The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Baseball Set to Open Conference USA Play at Home
3/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 23, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team will open up its conference slate this weekend, as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles come to Young Memorial Field for a three game series. This marks the first games of C-USA play for both teams, as the Blazers (13-8) and the No. 22 ranked Eagles (17-6) kick things off at 7 p.m. Friday night.
UAB comes into the contest on a bit of down slide, having lost four out of its last five games. The Blazers went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country twice in the past week, falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in both games of a home and home series. Head coach Larry Giangrosso's squad took one out of three in a weekend set against North Carolina A&T State, salvaging the final game on Sunday, 12-1.
The Green and Gold offense is lead by Zac Ward, who is in the midst of a 10-game tear. Over that span, the junior from Hartselle, Ala., is hitting .475 (19-for-40) with two home runs and a team high 13 RBIs. His season average now stands at .360, as he is the team leader in three offensive categories. Danny Sawyer has been a solid producer, providing 21 RBIs at the plate this year, along with a team-high 14 game hitting streak heading into this weekend. John Wayne Donahue has also proved to be a key cog, leading the team with four long balls and 11 extra base hits.
Southern Miss comes into conference play on a roll, having won nine out of its last 13 games. The Golden Eagles enter this weekend's series with the highest win percentage in Conference USA (.739). Head coach Corky Palmer's squad brings the lumber along with it from Hattiesburg, as the team has hit a conference high 33 home runs this season. Mark Maddox and Luke Adkins led the Eagles with six bombs, good enough for a tie atop the C-USA leader board.
This team can pitch as well, as it features 4-0 righthander Scott Massey, and lights out closer Daniel Best. Massey has been the ace of the staff, allowing only 11 earned runs in his five starts for an impressive 2.80 ERA. Once the Eagles get ahead of you, Best slams the door, as he has been unhittable all year long. Best sports a perfect 0.00 ERA, and has 21 strikeouts in only 17 innings of work. The senior from Ruston, La., was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List, and has done nothing to disappoint so far in his final campaign.
Not to be outdone, the UAB pitching staff has been solid all year, to the tune of a 3.91 team ERA, good enough for sixth in the conference. The Blazers remain the only team in C-USA that has two starting pitchers with ERA's below 2.00, as Friday starter Heath Tapscott and Sunday pitcher Jim Crew have dominated during their stints on the rubber.
Tapscott takes the ball to open up the series, sporting a 2-1 record with an 1.61 ERA. The sophomore has served as the anchor of the staff, throwing a team-high 28 innings, while only allowing five earned runs. The powerful righthander has struck out 21, including a career-high seven in his last start. Tapscott has worked deep into games, correcting a trend last year that saw him exit games early on after high pitch counts. "He has really worked hard to learn how to finish games. He is a very athletic player who has all the tools to be a solid pitcher," said Giangrosso.
Senior Lyle Northington will start on Saturday, providing a change of pace from the power repertoire of Tapscott. The crafty lefthander has carved his niche in the pitching staff, starting five games on the year. Northington has excellent command, walking only five batters during his 27 innings of work. The Detroit, Ala., product had a career outing earlier in the year, throwing 7.2 innings and allowing only two runs against Mercer. Those were career highs for Northington, as he picked up his first win on the year.
Jim Crew takes the hill on Sunday, looking to continue his dominance. Crew is 3-0 on the year with a microscopic 1.33 ERA. The local product has thrown 27 frames, allowing only four earned runs while punching out 24 hitters. Crew has been the key reason for UAB's Sunday success, as the Blazers are 4-1 in games that Crew starts. The sophomore has keep offenses in check all season, holding opposing hitters to a .187 average.
All three games of the series will be available to watch online with gametracker, which you can access from the UAB website. For complete coverage of UAB baseball, check www.uabsports.com.
