Three-Game Series between Alabama and New Mexico State Set to Start Friday
3/8/2018 4:05:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide and Aggies will meet for the first time in the history of the two programs
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball and New Mexico State are scheduled for a three-game series this weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. First pitch of Friday's series opener is set for 2 p.m. CT followed by game two of Friday's doubleheader, slated to start approximately 45 minutes after the final out of game one. Saturday's matchup is still scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch. All three contests will air live on SEC Network+.
This weekend's series will feature numerous promotions for fans of all ages. On Friday, fans will have the option of purchasing a "Friday Family Pack" of tickets. The package includes a discounted fee for tickets with Jack's coupons included in the price of admission (must purchase four or more tickets, no exceptions). Interested parties can take advantage of the promotion simply by purchasing at least four tickets through RollTide.com. Groups of four or more will receive the discounted price at the ticket window or online.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow this weekend's matchups via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com
LEADING OFF
• Alabama and New Mexico State will meet for the first time ever when the teams square off for a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday.
• New Mexico State comes to Tuscaloosa with an 8-6 overall record. The Aggies began the season going 2-1 in a three-game series against Towson, including a 24-1 win to start the season. After falling to No. 3 Texas Tech, 12-0, in the first midweek game of the 2018 campaign, NMSU bounced back with a series sweep over Mississippi Valley State in which the Aggies outscored MVSU 74-4 over three games. New Mexico State fell to Arizona 5-4 in another midweek game on Feb. 27, while going 3-1 against Harvard in a four-game series last weekend.Â
• Most recently, the Aggies fell to Mississippi State in two midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. The first matchup in Starkville was a 9-1 win for the Bulldogs on Tuesday followed by a 6-0 victory for MSU on Wednesday.
• Alabama continues with its regular weekend rotation for the three-game series against the Aggies. The Tide will feature three right-handers, with junior Sam Finnerty starting game one on Friday, Jake Walters, a senior, taking the hill in game two of the doubleheader and junior Sam Gardner getting the nod in the series finale on Saturday.
• New Mexico State will send junior right-hander Justin Dehn to the mound for Friday's series opener. Fellow junior righty Kyle Bradish will get the start for the Aggies in game two of the twinbill with senior Jonathan Groff, a left-hander, toeing the rubber in Saturday's game.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY (GAME ONE): UA – Sam Finnerty (Jr., RHP) vs. NMSU – Justin Dehn (Jr., RHP)
FRIDAY (GAME TWO): UA – Jake Walters (Sr., RHP) vs. NMSU – Kyle Bradish (Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Sam Gardner (Jr., RHP) vs. NMSU – Jonathan Groff (Sr., LHP)
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama has gone 2-2 overall in its last four games, taking one of three games against Oklahoma in Norman last weekend, winning the series finale in convincing fashion. Most recently, the Crimson Tide shut out 15th-ranked Southern Miss, 3-0, on Wednesday evening.
• Five Crimson Tide pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout of the Golden Eagles on Wednesday. The win helped Alabama improve to 9-0 at home, the team's best start at Sewell-Thomas Stadium since 2010.
• Alabama's pitching neutralized the powerful Southern Miss offense, beginning with Garret Rukes. The left-hander tossed a season-long 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out a pair. Brock Love followed, working 2.0 no-hit innings, striking out a team-high three batters en route to his first win of the season.
• Mason Duke, Deacon Medders and Dylan Duarte followed for the final 5.0 innings, with Duarte earning his first save of the season and the first one-inning save of his career.
• Alabama fell to Oklahoma, 2-1, in extra innings on Friday evening. In a pitcher's duel, each team's starter provided its club with a quality start followed by a strong outing from the bullpen.
• Sam Finnerty tossed a career-long 8.0 innings and a career-high 102 pitches. The junior allowed one earned run on eight hits and two walks while punching out a pair. Kyle Cameron entered for the final 2.1 innings of relief, allowing one unearned run in the bottom of the 11th, which would prove the difference in the game.
• The Tide suffered a 16-4 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma on Saturday evening. The Sooners recorded 17 hits and nine walks on the way to 16 runs. The OU offense jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first, followed by four in the fourth and two in the sixth. Oklahoma eventually put the game out of question with eight runs in the eighth to secure the win.
• Alabama erupted for a season-high 18 hits and 13 runs on the way to a 13-1 win over Oklahoma on Sunday. The Tide bats came up big in the middle innings, putting up three in the third, fifth and sixth with a four-run fourth sandwiched in between to account for UA's 13 total runs on the day. Over that stretch, the Tide offense collected 15 hits and three walks to put the game out of reach.
• Eleven of the 14 Alabama hitters collected at least one hit, including eight of nine starters. Six players on offense had multi-hit efforts, with Cobie Vance leading the team at 3-for-4. The junior added two RBI, a pair of runs scored and one walk. Both Cody Henry and Chandler Taylor contributed a home run and three RBI apiece. Henry registered a double and two runs scored in addition to his roundtripper, while Taylor contributed one run to go with his homer.
• The Crimson Tide pitching staff shined on Sunday. Sam Gardner earned his first career win at Alabama, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run baseball in the starting effort. Gardner allowed three hits and two walks while striking out a season-high five across his 85 pitches of work. The junior was followed by Davis Vainer, Medders and Duarte, with the threesome combining for 4.0 scoreless innings that included four punchouts.
• Alabama returned 21 letterwinners while losing 11 from the 2017 squad. The 2018 Crimson Tide welcomed back eight positional starters and three starting pitchers while hosting 11 newcomers (including one transfer who sat out last season).
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE
• New Mexico State returned 17 letterwinners, including four starting positional players and two pitchers, from the 2017 roster that finished 35-22 overall and second in the WAC standings with a 19-5 mark. NMSU is without five positional starters and three starting pitchers from a season ago. The 2018 roster features 20 newcomers, including 13 junior college transfers and seven freshmen.
• The Aggies were selected to finish second in the Western Athletic Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the league coaches. NMSU also features the preseason Player of the Year in Mason Fishback and the preseason Pitcher of the Year in Kyle Bradish.
• Brian Green is in his fourth year as head coach of New Mexico State and holds an 88-89-1 record coming into this weekend. A 1995 graduate of NMSU, Green is assisted by Terry Davis, Anthony Claggett and Jordan Becker.
• The New Mexico State baseball program was founded in 1962 and held a 1,329-1,467-6 record across its first 55 seasons entering the 2018 campaign. The Aggies have made three NCAA appearances, most recently earning a bid to the tournament in 2012. As the No. 3 seed in the 2012 Los Angeles Regional, NMSU defeated San Diego, 4-0, for its first NCAA Tournament win in program history.
• New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public research university with its main campus in Las Cruces, N.M. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in the state of New Mexico. It is the second-largest four-year university in the state, in terms of total enrollment across all campuses as of 2011, with branch campuses in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Doña Ana County and Grants, and with extension and research centers across New Mexico.
ALABAMA VS. THE WAC
• The Crimson Tide will host New Mexico State for the very first time in the history of the two programs in the series opener on Friday.
• Alabama has never faced a current member of the Western Athletic Conference.
• The WAC is comprised of: Cal State Bakersfield, Chicago State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, Seattle, Texas Rio Grande Valley and Utah Valley.
ON DECK
The Crimson Tide will close out its nine-game homestand next week as UA will first welcome Alabama A&M for a pair of matchups from March 13-14. Both games of the two-game set can be seen on SEC Network+. Following the midweek pairing, Alabama will welcome Georgia to Sewell-Thomas Stadium for the start of Southeastern Conference play from March 16-18. All three games of the weekend with the Bulldogs will air on the SEC Network.
