BIRMINGHAM – The UAB baseball team will hit the road for its second in-state midweek contest as it heads to Montgomery, Ala., to take on Alabama State at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Blazers (2-5, 0-0 C-USA) enter the matchup after shutting out UNC Asheville for a 5-0 win in Sunday’s series topper. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Jess Davis was the most productive UAB bat, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored and a pair of stolen bases. Junior outfielder Caleb Floyd also swatted a solo homerun over left field for his first hit as a Blazer. Sophomore right-hander Tyler O’Clair toed the rubber to start, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings before junior lefty Dylan Cunningham forced an out to set up graduate senior right-hander Mac McCarty’s save in 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.
On the season, senior utility man Colton Schultz has had the biggest bat for the Blazers with nine hits, three doubles, one dinger and nine RBI for a .321 batting average to date. Senior lefty Austin Bohannon has led the UAB starters on the bump so far with a 1.69 ERA in two starts while McCarty has been a flawless closer in 6.1 innings of work with nine strikeouts, no hits allowed for two saves and an unblemished ERA.
Alabama State (6-1, 3-0 SWAC) will come into the contest following a road game at Troy Tuesday night. Over the weekend, the Hornets swept Oakland in a three-game home series. As a team, Alabama State leads the SWAC in hits, runs, on-base percentage, ERA and triples, to name a few. The Hornets’ four triples on the season field their highest national mark, ranking 12th in the country.
Individually, senior outfielder Cameron Hearn currently leads Alabama State at the plate, holding a .444 batting average with 12 hits, a double, a triple, a homerun and seven RBI. On the mound, junior right-hander Austin King has seen the most success, posting a 0.82 ERA with seven strikeouts in 11 innings pitched for a 1-0 record.
UAB currently holds a 29-6 advantage over Alabama State in the all-time series, winning the last three matchups. The Blazers also own the longest streak of the series, winning 15 straight from 1997-2012.
The Green and Gold will close out this week’s action back home with a weekend series against Miami (Ohio). The Blazers and Redhawks are set to square off in games one and two at Regions Field with a 4 p.m. start on Friday and a 1 p.m. start on Saturday. The series finale is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday at Young Memorial Field. Live stat and streaming information for each game is available on the UAB baseball schedule page.
Fans may secure baseball season tickets by purchasing the 2020 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all baseball, softball and women’s basketball events for the remainder of the academic year. Mini plans and single game tickets are also available here. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow @UAB_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.
-Go Blazers-
