The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hits the Road to Face No. 22 Southern Miss
5/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The UAB baseball team continues a difficult week with a series at No. 22 Southern Miss this weekend. The Blazers defeated No. 14 Auburn on Tuesday, 8-2, and will face a stern test against the red-hot Eagles who have won seven straight games. The first game of the series at Pete Taylor Park is scheduled for Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and will feature Thomas Lowery versus Colt Smith. UAB stands 23-26 and 8-16 in Conference USA while USM is 37-12 and atop the conference with a 19-5 mark.
HOW TO FOLLOW
GAME NOTES • UAB LIVE STATS •
LIVE STREAM • C-USA TV
TWITTER • @UAB_Baseball
INSTAGRAM • @UAB_Baseball
SNAPCHAT • UABathletics
ON THE MOUND
| Day | Player | R/L | Class | Stats | Opp. Pitcher | R/L | Class | Stats |
| Friday | L | Sr. | 6-2, 3.92 ERA | Colt Smith | R | Jr. | 4-0, 2.76 ERA | |
| Saturday | TBA | - | - | - | Kirk McCarty | L | Jr. | 7-2, 3.36 ERA |
| Sunday | TBA | - | - | - | Taylor Braley | R | Jr. | 4-2, 3.88 ERA |
QUICK RECAP – UAB DEFEATS #14 AUBURN IN FRONT OF RECORD HOME CROWD
The UAB baseball team smashed home attendance record on Tuesday in an 8-2 upset of No. 14 Auburn. The Blazers filled Regions Field with 5,344 fans, besting the previous record by nearly 1,500. UAB is only the second school in the state of Alabama to host a game with over 5,000 fans.
The Blazers had multiple strong efforts at the plate with Colton Schultz, Brewer Hicklen, Pierce Ressmeyer, Antonio Ralat and Price Visintainer all producing multiple hits. Ressmeyer tied a career-high with three hits.
It was the first time this season the Blazers played a ranked team.
RALAT ROLLING
Antonio Ralat has made an instant impact for the Blazers. He is the only player on the team to start the first 32 games of the season. He has provided a steady presence at the shortstop position, making a number of dynamic plays in the field.
Ralat has found success swinging the bat as of late. The sophomore Puerto Rican has produced hits in 20 of the last 23 games, hitting .341 with 14 runs, five doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI over that span.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Price Visintainer has seen his batting average skyrocket as of late with 27 hits across his last 22 games. The UAB third baseman is now third on the team with a .303 average and is second on the team with 15 walks. He has been a tough out at the plate as his 19 strikeouts are the least on the team for Blazers that have played in 30-or-more games. He leads the team in Conference USA play with a .397 average and .488 on-base percentage.
In his recent 22-game groove, Visintainer has tallied eight multi-hit games with 12 runs and eight walks. He boasts a .380 batting average (27-for-71) over that span.
PLAYOFF RACE
The Blazers are in a precarious position entering the final two weekends of Conference USA play. The Green & Gold are currently on the outside looking in of the conference tournament. UAB is four games behind Marshall and Rice for the eighth and final spot in the postseason, but the Blazers dropped the series against the Thundering Herd so they will need to be a game clear of those two to make it in an event of a tie with them. With series' against No. 22 Southern Miss this weekend and perianal power Rice left on the table, the Blazers will have an uphill climb to the postseason.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS
The Golden Eagles have smacked the ball around the yard to the tune of 10th in the nation in home runs (66), ninth in doubles (108) and fifth in runs scored (415).
Matt Wallner leads a steady group of big bats with 15 home runs this year but Dylan Burdeaux paces the team and C-USA in RBI (60).
SERIES HISTORY
This is the most-played series in Blazers history. Southern Miss is the only program that UAB has played 100 times as these three games will push the series to 103 total games. The Golden Eagles hold the all-time series lead 63-37 but UAB has won three of the last four contests between the two.
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).
