Overall Record: 15-9 (11-6 at home | 4-3 on the road)
SEC Record: 1-5
Record Last Week: 0-4 (0-4 at home)
Streak: Lost 6
Last Week’s Results (0-4):
Tuesday, March 23 – Lost to Southern Miss, 4-5
Friday, March 26 (DH) – Lost to #3 Ole Miss, 6-9
Friday, March 26 (DH) – Lost to #3 Ole Miss, 0-2
Saturday, March 27 – Lost to #3 Ole Miss, 6-11
This Week’s Schedule (All Times Central)
Friday, April 2 – vs. #10 Tennessee (21-4/5-1 SEC), Sewell-Thomas Stadium, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 – vs. #10 Tennessee (21-4/5-1 SEC), Sewell-Thomas Stadium, 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 4 – vs. #10 Tennessee (21-4/5-1 SEC), Sewell-Thomas Stadium, 11 a.m.
Team Notes
Alabama wrapped up the week at 0-4 after suffering four tough losses. The Crimson Tide first fell in the midweek, 5-4, against Southern Miss and the nation’s top pitching staff on Tuesday. Alabama then battled with No. 3 Ole Miss, coming down to the wire in both ends of a doubleheader on Friday before falling in the series finale on Saturday.
UA was led at the plate by second baseman Peyton Wilson. The Tide leadoff man finished his week batting .579 (11-19) and paced UA in nearly every offensive statistic. Wilson recorded four straight multi-hit outings, finishing with 11 total hits in four games. Of those 11 hits, five went for extra bases including two doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs. He added four RBI, four runs scored and three stolen bases in as many chances. The stolen bases all came across the three-game series with Ole Miss, as Wilson took second twice and third base once against preseason All-SEC catcher Hayden Dunhurst.
On the mound, Alabama’s starters posted solid efforts to keep the Tide within striking distance. The foursome of William Freeman, Tyler Ras, Dylan Smith and Connor Shamblin combined for a 3.09 ERA (8 ER/23.1 IP) and 15 strikeouts while limiting the opposition to a lowly .209 average. Ras and Smith paired for 13.0 innings of work in Friday’s doubleheader, allowing just two earned runs for a 1.38 ERA. The duo struck out nine and held Ole Miss to only nine total hits.
Alabama and Southern Miss traded the lead numerous times on Tuesday night with the game finishing 5-4 in favor of the Golden Eagles. UA built a two-run lead with one in the second and one in the fifth. Southern Miss countered with a three-spot in the top of the sixth before UA came back to post a pair of runs on a Will Patota RBI-double in the home half for a 4-3 advantage. The Golden Eagles would not trail for long, as USM posted two in the seventh to retake the lead, 5-4, for what would be the eventual final. Freeman was solid in his start for the Crimson Tide. The redshirt senior tossed a season-high 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with a pair of strikeouts.
The Tide put together a late comeback but could not overcome an eight-run ninth, as Alabama fell, 9-6, to Ole Miss in game one of Friday’s doubleheader. The Rebels homered to take a 1-0 lead after two innings but would not hold the advantage long. The Crimson Tide answered back with two solo homers – one from Owen Diodati and one from Sam Praytor – in the bottom of the third to take the lead and then added one more run on a solo homer from Drew Williamson in the sixth. Ole Miss would trail from the third inning until the ninth when the Rebels posted eight runs to take the lead for good. Alabama fought for three in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a three-run homer from Wilson but would get no closer with the game finishing at 9-6. Ras was solid once again. The Crimson Tide starter contributed 6.0 innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits and issuing four walks while striking out one Rebel hitter.
Pitching dominated game two of the day as the Crimson Tide fell, 2-0, to the Rebels. Smith was handed the loss despite another excellent start. The right-hander kept UA in the game thanks to 7.0 innings of one-run baseball, allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out eight batters.
Alabama fell to Ole Miss, 11-6, in the series finale on Saturday. The Tide got out front first with one run in the second but would not hold a lead the rest of the afternoon. Ole Miss posted four runs in the fifth and added seven across the final four frames to secure the win. The Crimson Tide battled for two in the fifth, a pair in the eighth and one in the ninth but was unable to match the Rebels. Alabama was led at the plate by Wilson once again, with the sophomore homering as part of his 4-for-5 day. He added an RBI, one stolen base and a team-high two runs scored from his leadoff spot. T.J. Reeves also homered in the game, finishing 1-for-4 with a run and a team-leading two RBI. Shamblin suffered his first loss of the season, tossing 5.0 frames and allowing four runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
