The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazer Baseball Hosts Alabama Tuesday
3/30/2015 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
UAB (17-9, 5-4 C-USA) vs. Alabama (14-12, 4-5 SEC)
Details: 6:30 p.m. · Regions Field ·Birmingham, Ala.
Game Coverage: Twitter · Live Stats ·Live Video
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB and Alabama meet for the 64th time on Tuesday when the Blazers welcome the Crimson Tide for a 6:30 p.m. contest at Regions Field.
Tuesday's game marks the annual UAB baseball Strike Out Cancer event, set to raise awareness and benefit the Vs. Cancer Foundation.
Live stats and live video will be available for Tuesday's contest. Links to that information can be found in the links above or at UABSports.com. Fans can also tune in to the game on 1070 WAPI-AM as David Crane will have the call in the first radio broadcast of the season.
Leading Off
· UAB hosts Alabama Tuesday for the first matchup this season, in a series that dates back 36 years between the two clubs.
· The Blazers have been hot lately, riding a six-game win streak on the heels of shutdown pitching and key offensive execution. UAB has won seven of its last 10 games entering Tuesday night's contest vs. the Tide.
· The Green and Gold just wrapped up a five game, spring break road trip, where the Blazers dominated Ole Miss in a doubleheader sweep, and took all three from WKU in its first Conference USA sweep of 2015.
· UAB's pitching staff has allowed just one run in each of the five of the last six games, a staff that has held opponents to three runs or less in 14-of-26 games this season.
· UAB's defense, the biggest strength of the team, which ranked in the top-25 in the NCAA all of last season, again leads the league thus far with a .975 fielding percentage. The Blazers have turned 29 double plays this year (17th in the NCAA), and are averaging more than one per game (1.12 - 12th in NCAA).
· With the sweep over the Rebels in Oxford last week, UAB is 2-1 against teams from the Southeastern Conference this season, still with Tuesday's game vs. Alabama remaining, and a return trip vs. the Tide at the Hoover Met on April 14.
· Twenty-two different lineup combinations have been used for the Blazers' 26 games this season. At least three different players have drawn starts in each spot of the order this season.
· Jeff Schalk tallied his second two home run performance of the season in UAB's 6-5 win over WKU Saturday, going yard twice with four RBI vs. the Toppers.
· Tuesday's game marks the annual Strike Out Cancer event, which benefits the Vs. Cancer Foundation.
Series History
UAB has defeated Alabama five years in a row, splitting the two-game series in each of the last two years. The Crimson Tide lead the all-time series, 41-22.
The series dates back to UAB's first year fielding a team in 1979. The Blazers knocked off the No. 16 Tide, 2-1, last season in Tuscaloosa, and fell 5-2 in the last meeting between the two schools a week later at Regions.
Scouting The Opponent
Alabama enters Tuesday's matchup winners of two of its last five games and four of the last 10 contests. The Crimson Tide were picked to finish fifth overall and second in the Southeastern Conference's West Division, according to the league's preseason poll.
Alabama enters the midweek 14-12 overall with a 4-6 record away from home. The Tide have also played a heavy home schedule early, but have road wins over Houston, Mississippi State and Florida.
Casey Hughston paces the Alabama offense, hitting .392 on the year with a team-leading 27 RBI and club-best four long balls. He is one of three Tide hitters at .300 or better, as Mikey White is hitting .379 and J.C. Wilhite has a .338 clip. Hughston is also a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases, while Georgie Salem is 10-of-13 in swiping bases.
The Tide have a 4.28 team ERA on the year, with a .259 batting average against. Jake Walters, Tuesday's projected starter, is 2-1 on the year with a 1.23 ERA in 14.2 IP. He's allowed just 11 hits, two earned runs and struck out 17 in his two starts and three relief appearances this season.
Promotional Schedule
Join UAB baseball for their Second Annual Strike Out Cancer game as the Blazers continue their commitment to generating cancer awareness. Funds raised will support the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and the fight against pediatric cancer.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
