With just one series left in a tough SEC stretch that has already seen Alabama play three consecutive weekends against top-15 teams, Crimson Tide coach Mitch Gaspard said he thinks this weekend’s matchup with No. 3 LSU is a good chance for his team to 
prove itself.

“On our side, I think it is a really good opportunity,” he said.

Alabama has gone 4-5 in its last nine SEC games but is currently third in the SEC West and just three games behind first-place Texas A&M.

“The game is slowly, I think, starting to come together for us,” Gaspard said. “We certainly were hoping it would have happened a little earlier.”

Gaspard said he would like to see his team’s starting pitching improve this weekend. The Alabama pitching staff currently has a 4.20 ERA and has issued 122 walks, which is the fourth most in the SEC to this point in 
the season.

“I think the key is our starting pitching,” he said. “That is still an area we have to clean up. It is not secret if you look at the numbers. What jumps out is the base on balls. I think we if we can get our arms wrapped around that and command the strike zone, our game will clean up as a whole.”

Alabama (15-12, 4-5 SEC) hosts LSU (24-5, 5-4 SEC) for a three-game series in Hoover starting Thursday at 7 p.m.