The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Opens 2005 Season Against Central Michigan
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 17, 2005
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB's 2005 baseball season gets underway this weekend as the Blazers host Central Michigan for a three-game series at Young Memorial Field. Friday's season opener begins at 6 p.m. and marks the first ever meeting between the two teams. UAB will send senior right-handed pitcher Adam Price to the mound against CMU's Ty Dunham. Price went 6-6 in 101.1 innings for the Blazers in 2004, finishing the season with a 5.33 earned run average. Game two of the series between the Blazers and Chippewas is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. while Sunday's finale will begin at 1 p.m.
"We're ready to get going and play somebody other than ourselves," said UAB head coach Larry Giangrosso. "We had a good preseason and everyone is healthy heading into this weekend, so we're excited about that. It gives us a lot of options at every position. Playing Central Michigan will be a real test for us. They have a lot of experience coming back just like we do. So it should be a great matchup and a very interesting weekend."
The Blazers look to build on an exciting 2004 season which saw the team win 30 games and advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. In addition, UAB notched four wins against nationally-ranked opponents last season, including three victories over Tulane.
The Blazers also return 10 seniors and last year's Conference USA All-Freshman team selection Zac Ward. Despite having big offensive holes to fill with Daniel Hill and Eugene Rodriguez graduating, UAB is optimistic heading into 2005. The team will rely on seniors Nathan McCorkle, Cole Helms and Seth Rollin to pick up the slack offensively this year.
On the mound, the Blazers will rely on the leadership and experience of 11 returning hurlers, including seniors Price, Helms, Jeff Brown, Ryan Huffman and Eric Roberts. Brown and Price led the squad with six victories each last season while Roberts 37 appearances out of the bullpen were the most in the conference.
Central Michigan returns eight starters from last year's team which won the MAC West division with an 18-6 conference record. The Chippewas were the preseason pick to win their division again in 2005. Among CMU's starting position players are three of the top run producers in school history. First baseman Kurtis Wells, third baseman Jim Geldhof and outfielder Bryan Mitzel look to put up more big numbers for the Chippewas this season.
