The No. 21-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (4-2, 0-0 SEC) will play its first road game of the 2014 season when it travels to Southern Miss (2-5, 0-0 C-USA) on Wednesday night. First pitch for the midweek game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss.
No. 21 Alabama (4-2) at Southern Mississippi (2-5)
Pete Taylor Park, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Schedule – Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Television – None
Steaming – Southernmiss.com (subscription)
Radio – The Game 99.1 FM (local only)
Livestats – Rolltide.com
Probable Pitching Matchups
UA-Nick Eicholtz (Fr., RHP, 0-0. 0.00 ERA) vs. Christian Talley (Jr., RHP, 0-1, 9.00 ERA)
All Alabama baseball games throughout the 2014 season will be broadcast by the Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN). The radio broadcast for all games of the 2014 season will be available on 99.1 FM in Tuscaloosa and available on the CTSN throughout the state, unless there are scheduling conflicts. Lee Tracey will provide the call for the midweek game against Southern Miss. Due to scheduling conflicts with Alabama men’s basketball, Wednesday’s game will be available locally on 99.1 FM in Tuscaloosa and online at RollTide.com, through the subscription plan on TIDETV.
Alabama is ranked No. 21 in the Baseball America and Perfect Game USA preseason polls. The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 28 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and received 26 votes in the USA Today Coaches poll. After being ranked for two weeks in the Collegiate Baseball top-30, the Tide dropped out of the rankings for week three.
Alabama is 4-2 through its first six games and is hitting .244 as a team, while averaging 4.3 runs per game. The UA pitching staff is holding opponents to a.185 batting average, while posting a 1.53 ERA and is averaging 7.3 strikeouts per game. In both of their series to open the season, the Tide has dropped the opening game of the series before winning games two and three to win both series. After posting a school record nine extra-inning games in 2013, the Tide has already played two extra-inning games through six games this season. The Tide secured the series win with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning of game three against Stephen F. Austin. The walk-off win marked the second victory for the Crimson Tide in its last at-bat this season. UA had a ninth inning walk-off win over Saint Louis on Feb. 15.
Nick Eicholtz will make his third appearance of the season and his first career start on Wednesday. In five innings out of the bullpen, Eicholtz has not allowed a run while giving up two hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Offensively, Alabama is led by sophomore shortstop Mikey White, who is hitting .400 through six games. White is tied for the team lead with 10 hits and four RBI while also producing a double and a triple. Georgie Salem is hitting .385 after posting a .571 average (8-for-14) in the series against Stephen F. Austin.
Southern Miss enters this week with a 2-5 record after being swept by Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend. USM hosts Alcorn State on Tuesday night before hosting the Tide on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles lost the first game of the series to the Ragin Cajuns, 6-2, before falling 8-5 in 12 innings in game two. ULL completed the sweep at Pete Taylor Park with a 9-5 win on Sunday. As a team, USM has a .245 batting average, while averaging 5.7 runs and 8.7 hits per game. The Southern Miss pitching staff has a 4.85 ERA while holding opponents to a .260 batting average. USM opponents are averaging 6.2 runs and 9.3 hits per game.
Talley has made one appearance this season, that a start against McNeese State in the Lake Area Classic on Feb. 16. In that game, Talley took the loss after throwing three innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with a strikeout and a walk. Designated hitter Joey Harris leads the team with a .333 average, going 4-for-12 in five games. Matt Durst leads the team with seven RBI while Mason Robbins is second on the team with six RBI. Robbins leads the team with nine hits and eight runs scored through seven games and is hitting .290 for the season. Connor Barron has the only home run hit by the Golden Eagles this season.
Following Wednesday’s game at Southern Miss, the Crimson Tide will remain on the road for three games at No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette this weekend. The series begins on Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m CT, from M.L. “Tigue” More Field. Game two of the series begins at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday and game three will start at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday. UL-Lafayette enters this week with a 7-1 record and ranked as high as No. 10 by Baseball America. The Ragin Cajuns are also ranked No 13 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 20 by the NCBWA and No. 24 by Perfect Game USA.
Preview Courtesy of UA Media Relations