The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Baseball Makes Midweek Trip To Jacksonville State
4/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 5, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team makes the short drive to Jacksonville State on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. CT midweek contest against the Gamecocks at JSU's Rudy Abbott Field.
The Blazers (16-11, 4-2 C-USA) are coming off a strong week after defeating then-No. 21 Alabama last Tuesday and then taking two out of three games from East Carolina over the weekend in Birmingham.
Jamal Austin's .382 batting average continues to lead UAB, while Patrick Palmeiro drove in three runs last week to raise his team-leading RBI total to 18. Pitching and defense have been key for the Blazers, which own a 2.42 ERA and a .985 fielding percentage over the past 10 games.
Jacksonville State (19-9, 4-2 Ohio Valley) won two of three games from Tennessee Tech on the road this past weekend.
Ben Waldrip leads the Gamecocks with a .398 batting average to go along with six home runs and 20 RBI. Coty Blanchard (.396) and Erik Underwood (.394) are also near the .400 mark, while Sam Eberle has been the team's top run producer with 29 RBI.
Tuesday's contest will be the second of four meetings between UAB and Jacksonville State this season. The Blazers grabbed the first one with a 6-1 victory in Birmingham on March 1 behind Austin's three hits, three runs and four stolen bases.
David Hayes (0-1, 4.39 ERA), who started that game for UAB and allowed just one run on three hits in six innings, is slated to make the start again for the Blazers on Tuesday. Jacksonville State will counter with Casey Antley (1-0, 5.03 ERA).
