In one of the biggest fatigue generators in collegiate baseball, the Alabama Crimson Tide will play a weekday game before a weekend series, meeting the South Alabama Jaguars tonight.
Head coach Mitch Gaspard and the team are well aware of the challenges midweek games present.
“We’ve talked a lot about how teams will compete against us, particularly in-state teams,” Gaspard said. “We have to come out with a certain focus. I want to see how we handle some of these midweek games because those, to me, are games you have to be good in offensively, because typically you’re going deeper into your bullpen.”
Starting on the mound for the Tide will be right-handed freshman Spencer Turnbull. This will be his first start of the season, but Turnbull appeared in relief duty twice, most recently on Friday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Turnbull pitched one hitless inning.
“We’re really excited about [Turnbull],” Gaspard said. “In his two relief appearances, he’s [thrown] anywhere from 90 to 95 [mph] and has a developing breaking ball. I really want to see how he does because I feel like he can be a potential weekend guy for us as we move forward.”
The starting pitcher is set, but some other lineup related business is not. Gaspard has a tendency to shift the lineup around early in the season in order to get a better grasp of his players and what the best combination of players is.
One change Gaspard wants to make is to get sophomore first baseman Austen Smith back into the swing of things. Smith did not play the last two games of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff series, making way for former designated hitter Jon Kelton to move to first base, with redshirt freshman Cary Baxter and junior Cameron Carlisle splitting time in the designated hitter role.
With Smith moving back to first base, the designated hitter spot in the lineup will be quite the decision for Gaspard.
“With Smith playing first, you have the option of Kelton, you have the option of Carlisle, and [Josh] Rosecrans is a guy that still hasn’t gotten many at-bats, but he’s certainly an option,” Gaspard said. “A lot of [selecting a] DH is who’s hot. We watch [batting practice] everyday and see who’s swinging the bat well.”
In the DH role last weekend against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Baxter had two hits and one RBI in three at-bats, while Carlisle had three hits, one RBI and two runs in four at-bats. Carlisle also saw four at-bats as the DH on Feb. 18 versus Florida Atlantic and notched one hit on four at-bats. Rosecrans saw action in the DH role one day later and was hitless in three at-bats.
With the lineup remaining fluid and pieces continuing to come in and out of the game, the players remain focused on the games and not who is playing alongside them.
“We can’t let up,” junior second baseman Kenny Roberts said. “We have to keep throwing strikes from a pitching standpoint, get quality at-bats and play solid defense.”
