The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Notes For The TCU Series
5/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Fri. 5/3 * UAB at TCU (3 pm CDT)
Sat. 5/4 * UAB at TCU(1 pm CDT)
Sun. 5/5 * UAB at TCU (1 pm CDT)
THE BLAZERS: Are 14-30 overall (6-15 C-USA) and coming off an 8-1 loss to No. 3 Alabama Wednesday (May 1) in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Last weekend, UAB lost two of three games in a Conference USA series to Southern Miss at home in Birmingham; each of the three games were decided by one run (UAB won Sunday's game 5-4).
THE HORNED FROGS: First-year Conference USA member TCUis 22-24 overall (13-8 C-USA) and is coming off a 14-8 loss to the Texas Longhorns Tuesday in Round Rock, Texas.
THE UAB TCU SERIES:This weekend will mark the first meetings on the baseball field between UAB and TCU.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: The Blazers have counted heavily on the contributions of several true freshmenthis 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 37 or more games this season, and Falls has been one of the Blazers' top bullpen performers, with 21 appearances (he started the Apr. 27 game vs. Southern Miss). Also beginning to make an impact are pitcher Jeff Brown (Montgomery, Ala./Calvary Christian Academy) who has 12 appearances and four Conference USA starts under his belt, and pitcher Rusty McIntyre (Decatur, Ala./Decatur HS), who has seven appearances including starts vs. Alabama (Apr. 10), Alabama State (Apr. 16), and Southern Miss (Apr. 26).
GINO SHAKESUP THE ROTATION, cont.: Blazer head coach Larry Giangrosso shook up his starting pitching rotation last weekend; seniors Joe Yarbrough, Ross Dobbins and Andre Parks have all been "weekend" starters this year, but last week Giangrosso 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. That trend will continue this weekend, as the three start the series at TCU (May 3-5).
UAB WEEKEND STARTERS: The Blazers' projected rotation for the TCU series is:
Fri. 5/3 * Rusty McIntyre (Fr., RHP, 1-0, 3.18 ERA)
Sat. 5/4 * Tony Falls (Fr., RHP, 3-2, 1.94 ERA)
Sun. 5/5 * Jeff Brown (Fr., RHP, 1-1, 4.19 ERA)
CALL HIM "GINO": Larry Giangrosso (UAB '75) is in his third season as head coach of the UAB Blazers. The Birmingham native is 67-92 (.421) 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 4Astate 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 establishmen 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).
1K CLUB: Counting his high school, junior college and four-year collegiate head coaching experience, UAB Head Coach Larry Giangrosso worked his 1000th game as a head coach vs. Auburn on Mar. 5.
BURGETT EARNS C-USA HONOR: Junior left-hander Jon Burgett (Mt. Juliet, Tenn./Mt. Juliet HS) was named Conference USAPitcher of The Week (Apr. 29) after a breakout week on the mound...Burgett had not seen much action in 2002 prior to last week (eight appearances, one start, 0-2 with and 9.64 ERAin 14.0 innings), but he looked strong in three appearances, allowing only two earned runs in 9.1 innings of work with two walks and nine strikeouts...he appeared in relief at Mississippi State Tuesday and again in Saturday's game vs. Southern Miss, but he saved his best for last...in Sunday's win over the Golden Eagles, Burgett put in his longest outing of the 2002 season, working 5.2 innings in relief of starter Jeff Brown, allowing one run on three hits, with two walks and five strikeouts...he got his first victory of the year in one of the Blazers'most exciting wins of the year...for the week Burgett had a 1.93 ERA.
PARKS NOT ON TCU TRIP: Senior RHP Andre Parks started We d n e s d a y 's game at A l a b a m a a n d did not make the trip with the team to Fort Worth for the T C U series...Parks is staying home so that he can walk with his fellow graduates at the 2002 UAB C o m m e n c e m e n t c e r e m o n y, Saturday afternoon (May 4) a t Bartow Arena...Parks -- the first member of his family to graduate from college -- will receive his B.A. in history (with a minor in psychology)with a large family contingent in attendance.
HOUSE HOBBLED: Freshman center fielder Chad House did not dress for Wednesday's game at Alabama; he's still recuperating from a sprained ankle suffered when he stumbled across the first base bag while trying to beat out a bunt in Saturday's game vs. Southern Miss (Apr. 27)...while House is on the injured list, his spot will probably be filled by junior Mitch Jones.
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 May 1: RHP * Andre Parks (back; currently out of starting rotation; now works primarily 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 in March; now out with sprained ankle); OF * Kyle Leon (abdominal strain; missed eight games, but now 100%); OF * Quincy Williams (hamstring; has played in 28 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%); C * Brett Tilley (out for season after shoulder surgery); RHP * Scott Gibson (out for season after shoulder surgery).
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 seven appearances this season (three starts, 17.0 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)...he also started last Friday (Apr. 26) vs. Southern Miss..McIntyre is 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA in two appearances (one start)vs. C-USA opponents (4.1 innings pitched).
TONY FALLS: Although he's made only one start this season -- vs. Southern Miss last Saturday (Apr 27), 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 1.94 ERA in 22 appearances and 41.2 innings of work (35.1 of which came out of the bullpen)... Falls got a pair of wins in the Oakland series (Mar. 1-2), and is 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 10 appearances vs. C-USA opponents (26.1 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. 16was typical -- he entered the game in the ninth inning with UABleading 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 -- 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 (Apr. 15-21), he allowed no runs in 9.1 innings, giving up six hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts.
JEFF BROWN: Brown has started four C-USA games this season -- at. Saint Louis on Apr. 6, vs. Tulane on Apr. 14 at Memphis on Apr. 21 and vs. Southern Miss on Apr. 28... he is 1-1 overall with a 4.19 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched...as a starter Brown is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERAin 21.1 innings of work... he was brilliant in his start at Memphis (Apr. 21), working a complete game (8.0 innings) for his first victory as a collegian, allowing only three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in a 12-2 UABvictory. 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 ERAin 17.1 innings pitched... in seven appearances vs. C-USA opponents (four starts)he is 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA (29.0 innings).
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 .275 (44-160) for the season, with 12 doubles, two home runs, and a team-high 29 RBI...he hit .312 (5-16) in the Memphis series (Apr. 19-21), with a double a home run and six RBI, and .500 (7-1) in the Southern Miss series (Apr. 26-28), with one double, one triple and two 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 21 C-USAgames, he's hitting .284 (25-88)...in his last 13 games, Womble is hitting .400 (22-55) with six doubles, one triple, one home run, and seven RBI...in his last five games, he's hitting .455 (10-22) with two doubles, a triple, and two RBI.. Womble hit .400 (6-15) for the week of Apr. 8-14, with two doubles and one RBI, and .556 (10-18) for the week of Apr.22-28... he entered the Alabama game (May 1) with the longest hitting streak on the team in the 2002 season -- 11 games -- but saw that end as he went 0-4 vs. the Crimson Tide.
KYLE LEON: Junior DH/outfielder Kyle Leon (Guelph, Ontario/transfer from Charleston Southern) has a .326 season batting average, the highest among the Blazers'everyday players (he also leads UAB with a .418 batting average vs. C-USA opponents... 28-67). Leon, who missed eight games earlier in the season with an abdominal strain, has started 20 games in the outfield and 16 at designated hitter... Leon has hit over .400 in his last three C-USA series, including .500 (5-10) in last weekend' Southern Miss series (Apr. 26-28)... Leon is hitting .396 (21-53) in his last 13 games and .353 (6-17) in his last five.
ERIC LYON: Outfielder Eric Lyon has a .290 season batting average (31-107 in 33 games), with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 25 RBI... Lyon is hitting .290 (20-69) in 20 games vs. CUSA opponents and .319 (15-47) in his last 13 games (three doubles, two homers, 16 RBI)... Lyon hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Sunday's 5-4 win over Southern Miss (Apr. 28); Lyon's blast (off USMstarter Charlie Rogers) proved to be the game-winner; that's Lyon's second gamewinning homer vs. a C-USA opponent on Sunday this season (he also hit a two-run shot vs. Houston on Mar. 17 that gave UABthe lead for good in the Blazers' 6-2 win)... Lyon drove in seven runs on five hits with one sacrifice fly in four games last week.
MATT GAULDEN: The Blazer third baseman is also a potentially dangerous man at the plate; his .244 overall and .173 C-USA batting average don't really tell the tale completely...Gaulden is third 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 13 games, Gaulden is hitting .235 (12-51)with one double, two home runs, and seven RBI.
SETH ROLLIN: Freshman second baseman Seth Rollin -- who has been one of the Blazers' most productive offensive players this season (he leads the team with six home runs) -- is hitting .288 (15-52) in his last 13 games with three doubles, a triple, four home runs, seven runs scored and five RBI...he's hitting .241(20-83) in 21 C-USA games to date, a figure dramatically affected by the fact that he went 0-10 in last weekend's series vs. Southern Miss... 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.
CHAD HOUSE: Currently back on the injured list (sprained ankle), 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 .275 (36-131)in 37 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 (Apr. 19-21), hitting .375 (6-16) with two doubles and two RBI and a .412 on-base percentage... 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.
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 .195 (29-149) in 44 games this season (he's the only Blazer to start all 44 games thus far). Garner is hitting. .209 (14-67) in 21 C-USA games this season, with four RBI; he had a very strong series vs. Southern Miss (Apr. 26-28), hitting .444 (4-9) with a run scored and four RBI, and he hit .333 (4-12) in four games last week...in his last five games, Garner has perked up a bit, hitting .267 (4-15).
TAKING SEVERAL FOR THE TEAM: Mark Garner has been hit by a pitch 15 times this season; that gives him 40 for his UAB career (158 games, 2000- ) ranking him second in Blazer Baseball history, behind Jason Page, who was hit 53 times (1992-95).
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 .173 (23-133) in 41 games this season... he does have four home runs this season (the latest came at Alabama Wednesday, May 1) -- three of which have come in his first at-bat of the game... Jones is hitting .250 in his last five games (3-12)... he hit .333 (2-6)in the Tulane series (Apr. 12-14) and .250 ( 2-8) in the Southern Miss series (Apr. 26-28)... Jones has a .167 (10-60) batting average in 20 games vs. CUSA opponents this season.
JUSTIN MILLER: Junior catcher Justin Miller is batting .195 overall with four doubles, one home run, and 10 RBI... in 32 games as a starter, he's batting .198 ... in 20 C-USA games to date, Miller is batting .194 (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 is 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 (28 K - 11 BB in 29.1 innings)... after taking both of the team's losses in relief in the Southern Miss series (Apr. 26, Apr. 27 -- 3.0 innings pitched, six hits, three earned runs, no walks, three strikeouts), Cillo got back into action in the Alabama game (May 1), working one inning, allowing two runs on four hits, with no walks and one strikeout.
"JOLTIN' JOE": Senior pitcher/DH Joe Yarbrough continues to do well in his new role as the Blazers'left-handed DH...Yarbrough made his 2002 DH debut in the Memphis series (Apr. 20) and hit .222 (2-9 - hey, he's a pitcher!) last week...he drove in a run in Sunday's win over Southern Miss with a sacrifice fly, and now has a 278 batting average (5-18) with one homer and six RBIin seven games as an offensive player this season...Yarbrough also pitched 4.2 solid innings in relief vs. Southern Miss Friday, allowing one run on three hits, with one walk and four strikeouts...for the season he leads UAB with 56 strikeouts (vs. 25 walks) in 64.0 innings pitched.
ROSS DOBBINS: Senior right-hander Ross Dobbins (Tanner, Ala./Central Alabama CC) is 3-3 overall with a 7.20 ERAin 12 appearances (10 starts) and 55.0 innings pitched this season... 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 vs. Tulane (Apr. 13) and at Memphis (Apr. 20).
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. -- 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.
PTICHER'S BEST FRIEND: UAB turned eight(8) double-plays in the Houston series, including six (6) in Saturday's game (Mar. 16). The six twin-killings tied a UAB single-game record, set vs. Middle Tennessee in 2000. The Blazers have turned 30 double plays in 31 games this season.
UAB vs. THE SEC: The Blazers are 1-6 vs. SEC teams in 2002, with a 3-1 win over Kentucky at Young Memorial Field on Feb. 17, a 13-1 loss to Auburn at Young Memorial Field (Mar. 5), a 9-2 loss in Auburn (Mar. 19), a 5-3 loss to No. 3 Alabama at Young Memorial Field on April 10 and 8-1 in Tuscaloosa (May 1) and an 8-3 loss at Mississippi State (Apr. 23). UAB finished 4-4 against SEC teams in 2001. Along with its two wins over Alabama, the Blazers also went 1-1 vs. Mississippi State and Vanderbilt and 0-2 vs. Auburn.
BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN GAME RE-SCHEDULED: The Feb. 27 home game vs. Birmingham-Southern (which would have been the beginning of an 11-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: Following the TCU series (May 3-5), the Blazers play back-to-back games vs. Birmingham-Southern (see above) and then travel to Louisville for a three-game C-USA series, May 10-12.
