The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Welcomes Gardner-Webb For Weekend Series
4/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2012
Game Notes 
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB baseball team will step out of conference play to entertain the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs for a three-game series starting Friday. Game one is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT with all three contests at Young Memorial Field.
UAB (21-17) | Gardner-Webb (20-18)
Series Information & Probable Starters
Location: Birmingham, Ala. (Young Memorial Field)
All-Access/GameTracker/Live Chat: UABsports.com
Game 1: Fri., 6:30 p.m. CT
UAB: RHP Dillon Napoleon (4-2, 4.47 ERA)
GW: RHP Matt Fraudin (1-3, 2.70 ERA)
Game 2: Sat., 2 p.m. CT
UAB: RHP Ben Bullard (3-4, 3.03 ERA)
GW: RHP Brock Wilson (4-2, 2.87 ERA)
Game 3: Sun., 1 p.m. CT
UAB: RHP Michael Busby (2-2, 3.83 ERA)
GW: LHP Beau Hilton (4-1, 3.48 ERA)
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Similar Opponents
Both the Blazers and Bulldogs have played against three of the same teams in 2012. UAB swept a two-game season series with Alabama State in midweek action, took two-of-three from Marshall at YMF and lost on the road at Coastal Carolina.
Gardner-Webb hosted the Thundering Herd, falling victim to a three-game sweep, took three-of-four in a series with the Hornets and dropped two-of-three versus the Chanticleers.
Scouting UAB
>UAB dropped a game at Samford, 11-0, on Wednesday to fall to 21-17 for the season.
>The Blazers own a 17-9 record in non-conference games and are an impressive 10-2 in non-league games at home.
>Overall, UAB sports a home record of 13-5 and is 18-7 in games played in the state of Alabama. The Blazers are also 8-2 against schools from Alabama, which featured sweeping the two-game series with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Pitching Pointers
>UAB owns a team ERA of 4.30 for the season with 245 strikeouts and 111 walks in 343.1 total innings. Opponents are hitting .264 against the Blazer staff.
>In non-conference action, the Blazer staff’s ERA is even lower at 3.47 with 181 punch-outs ad 73 free passes in 236 total innings.
>RHP Dillon Napoleon gets the start on Friday, hoping to rebound after a tough outing a week ago against Tulane. Napoleon lasted 2.2 innings giving up six runs (all earned) off eight hits before play was halted due to a power outage at YMF.
>On Saturday, Ben Bullard will make his 10th start of the year, sporting a record of 3-4 and a 3.03 ERA. The righty has a team-best 57 strikeouts, ranking fourth in Conference USA. Bullard has worked 59.1 total innings, tied for the third most frames pitched in the league.
>The series finale will feature right-hander Michael Busby, who is 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 10 total appearances, including two starts. Busby has struck out 33 batters and walked only 11 in 49.1 innings.
>Chase Mallard has been one of the most consistent pitchers out of the Blazer bullpen. The right-hander is tied for the team lead in appearances with 16 and owns a 2-2 record and 1.85 ERA. Mallard is holding batters to a .165 batting average and has 26 strikeouts in 34.0 innings.
Lineup Look
>UAB is hitting at a .270 clip and averaging 4.8 runs off 9.5 hits per game.
>Over the last 10 games, the team owns a .285 average and has reached nine-plus hits in eight times.
>OF Jeff Schalk tops the team in batting average (.336), hits (44) and walks (19). The freshman recently had a season-high 9-game hit streak snapped, but has reached base in 10-straight games to help boost his .425 on-base percentage.
>Fellow outfielder Ryan Ussery leads the Blazers in homers with three, to go along with seven doubles and 10 RBI.
>C Harry Clark has been the hottest hitter in the UAB lineup during the last five games. Clark is 6-for-11 (.545), with three runs and three walks for an on-base percentage of .643. He tied a career-high with three hits in the loss at Samford on Wednesday.
Defensive Dandies
>UAB enters the weekend with a team fielding percentage of .969, placing sixth in Conference USA.
>The Blazers have not committed an error over the last four games. During that stretch, UAB has been perfect on 143 chances.
Scouting Gardner-Webb
>The Bulldogs sit at 20-18 overall and 4-8 in Big South play. Gardner-Webb defeated Western Carolina on Tuesday, 6-4, after falling behind 4-0 after three and a half innings.
>GWU is not used to being the road, having played 29 of 38 games at home on the friendly confines of J. H. Moss Stadium. The Bulldogs are 4-5 in nine road games this season.
>GWU is averaging 5.3 runs per game and 8.7 hits as club with a batting average of .263. Leading the offense has been Ryan Hodge, who tops the team with a .354 batting average. Hodge also has a team-best 10 steals.
>Catcher Dusty Quattlebaum is the leading power source for the Bulldogs, clubbing six of the team’s 16 round trippers.
>As a staff, GWU has a team ERA of 4.29 and opponents are hitting .281 against the Bulldogs’ arms.
>Closer Adam Izokovic has put forth a standout season out of the bullpen. Izokovic has made 20 appearances totaling 29.0 innings. He owns a 3-1 record, 1.24 ERA and opponents are hitting .190 against him.
