The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Memphis As C-USA Baseball Season Reaches Midpoint
4/14/2011 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
April 14, 2011
Game Notes 
| Friday Gametracker | Watch Live
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Conference USA rivals UAB and Memphis get together this weekend for a three-game baseball series at Young Memorial Field.
One of the top pitching teams in the conference, UAB (20-13, 6-3 C-USA) will try to hold down the league's top offensive team in the Tigers (19-14, 3-3 C-USA). The action is scheduled to get underway Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Saturday's contest is part of UAB's Blazer Blitz, which also features the UAB football Spring Game at 11 a.m. at West Campus Field and the Blazer softball team's 1 p.m. doubleheader against East Carolina at UAB Softball Field.
This Weekend's Schedule
Game 1 -- Friday (6:30 p.m. CT)
Pitching Probables: RHP Dillon Napoleon (UAB) vs. RHP Dan Langfield (UM)
Game 2 -- Saturday (2:00 p.m. CT)
Pitching Probables: RHP Ryan Woolley (UAB) vs. LHP Ryan Holland (UM)
Game 3 -- Sunday (1:00 p.m. CT)
Pitching Probables: RHP Michael Busby (UAB) vs. RHP Clayton Gant (UM)
Live Coverage
Fans can follow the action this weekend through Gametracker live stats (free) and All-Access streaming video (premium) at uabsports.com. The Saturday and Sunday games will air live in Birmingham on WJOX-AM 690.
About UAB
UAB has won two of three games in each of its first three conference series and enters this weekend in a tie for first place in the league standings with Rice, Southern Miss and Houston. The Blazers posted a 5-3 midweek victory Tuesday over Kennesaw State and then finished off a 6-4 win over Mississippi State on Wednesday after resuming a game that was halted by rain more than a month ago.
Despite a recent slump, Jamal Austin continues to be UAB's top hitter, ranking eighth in Conference USA with a .358 batting average. Patrick Palmeiro has provided some pop to the Blazer lineup with a team-high 15 extra-base hits, including 10 doubles, to go along with 22 RBI. After a slow start, John Frost has driven in 17 runs in the past 18 games to match Palmeiro with 22 RBI. Defensively, UAB has committed just five errors as a team in its past 13 games.
On the mound, UAB will utilize the same rotation it has used in each of its three previous C-USA series. Dillon Napoleon (5-1, 1.67 ERA) will start the series opener, followed by reigning C-USA Co-Pitcher of the Week Ryan Woolley (5-3, 2.51 ERA) in game two and Michael Busby (0-1, 5.70 ERA) in the final game of the series. The Blazers' team ERA of 3.37 ranks third in C-USA.
UAB is coached by Brian Shoop, who owns a career record of 822-438-1 in his 22nd year as a head coach and a 130-131 mark in his fifth year with the Blazers.
Scouting Memphis
Memphis took two out of three games from Southern Miss last weekend in its second league series of the year, defeating a Golden Eagles squad that had been the No. 2 RPI team in the country. In midweek action this week, the Tigers split a pair of games with Arkansas State.
The Memphis lineup features the nation's leading hitter in Chad Zurcher, who enters the weekend with a .531 batting average. Reigning C-USA Hitter of the Week T.J. Rich and Jacob Wilson have been the biggest run producers for the Tigers, combining for nine home runs and 71 RBI. As a team, Memphis is hitting .322 to lead C-USA.
The Tiger pitching staff has compiled a 4.10 ERA this year. Dan Langfield (2-2, 4.10 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the first game of the weekend, followed by Ryan Holland (4-2, 3.59 ERA) in game two and Clayton Gant (3-1, 3.35 ERA) in game three.
Memphis is coached by Daron Schoenrock, who owns a 191-263 record in his ninth season as a head coach and a 166-211 mark in his seventh year with the Tigers.
All-Time Versus Memphis
UAB owns a 40-35 lead in the all-time series with Memphis, dating back to the first meeting in 1992. The Blazers have won four of five meetings in the past two seasons, including a sweep of a rain-shortened, two-game series two years ago in Birmingham. UAB is 21-11 all-time against Memphis in the Magic City.
The Blazers won two of three games from the Tigers last year to take the series on the road (May 7-9, 2010). After dropping the series opener by a 9-2 score, UAB rebounded to post victories by scores of 8-3 and 11-9 in the final two games of the weekend.
The Last Time Out
UAB finished off a 6-4 victory over Mississippi State on Wednesday in a game that began on March 9 but was halted by rain. Picking up in the top of the sixth inning with UAB leading 4-3, Chase Mallard did some damage control to hold the Bulldogs to one run as MSU tied the game at 4-4. UAB went back ahead on a Jamal Austin RBI single in the seventh inning and tacked on another run in the eighth, and Ben Bullard the pitched the final three scoreless innings to earn the win.
The conclusion to the MSU game was the second midweek action for UAB, which earned a 5-3 win over Kennesaw State on Tuesday. David Hayes pitched a career-high 7.1 innings and allowed two runs to earn the win. The Blazers survived a bases-loaded situation in the ninth as Mark McKinley picked up the save to close out the game. John Frost and Nick Crawford each had a pair of hits for UAB.
