SEC West Showdown Sends Alabama to Oxford to Meet with Ole Miss

[Diamond Tide]

The Crimson Tide and Rebels will meet for the 374th time in series history on Thursday

4/24/2024

TUSCALOOSA, AL – No. 18 Alabama baseball will head to Oxford for a Thursday through Saturday series with Ole Miss. The first two matchups in Oxford are slated for a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch followed by a 2 p.m. start in the finale. Games one and three will be broadcast nationally, first on ESPNU for Thursday followed by SEC Network on Saturday. The Friday contest is set to air on SEC Network+.

Follow the Tide
Fans can follow the series via the below outlets:
Watch: ESPNU (Thursday) / SEC Network+ (Friday) / SEC Network (Saturday)
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
THURSDAY: UA – Greg Farone (Sr., LHP) vs. OM – Riley Maddox (Jr., RHP)
FRIDAY: UA – Ben Hess (Jr., RHP) vs. OM – Liam Doyle (So., LHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Zane Adams (Fr., LHP) vs. OM – TBA

Leading Off

• Alabama and Ole Miss will meet for the 374th time in history when the two teams open the series on Thursday evening at Swayze Field. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time advantage, 217-154-2, including a 79-70-1 mark in Oxford. Alabama enters Thursday riding a six-game winning streak over the Rebels after back-to-back sweeps in 2022 and 2023.
• The two teams last met on May 18 and 19 to conclude the 2023 regular season. The Crimson Tide swept the Rebels that weekend at The Joe, opening with a 4-1 win on Thursday night. The threat of weather called for a doubleheader the next day, with the Tide downing the Rebs 12-2 (7) and 5-1 to earn the first sweep over Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa since 2014.
• Alabama and Ole Miss last met at Swayze Field from April 8-10, 2022. The Tide left Oxford with a series sweep over the Rebels. UA opened with a 7-4 win on Friday, followed by a 12-10 win on Saturday and a 7-3 win on Sunday to earn the sweep.

About Alabama

• Alabama travels to Oxford after going 2-2 over the last four games. The Crimson Tide fell, 2-1, to top-ranked Texas A&M across last Friday and Saturday, setting UA at 3-3 on the season against the nation's top-ranked team. Most recently, UA downed Samford on Tuesday evening at The Joe for the Tide's final home non-conference matchup of the 2024 regular season.
• An 11-run third inning powered Alabama to a 14-5 win over Samford on Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• Samford struck first with a four-run second but maintained the lead for only an inning. In the third, UA's offense erupted for eight hits on the way to 11 runs to make it an 11-4 ballgame. The third inning was highlighted by two-run home runs from Justin Lebron, TJ McCants and Evan Sleight.
• The Bulldogs added one in the fifth with the Tide countering for three in the home half to set things at 14-5, where the score would stay the rest of the way.
• Alabama's offense was led by Lebron, who finished 3-for-5 with a double and the homer to go with his team-high four RBI and three runs scored.
• Austin Morris picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts in 3.0 innings of relief.
• Alabama fell in both games of a doubleheader with top-ranked Texas A&M last Friday in Tuscaloosa.
• The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in game one, but A&M responded with 10 unanswered runs to secure a 10-5 victory.
• In game two of the doubleheader, Texas A&M scored in five of the nine innings, including an eight-run second, to clinch the series with an 18-9 win. The Tide battled all game in the nightcap, plating four in the second, three in the fifth and two in the eighth while reaching runners in eight of the nine innings but could not overcome the early deficit.
• The Tide earned a 10-9 win over A&M last Saturday in a series finale that saw one tie and three lead changes.
• Alabama jumped out to an early lead with five runs in the second. The Aggies plated two in the top of the third with UA countering for one in the home half. A&M added three in the fourth with the Tide crossing one in the fifth to make it a 7-5 ballgame in favor of UA headed to the sixth.
• The sixth saw the Aggies take their first lead of the day with three runs, but the lead would not last long as Alabama scored one in the sixth to make it 8-8 after six full.
• In the seventh, Texas A&M plated one to gain the advantage once again, but a two-run home half put the Crimson Tide in front, 10-9 – where things would stay the rest of the way. The Tide's two runs came across thanks to a bases-loaded one-out single from Bryce Eblin.
• The Aggies were held scoreless over the final two frames thanks to a standout effort from Alton Davis II. The sophomore picked up the win after working 3.1 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with three punchouts. His biggest moment came in the ninth when he stranded a pair in scoring position thanks to two flyouts and a strikeout looking.
• UA's offense was led once again by Mac Guscette, who finished 2-for-3 with a grand slam, five RBI and one run scored. Eblin contributed the two key RBI as part of his 2-for-4 day that included a run scored, while Kade Snell led in hits with a 5-for-5 showing that was highlighted by a solo homer and three runs scored.

About Ole Miss

• Mike Bianco is in his 24th season with the Rebels and 26th season overall as a Division I head coach. Bianco entered the 2024 campaign with a career 979-585-1 record at the D-I level, including an 879-514-1 mark in Oxford. A 1989 graduate of LSU, Bianco is joined on staff by assistant coaches Chris Cleary, Mike Clement and Carl Lafferty.
• Ole Miss finished the 2023 season at 25-29 overall, including a 6-24 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
• The Rebels were selected to finish sixth in the Western Division and 12th overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck
Alabama will break in the midweek for exams before returning to the diamond next Friday when the Crimson Tide will travel westward to Starkville for a three-game series with Mississippi State from May 3-5. Friday's opener is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday. The series finale on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. with all three games airing on SEC Network+.


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RTR,

Diamond Tide