The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Ready For Weekend Series At No. 3 Tulane
3/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 31, 2005
Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team travels to New Orleans this weekend for a three-game, Conference USA series against third-ranked Tulane. Game one is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Friday evening at Turchin Stadium. Follow all the action live with Gametracker on www.uabsports.com.
UAB takes an 18-7 overall record into the weekend after pounding Samford, 14-4 on Wednesday night at Young Memorial Field. The Blazers scored all 14 of their runs in the first three innings and were led by Zac Ward and Cole Helms who each drove in three runs. Seth Rollin also notched three hits in the victory and raised his average to .309.
The Blazers are tied for second place in Conference USA with a 4-2 record. UAB swept Saint Louis in their conference- opening series before dropping two of three games at Houston last weekend.
Two freshmen are UAB's leading hitters after 25 games of the 2005 season. Centerfielder Clint Toomey is batting .397 and leads C-USA with a .561 on-base percentage and 27 walks in the leadoff spot. Toomey has also scored 31 runs in just 23 games. Phillip Bell has started 16 games as the Blazers' designated hitter and is batting .356 with a home run and 11 RBI. Nathan McCorkle, Cole Helms and Zac Ward provide the power for UAB's lineup, combining for 13 home runs and 77 runs batted in.
The Green Wave (22-5) is also 4-2 in conference play and is coming off a 3-1 win over Nicholls State on Tuesday night. Five Tulane batters have notched at least 20 RBI so far this season, as Tommy Manzella leads the way with 25. Georgia Tech transfer Micah Owings leads the Green Wave with seven home runs and will also get the start on the mound in Friday's series opener.
The Blazers are just 6-23 all-time against Tulane, but defeated the nationally-ranked Green Wave three times in four games last season, including a 10-4 victory in the opening round of the Conference USA Tournament.
