TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball welcomes North Alabama to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Tuesday evening for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch. The midweek matchup between the Crimson Tide and Lions will air live on SEC Network+.
Follow the Tide
Fans can follow Tuesday’s game via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Probable Starting Pitching Matchup
TUESDAY: UA – Grayson Hitt (Fr., LHP) vs. UNA – Will Haberstock (Fr., RHP)
Leading Off
- Alabama and North Alabama will meet for the 24th time in series history when the two teams square off on Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time advantage, 21-2, including a 19-1 mark at home in Tuscaloosa.
- The two teams last met from Feb. 26-27, 2019 at The Joe. The Tide blanked the Lions, 8-0, on night one and followed that up with a 4-1 win a day later. Alabama’s two wins added to UA’s winning streak in the series, stretching the number to seven straight victories.
- Alabama calls on left-hander Grayson Hitt for the start. Hitt will be making his 10thappearance and third start of the season when he takes the hill on Tuesday.
- North Alabama will look to righty Will Haberstock. The freshman is making his sixth start of the season and 12thappearance overall.
About Alabama
- Alabama wrapped up the week at home with a 3-1 record. The Crimson Tide began the four-game stretch at Sewell-Thomas Stadium with a dominant 19-3 win over Samford on Tuesday before earning a 2-1 series win over Auburn in a three-game set that began on Thursday.
- The Crimson Tide hitters continued to stay hot, batting .349 (52-149) over the four games and combining for 41 total runs. The offense also powered nine home runs during that stretch, including six in the Auburn series. Following the three games with the Tigers, Alabama’s bats have totaled 24 home runs in SEC play, with at least one homer in 10 of 15 conference pairings.
- Leading the offense during the week were veterans Drew Williamson and Sam Praytor. Williamson finished as the Tide’s leader in average at .533, compiling a team-high eight hits across his 14 at-bats. The Tide first baseman added a homer, three RBI, four runs, a pair of walks and a stolen base during the week.
- Praytor provided the power thanks to a team-high three home runs. Two of Praytor’s three homers came against Auburn, with the first tying the game up in the bottom of the eighth to send it to extras where UA would eventually walk it off on Thursday. The second homer came in the series finale, capping a three-run seventh that tied things up and shifted momentum in the Tide’s favor for the eventual series-clinching win.
- Alabama used 15 hits and a season-high 16 walks to cruise to a 19-3 win over Samford on Tuesday.
- Samford got up early, 1-0, but that would be the last time the Bulldogs led on the night. Alabama evened things up with one in the third before putting together a seven-run fourth to take a commanding lead. The Crimson Tide added a six-spot in the sixth and posted a five-run seventh. Samford was able to add single tallies in the seventh and eighth but never threatened the UA lead.
- The offense for Alabama was spread across the entire lineup. Twelve of the 13 hitters recorded at least one hit, including all nine starters on the night. In addition, all nine starters contributed one or more runs with 11 of the 13 hitters posting a run by night’s end.
- Caden Rose and Jackson Tate led the charge, each homering and posting a season-high tying four RBI. In addition to their homer and RBI, Rose finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs while Tate went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs of his own.
- Owen Diodati’s RBI-single in the 10th helped Alabama walk off Auburn, 8-7, on Thursday evening. The two teams went back and forth all evening.
- Auburn scored first, plating one in the second before Alabama answered with two in the home half. The Tide added a pair in the bottom of the third before AU came back with two in the fourth. Alabama crossed one in the home half, but the Tigers countered for three in the fifth to take the lead. The lead would not last for long as the Tide added one in the bottom of the fifth.
- The teams traded single runs in the eighth before failing to score in the ninth to send the game to extras. In the 10th, Alabama got the leadoff man on thanks to a single from Zane Denton. He was followed by a single from Praytor to put two on for Diodati. The Tide DH capitalized on his opportunity, sending the first pitch he saw down the line in right for the walkoff win. Alabama was led on offense by trio of Denton, Praytor and Diodati who combined for seven hits, five RBI and three runs scored.
- Alabama came up short against Auburn, 5-4, on Friday evening. Auburn got out front early with one in the first and two in the second. The Tide cut into the lead with one in the second, but the Tigers countered with one in the fifth. Alabama answered that with a two-spot in the home half of the fifth with both teams going scoreless until the eighth. The top of the eighth saw Auburn add one to make it a two-run game headed to the ninth. Alabama scratched across one in that final frame, but a strikeout ended things with the tying run at first.
- For a second game in the series, UA walked off Auburn, this time to the tune of 10-9 on Saturday. The two teams traded runs all day, but the key moments came late, as Alabama put up three runs in the seventh to make it 8-8.
- Auburn proceeded to score one in the top of the eighth with Alabama answering with a run of its own in the home half. The game headed to the ninth with Chase Lee getting a huge inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the top half to bring the Tide to the plate with a chance to win.
- Alabama’s ninth began with a single from Williamson. The Tide first baseman then moved to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt from Tate to bring Jim Jarvis to the plate. Jarvis played hero, doubling over the head of the Auburn left fielder to walk it off in favor of Alabama for the series-clinching win.
- Williamson led the Tide in hits with a career-high tying four as part of a 4-for-5 showing that included a double and one run scored – the game-winning run. Diodati paced Alabama in RBI with four to go with a 2-for-5 effort that included a home run and one run scored. Also homering on Saturday were Praytor and William Hamiter, with each home run coming in that huge three-run seventh that tied things up at eight apiece.
- Lee earned the win with 2.2 innings of one-run baseball. The Tide closer allowed three hits and issued two walks while striking out three batters. Alabama was able to get to Lee thanks to another impressive effort out of Landon Green with the right-hander tossing 2.1 scoreless frames that included a pair of strikeouts.
- Alabama returned 20 letterwinners while losing 12 from the 2020 squad. The 2021 Crimson Tide welcomed back six positional starters and 10 total pitchers while hosting 14 redshirts or newcomers.
About North Alabama
- North Alabama finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign at 3-13 overall. The Lions welcome back six starters and 24 lettermen from that squad.
- Mike Keehn is in his 13th season as a collegiate head coach, all coming at North Alabama. Keehn came into the 2021 season with a career record of 327-252-1. A 1985 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Keehn is assisted by Anthony De Cicco and Nick McGregor.
- North Alabama was selected to finish eighth in the Atlantic Sun in the league’s preseason poll, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches.
On Deck
Alabama takes to the road for a three-game series in Lexington against the Kentucky Wildcats. Things get started at Kentucky Proud Park on Friday, April 23 with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch. Game two of the weekend is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch with things wrapping up on Sunday at 12 p.m. All three games will air live on SEC Network+.
