The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Opens 2012 Season At No. 16 Clemson
2/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB baseball team will be on the road for opening day of the 2012 season, starting the year off with a three-game series at No. 16 Clemson, slated to begin Friday at 4 p.m. ET. All three contests will take place at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C.
Series Times & Probable Starters
Game 1: Friday, 4 p.m. ET
UAB - RHP Dillon Napoleon (5-3, 2.87 ERA)
CU - RHP Kevin Brady (2-0, 3.86 ERA)
Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET
UAB - RHP Ben Bullard (5-1, 3.42 ERA)
CU - RHP Dominic Leone (6-2, 3.70 ERA)
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
UAB - TBA
CU - TBA
All-Time Series
First Meeting
Multimedia Information
Video | Gametracker | Live Chat | Listen
Scouting UAB
The Blazers are coming off their third winning season in a row, ending the 2011 campaign with a 29-28 record, 9-15 in Conference USA.
Last season, UAB relied heavily on pitching, defense and small ball, ranking 12th nationally in sacrifices (74) and 25th in team defense (.979 fielding percentage). The Blazers' staff also recorded its lowest team ERA in 19 years at 4.27, and held opponents to a .257 batting average, third-best in program lore.
Taking the mound in the season opener will be senior Dillon Napoleon. The right-hander was named to the 2012 Preseason All-Conference USA Team after posting impressive numbers in his first season after transferring from Heartland C.C. (Normal, Ill.). He ended the year with a 5-3 recordand a 2.87 ERA in 84.1 innings en route to earning C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors and a spot on the second-team all-league squad.
On Saturday, junior Ben Bullard will make his third career start for the Blazers. Bullard was valuable in long relief and in spot start duty as a sophomore, logging 55.1 innings over 19 appearances, making two starts. He has posted identical 5-1 records in each of his first two seasons in Green and Gold.
On offense, the Blazers' top run producer returns head coach Brian Shoop in Patrick Palmeiro. The senior third baseman topped the team in doubles (16), homers (8), RBI (43) and total bases (109), while hitting at a .284 clip.
Scouting Clemson
The Tigers are ranked in all four major polls, with a highest ranking of No. 16 by Baseball America. Clemson finished the 2011 season with a record of 43-20 and 17-13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Last season, Clemson hosted an NCAA regional, but the second seed in the bracket, Connecticut, would advance to the Super Regionals.
Clemson, which was projected to win the ACC in 2012, had one of the strongest offenses in the nation last season. The Tigers posted the sixth-best batting average in the nation (.318), finished fifth in hits (687), sixth in walks drawn (304) and 11th in total runs (449).
The pitching staff also produced, collecting a team ERA of 3.32 while totaling 486 strikeouts to just 183 walks.
Friday's starter, Kevin Brady, showcased incredible control last season. In 23.1 total innings, the righty posted 33 strikeouts to just one walk. He made 10 total appearances, including three starts, to end the year with a 2-0 record and 3.86 ERA.
Dominic Leone, who will toe the rubber on Saturday, made 12 starts in 15 total appearances last season. He is the team's leading returner in strikeout, with 72, while he held opponents to a .219 batting average. He finished with a final record of 6-2 and a 3.70 ERA.
