The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Closes Out Regular Season Hosting USM
5/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2012
GameTracker | Video | Live Chat | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB baseball team will close out the regular season by hosting Southern Miss for a three-game series beginning Thursday at Young Memorial Field. First pitch between the two clubs is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
All three games will air locally on WJOX-AM 690 with David Crane on the call. The pregame broadcast will start 10 minutes prior to first pitch.
Saturday, the home finale for the Blazers, will serve as Senior Day for Coy Arrowood, Michael Busby, Keith DePew, David Hayes, Ryan Nance, Dillon Napoleon and Patrick Palmeiro.
UAB (28-25, 8-13 C-USA) | Southern Miss (28-22, 12-9 C-USA)
Series Information & Starters
Location: Birmingham, Ala. (Young Memorial Field)
Blazer Vision/GameTracker/Live Chat: UABsports.com
Radio: WJOX-AM 690 - David Crane (pxp)
Game 1: Thurs., 6:30 p.m. CT
UAB: RHP Michael Busby (3-4, 4.54 ERA)
USM: RHP Andrew Pierce (7-3, 1.77 ERA)
Game 2: Fri., 6:30 p.m. CT
UAB: TBA
USM: LHP Jake Drehoff (6-2, 3.09 ERA)
Game 3: Sat., 1 p.m. CT
UAB: TBA
USM: LHP Mason Robbins (1-0, 4.03 ERA)
All-Time Series: Southern Miss leads, 53-30
Since 2007: Blazers are 7-9 vs. the Golden Eagles and looking to snap a four-game losing streak to the long-time C-USA foe.
2011: Southern Miss swept the three-game series at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., last season by scores of 4-2, 13-4 and 8-5.
UAB Scouting Report
>The Blazers enter the final series of the 2012 regular season with a 28-25 overall tally and 8-13 in C-USA action.
>Last week, UAB defeated Jacksonville State 4-1 in the team's last non-conference game of the season. The Blazers then hit the road for a three-game series against the nationally ranked Rice Owls. UAB dropped the first two games (12-2 and 8-6) before bouncing back to win the finale 6-5 in 12 innings.
>With the victory over Rice and a Marshall loss to UCF last Sunday, UAB clinched a spot in the 8-team C-USA Tournament field. The Blazers currently sit in the seventh place and with a 2.5 game lead over eighth seed Houston.
>UAB cannot improve its spot in the league standings, even with a sweep of USM over the weekend, but could drop to eighth place if the Blazers were swept by the Golden Eagles and the Cougars sweep Memphis.
>UAB now has three wins over ranked opponents, all on the road, and RHP Dillon Napoleon has been the winner in each victory. The Blazers also defeated then-No. 16 Clemson and then No. 14-UCF earlier in the season.
Lineup Look
>The Blazers are hitting .262 overall for the season after hitting .230 in the series against Rice, one of the nation's top pitching staffs. UAB has faired better in league games at the dish, registered a .275 batting clip vs. a .254 average in non-conference ball games.
>OF Jeff Schalk is the Blazers top hitter with a .295 average, featuring 56 hits in 190 at bats. He is reaching base at a .389 clip with nine extra-base hits and 21 RBI. Right behind Schalk is OF Ivan De Jesus who tops the team in hits (60) and triples (4) to go along with his .291 average.
>UAB has stolen 47 bases in 60 attempts for the season, nearly an 80 percent success rate. The major threat on the base paths has been De Jesus who is 12 for 16. His steal total ranks tied for seventh in the conference.
>At the plate, UAB is reaching base at a .348 clip with six regulars owning an on-base percentage of .350 or better.
>OF Ryan Prinzing has been an on-base machine, reaching at a .441 clip, featuring 26 hits, 17 walks and been hit by a pitch a team-best six times.
Pitching Pointers
>UAB has a 4.50 ERA as a staff, averaging 6.48 strikeouts and 3.25 walks per nine innings, nearly a 2:1 ratio.
>RHP Ben Bullard leads the Blazers in wins (5), ERA (2.96), starts (13), strikeouts (79) and innings pitched (82.0). The Decatur, Ala., native moved into the top 10 in program history in wins (15) and strikeouts (161) earlier in the season.
>Friday starter RHP Michael Busby will look to rebound in his final home start suiting up in Green and Gold. Two weeks ago, the senior fired the first complete game shutout by a Blazer pitcher in over eight years when he blanked the Houston Cougars on April 29 in a 1-0 victory.
>Closer RHP Ryan Nance tops UAB with 22 appearances, sporting a 3-2 record, 3.03 ERA and team-high eight saves. For his career, Nance has earned 16 saves, ranking second in school history. Last Sunday, Nance made his first career start for UAB, tying a career-long going 5.0 innings surrendering three runs, only one earned, in a no decision vs. the Owls.
Defensive Dandies
>UAB has turned 56 double plays for the season, tied for the fifth most among all Division I baseball teams. Illinois tops the nation with 66 twin killings turned.
Scouting Southern Miss
>The Golden Eagles close out the regular season with a trip to Birmingham, after sweeping C-USA foe East Carolina last weekend. USM sits at 28-22 overall and 12-9 in league play.
>USM is hitting .273 as a team, but only .241 in C-USA games. The Golden Eagles are averaging 5.42 runs and 9.12 hits per contest. USM has hit only 14 homers a club, with Blake Brown leading the team with six round trippers.
>Sunday's scheduled starter and outfielder Mason Robbins is hitting .335 with 17 extra-base hits and 33 RBI. The southpaw also sports a 1-0 record and 4.03 ERA as a true-freshman.
>Staff ace Andrew Pierce is a C-USA Pitcher of the Year candidate, posting a 7-3 record with a microscopic 1.77 ERA. The right-hander has struck out 90 in 86.1 innings, while only issuing 14 walks. He has also thrown two complete games and been apart of three shutouts. He was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week this past Monday after shutting out the Pirates, giving up just three hits and fanning 11.
>Overall, USM has a 3.62 ERA, averaging 7.24 strikeouts and 3.98 walks per game.
>Closer Bradley Roney has a team-best 10 saves in 17 appearances totaling 21 innings. He is holding opponents to a .194 batting average.
