The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2005 UAB Baseball Season Review
6/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 10, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The 2005 UAB baseball team finished the season with 31 victories, its most since the 1997 season. The Blazers also qualified for their second consecutive Conference USA Tournament after winning 14 league games, the team's most since Larry Giangrosso took over as head coach in 2000. UAB will return 20 letterwinners in 2006, including C-USA All-Freshman team member, Clint Toomey and team RBI leader Zac Ward.
• Freshman Clint Toomey started 56 consecutive games in center field and the leadoff spot and led UAB in six offensive categories, including batting average (.341), runs scored (49), hits (71), triples (3), walks (45) and on-base percentage (.461). The Chickasaw, Ala. native also played flawless defense in center field, recording a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 106 chances and put together a team-high 14-game hitting-streak from March 2 to March 25. For his outstanding play in 2005, Toomey was one of eleven rookies named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team.
• Senior relief pitcher Ryan Huffman was outstanding for the Blazers in 2005, appearing in 27 games and compiling a team-best 2.66 ERA. Huffman also ranked second on the team with six victories and four saves. Opponents batted just .222 against him on the season and his 2.66 ERA is the ninth-best in UAB single-season history. Huffman also finished his four-year career at UAB with 73 appearances, fifth most in school history.
• Senior closer Eric Roberts notched nine saves in 2005, finishing the season tied for fourth in Conference USA in that category. Roberts also led the Blazers with 32 appearances out of the bullpen and ranked second on the squad in strikeouts with 46 in just 47.0 innings pitched. The Hueytown, Ala. native was also one of 35 players in the nation named to the midseason watch list for the inaugural National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. Roberts' 32 appearances ranks third on UAB's single-season list after he set the school record with 37 appearances in 2004. His nine saves was also tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in UAB history. Roberts finished his two-year career as a Blazer third overall in appearances with 68 and tied for third with 13 career saves.
• Senior Jeff Brown set a career-high with seven wins in 2005, finishing his four-year career third on UAB's all-time victories list with 18. Brown started 37 games in his career as a Blazer, including a team-high 16 last season. Those 37 career starts are the fourth-most by any pitcher in school history. Brown also racked up 172 career strikeout, placing fourth on that career list as well.
• Seniors Nathan McCorkle, Cole Helms and Seth Rollin all wrapped up their UAB careers with strong offensive performances in 2005. McCorkle and Rollin started all 58 games for the Blazers at first and second base, respectively while Helms started 57. The three finished the season tied for the team lead with eight home runs. Helms ranked second on the team with 44 RBI while McCorkle finished second with 67 hits and Rollin finished second with 40 runs scored. McCorkle was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the week of March 14 after batting .563 with three home runs and 10 RBI. Rollin concluded his career as a Blazer in the top ten for five offensive categories, including at-bats (733), doubles (40), home runs (27), total bases (304) and strikeouts (160).
• The Blazers put together a season-high ten-game winning streak from March 6 through March 23. The streak began with a 4-3 victory over second-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge and included a five-game stretch in which the Blazers averaged 11.6 runs per game. It also marked UAB's longest single-season winning streak since beginning the 2003 season with 13 consecutive victories.
• UAB played 10 games against five different teams from Alabama in 2005, compiling a 6-4 mark in those contests. The Blazers won the first game of each two-game series against Alabama, Birmingham-Southern, Samford and Jacksonville State and swept the season series from Troy.
• With its 31 victories in 2005, UAB matched its highest win total since the 1997 season when the Blazers went 31-29 under head coach Pete Rancont. The team's 31 overall wins and 14 conference victories marked career highs for head coach Larry Giangrosso who took over the Blazers in 2000.
• The Blazers were outstanding at home in 2005, compiling a 22-10 record at Young Memorial Field. UAB has now won 398 games in 22 seasons at Young Memorial Field, an average of more than 18 home victories per year. Six different Blazers batted over .300 at home, led by freshman Phillip Bell's .390 average. Nathan McCorkle also launched all eight of his home runs in UAB's 32 home contests. The Blazer pitching staff also had a strong showing at Young Memorial Field in 2005, combining for a 4.28 team ERA. Seniors Adam Price, Jeff Brown, Ryan Huffman and Eric Roberts combined for a 16-4 record with eight saves in their final season at Young Memorial Field.
