The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers and Gamecocks Meet on Diamond
4/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB baseball team plays Jacksonville State in two midweek games this week. The Blazers and Gamecocks meet for the first time tomorrow, April 4 beginning at 6 PM in Oxford, Ala. The Green & Gold host the Wednesday, April 5 contest that has a first pitched scheduled for 6:30 PM at Young Memorial Field.
UAB sports a 15-13 overall record while JSU stands at 14-11.
HOW TO FOLLOW
GAME NOTES • UAB LIVE STATS • Game One | LIVE STREAM • Blazer Vision
UAB RADIO • WAPI-AM 1070 | David Crane (Play-by-Play)
TWITTER • @UAB_Baseball
INSTAGRAM • @UAB_Baseball
SNAPCHAT • UABathletics
ON THE MOUND
| Day | Pitcher | R/L | Class | Stats | Opp. Pitcher | R/L | Class | Stats |
| Tuesday | L | Jr. | 2-3, 5.79 ERA | Grant Chandler | R | Jr. | 0-1, 6.57 ERA | |
| Wednesday | TBA | - | - | - | TBA | - | - | - |
QUICK RECAP - BLAZERS DROP FINAL TWO GAMES AT FIU
The UAB baseball team had a strong weekend at the plate but lost the final two games of a three-game set at FIU over the weekend. The Blazers outhit the Panthers by 10 hits over the weekend but left 11 on the base paths in the finale as they fell 6-2. UAB had the bases loaded in the eighth inning of the rubber match but only scored one run across two plate appearances. In total, 20 runs were scored by the Green & Gold, the second-most in a weekend series this year for the team.
The Blazers also got four home runs on the weekend, two from the likes of Brewer Hicklen while Carter Pharis and Pierce Ressmeyer each added dingers. For Ressmeyer, it was the first of his UAB career.
BREWING SUCCESS
Brewer Hicklen has crushed the ball lately. The sophomore is on a 17-game hitting streak and is hitting .426 over that span. The longest hitting streak in school history is 23 games by Doug Gann during the 1991 season. He additionally has added 23 runs, four doubles, three triples, six home runs, 16 RBI, 57 total bases, and nine stolen bases in that span. He currently leads the team with .350 average, 36 hits, 26 runs, 20 RBI, five triples, and 70 total bases. Nationally, he is one of 10 players with five-or-more triples.
Hicklen earned Conference USA Co-Hitter of the Week honors two weeks ago after batting .600 over five games. Hicklen totaled eight runs including the game-winning runs in each of the last two games versus ULM. He added 12 hits, one double, two triples, the first home run of the UAB season, three RBI, 20 total bases, and four steals this past week while batting a perfect 4-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Hicklen returned to center field for the Blazers after starting all 55 games a year ago as a freshman. He batted .289 with a team-high 37 runs, four triples, 38 walks, and 22 stolen bases. Hicklen is also a member of the UAB football team and spent the fall practicing with both sports. In football, the 6'2", 208 lbs. athlete is a wide receiver. D1Baseball.com recongized his gifted athletic ability, recently tabbing him the seventh-best overall prospect and fourth-best position player in Conference USA.
Hicklen has already jotted his name down in the UAB record books. He is just the 11th player in school history to record nine-or-more triples and his 32 career steals is six shy of the top ten in UAB history.
PHARIS' DAY OFF
Carter Pharis (FAIR-is) has been unstoppable at the plate over the last 17 games. Pharis sat for the first time in his career in the finale against Georgia on March 5 and has responding in a resounding way. He has notched a .485 batting average and .521 on-base percentage to go along with 13 runs, two home runs, 15 RBI, seven doubles, and four stolen bases. He has produced multiple hits in 12 of the last 16 games.
Pharis was the only returning starter in the infield for the Blazers, he started all 55 games last season and led UAB with a .297 average, 36 RBI and 13 doubles. He added 23 runs, two home runs and was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases. The sophomore played third base over the summer in the Valley League on his way to All-Star honors and was named the 12th-best pro prospect in the league. Pharis is slated to play for the Y-D Red Sox of the Cape Cod League this upcoming summer.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
The Gamecocks as a staff have boasted strong strikeout numbers. Their 9.1 Strikeouts Per Nine Innings slots them 37th in the nation while a 2.53 Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio stands 50th in the country. JSU also sits atop the Ohio Valley Conference in WHIP (1.38).
SERIES HISTORY
Jacksonville State took last year's high-scoring affair by the score of 11-10. The Blazers trailed 11-4 entering the eighth inning but a six-run frame was not enough to comeback. The last three games in this series have each been decided by one run over the last two years.
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 (@UAB_Athletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uab_athletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
