The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Set To Host Presbyterian For Three-Game Series
2/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team welcomes Presbyterian to Young Memorial Field this weekend for a three-game series as both teams continue early-season, non-conference action.
Friday's series opener is scheduled for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch, while Saturday's game is slated for a 2 p.m. CT start, and Sunday's finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
After winning two out of three games last weekend from Radford, UAB picked up another victory Tuesday on the road at Jacksonville State. The Blazers were scheduled to play Wednesday at Alabama A&M, but the game was rained out.
UAB will look to build on its 3-1 record when Presbyterian comes to town for the second time in as many years. UAB took two out of three games from the Blue Hose last season, winning both games of a Sunday doubleheader to win the series. Kyle Roberson and James Oliver both pitched seven-inning complete games that Sunday for UAB, and both will be in the rotation this weekend.
The Blazers will send Roberson to the hill Friday to square off with Presbyterian's Jesse Harmon. Roberson earned a no-decision in his first start of the season last Friday against Radford, while Harmon enters the weekend at 0-1. Shay Crawford is once again slated to start the Saturday game for UAB, and Oliver will take the ball for Sunday's contest.
Offensively, Cody McMurry continues to lead UAB with a .417 batting average, a .611 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage. Four of McMurry's five hits have gone for doubles, and he has also drawn six walks through four games to tie Luke Stewart for the team lead in that category.
The Blazers have caused problems for their opponents on the base paths with 13 stolen bases already. Brint Hardy leads the team with five steals as he has moved into fifth place all-time at UAB with 47 stolen bases in his Blazer career.
Presbyterian counters offensively with three players hitting better than .300 in the early going of 2009. Cory Lyda leads the Blue Hose at .474, followed by Bobby Cole at .444 and Harmon at .389. Harmon has also hit two home runs for a Presbyterian team that has logged six long balls through its first five games.
The Blue Hose enter the series at 0-5 after dropping three games last weekend at Georgia Southern and falling twice in midweek games against 12th-ranked Georgia. Presbyterian is in its second season of Division I baseball and its first as a member of the Big South Conference. The Blue Hose will be UAB's second Big South opponent in as many weeks after the Blazers opened with Radford last weekend.
UAB assistant head coach Doug Kovash is familiar with the Presbyterian program. Now in his third year with the Blazers, Kovash coached the Blue Hose for 11 years from 1994-2004 before joining Brian Shoop's staff at Birmingham-Southern in 2005 and then coming with Shoop to UAB following the 2006 season.
