch-hitter in Saturday's game, driving in two runs with his first career hit (he batted four times in 2001 and is 3-6 in 2002 -- career average of .300 with five RBI). Yarbrough's efforts with the bat were apparently impressive enough that Blazer coach Larry Giangrosso inserted him into the starting lineup at DH in Sunday's game -- his first non-pitching start as a Blazer. Yarbrough came through with flying colors, going two-for-four and slamming a three-run homer in the third inning (his first extra base hit as a Blazer). For the week, Yarbrough, who is a rare left-handed batter on the Blazer roster, hit .600 (3-5) with one homer and five RBI.
MORE ABOUT YARBROUGH: The senior from Hazel Green, Ala. (Jefferson State CC) struggled in his last three starts -- at Saint Louis (Apr. 5), vs. Tulane (Apr. 12) and at Memphis (Apr. 19) -- allowing seven runs (five earned) on nine hits, with two walks and six strikeouts in four and 1/3 innings vs. the Billikens, eight runs on 10 hits with two walks and six strikeouts vs. the Green Wave and eight runs on five hits with two walks and one strikeout vs. the Tigers. He has, however, been one of the team's most effective starters this season, despite his 0-5 record. Yarbrough has a team-high 52 strikeouts (vs. 22 walks) in 58.1 innings pitched (also a team high). Yarbrough has an 0-4 record with a 6.55 ERA in six starts vs. C-USA teams this season.
ROSS DOBBINS: Senior right-hander Ross Dobbins (Tanner, Ala./Central Alabama CC) is 3-3 overall with a 7.21 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) and 53.2 innings pitched. Dobbins has wins over Kentucky (Feb. 17), Houston (Mar. 17) and Saint Louis (Apr. 6). He is 2-3 with a 8.19 ERA in six starts vs. C-USA opponents this season. He was the team's "Sunday" starter for much of the 2002 season, but was moved into the "Saturday" slot for the Saint Louis series (Apr. 6) after a shakeup in the pitching rotation; he started the Saturday games (Apr. 13) vs. Tulane and at Memphis (Apr. 20).
ANDRE PARKS: Senior Andre Parks has struggled for much of the 2002 season; he's 2-8 overall with a 9.53 ERA in 11 appearances (eight starts). Parks had been the Blazers' "Saturday" starter for most of the 2002 season, but was removed from the starting rotation following the East Carolina series (Mar. 29-31). He pitched well vs. No. 3 Alabama on Apr. 10, allowing only two hits in 2.1 innings - unfortunately, one of those two hits was a three-run homer by the Tide's Beau Hearod, which propelled the Crimson Tide to a 5-3 win. Parks took a huge step toward redemption in Sunday's win over Tulane (Apr. 14); he worked one complete inning (the top of the fifth) in relief of starter Jeff Brown, retiring three of the four batters he faced (he hit the fourth, but no harm done) and wound up getting his first C-USA victory of the 2002 season and his first win overall since Feb. 16, 2002 (vs. Mississippi Valley State). Parks has had back problems at times this season and now works exclusively out of the bullpen; he's 1-4 with an 11.34 ERA in five appearances (three starts) vs. C-USA opponents (12.2 innings).
CANADIAN CLUB: Outfielder/DH Kyle Leon and catcher Justin Miller are both natives of Canada.
MONTGOMERY CONNECTION: The 2002 UAB roster includes four players, second baseman Seth Rollin (Jeff Davis HS), outfielder Millard Dawson (R.E. Lee HS), and pitchers Tony Falls (R.E. Lee HS) and Jeff Brown (Calvary Christian Academy) from the city of Montgomery, Ala.
CENTRAL ALABAMA C.C. CONNECTION: The Blazers also have nine players from Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City, Ala. - not coincidentally the former employer of UAB Head Coach Larry Giangrosso and assistant coach Lee Hall for nine seasons (1991-99). Those players include catcher Brad Bamberg, shortstop Mark Garner, pitcher Scott Gibson, outfielder Jeremy "J.R." Moran, first baseman Matt Womble, third baseman Matt Gaulden, pitcher Andre Parks, outfielder Quincy Williams, and pitcher Ross Dobbins.
PITCHER'S BEST FRIEND: UAB turned eight (8) double-plays in the HoustonM series (Mar. 15-17), including six (6) in the Saturday game (Mar. 16). The six twin-killings tied a UAB single-game record, set vs. Middle Tennessee in 2000.
YOUNG MEMORIAL FIELD: Jerry D. Young Memorial Field is in its 19th season as the Blazers' home field (the program called historic Rickwood Field home from 1979-83). The Blazers have a 332-206-1 (.617) all-time record at Young Memorial Field (1984- ) and are 9-14 at home in 2002.
IN PLAY: The 30-foot high "batter's eye" wall in center field, which was once located behind the outfield fence, is now actually part of the fence and is in play (this became effective at the beginning of the 2001 season after the wooden fence replaced a chain link fence as part of general stadium renovations).
BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN GAME RE-SCHEDULED: The Feb. 27 home game vs. Birmingham-Southern (which would have been the beginning of an11-game home stand), was postponed because of frigid weather. The Blazers and Panthers will now face each other on successive nights in May -- Tuesday May 7 on the hilltop at Scrushy-Striplin Field (6 pm) and Wednesday, May 8 at Young Memorial Field (7 pm).
COMING UP: Next week the Blazers play at Alabama on Tuesday, May 1 (7:00 pm CDT) and then travel to TCU for a weekend C-USA series, May 3-5 (3 pm/1 pm/1 pm CDT).
