Unfortunately, no time to prepare a comprehensive preview for this weekend's important road series vs. the UAB Blazers (or Tuesday's midweeker vs. UH at Reckling), but thought I'd at least start a high-level scouting report thread.

First off, we should never take UAB lightly given our recent past history against them, and especially our recent road trips to Birmingham (where we have lost two of the past three series). Second, this is not the usual Blazer team featuring a solid offense, but with no pitching. Instead, this year's team strength is its pitching, while it's offense has struggled. Third, though they have inflated their record with 9 games to date against sub-200 ranked teams, they have won two games each against #39 Ole Miss and #20 Ohio State.

Overall, the Blazers have posted an 19 - 12 record (13-5 home, 6-6 CUSA, 4-6 vs. Top 50, 8-8 vs. Top 100, #68 RPI, #74 ISR, #118 SoS), and have won nine of their last thirteen games. Their conference record may be a bit misleading as three of their four CUSA series have been played on the road-- sweeping Western Kentucky, losing two of three at Southern Miss, and getting swept at Middle Tennessee. Here's their schedule and results to date.... http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2015/schedule/UAB

Offensively, UAB have really struggled, which is a bit surprising since they return all but two everyday starters from last year's team that finished in second place in CUSA. They are hitting just .245/.334/.347, with 14 HRs, 34-39 SBs, and averaging just 4.6 runs per game. No one on the team is hitting over .300, while five regulars are hitting below .250. They're led by Chase Davis (.295/.324.349, 6 doubles/triples, 11 RBIs, 6-8 SBs), Estaban Tresgallo (..273/.387/.455, 3 HRs, 4 doubles, 12 RBIs, 3-3 SBs), Tyler Mims (.277/.376/.383, 1 HR, 7 doubles, 14 RBIs) and past Owl-killer, Jeff Schalk (.263/.339/.439, 4 HRs, 7 doubles/triples, 19 RBIs). They are efficient on the basepaths, having hit into only 13 double plays, with four starters with 4+ SBs, and a team stolen base success rate of 87%. In their 7-6 win over Jacksonville State on Wednesday, they were 6 for 6 in stolen bases. However, they appear to be aggressive, free swingers, who are averaging just over 3 BBs per game vs. striking out an average of 7 times per game.

The Blazers have been outstanding defensively so far-- posting a .975 fielding percentage, allowing only 17 unearned runs, and turning 28 double plays. Their catchers have allowed only 5 passed balls and 12 wild pitches, and have thrown out just under 35% of attempted base stealers.

UAB can thank their pitching for their current record, and for keeping them in most games this year. The staff has posted very good across-the-board stats: 2.90 ERA, .240 BAA, 1.34 WHIP, 2.2 K:BB ratio, and averaging 3.3 BBs vs. 7.4 strikeouts per game. Their weekend rotation features a trio of experienced, upperclass RHPs, all of whom have averaged better than 6.0 innings per start...they have a lights out closer, as well as several other quality relievers. Last Friday vs. USM, Naile got the win in a complete game with 0 BBs and 9 Ks...

James Naile (RS Jr, RHP): 8 starts, 4-2, 1 CG, 56.0 IP, 1.93 ERA, .214 BAA, 16 BBs, 45 Ks
Alex Luna (Sr, RHP): 6 starts, 2-2, 35.0 IP, 2.57 ERA, .223 BAA, 5 BBs, 5 HBP, 25 Ks
Johnny Lieske (RS Sr, RHP): 8 starts, 2-2, 1 CG, 46.2 IP, 3.47 ERA, .270 BAA, 14 BBs, 5 HBP, 24 Ks

Adam Lau (Jr, RHP): 13 app, 0-1, 6 saves, 19.0 IP, 0.95 ERA, .177 BAA, 9 BBs, 26 Ks
Ryan Ruggles (Fr, LHP): 10 app, 3 st, 4-0, 1 save, 27.1 IP, 1.65 ERA, .240 BAA, 8 BBs, 21 Ks
Thomas Lowery (So, LHP): 14 app, 5-2, 1 save, 24.0 IP, 3.75 ERA, .229 BAA, 11 BBs, 29 Ks
Gavin Niquette (Fr, RHP): 11 app, 1-1, 1 save, 19.1 IP, 4.19 ERA, .268 BAA, 10 BBs, 11 Ks

Here's the UAB game notes for the series...
http://www.uabsports.com/sports/m-basebl...15aaa.html


Perfect Game picked UAB to finish in the middle of the pack in CUSA, and named Alex Luna to their preseason all-conference team...
http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View...icle=10772

Quote:Alabama Birmingham:
They may be picked to finish in the middle of the pack, but like any team in that grouping, the Blazers are not a team to sleep on. Returning several of their top hitters from 2014 and some key arms, UAB looks to build upon a 34-win mark from a season ago. Junior outfielder Griffin Gum and junior catcher Mitch Williams both hit over .290 last spring with Gum hitting two home runs and Williams leading the team with an on-base percentage of .411. Senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Chase Davis (27 RBI) and senior left fielder Jeff Schalk (4 home runs, 29 RBI) were the top run producers last season and will once again be relied upon to drive in runs. Junior catcher Esteban Tresgallo is eligible to play after sitting out the 2014 season due to transferring from the University of Miami and showed strong tools both behind the plate and in the righthanded batters box. Another bat to watch is senior Nathan Vincent who shows above average speed with sound defensive tools at third base and strength to all fields. Most schools would have trouble replacing a conference Pitcher of the Year like Chase Mallard, but the Blazers have a quality option in senior Alex Luna. Throwing 87 innings last spring, Luna went 7-1 with a 1.76 ERA showing strong command of the strike zone through his 15 starts. Senior righthander Johnny Lieske also returns to the rotation after putting up equally impressive numbers going 5-2 while holding hitters to a .228 average. Junior James Naile is coming off Tommy John surgery and is ready to assume a role in the rotation after a strong fall in which he showed late sinking action on his upper-80s to low-90s fastball with improved command. Thomas Lowery, Adam Lau, and Cory Eller are all arms who provided valuable innings out of the bullpen, collecting at least four saves each.

D1Baseball also picked UAB to finish in the middle of the pack in conference...
http://www.d1baseball.com/prospects/2015...rence-usa/

Quote:UAB surprised many by finishing second in Conference USA last season. The Blazers have high hopes for 2015 since all but two position players return. The pitching staff was the story of the fall as several pitchers stepped forward. Alex Luna (7-1, 1.76), James Naile (RS in ’14), Johnny Lieske (5-2, 2.69), and Cory Eller (2-4, 3.29) all impressed. Replacing RHP Chase Mallard is the toughest chore for the Blazers. Mallard had a very good 2014 campaign, tallying a 1.55 ERA in 110 innings, along with 94 strikeouts and 22 walks.

Eric Sorenson ranked all the way up at #62 in his preseason Top 301...
http://www.collegebaseballtoday.com/2015...s-of-2015/

Quote:62- ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (35-21, 20-10)
Projected Conference USA Finish: 2nd
2014 ISR: 62

Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (15+inns.): 4

Kudos to pitching coach Josh Hopper, who coached his arms staff to a 2.87 team ERA last season. Very impressive. He’ll have weekenders in RHPs Alex Luna (7-1, 1.76) and Johnny Lieske (5-2, 2.69) returning. They also get RHP James Naile back, who sat out 2014 but went 7-2, 4.14 in 2013. Leading hitter RF Griffin Gum (.296, 11SBs) and CF Chase Davis (.278, 10SBs) hope to rejuvenate the offense. The left side of the infield is set with SS Adam Smith (.250) and 3B Nathan Vincent (.216), who both need to get their bats in gear.

Thanks as always Walt. I agree that we're in "must win" territory for the rest of the year. I just saw the D1Baseball mid-year projections with us as a #2 seed in a Dallas regional with DBU as the #1. They also had FAU as the automatic bid from CUSA. We need to nip this in the bud!

If the Owls keep playing like they did Tuesday night in CS, they'll be fine.

(04-09-2015 04:24 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Unfortunately, no time to prepare a comprehensive preview for this weekend's important road series vs. the UAB Blazers (or Tuesday's midweeker vs. UH at Reckling), but thought I'd at least start a high-level scouting report thread.

First off, we should never take UAB lightly given our recent past history against them, and especially our recent road trips to Birmingham (where we have lost two of the past three series). Second, this is not the usual Blazer team featuring a solid offense, but with no pitching. Instead, this year's team strength is its pitching, while it's offense has struggled. Third, though they have inflated their record with 9 games to date against sub-200 ranked teams, they have won two games each against #39 Ole Miss and #20 Ohio State.

Overall, the Blazers have posted an 19 - 12 record (13-5 home, 6-6 CUSA, 4-6 vs. Top 50, 8-8 vs. Top 100, #68 RPI, #74 ISR, #118 SoS), and have won nine of their last thirteen games. Their conference record may be a bit misleading as three of their four CUSA series have been played on the road-- sweeping Western Kentucky, losing two of three at Southern Miss, and getting swept at Middle Tennessee. Here's their schedule and results to date.... http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2015/schedule/UAB

Offensively, UAB have really struggled, which is a bit surprising since they return all but two everyday starters from last year's team that finished in second place in CUSA. They are hitting just .245/.334/.347, with 14 HRs, 34-39 SBs, and averaging just 4.6 runs per game. No one on the team is hitting over .300, while five regulars are hitting below .250. They're led by Chase Davis (.295/.324.349, 6 doubles/triples, 11 RBIs, 6-8 SBs), Estaban Tresgallo (..273/.387/.455, 3 HRs, 4 doubles, 12 RBIs, 3-3 SBs), Tyler Mims (.277/.376/.383, 1 HR, 7 doubles, 14 RBIs) and past Owl-killer, Jeff Schalk (.263/.339/.439, 4 HRs, 7 doubles/triples, 19 RBIs). They are efficient on the basepaths, having hit into only 13 double plays, with four starters with 4+ SBs, and a team stolen base success rate of 87%. In their 7-6 win over Jacksonville State on Wednesday, they were 6 for 6 in stolen bases. However, they appear to be aggressive, free swingers, who are averaging just over 3 BBs per game vs. striking out an average of 7 times per game.

The Blazers have been outstanding defensively so far-- posting a .975 fielding percentage, allowing only 17 unearned runs, and turning 28 double plays. Their catchers have allowed only 5 passed balls and 12 wild pitches, and have thrown out just under 35% of attempted base stealers.

UAB can thank their pitching for their current record, and for keeping them in most games this year. The staff has posted very good across-the-board stats: 2.90 ERA, .240 BAA, 1.34 WHIP, 2.2 K:BB ratio, and averaging 3.3 BBs vs. 7.4 strikeouts per game. Their weekend rotation features a trio of experienced, upperclass RHPs, all of whom have averaged better than 6.0 innings per start...they have a lights out closer, as well as several other quality relievers. Last Friday vs. USM, Naile got the win in a complete game with 0 BBs and 9 Ks...

James Naile (RS Jr, RHP): 8 starts, 4-2, 1 CG, 56.0 IP, 1.93 ERA, .214 BAA, 16 BBs, 45 Ks
Alex Luna (Sr, RHP): 6 starts, 2-2, 35.0 IP, 2.57 ERA, .223 BAA, 5 BBs, 5 HBP, 25 Ks
Johnny Lieske (RS Sr, RHP): 8 starts, 2-2, 1 CG, 46.2 IP, 3.47 ERA, .270 BAA, 14 BBs, 5 HBP, 24 Ks

Adam Lau (Jr, RHP): 13 app, 0-1, 6 saves, 19.0 IP, 0.95 ERA, .177 BAA, 9 BBs, 26 Ks
Ryan Ruggles (Fr, LHP): 10 app, 3 st, 4-0, 1 save, 27.1 IP, 1.65 ERA, .240 BAA, 8 BBs, 21 Ks
Thomas Lowery (So, LHP): 14 app, 5-2, 1 save, 24.0 IP, 3.75 ERA, .229 BAA, 11 BBs, 29 Ks
Gavin Niquette (Fr, RHP): 11 app, 1-1, 1 save, 19.1 IP, 4.19 ERA, .268 BAA, 10 BBs, 11 Ks

Here's the UAB game notes for the series...
http://www.uabsports.com/sports/m-basebl...15aaa.html


Perfect Game picked UAB to finish in the middle of the pack in CUSA, and named Alex Luna to their preseason all-conference team...
http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View...icle=10772

Quote:Alabama Birmingham:
They may be picked to finish in the middle of the pack, but like any team in that grouping, the Blazers are not a team to sleep on. Returning several of their top hitters from 2014 and some key arms, UAB looks to build upon a 34-win mark from a season ago. Junior outfielder Griffin Gum and junior catcher Mitch Williams both hit over .290 last spring with Gum hitting two home runs and Williams leading the team with an on-base percentage of .411. Senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Chase Davis (27 RBI) and senior left fielder Jeff Schalk (4 home runs, 29 RBI) were the top run producers last season and will once again be relied upon to drive in runs. Junior catcher Esteban Tresgallo is eligible to play after sitting out the 2014 season due to transferring from the University of Miami and showed strong tools both behind the plate and in the righthanded batters box. Another bat to watch is senior Nathan Vincent who shows above average speed with sound defensive tools at third base and strength to all fields. Most schools would have trouble replacing a conference Pitcher of the Year like Chase Mallard, but the Blazers have a quality option in senior Alex Luna. Throwing 87 innings last spring, Luna went 7-1 with a 1.76 ERA showing strong command of the strike zone through his 15 starts. Senior righthander Johnny Lieske also returns to the rotation after putting up equally impressive numbers going 5-2 while holding hitters to a .228 average. Junior James Naile is coming off Tommy John surgery and is ready to assume a role in the rotation after a strong fall in which he showed late sinking action on his upper-80s to low-90s fastball with improved command. Thomas Lowery, Adam Lau, and Cory Eller are all arms who provided valuable innings out of the bullpen, collecting at least four saves each.

D1Baseball also picked UAB to finish in the middle of the pack in conference...
http://www.d1baseball.com/prospects/2015...rence-usa/

Quote:UAB surprised many by finishing second in Conference USA last season. The Blazers have high hopes for 2015 since all but two position players return. The pitching staff was the story of the fall as several pitchers stepped forward. Alex Luna (7-1, 1.76), James Naile (RS in ’14), Johnny Lieske (5-2, 2.69), and Cory Eller (2-4, 3.29) all impressed. Replacing RHP Chase Mallard is the toughest chore for the Blazers. Mallard had a very good 2014 campaign, tallying a 1.55 ERA in 110 innings, along with 94 strikeouts and 22 walks.

Eric Sorenson ranked all the way up at #62 in his preseason Top 301...
http://www.collegebaseballtoday.com/2015...s-of-2015/

Quote:62- ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (35-21, 20-10)
Projected Conference USA Finish: 2nd
2014 ISR: 62

Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (15+inns.): 4

Kudos to pitching coach Josh Hopper, who coached his arms staff to a 2.87 team ERA last season. Very impressive. He’ll have weekenders in RHPs Alex Luna (7-1, 1.76) and Johnny Lieske (5-2, 2.69) returning. They also get RHP James Naile back, who sat out 2014 but went 7-2, 4.14 in 2013. Leading hitter RF Griffin Gum (.296, 11SBs) and CF Chase Davis (.278, 10SBs) hope to rejuvenate the offense. The left side of the infield is set with SS Adam Smith (.250) and 3B Nathan Vincent (.216), who both need to get their bats in gear.

So what I am reading here (thanks Walt) is that Rice should be expected to lineup each night with a heavy lefty lineup and average maybe 10 hits and three walks per game this weekend. Should there be any momentary glitches in the baseball owl defense, the pitcher's should not panic, as there are holes anticipated in the UAB lineup and while they don't hit into double plays, they do strike out somewhat frequently allowing them to work out of jams. UAB is a well coached club and while it seems they always play Rice tough, I believe they are on a current six game losing streak versus Rice. Interesting weekend. Rice is a .500 club on the road this year. Can Rice pitch this weekend? Can Rice push across some runs this weekend? First one to score four wins? I guess that is why they play the games.

(04-09-2015 06:58 PM)4GOwls Wrote:  Thanks as always Walt. I agree that we're in "must win" territory for the rest of the year. I just saw the D1Baseball mid-year projections with us as a #2 seed in a Dallas regional with DBU as the #1. They also had FAU as the automatic bid from CUSA. We need to nip this in the bud!

And last year at this time, Fitt and BA had Kentucky hosting. Everyone likes to pimp for new hosts and new conference champs.

Today's weather could be iffy (80 pct chance of heavy t-storms), but the rest of the weekend isn't predicted to be as bad in Birmingham. It's possible we don't play today and have a doubleheader tomorrow (?) but perhaps the rain tapers off some by tonight?

Here's the riceowls.com game notes...

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...15aaa.html

....as anticipated, Jordan Stephens has move up into the Saturday starter spot, with Blake moved back to Sundays....but from a couple Hallmark quotes in the Baseball America "Three Strikes" column earlier this week, it sounds like Jordan will remain on an 80-pitch pitch count for a couple more weeks. Certainly expect him to return to his Friday night ace slot by the time we return from Finals break.

(04-10-2015 07:34 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Here's the riceowls.com game notes...

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...15aaa.html

....as anticipated, Jordan Stephens has move up into the Saturday starter spot, with Blake moved back to Sundays....but from a couple Hallmark quotes in the Baseball America "Three Strikes" column earlier this week, it sounds like Jordan will remain on an 80-pitch pitch count for a couple more weeks. Certainly expect him to return to his Friday night ace slot by the time we return from Finals break.

Good luck tonight Owls.

Any news on Duplantier?

Looks like Birmingham is clear of rain for tonight's game...