The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Hosts Ontario Blue Jays on Saturday
10/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB baseball team plays its first contest of the 2016-17 campaign against an opposing team. The Blazers welcome the Ontario Blue Jays on Saturday at noon. The game is open to the public and will take place at Young Memorial Field.
This is the first time UAB has played an outside opponent during the fall. The Blue Jays are one of Canada’s top amateur baseball programs. They are nearing the end of their fall schedule which is primarily made up of colleges across the United States and ends with the 2016 Perfect Game WWBA National Championship.
The only two Blazers to start all 55 games a season ago return for UAB. Carter Pharis and Brewer Hicklen each enter their second seasons. Pharis led the team with a .297 average last season while also pacing the way with 36 RBI. The sophomore earned All-League honors in the Valley League over the summer. Hicklen, who splits duties with the UAB football team this fall, batted .289 last year with a team-high 37 runs and 22 steals on his way to Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors.
The UAB pitching staff returns 434 of 474 innings pitched from last year. Former All-Conference USA honoree Ryan Ruggles returns after his first full season as a starter where he posted a 6-4 record with a 4.18 ERA and 44 strikeouts over 71 innings. Thomas Lowery leads the bullpen after posting eight saves last year with a 2.82 ERA across 51 innings.
Head coach Brian Shoop enters his 11th season with UAB and 28th year as a head coach. He enters the season just 18 wins shy of reaching 1,000 career victories and 17 wins away from 300 in the Green and Gold.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball) and Instagram (@UAB_Baseball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UAB_Athletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@UAB_Athletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
