Alabama Baseball Welcomes Oral Roberts to The Joe this Weekend
2/23/2017 4:04:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide and Golden Eagles will meet for just the second time on Friday night
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama hosts Oral Roberts for a three-game weekend series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium from Friday, Feb. 24 to Sunday, Feb. 26. The Crimson Tide and Golden Eagles are set for a 5 p.m. CT start in Friday's series opener. Saturday's second game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. with the series finale on track for a 1 p.m. CT first pitch. All three games will air live on SEC Network+ with the in-game radio feed serving as the game's audio.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com
LEADING OFF
• Oral Roberts enters the weekend with a 3-1 overall record. The Golden Eagles began the season with a three-game sweep of Arkansas-Little Rock. Most recently, ORU fell, 9-5, to Missouri State on Tuesday evening. The trip to Tuscaloosa will mark the first three road contests for Oral Roberts this season.
• Alabama and Oral Roberts will meet for just the second time in series history. The lone matchup came on March 11, 2012, as part of the DRASH Alabama Baseball Classic in Tuscaloosa. ORU came away with a 3-2 win in that game to hold the 1-0 advantage all-time in the series.
• The Crimson Tide will remain in line with its rotation from a week ago, sending senior right-hander Nick Eicholtz to the hill on Friday, followed by Jake Walters, a sophomore righty, on Saturday. The series finale on Sunday will feature sophomore southpaw Dylan Duarte for Alabama.
• The Golden Eagles open the series with junior Bryce Howe, a right-hander, on Friday, followed by sophomore righty Josh McMinn in game two. Sunday's final contest will feature left-handed junior Miguel Ausua.
• This weekend's series with Oral Roberts will feature numerous promotions for fans coming to Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Friday's opener will be "Mardi Gras Day" with Alabama baseball beads being given away to the first 500 fans as they come through the gates. The series opener will also recognize the University of Alabama SGA, with President Lillian Roth throwing out the first pitch. On Sunday, brunch will once again be served as part of the Tide's "Sunday Brunch" promotion, with this week's spread featuring chicken and waffles along with fruit bowls and Red Diamond coffee and orange juice. Sunday will also be "Kid's Day" with inflatables before and during the game. Kids can run the bases and get autographs from five of the Alabama players on Sunday afternoon following the game.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY: UA – Nick Eicholtz (Sr., RHP) vs. ORU – Bryce Howe (Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Jake Walters (Jr., RHP) vs. ORU – Josh McMinn (So., RHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Dylan Duarte (So., LHP) vs. ORU – Miguel Ausua (Jr., LHP)
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama is 3-1 to start the season, thanks to a 12-5, midweek win over Southern Miss on Wednesday night after taking two of three from Presbyterian last weekend.
• The Crimson Tide offense erupted for 12 runs and 14 hits, including five doubles, on Wednesday evening to defeat Southern Miss. Alabama used a pair of five-run innings in the second and seventh frames to ensure the victory. Zac Rogers and Davis Vainer tossed the final four shutout innings, earning Rogers his first career win and Vainer his first save of his young career.
• Friday's home opener saw the Alabama duo of Nick Eicholtz and Brock Love hold off Presbyterian for the 4-3 win. The victory was head coach Greg Goff's first ever at Alabama. Eicholtz earned the win with 5.0 innings of three-run baseball (two earned) on three hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Love followed with 4.0 shutout innings and five strikeouts to earn his first career save.
• The Tide's top four hitters in the order highlighted the offense on opening night, batting a combined 7-for-15. Leadoff man Chandler Avant finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a team-high two runs scored. Cobie Vance followed with a 2-for-4 night while contributing an RBI. No. 3 hitter Hunter Alexander reached base safely on four occasions, going 2-for-2 with a run scored, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. The cleanup role was filled by Chandler Taylor, who finished 1-for-4 with a triple and a team-high two RBI.
• Four home runs powered the Alabama offense to an 8-1 win on Saturday to help the Crimson Tide claim the series win over Presbyterian. The heart of the order paced the Tide with the three, four and five hitters finishing 8-for-13. Taylor led UA, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and contributed a team-high four RBI and two runs scored. No. 3 hitter Vance tied for a team-high with three hits that included a double, while adding an RBI and a run scored. Alexander, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, one RBI and a run scored, notched his first home run of his Crimson Tide career, going back-to-back with Taylor in the Tide's five-run fourth inning.
• Jake Walters provided a strong start on Saturday, striking out seven across his 6.0 innings of work to collect his first win of the season. He tossed 75 pitches and managed to limit the Blue Hose to just three hits before handing the ball over to the pen. Sam Finnerty and Sonny Potter finished the final three innings, combining for five strikeouts to help the Tide get the Saturday win and the series.
• Sunday's back-and-forth contest fell in favor of Presbyterian, 4-3. Dylan Duarte made his first career start, setting down the first 12 batters in order before allowing three hits and two runs in the fifth inning.
• The offense in the finale was highlighted by sophomore Kyle Kaufman and Gene Wood, who led the Tide in hitting with two hits apiece. Kaufman finished his day 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Wood went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Taylor contributed a solo home run to homer in back-to-back contests for the third time in his career.
• The Crimson Tide returned to its home at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in 2016 after spending 2015 on the road while the Tide's home stadium was undergoing renovations. Alabama finished with a 19-12 home record at the new Joe compared to a 13-14 record in road and neutral-site contests.
• Alabama's roster features 20 letterwinners from the 2016 squad that reached the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. The 2017 Tide returns five positional starters and three starting pitchers while welcoming 16 newcomers.
SERIES HISTORY – ORAL ROBERTS
• Alabama and Oral Roberts will meet for only the second time ever when the two teams square off for Friday's first matchup of the weekend.
• The Golden Eagles came away with a 3-2 win in the lone meeting on March 11, 2012. The game was part of the Crimson Tide's DRASH Alabama Baseball Classic at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• Head coach Greg Goff owns a 2-1 career record against Oral Roberts.
ON DECK
Following the weekend series with ORU, Alabama will welcome in-state foe Jacksonville State to Tuscaloosa for a single midweek contest on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The two teams are scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch with the game airing on SEC Network+.
