Tide Baseball Starts With 6-1 Record

Those who expected Alabama to have an undefeated baseball season were disappointed in the second week of the season. Those, however, who would have been thrilled to start with a 6-1 record, including a win over a nationally ranked team, would be satisfied. And that’s where we are.

The Alabama team of Coach Mitch Gaspard started the week with a win over 19th ranked Southern Miss on Monday, and then went on the road for the first time this year to win two of three games from Florida Atlantic – the same team that swept Bama to start the 2012 season.

This week the Crimson Tide has four home games. Bama will host Samford at 6 p.m. CST Tuesday, and then have Tulane visit for the weekend, games at 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Several newcomers have been pleasant additions to the Alabama baseball team, including this week’s nominee for Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Georgie Salem – the son (of George), grandson (of George), and great nephew (of Ed) of former Bama football players – is on a six-game hitting streak as the Alabama leadoff batter. Last week he was 8-18 in four games, including going 7-13 (.538) on the road at Florida Atlantic. He opened the week with a double, two runs batted in, and a run scored in a 10-8 win over Southern Miss on Tuesday. He had back-to-back three-hit games in a pair of wins at FAU. For the year he is batting .355.

Alabama’s starting pitchers allowed just three earned runs in a combined 22 innings pitched last week. Taylor Gilbeau, a sophomore left-hander, was nominated by Bama for the SEC Pitcher of the Week Award after going five innings, allowing only three hits, one unearned run, and striking out seven while walking just two against Southern Miss.

The Tide’s pitching staff held last week’s batters to a .240 average and allowed a 2.57 ERA. Starters Gilbeau, Charley Sullivan, and Jon Keller did not allow an earned run in a combined 16 innings.

Offensively, Austen Smith and Kenny Roberts were both 3-10 against FAU.

Brett Booth leads the Tide in batting average (.409), runs scored (8), and is tied for the team lead in walks (5 ) and home runs (1). Booth was 3-3 with two RBI and two runs scored with a home run in the win ovzer Southern Miss. He also drove in two runs in a 4-2 win over FAU.