Alabama Hosts Jacksonville State on Tuesday Night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium
4/24/2017 5:31:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide and Gamecocks will meet for the 37th time in series history on Tuesday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama welcomes Jacksonville State to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Tuesday evening for the second game of the season series between the in-state foes. The Crimson Tide and Gamecocks are set for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch in the midweek matchup. The game will air live on SEC Network+ with the duo of Eli Gold and Lance Cormier calling all the action.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow Tuesday's game via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com
LEADING OFF
• Alabama and Jacksonville State will meet for the 37th time overall and second time this season on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide holds a 28-8 all-time advantage in the series, including a 24-5 mark in games played on its home turf. Jacksonville State came away with a 2-1 win in 10 innings when the two teams met earlier this season on Feb. 28. The win by the Gamecocks snapped the Tide's 11-game winning streak at home over JSU.
• Jacksonville State travels to Tuscaloosa with a 19-18 overall mark and an 8-10 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Gamecocks are coming off a weekend at home that saw JSU fall in the final two games of a three-game set with Belmont. Prior to the weekend conference series, Jacksonville State fell, 10-5, at home against Troy.
• The Crimson Tide will look to freshman right-hander Deacon Medders in the Tuesday start. Medders owns a 1-0 record with a 3.08 ERA (9 ER/26.1 IP) this season and is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA (3 ER/13.1 IP) in his three starting efforts. Most recently, he earned his first career win in the start against Alcorn State last Tuesday. In that game, Medders threw 5.0 innings of one-run baseball, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out four batters across his 68 pitches of work.
• The Gamecocks have yet to announce a starter.
• Tuesday's game will be the Crimson Tide's final "Taco Tuesday" of the 2017 season. Fans can purchase a game ticket and a pass to the Third Base Patio to take part in the Tide's taco bar for only $10.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
UA – Deacon Medders (Fr., RHP) vs. JSU – TBA
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama went 1-3 on the week, first taking down Alcorn State, 18-1, in seven innings on Tuesday before falling in three one-run games at No. 11 Mississippi State from Thursday through Friday into Saturday morning.
• The Crimson Tide received a big week from Cody Henry, as the junior batted .421 (8-19) with two doubles and a pair of home runs - including his first career grand slam. Henry also added a team-high 10 RBI and 16 total bases while scoring four runs and walking once. Chandler Taylor had a solid week, as well, batting .368 (7-19) with a double, a home run, three RBI and four runs scored.
• Alabama was unable to complete the comeback against State on Thursday evening, as the Tide suffered a 6-5 loss at Dudy Noble Field. Thursday's contest featured four lead changes and two ties as the Tide and Bulldogs exchanged runs from the second through the top of the fourth. MSU trailed by one after the top of the fourth, but answered with a three-run bottom of the fifth, which would prove the difference in the game. Alabama battled for a two-spot in the top of the sixth to make it a one-run affair, but came no closer.
• The Tide offense was led by Sam Finnerty on Thursday, with the sophomore finishing 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a team-high two runs scored. Henry also contributed a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-5 with one run scored.
• Alabama came up short in both games of Friday's doubleheader, first falling 4-3 in game one before suffering a 13-12 defeat in a 13-inning affair in game two.
• Game one of the day finished in favor of the Bulldogs, as State edged Alabama, 4-3. The Tide build an early 3-0 lead heading to the bottom of the third, but MSU would collect one in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth to secure the win and the series victory. Crimson Tide starter Nick Eicholtz worked 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two. The senior starter then handed it over to Finnerty, who tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball and punched out a career-high seven batters.
• The Crimson Tide fell, 13-12, in a 13-inning contest for game two that extended into Saturday morning. The game totaled 5:43, marking the longest recorded game in Alabama baseball history. The two teams maintained large leads, with the Tide going up by five heading into the bottom of the sixth before the Bulldogs plated nine runs in that inning. Alabama then tallied two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to even things up and send it to extras. In the 11th, each team scored three before Mississippi State secured the win with one run in the bottom of the 13th.
• Tuesday night saw the Alabama offense go off, as the Crimson Tide claimed an 18-1 win over Alcorn State in seven innings. The offensive output included 13 hits and seven walks on the way to a season-high 18 runs - all coming from the third through the sixth innings.
• Alabama's offense scored a season-high six runs in both the third and sixth innings, while adding three-run frames in the fourth and fifth.
• Twelve of the Tide's 14 offensive players collected at least one run with all but one batter reaching base on the night. UA's offensive output was led by Henry, who finished 3-for-5 with two home runs - including his first career grand slam. Henry added a team-high seven RBI and two runs to his line. Chandler Avant also tallied a grand slam for his first career home run, finishing 2-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored. Avant's night extended his hitting streak to a team-long 11 games.
• Deacon Medders earned his first career win with a season-long 5.0 innings of work in his starting effort. Medders allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out four batters across his 68 pitches. The Tide bullpen then took over, with the threesome of Finnerty, Tyler Adams and Sonny Potter working the final 2.0 frames.
• The Crimson Tide returned to Tuscaloosa in 2016 after spending 2015 on the road while Sewell-Thomas Stadium was undergoing renovations. Alabama finished with a 19-12 home record at The Joe compared to a 13-14 record in road and neutral-site contests in the first year of the new stadium.
• 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 – JACKSONVILLE STATE
• Alabama and Jacksonville State will meet for the 37th time in series history and the second time during the 2017 campaign.
• The Crimson Tide holds a 28-8 advantage in the series and is even better at the house, maintaining a 24-4 mark in games played on the Tide's home turf.
• The two teams met earlier this season, with Jacksonville State claiming the 2-1 win in 10 innings on Feb. 28. The game was scoreless through the first three frames before the Tide struck in the fourth with an RBI-single from Cobie Vance. JSU would answer in the top of the fifth before both offenses went scoreless for the remainder of regulation. The Gamecocks collected the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th for the midweek win.
• Alabama head coach Greg Goff is 0-1 for his career Jacksonville State.
ON DECK
Following the single midweek matchup, Alabama will welcome 15th-ranked LSU to The Joe for a three-game set from Thursday through Saturday. The series opener will air nationally on ESPN2 with a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch. Friday's matchup is set for a 6 p.m. CT start with the series finale on Saturday tabbed for 2 p.m. CT. The final two games of the series can be seen on SEC Network+.
