In baseball, game planning for your opponents’ pitchers and knowing what their hitters cannot do at the plate is a very important aspect of winning consistently.
Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard is not concerned with things of that nature heading into a weekend series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“I’m not even worried about Arkansas-Pine Bluff,” Gaspard said. “I’m worried about our team and what we have to do. That’s what’s most important right now.”
Gaspard is in a position where some serious overhauls may be necessary, after being swept by Florida Atlantic in the opening weekend by a combined score of 23-8.
“When you have a rough weekend like we did in the opener and get kind of caught off guard, it can really put some perspective in there,” Gaspard said. “It has really energized our work the past two days in practice. I think we’re all going to see a different team this weekend.”
Both the coaching staff and the players feel like the three losses to the Owls were a result of breakdowns in the mental aspect of baseball just as much as the physical side.
“One of the things that was biggest for us was the way we played the game,” Gaspard said. “That’s what was most disappointing for me. Our motto is play hard and get dirty, and we were the farthest thing from that last weekend. I thought we were very passive and timid.”
Starting pitcher Charley Sullivan added, “As a team, it was a lack of intensity. We have to stick to our game plan, which is play hard and get dirty.”
This week, Gaspard made some changes in his practice schedule to accommodate his team’s shortcomings against FAU.
“[We focused on] fundamentals,” Gaspard said. “[We did] a ton of defense. We’ve extended our defense out from 30 to 35 minutes a day to 45 or 50.”
This was a move Gaspard felt compelled to do after Alabama committed six errors last weekend against FAU.
“Part of our issue is that one error leads to two, then leads to three and that’s kind of a mentality,” Gaspard said. “Errors are a part of the game, both physically and mentally, but you have to put yourself where, once we have a breakdown, we cannot continue to let that happen.”
One thing Gaspard has not done for the Arkansas-Pine Bluff series is make significant changes to his lineup. The starting rotation will remain the same, with freshman Taylor Gilbeau starting Friday night, Sullivan starting on Saturday and Justin Kamplain starting on Sunday.
Gaspard will play freshman infielder Ben Moore more often against Arkansas-Pine Bluff after having a good weekend against FAU. He will play catcher, moving junior Brett Booth to third base.
“Ben Moore is a kid with a great motor,” Sullivan said. “He shows a lot of intensity and energy. He plays hard and plays the game right. I have full confidence in him behind the plate.”
Gaspard’s reluctance to make significant lineup and rotation changes shows his belief in the team he spoke so highly of before the FAU series.
“This is part of a 56-game schedule,” Gaspard said. “The journey just started for us, and we have hit rock-bottom. Now we have to pick ourselves back up and play the right way.”
