The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Baseball Hosts No. 8 Ole Miss Tuesday, Wednesday
3/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB baseball team begins a five-game home stand at Regions Field on Tuesday with a two-game set with No. 8 Ole Miss. Tuesday's first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., and the two teams wrap up the series beginning at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
UAB claimed a seven-inning doubleheader against the Rebels last season in Oxford, Mississippi. The Green and Gold downed Ole Miss, 6-1 and 3-1, at Swayze Field. The all-time series between the Rebels and Blazers is tied 11-11 going into the week.
UAB is coming off a hard-fought trip to Omaha, Nebraska, where it was swept in three games by Creighton at TD Ameritrade Park. Despite coming up winless, two losses were by one run and the other by just two runs in cleanly played contests.
Seniors Griffin Gum and Evan Peterson head up the UAB offense with a .286 and .283 batting average, respectively. Gum has batted in nine runs, while Peterson has driven in eight. Redshirt freshman Brewer Hicklen had a nice weekend at the plate, collecting four hits against the Bluejays at the home of the Men's College World Series, moving from the leadoff spot to the three spot in the lineup on the final day of the series.
Redshirt junior Adam Lamar is slated to start the Tuesday night contest, while senior lefty Stephen Baggett is scheduled to start Wednesday. Lamar is 2-0 with a microscopic 0.96 ERA through 18.2 innings this season with two wins, while Baggett is looking to bounce back from a rough start against Samford. He threw 0.1 scoreless innings of relief against Creighton over the weekend.
The ranked Rebels tout a powerful offense led by junior J.B. Woodman. The outfielder is hitting .358, totaling 19 hits and nine extra-base hits. He is one of seven Ole Miss batsmen hitting above the .300 mark, leading the team to a collective .283 average.
Ole Miss is scheduled to start freshman right-hander Andy Pagnozzi on Tuesday and fellow freshman James McArthur on Wednesday. Pagnozzi is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA through 13 innings, while McArthur is 1-0 with an inflated 7.94 ERA through 11.1 innings of work.
Admission to Wednesday's special 11:30 a.m. start is free. Everyone is invited to take a long lunch to catch the Blazers take on their first ranked opponent of the season.
The Blazers return to action Friday as they host LA Tech for a three-game set at Regions Field to open Conference USA play.
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 social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
