Alabama baseball set to start NCAA Tallahassee Regional play vs. UCF

Alabama baseball’s run in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional begins on Friday as the second-seeded Crimson Tide squares off with No. 3 seed UCF at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University. First pitch between the Tide and Knights is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT with the game airing on ESPN+.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow the Regional via the below outlets:

Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchup

FRIDAY: UA – Greg Farone (Sr., LHP) vs. UCF – Dom Stagliano (Jr., RHP)

Leading Off

• Alabama and UCF will meet for the 13th time overall when the two teams square off on Friday to open NCAA Tallahassee Regional play. The two teams are even at 6-6 in the previous pairings with UA owning a slight 2-1 advantage at neutral sites, including a 2-0 mark in Regional play.

• The Crimson Tide and Golden Knights last met as part of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional on June 3 and 5 of 2011. The Tide earned a 5-3 win in the first pairing before eliminating UCF from Regional play with a 12-5 victory two days later.

About Alabama

• Alabama opens NCAA Regional play with a 1-3 mark over the last four games. The Crimson Tide fell to South Carolina in last Tuesday’s opening round of the SEC Tournament. The loss to the Gamecocks followed a three-game series in Auburn where the Tide went 1-2 against the Tigers.

• The Crimson Tide dropped its opening game of the SEC Tournament, 10-5, to South Carolina last Tuesday in Hoover.

• Alabama was first to score in Hoover, plating three runs over the first two innings. SC then responded and never looked back, posting a six-run third to gain the advantage for good.

• UA cut the lead to one with a two-run fourth but would get no closer as the Gamecocks plated single runs in the fifth and eighth to go with a two-run sixth for the 10-5 final.

• A pitchers’ duel went in favor of Auburn, 4-2, in last Thursday’s series opener at Plainsman Park.

• The low-scoring affair saw the Tigers plate single runs in the first and third before Alabama got on the board with a run in the fourth. The Tigers added one more in the sixth but were countered by a Tide run in the seventh. A solo homer in the AU eighth moved the lead to 4-2, the eventual final.

• Greg Farone suffered the loss despite another solid start in the series opener, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.

• Alabama battled back late at Auburn in Friday’s contest but was unable to complete the comeback in a 12-11 loss.

• The Tide scored one apiece in the first and fourth innings, but the Tigers were able to take the lead with a six-run fourth followed by a six-run fifth to make it a 12-2 affair.

• In the seventh, the Crimson Tide was down to its final out before an AU error kept the game alive. That error proved costly, opening the door for a late comeback attempt by Alabama. The Tide plated four in the seventh and added four more in the eighth to make it a two-run ballgame entering the ninth. In the ninth, Alabama was able to score one and had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but a strikeout ended things at 12-11.

• Alabama earned a 12-5 win over Auburn on Saturday evening in the regular season finale.

• The game began at 5 p.m. CT and lasted over six hours due to a 2:36 weather delay that began in the top of the ninth. Despite the wait, the Crimson Tide was able to finish off the Tigers and earn the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament.

• Both teams got on the board with single tallies in the first before the Tigers built a 4-1 advantage after four innings of play with one run in the second and two in the fourth.

• Alabama tied it up with a three-run fourth and regained the lead with a four-spot in the sixth. Auburn countered for one in the seventh but would get no closer as the Tide widened the gap with four runs in the ninth prior to the delay, highlighted by a three-run homer from Ian Petrutz.

• All nine starters recorded at least one hit on Saturday, led by a 4-for-6 showing from Gage Miller that included a double, five RBI and three runs scored. Will Hodo matched Miller with three runs, part of his 2-for-4 effort with a walk, while Petrutz finished 1-for-1 with the homer, three RBI, two runs, three walks and a hit by pitch.

• Ben Hess earned the win in the finale thanks to another solid start. The junior allowed five runs (three earned) on 10 hits with no walks and nine strikeouts across a career-high tying 6.2 innings of work. He was followed by the tandem of Alton Davis II and Braylon Myers, who tossed 2.1 scoreless frames with one hit and two strikeouts.

About UCF

• Rich Wallace is in his first season overall as a collegiate head coach in 2024. He took the reins at his alma mater following a one-year stint as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State in 2023. Prior to his time with the Seminoles, Wallace was on Notre Dame’s staff from 2020-22. A 2004 graduate of UCF, Wallace is joined on staff by assistants by Norberto Lopez, Drew Thomas and Ted Tom.

• The Golden Knights enter NCAA Regional action with a 35-19 overall record, including a 14-15 mark in league play. Central Florida travels to Tallahassee following a 2-1 showing in the Big 12 Tournament where they were eliminated by eventual tournament champions Oklahoma State in the semifinal round.

• UCF was selected to finish 10th in the Big 12 in the league’s preseason poll, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches.

NCAA Regionals Once Again

• Alabama will be appearing in its 27th NCAA Regional in program history when the Crimson Tide squares off with UCF to begin its run in the Tallahassee Regional on Friday evening.

• The Crimson Tide is 60-37 (.619) all-time in NCAA Regional action and is participating in back-to-back Regionals for the first time since 2013-14. It will also be UA’s fifth appearance in the Tallahassee Regional (1991, 2011, 2013, 2014).

• Alabama has claimed eight Regional Championships in program history, including titles in 1950, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2006 and 2010 along with last season’s Tuscaloosa Regional crown.

• The Crimson Tide owns a 6-6 all-time mark against UCF overall, including a 2-1 record in neutral site/postseason games. Alabama is also 3-7 against Florida State (1-2 neutral) and 4-2 in matchups with Stetson.

How We Got Here

• The Crimson Tide earned an NCAA Regional bid and the No. 2 seed in Tallahassee after finishing with a 33-22 overall record, including a 13-17 mark in Southeastern Conference play.

• Alabama entered selection Monday with an RPI of 24 by all major sites and the No. 8 strength of schedule. The Tide also owned a 21 DSR rating and the No. 22 KPI ranking.

• UA led all Division I programs with 35 Quad 1 RPI games played and tied for the fifth-most Quad 1 wins in the country. The Tide trailed only Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Mississippi State while tying with South Carolina at 15.

• Alabama entered the NCAA’s postseason with 16 wins against RPI top-56 programs, including 10 against the RPI top-25 and five against the top-five RPI teams. The Tide also played five series against RPI top-six teams (2-3 in those series) and seven total series against teams in the RPI top-25 (4-3 in those series).

• During the regular season, Alabama played 12 of the 63 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament field, including weekend series with five of the 16 host teams.

• UA enters NCAA Regional play with a 20-5 mark in non-conference pairings, highlighted by wins over then-No. 21 Indiana and PAC-12 Champion Arizona in the Frisco Classic as well as a victory at then-No. 21 Troy.

On Deck

With a win, the Crimson Tide will square off with the winner of the morning session between Stetson and eighth-ranked Florida State at 4 p.m. on Saturday. A loss would pit the Tide against the loser between the Hatters and Seminoles at 11 a.m.

*** This information was acquired from a recent press release from Alabama Athletics. 

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $1! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!