The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Look To Continue Winning Ways In Myrtle Beach
3/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 11, 2011
Game Notes 
| UAB-UND Gametracker
CONWAY, S.C. -- After two straight weeks at home, the UAB baseball team is on the road this weekend at the Caravelle Resort Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina.
The Blazers will play twice on Saturday at Coastal Carolina's Watson Stadium, taking on Notre Dame at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) and Kent State at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT). UAB then meets host Coastal Carolina on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) at BB&T Coastal Field in Myrtle Beach, home of the minor-league Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
This Weekend's Schedule
Saturday (11 a.m. ET) -- UAB vs. Notre Dame (Watson Stadium)
Pitching Probables: RHP Ryan Woolley (UAB), RHP Brian Dupra (UND)
Saturday (6 p.m. ET) -- UAB vs. Kent State (Watson Stadium)
Pitching Probables: RHP Dillon Napoleon (UAB) vs. LHP David Starn (KSU)
Sunday (11 a.m. CT) -- UAB vs. Coastal Carolina (BB&T Coastal Field)
Pitching Probables: LHP David Hayes (UAB) vs. LHP Jim Birmingham (CCU)
Live Coverage
All games this weekend will have live stats available through Gametracker at uabsports.com.
About UAB
UAB (8-3) enters Tuesday's contest riding a seven-game winning streak after sweeping its second consecutive weekend series by taking three games from Cleveland State. The Blazers played Wednesday night against Mississippi State, but the game was halted by rain and will be completed at a date to be determined.
Offensively, Jamal Austin continues to lead both UAB and Conference USA with a .488 batting average and 10 stolen bases. Nick Crawford (.350), Patrick Palmeiro (.340) and Ryan Ussery (.333) are also hitting better than .300 for UAB. Palmeiro drove in nine runs in four games last week to raise his team-leading total to 14 for the season.
UAB has gotten solid pitching all season from both its starters and bullpen. The Blazers' 3.06 team ERA ranks fourth in C-USA, while its .237 opponent batting average ranks third in the league. UAB will send Ryan Woolley (2-1, 2.84 ERA) to the mound in Saturday's first game against Notre Dame, followed by Dillon Napoleon (2-0, 1.80 ERA) against Kent State and David Hayes (0-0, 2.57 ERA) against Coastal Carolina.
UAB coach Brian Shoop is now in his fifth year with the Blazers. He owns a record of 118-121 (.494) at the school and a career record of 810-428-1 (.654) in 22 total years.
Scouting Notre Dame
Notre Dame (4-6) went 1-3 last weekend in its most recent action, splitting two games with Manhattan and dropping a pair to Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C. The Fighting Irish started the season with wins in three of their first four games but have since dropped five of their past six.
Trey Mancini paces the Notre Dame offensive attack with a .323 batting average and five extra-base hits, including two home runs. He is one of four Irish players tied for the team lead with 10 hits, while Eric Jagielo tops the squad with eight RBI. As a team, Notre Dame is hitting .242 on the year.
On the mound, the Irish have logged a team ERA of 3.00 with 73 strikeouts and just 16 walks as a staff. They will send their ace Brian Dupra (1-1, 1.71 ERA) to the mound Saturday against UAB. Dupra has struck out 26 batters and walked only one in 21 total innings.
Notre Dame coach Mik Aoki is in his first season with the Irish after spending the previous four years as the head coach at Boston College. He owns a career record of 214-269-1 in 11 seasons as a head coach.
Scouting Kent State
Kent State (5-5) has played six of its 10 games against ranked opponents. The Golden Flashes carried a five-game winning streak, including a win over then-No. 19 Georgia Tech, into last weekend before dropping three contests at No. 23 Louisville. All three losses to the Cardinals were decided by two runs or fewer.
Offensively, KSU's Ben Klafczynski is off to a hot start and leads the team with a .465 batting average and a .698 slugging percentage. Klafczynski, who has homered twice, is tied with David Lyon for the team lead with 10 RBI. As a team, the Flashes are hitting .262.
The Kent State pitching staff carries a 2.68 team ERA into the weekend and is holding opponents to a .248 batting average. David Starn (2-1, 1.29 ERA) is scheduled to take the hill Saturday night against UAB. Starn is allowing opponents to hit just .176 through 21 innings this year.
Kent State is coached by Scott Stricklin, who owns a 227-133 overall record in seven seasons at the helm of the Golden Flashes' program.
Scouting Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina (9-4) is hosting its fourth consecutive weekend tournament. The Chanticleers have won five games in a row after picking up midweek victories over Ball State and Wake Forest. CCU enters the weekend ranked as high as No. 24 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.
Scott Woodward leads Coastal Carolina at the plate with a .333 batting average and a .517 on-base percentage. He also owns a team-high 11 stolen bases and 13 runs scored. Daniel Bowman owns three home runs and Rich Witten has 10 RBI for the Chanticleers, which hit .233 as a team.
On the mound, Coastal Carolina has a team ERA of 3.34 with more strikeouts (126) than inning pitched (124). CCU is slated to start Jim Birmingham (1-1, 4.96 ERA) on Sunday against UAB.
Coastal Carolina is coached by Gary Gilmore, who owns an overall record of 871-409 in 21 years as a head coach and a 618-307 mark in 16 years with the Chanticleers.
All-Time Versus This Weekend's Opponents
UAB doesn't have much of a history against any of this weekend's opponents. The Blazers will be meeting Notre Dame for the first time ever on Saturday morning. UAB and Kent State have played twice with the Blazers defeating the Flashes in single games at the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Ala., in both 1996 and 1997. UAB and Coastal Carolina met for a three-game series in 1992 with the Blazers taking two of the three in Conway, S.C.
Halted Mississippi State Game Will Be Completed Later
Wednesday's baseball game between UAB and Mississippi State was halted by rain with the Blazers leading 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning. The game will be resumed in Birmingham at a later date to be determined.
UAB took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI single from Patrick Palmeiro. Mississippi State then put runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the sixth before play was stopped. The game was delayed for slightly more than an hour before being officially halted at 9:20 p.m.
