The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers, Gamecocks Square Off Tuesday in Jacksonville
5/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
UAB (28-22, 13-14 C-USA) at Jacksonville State (26-25, 13-14 OVC)
Details: Rudy Abbott Field | Tuesday, May 12 -- 6 p.m.
Follow the Blazers: Twitter | Live Stats
Radio: 1070 WAPI-AM | Talent: David Crane
Game Notes: UAB
Probable Starting Pitchers:
Tuesday -- LHP Ryan Ruggles (4-2, 3.35) vs. LHP Jesse Fry (0-1, 7.24)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- With 50 games in the books, the UAB baseball team hits the road for its final midweek tilt of the regular season Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Jacksonville State.
Tuesday's game is a makeup date from earlier in the year, when the two teams were originally scheduled to meet Feb. 18 in Jacksonville.
Fans can catch the game live on 1070 WAPI-AM with David Crane on the call. Live stats will be available and that information can be accessed at UABSports.com or in the links above.
Leading Off
- With 50 games in the books, UAB hits the road for in-state foe Jacksonville State Tuesday for its final regular season midweek game of the year.
- The Blazers are coming off a 4-1 week where they took two from in-state opponent Alabama State, before making the long trip south to Miami where they claimed the series vs. FIU in Conference USA play.
- R-Jr. catcher Esteban Tresgallo is coming off a monster week at the plate, and was named the C-USA Hitter of the Week and was named one of the Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week for his efforts. The Guaynabo, Puerto Rico native drove in 11 runs, hit home runs in four-straight games, scored seven times and collected seven hits during the week, surging to a slugging percentage of 1.312%.
- R-Sr. Tyler Mims picked up another academic honor last week, earning a spot on the Capital One All-Academic District 4 First Team.
- UAB and Jacksonville State have met once already this season in Birmingham, when the Blazers won a 7-6 contest. That game lasted three and a half hours in a game where 13 combined pitchers were used with 18 walks and 26 runners LOB.
- Freshman LHP Ryan Ruggles will be making his sixth start on Tuesday. The southpaw is 4-2 on the year with a 3.35 ERA in 43.0 IP. He's allowed just 16 earned runs with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks.
- UAB enters Tuesday with a 6-5 record on the year in midweek matchups. The Blazers have midweek victories over Ole Miss (two), Alabama State (two), Troy (one) and Jacksonville State (one). Tuesday's game will mark the 10th for the Green and Gold vs. an in-state opponent this season.
Series History
Tuesday's tilt marks the 59th meeting between the two in-state foes in a series that dates back to 1979. JSU leads the all-time series, 31-28.
The two clubs met once so far this year back on April 8, when the Blazers took a 7-6 decision at Young Memorial Field.
Scouting The Opponent
Jacksonville State enters the midweek tilt on a four-game losing skid, having lost their most recent OVC weekend and midweek loss to Samford last week. The Gamecocks are one of the top teams in the NCAA offensively, ranking fourth in walks (272), 24th in doubles (107), 32nd in hits (518), 44th in HR (39), 19th in OBP (.392), 25th in runs (352), 26th in scoring (6.9) and 42nd in slugging percentage (.430).
Three JSU players are responsible for nearly half of the Gamecocks' total RBI, led by 51 from Paschal Petrongolo and 50 from Ryan Sebra. Clayton Daniel has 40 RBI, while Tyler Gamble isn't too far behind with 37 driven in. Sebra owns the team lead in home runs with nine, while Petrongolo and Gamble each have six.
The Gamecocks are aggressive on the base paths, with a 63-for-81 mark in stolen bases this season. Gavin Golsan, the nation's No. 5 base stealer, is 33-for-36 in stolen bases to lead the club. JSU carries a team .430 slugging percentage into Tuesday, a squad that is hitting .290 combined.
JSU boasts a 4.98 team ERA with a .279 batting average against. LHP Jesse Fry, Tuesday's projected starter, is 0-1 on the year with a 7.24 ERA in 13.2 IP with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks.
Looking Ahead
UAB hosts Old Dominion to close out the 2015 regular season this weekend at Young Memorial Field.
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).
