Former Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner after being drafted 9th overall by the New York Jets. (AP photo)
“The Process Realized, Nick Saban.” That was the signature on the “Not If, But When” posters released by UA as a promotion for its players on NFL Draft Day.
As it has in several NFL Drafts in the last four years, Alabama made history and made itself the first school to have players taken back-to-back-to-back in the first round. Cornerback Dee Milliner went No. 9 to the New York Jets, offensive guard Chance Warmack went No. 10 to the Tennessee Titans and offensive tackle D.J. Fluker went No. 11 to the San Diego Chargers.
Alabama head football coach Nick Saban likes where Milliner is headed, to a team that desperately needs him after trading away star cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Bucs.
“I think it is a great opportunity for Dee,” Saban said. “Rex Ryan does a lot of the same stuff that we do in terms of how they play in the secondary and what they do. I think Dee will fit right in, they do a lot of stuff, and he is a smart guy. I think it is a good fit for him.”
Fluker found a similarly-beneficial situation, going to the Chargers where he can contend immediately for a starting job.
“The run on tackles early on with three going in the first four picks, really helped D.J.,” Saban said. “It is great place for him to have that opportunity. San Diego is a good organization and a great place to live. I think he will do a really good job as well.”
Saban praised Warmack’s ability to fit into any situation and not hoping for a specific team to pick him up.
“Chance would have been a good player anywhere,” Saban said. “There aren’t many guys that are as powerful as he is, and plays with the kind of consistency that he plays with. I kind of knew those two guys were going to be picked right in there, and I was happy it happened that way. It is a great pick for Tennessee.”
Down two, bottom of the seventh. Two outs. Bases loaded, and the No. 9 hole hitter is at the plate for the Crimson Tide – true freshman Andrea Hawkins.
Showing savvy beyond her years, Hawkins drew one of two consecutive bases loaded walks that tied the game 2-2 going into extra-innings before LSU got a walk-off hit from Sandra Simmons that put Alabama down one game to none in the three-game series that will decide the SEC West Champion.
Alabama was held to just six hits in the eight-inning affair, with no member of the Tide posting a multi-hit game. Jackie Traina pitched all 7.2 innings for the Tide and allowed seven hits and three runs, all three earned. Alabama and LSU play again Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and the Tide has to win both to take the No. 1 seed in the SEC West division moving forward to the SEC Tournament.
I contributed a print story to The Anniston Star to preview the Crimson Tide softball team’s upcoming weekend series with the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. The Thursday night game will be televised on ESPN2.
——-
Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy has a distinct demeanor about him: fun-loving and funny when he is just around his players in the team lounge, but intimidatingly serious in practice and even more so in games.
His hijinks have both paved the way for a music video made by the team to go viral on the way to last season’s national championship and for a crowd of 4,002 and Saturday’s win over Mississippi State, a national attendance record for the sport, stand on their feet in a key moment.
There’s something about late April. He cracks. He is unable to keep himself from smiling when a serious situation is afoot.
Postseason softball.
“This is the time where it should be the most fun of the year for the student-athlete,” Murphy said. “They’re getting down to the nitty-gritty in academics, finals next week, and then they basically become a professional softball player. And that’s what they should want: at the end of the year, they get to focus on nothing but softball.”
With just six regular season games left, Murphy likes where his team is, actually on national championship pace.
“I told them the other day that we’re almost at the exact same spot that we were last year,” Murphy said. “I think we still have to eliminate a lot of walks, a lot of freebies, silly errors, just sloppy defense at times.”
The Tide bats are coming on with perfect timing, as Alabama has scored eight runs in five of its last six games, four of them being double-digit showings.
“I think this weekend when we run-ruled (Mississippi) State, everyone in the lineup had at least a hit or they walked once,” Murphy said. “That’s what we’re looking for. We don’t want one hole in the lineup where one person goes 0-4 and the person in front of her and behind her goes 2-3, because the offense stalls.
“I tried to relate it to them as the (football) team is driving down the field, they get to the 20, and AJ (McCarron) throws an interception. It stalls the offense, gives it right back to the other team.”
Coming with the higher stakes, hand-in-hand, is higher pressure. More weight on the shoulders of the players replacing six senior starters on last year’s team.
Of those six, three are freshmen: center fielder Haylie McCleney, right fielder Andrea Hawkins and first baseman Leona Lafaele, and another, catcher Molly Fichtner, is in her first season with the Tide after transferring.
“A lot of the upperclassmen, our seniors, are doing a good job,” Murphy said. “They’re kind of warning them what’s about to hit. It’s not going to be like, ‘Oh, we have another series coming up.’ No. It’s Regionals, Super Regionals, it’s the SEC Tournament. This is where it’s almost do-or-die time.”
One of those senior leaders, left fielder Kayla Braud, is going back to her experience being an underclassman in the postseason to lead her younger players through it in her final go-around.
She’s also not above stealing from those before her, either.
“Cassie Reilly-Boccia, when she was a senior, she said she wanted to give as much knowledge as she possibly could, and I look at it the same way,” Braud said. “I trust them to step in and do what they know they need to do, they’ve been playing softball all of their lives. At the same time, I want them to not make the same few mistakes that I did, so I’m going to be there to help them.”
Murphy added, “They just need to play like they have all year. It might be the SEC Tournament, it might be LSU-Alabama, but it’s still the same game. No need to press, no need to do anything different.”
Guard Trevor Lacey had his request for release from scholarship granted and will transfer away from the Tide. (AP photo)
A statement from the University of Alabama confirmed that Alabama men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant allowed sophomore guard Trevor Lacey a release from his scholarship with his intent to transfer elsewhere.
“I enjoyed having the opportunity to coach Trevor for the two years he was here,” Grant said. “We certainly wish him the best of luck as he continues to pursue his education and his basketball career.”
Lacey said his decision to leave the Crimson Tide for other opportunities was a, “family decision.”
“This definitely was not an easy decision to make,” Lacey said. “It’s been great at Alabama during my two years. It was tough my freshman year coming off surgery and having to work my way back. I wanted to improve during my sophomore season and I thought I did that.
“I want to thank the coaches and staff, my teammates and all the fans for their support.”
Lacey averaged 11.3 points per game as a sophomore last season, with 3.8 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game and 1.4 steals per game.
In the two years that Lacey was with the Crimson Tide, he led the team in the following stats over that span:
– Three-point shots attempted (269)
– Three-point shots made (93)
– Assists (174)
– 2nd in points (646)*
– 2nd in field goals attenpted (535)*
– 2nd in field goals made (214)*
The Crimson team ended the first quarter rather evenly with the White team on the offensive end, statistically. The two teams were only separated by 42 seconds in time of possession and nine yards in total rushing.
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. And both Crimson possessions in the first quarter ended with interceptions by safety Nick Perry, including one on the goal line.
Perry ended the day with three tackles, one for a loss, and his two interceptions that he returned for 42 yards.
“I think my day went pretty well,” Perry said. “I had a couple of big plays in the first quarter but I’m kind of disappointed in myself. I slowed down the three quarters after that. I really don’t think the game should have been that close.”
Picking off two of the four passes the White team intercepted on A-Day will surely give Perry a boost in his stock as the potential replacement for Robert Lester as the starting safety.
“Yeah, I’m trying to get a little momentum going in the summer and fall camp,” Perry said. “This is my last go-round so I’m trying to make the most of it.”
Perry’s performance was also honored with a rare “job well done,” from head coach Nick Saban.
“Very seldom he says that. But when he does, it makes your day a lot better,” Perry said.
AJ McCarron (White): 19-30, 223, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions.
Alec Morris (Crimson): 10-18, 141 yards, no TDs, no INTs
Blake Sims (Crimson): 5-10, 52 yards, no TDs, 2 INTs
Luke Del Rio (Crimson): 2-3, 38 yards, no TDs, no INTs
Parker McLeod (White): 1-2, 19 yards, no TDs, no INTs
Phillip Ely (White): 2-4, 8 yards, no TDs, no INTs
Cooper Bateman (Crimson): 1-3, 3 yards, no TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing
T.J. Yeldon (White): 15 carries, 69 yards, 1 touchdown
Kenyan Drake (Crimson): 8 carries, 33 yards
Trey Roberts (White/Crimson): 6 carries, 23 yards
Blake Sims: 3 carries, 7 yards
AJ McCarron: 2 carries, 3 yards
Cooper Bateman: 1 carry, 2 yards
Dee Hart: 2 carries, -1 yard
C.J. Mosley (Crimson): 9 tackles, 0.5 for a loss, 1 fumble recovery
Tana Patrick (Crimson): 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble
HaHa Clinton-Dix (Crimson): 6 tackles, 1 pass break-up, 1 fumble recovery returned for 55 yards
Landon Collins (White): 5 tackles, 1 interception returned for 28 yards
Ed Stinson (Crimson): 5 tackles
OTHER NOTABLES
Dillon Lee (White): 4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass break-ups
Deion Belue (Crimson): 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 pass break-ups
Nick Perry (White): 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 interceptions returned for 42 yards, 1 pass break-up
Vinnie Sunseri (Crimson): 3 tackles, 0.5 for a loss, 1 interception returned for 86 yards and a touchdown
Dalvin Tomlinson (White): 2 tackles, 1 sack/tackle for loss
Kicking
Cade Foster
– Field Goal: 1-1, 29 yards
– Extra Points: 2-2
– Kickoffs: 4 for 260 yards (65 yards per kick), 1 touchback
Adam Griffith
– Field Goal: 0-0
– Extra Points: 2-2
– Kickoffs: 2 for 130 yards (65 yards per kick), 1 touchback
Punting
Cody Mandell: 7 punts, 236 yards (33.7 per punt), long of 62, 3 inside the 20
Worth Gregory: 1 punt for 26 yards
Scoring Plays
12:05, 1st Quarter, White Team: AJ McCarron to Kenny Bell for 40 yards. 7-0 White.
7:09, 1st Quarter, White Team: Cade Foster 29 yard field goal. 10-0 White.
0:00, 2nd Quarter, Crimson Team: Vinnie Sunseri returns an interception for 86 yards and a touchdown. 10-7, White.
2:01, 4th Quarter, Crimson Team: HaHa Clinton-Dix returned a recovered fumble for 55 yards and a touchdown. 14-10 Crimson.
1:04, 4th Quarter, White Team: T.J. Yeldon runs for 7 yards. 17-14 White.
Bryant-Denny Stadium while the players warmup for the 2013 A-Day game. (Copyright photo by Brett Hudson)
Here is your home for 2013 A-Day updates, as this post will be updated constantly during the game.
**NOTE: The Live Post will end after the third quarter for on-field access. Photos and video from on-field time to come with postgame coverage here on Daily Bama Blog.
Third Quarter
The third quarter ends without a score. White 10, Crimson 7.
2:56. Not a good day to be a reserve quarterback. Parker McLeod comes in for first snap as the White team’s QB, fumbles the snap. He does recover it, however.
3:23.
First snap after being subbed in, Cooper Bateman throws his first pass attempt and gets picked off by Tyler Owens. #ADay
6:32. Del Rio hits running back Trey Roberts for a 31-yard pass on a dump-off, puts the Crimson offense around the 50.
8:08. Luke Del Rio misses on his first pass attempt for the Crimson team. He’s the last of the four Crimson quarterbacks to enter the game (Bateman came in for one snap).
Crimson Stats
– 25 plays, 147 yards
– Kenyan Drake: 5 carries, 24 yards; 2 catches, 12 yards
– Raheem Falkins: 2 catches, 40 yards
– Chris Black: 2 catches, 15 yards
– Blake Sims: 4-6, 40 yards, no touchdowns, 2 interceptions
– Alec Morris: 4-7, 29 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions
– Time of Possession: 12:39
Second Quarter
0:00. Vinnie Sunseri catches a bobbled pass and returns 86 yards for a touchdown. HALFTIME: White 10, Crimson 7.
0:16. AJ McCarron leading a little bit of a last-second drive here, might get in field goal range with a another good play.
3:18. AJ McCarron overthrows Amari Cooper and has it intercepted by HaHa Clinton-Dix. Clinton-Dix returns it 50- or 60-something yards for a touchdown, but it’s called back by an offsides call on Ed Stinson.
Update on the man injured on the play:
Doyle Shaw, the play clock operator, was the one who was knocked down by Landon Collins on that play. Medical staff attending to him.
3:33. Alec Morris throw to the sidelines is jumped and picked off by Landon Collins. Collins returned it for 28 yards, then was pushed out-of-bounds into a person on the sidelines. Pretty hard contact. The person is receiving medial attention, being taken off on a stretcher.
4:01. Bateman lasted just one play. False start called and Alec Morris came back in. His first play, completed a pass to freshman tight end O.J. Howard.
4:37. Things getting sloppy now. Kenny Bell catches a pass and tries to make more of it, has the ball poked out and recovered by C.J. Mosley. Cooper Bateman in at QB for Crimson team.
6:20. Well, there goes that. A not-so-great exchange from Morris to Kenyan Drake turns the ball over to the White team. Dillon Lee recovered the fumble on the 25-yard line.
6:54. Alec Morris continues his impressive first drive of action with a 36-yard completion to DeAndrew White. First down, Crimson.
9:35. Nice punt from Cody Mandell flips the field, announced as a 58-yarder. Alec Morris enters as the new QB for the Crimson team, Phillip Ely in for the White team.
First Quarter
White 10, Crimson 0
White Stats:
– 11 plays, 100 yards
– T.J. Yeldon: 4 carries, 20 yards
– Kenny Bell: 2 catches, 63 yards, 1 touchdown
– AJ McCarron: 5-6, 89 yards, 1 touchdown, no interceptions
2:40. Another Blake Sims interception right on the goal line to Nick Perry (again) sends the Bryant-Denny into silence. Probably don’t like what they see. White ball, inside the 1-yard line.
3:12. First Raheem Falkins sighting of the game with a easy drag route turned into a 31-yard play and a first down. First time the Crimson offense has been in White territory all game.
7:09. FIELD GOAL, WHITE. McCarron was sacked by Ed Stinson and forced a 29-yard field goal from Cade Foster. That will surely be good for his resume when making his case to be Jeremy Shelley’s replacement. White 10, Crimson 0.
9:34. Blake Sims under pressure, threw a highly questionable pass that was intercepted by Nick Perry and returned to the redzone. White team sitting pretty.
12:05. TOUCHDOWN, WHITE. Again, welcome back, Kenny Bell. Bell follows up his 23-yard catch by catching a 40-yard touchdown pass from McCarron. White 7, Crimson 0. Scoring drive only took 2:55.
12:48. Welcome back, Kenny Bell. Bell catches a 23-yard pass from McCarron for a first down.
The first play of the game was a AJ McCarron hand-off to T.J. Yeldon that would have gone for a first down, but was called back by a holding call on Christion Jones. We’re underway.
The JumboTron here in Bryant-Denny Stadium has spotted the following former players: D.J. Fluker, Julio Jones, Eddie Lacy and Mark Ingram.
Pregame
Running back Dee Hart is not wearing a noncontact black jersey for the first time this spring, fully dressed out in his white jersey. Hart is running drills with the rest of the running backs and looks good doing it.
The players that are in the noncontact black jerseys (other than all of the quarterbacks) are: linebacker C.J. Mosley (shoulder), cornerback John Fulton (toe) and running back Jalston Fowler (knee).
Wide receiver Kevin Norwood is walking around, off crutches, in windpants. The press box is way too high for me to see if he has a boot over his toe. Also not in pads is defensive lineman Wilson Love (concussion).
This post will be constantly updated during Alabama’s appearance in the national semifinals hosted by UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif. The Tide will be competing against the following schools: UCLA, Arkansas, Michigan, Oklahoma and Utah. The top three of those six schools will advance to Saturday’s finals, where the top three from the first heat (Florida, LSU and Georgia) will make for a pool of six teams vying for a national championship.
You can hear Rich Robinson and Leesa Davis call the action on 90.7 WVUA-FM by clicking here. The live stream can be heard on mobile devices via the TuneIn app (search 90.7 WVUA-FM after downloading the app.
Rotation Six
Alabama punched its ticket to the Super 6 with a 49.350 on the vault to make for a final score of 197.350. Alabama’s 49.350 on vault was added to a 49.275 on uneven bars, 49.275 on balance beam and 49.450 on floor exercise.
Alabama will face Florida, Georgia, LSU, UCLA and Oklahoma in the Super 6 tomorrow.
Alabama in the Individual Awards:
– Vault: Lauren Beers, Kaitlyn Clark and Diandra Milliner all tied for 3rd with 9.900s.
– Uneven Bars: Tied for 5th was Ashley Priess with a 9.900.
– Balance Beam: Kayla Williams’ 9.900 tied for 1st with Danusia Francis of UCLA.
– Floor Exercise: Diandra Milliner’s 9.95 tied for 1st with Arkansas’ Katherine Grable and UCLA’s Olivia Courtney.
– All-Around: The 39.425 from Kim Jacob was the best from the Tide, finishing tied for 5th.
Rotation Five
Alabama took to the floor exercise for its third of four events in Rotation Five. Here are the individual scores.
Milliner’s 9.95 is tied with UCLA’s Olivia Courtney for the best score of the meet on the floor.
Here are the team scores with just one event left: Oklahoma 197.200, Michigan 196.850. For those with one event left: UCLA 148.025, Alabama 148.000, Utah 147.975, Arkansas 146.875.
Alabama’s situation going into the final event is as follows:
– Alabama needs a 48.85 on vault to pass Michigan, 49.2 to pass Oklahoma. A 49.2 on the vault would put Alabama ahead of Michigan, Oklahoma and Arkansas, thus in the top 3 and in tomorrow’s national championship meet.
– Alabama could also score something in between a 49.2 and 48.85 and get into the top three as long as Alabama’s score on floor exercise is more than .025 greater than UCLA’s score on uneven bars.
Rotation Four
Alabama took a bye before going to the floor exercise for Rotation Five.
Here are the team scores through Rotation Four: Oklahoma 148.050, UCLA 148.025, Michigan 147.575 and Arkansas 146.875. For those through two events: Alabama and Utah 98.500.
Rotation Three
Through three rotations, Alabama is the only team score 9.8 or better for every routine.
Here are the individual scores from Alabama’s 49.275 on the balance beam.
Diandra Milliner: 9.850
Kaitlyn Clark: 9.800
Kayla Williams: 9.900
Sarah DeMeo: 9.850
Kim Jacob: 9.850
Ashley Priess: 9.825
Kayla Williams’ 9.900 on the balance beam is currently tied for the best score of the meet with UCLA’s Danusia Francis.
Alabama has now scored 49.275 on both of its first two events: uneven bars and balance beam.
Here are the cumulative standings through three rotations (all teams have taken one bye and competed in two events): Oklahoma and Alabama 98.500, Utah 98.525, Utah 98.500, Michigan 98.175, Arkansas 97.875.
For Rotation Four, Alabama will take a bye before going to the floor exercise for Rotation Five.
Reminder: the top three advance, so halfway through, Alabama looks good to move on to the national championship meet tomorrow.
Rotation Two
Alabama scored a 49.275 on the uneven bars, its first event of the night. Here are the individual scores.
Becca Alexin: 9.800
Kaitlyn Clark: 9.850
Kim Jacob: 9.875
Sarah DeMeo: 9.850
Ashley Priess: 9.900
Ashley Sledge: 9.800
Priess’ 9.900 on the uneven bars is tied for 1st on the meet with two Michigan gymnasts: Katie Zurales and Brittnee Martinez.
Team Standings through Rotation Two: Oklahoma 98.550, Michigan 98.175 for teams through two events. For teams through one: Utah 49.300, Alabama 49.275, UCLA 49.075, Arkansas 48.975.
Alabama moves to the balance beam for Rotation Three.
Rotation One
Alabama has a bye, as does Utah, and will start competition in the next rotation on the balance beam.
Standings through Rotation One: Michigan 49.400, Oklahoma 49.275, UCLA 49.075, Arkansas 48.975, Utah and Alabama 0.
The baseball segment of the Southeastern Conference never lets up. And Alabama knows it all too well.
The Crimson Tide started the SEC schedule with a 7-2 record….then came the buzzsaw. Meetings with No. 9 Arkansas and No. 18 Ole Miss have pushed the conference record down to 8-7 before a three-game series with the No. 2 LSU Tigers this weekend.
“They’re really good in all phases of the game,” Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “Offensively, for most of the year, their top six hitters have been really locked in and now they’ve got some guys that are swinging the bat well in the bottom half right now.
“It’s a well-built team in all areas.”
Gaspard did find one bat to isolate in the LSU lineup, however, which features five everyday players batting over .300, two over .400.
“The key guy for them right now is (Alex) Bregman, he’s having a phenomenal year as a freshman,” Gaspard said of the shortstop currently batting .424 with a team-high 10 doubles. “We’ve had an opportunity to see him, he’s a really good player.”
“It’s a real challenge for a pitching staff. You have to make quality pitches. You can’t give them anything easy, you have to play the field really well.”
The Alabama offense is making adjustments to try to meet that standard, making a change in lead-off hitter from freshman center fielder Georgie Salem to senior third baseman Kenny Roberts.
“Even with the offensive struggles last weekend, I think we put ourselves in a position to score some runs,” Gaspard said. “I think Kenny helped us out with that, hellping create offense early in the game and I think Georgie is more comfortable in that 2 spot.”
It did force the senior into an awkward situation when Gaspard approached him about moving up in the order.
“My heart dropped a little bit, because I’ve never done it,” Roberts said. “It kind of got me out of my comfort zone.
“I’ve never hit lead-off, and I’m still learning. I’m talking to guys who have hit lead-off before.”
But Roberts’ performance in the leadoff role has been established, qualitatively.
“He’s giving us quality at-bats,” Gaspard said. “He’s had some long at-bats, he does a great job of hitting with two strikes and he may be hitting the ooudest .265 in the league, he’s had a lot of hard contact he hasn’t been rewarded for.”
Roberts joked, “That sounds about right, I can agree with that. It’s frustrating, but I can’t let it affect how I play.”
The recent conference losses could have an effect, however, on the team’s mindset approaching a key home series.
“It’s imperative that we come out and fight and compete,” Roberts said. “I think there were times last weekend where we didn’t compete, so I think it’s important we come out and compete and play hard.”
Gaspard added, “We need to play with energy and get a few good things to happen to us so we can get some momentum on our side and try to ride that as long as we can.”
While wins and losses will eventually be the judge of the team, Gaspard does not want his team looking beyond game one of the series.
“Our team has done a good job of this, you have to play one game at a time, one pitch at a time,” Gaspard said. “I think that’s the only way you have success.”
Cory Whitsett is swinging the hottest club for the Crimson Tide men’s golf team moving towards the SEC Championship Tournament. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)
Alabama men’s golf knows a thing or two about peaking at the right moment: after winning the SEC Championship last season, it went on all the way to the national championship round of match play before finishing as the national runners-up.
Now on a three-tournament win streak and won four of the last five, Alabama just hopes it has not reached that point too early before the postseason.
“I hope not,” Alabama men’s golf coach Jay Seawell said. “We want to be good everyday.
“I’m proud of the guys. We haven’t settled, we haven’t taken a day off, I’m proud of how we committed. They’re a very hungry team.”
Back to old form
Of the three-straight team tournament wins, two of them were also claimed by an individual member of the Tide, both going to Cory Whitsett. Whitsett, a junior from Houston, Texas, is not surprising anyone with his recent success, but is just getting close to realizing his potential.
“He came here as a great player,” Seawell said. “He had a little bit of a setback before he came here, he had a stress fracture in his back and didn’t play golf for about eight months before he came to school. It was just a process to get him fully back and confident.
“Just like Tiger on TV, it’s taken a little time to get him what we call ‘back.’”
Whitsett’s improvement was no surprise to him, either.
“No, I think it’s just the level of improvement I’ve wanted to see since I’ve come to Alabama,” Whitsett said. “Coach Seawell and the staff understand what I need to do to play my best golf, and I think my results this semester have shown that.”
How he started his comeback may be unorthodox, however. Whitsett did not take on a new practice technique or even make a drastic swing change: he just did what he came to college to do.
“I tried to play more,” Whitsett. “Coach Bradley loves playing and all the guys love playing, so any opportunity I get I try to get out on the golf course.
“When I’ve been practicing, I’ve been working on shaping shots and really getting rid of any technical thought.”
His teammates are enjoying just watching him work his way around the links.
“He’s just Cory, he’s just a great player,” sophomore Justin Thomas said. “I don’t even consider him on-fire, he’s just being him. I think he’s finally in the right place mentally.”
Seawell added, “I truly believe he is as good as he’s ever been and it’s fun to watch.”
Staying away from sophomore slump
Few things impressed Seawell more than Justin Thomas as a freshman, taking National Player of the Year honors after winning the SEC Individual Championship.
Even more impressive, how Thomas has handled that load going into this season.
“That’s a big burden, to have to be the Player of the Year and carry it into next year,” Seawell said. “I’m really proud of how he’s handled that: won a couple of times already, on par to be a All-American.
“Maybe hasn’t made the putts that he made last year consistently like he did last year, but still doing a great job on- and off-the-course for us.”
Sopomore Justin Thomas of Goshen, Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)
Thomas said, despite the praise from his head coach, his season has not been as good as he had hoped it would be after his freshman campiagn. But now is the time to turn things around.
“We’re getting down to that crunch time where we’re trying to make a great year out of a good year,” Thomas said.
“It truly decides the champion”
At all levels of golf, the best players do not always win. Often, as it never does in football or basketball, the playing field favors certain teams or competitors.
The home of the SEC Tournament, Seaside Golf Course in Seaside, Ga., might be immune from this: it will be equally difficult for all teams.
“Sea Island is a great golf course,” Seawell said. “All 10 years I’ve been there, the best team has won. It truly decides the champion. The team that’s the most confident usually wins.”
The weather, even more out of the players’ control, may have more affect than the course itself.
“If the weather is good and it’s not breezy, it’s a very gettable golf course,” Whitsett said. “But it’s all at the mercy of the wind. If the wins blows, it’s very difficult.”
High expectations barely begin to describe the standard Alabama women’s golf coach Mic Potter has for his team, even after coming off of a national championship last year.
“On Sunday, at Arizona State this past week, that’s kind of what I have in mind when I watch this team play in terms of ballstriking, short game and scoring. That’s what we’re capable of,” Potter said on the 11-under par Sunday the team put together to take away the PING/ASU Invitational.
The 11-under par performance was the second-lowest team score in school history and was enough to overcome a four-stroke deficit going into the final day of the tournament.
Now as the team moves on to the SEC Championship Tournament at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., Friday through Sunday, Potter’s focus is on recreating that performance and letting the winning take care of itself.
“In terms of winning and losing, I try to keep those expectations off of them,” Potter said. “I think it’s about playing to our standard everyday. We’ve got a great team, we’ve got a lot of talented players: but if they don’t play well, it doesn’t matter. The focus has to be on us playing well.”
Freshman phenom
A large part of Alabama’s surge to find its stride near the end of the season came from frehsman Emma Talley, who won her first collegiate tournament as an individual in the PING/ASU Invitational with a 9-under par tournament.
Hannah Collier after winning medalist honors at the PING/ASU Invitational. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)
“Emma’s a girl that someone never did in Junior Golf Association history and that’s win four consecutive tournaments,” Potter said. “That’s neither boy or girl, and we’re talking about some of the greatest players to ever come out of the United States in a long time.”
Talley’s rise to the top was equally predictable to those that were around her in her youth, including fellow Kentucky native Justin Thomas, a sophomore on the Alabama men’s golf team.
“I’m surprised it took her this long, honestly,” Thomas said. “She dominated junior golf and amateur golf, so I’m just happy to have her here, someone else from Kentucky with me.
“I’ve known her for a long time. Somehow she always claims I’m her little brother when I’m older than her, but I always called her my little sister. She’s a really good friend of mine, her and her family. I knew right away where she was going, she was going to come here, and I’m glad to see her doing well.”
When Talley heard Thomas’ remarks, she was quick to cast them off.
“I know Justin thought that because he won so many times as a freshman,” Talley said. “I struggled in the fall, but Coach worked really hard with me and everything finally came together.”
But as the postseason comes, Potter recognizes Talley is more than the average freshman.
“If you can make the cut at the U.S. Open, you can play college golf,” he said. “We all knew, it was just a matter of time before she started winning tournaments.”
Home course advantage
Now that two new additions to the Southeastern Conference have it expanding over 11 states.
For the SEC Tournament, Alabama does not have that worry, as Greystone is in nearby Birmingham, Ala.
“Any time you can not have to travel very far, it’s an advantage,” Potter said. “For us, this is a home tournament. The next closest place we play is Athens (Ga.), I think, so this is a chance for our fans to come out and support us.”
It’s also got a home flavor to it, as junior Hannah Collier claims it as her home course as a Birmingham native. Since Collier’s family holds a membership at Greystone, she is not restricted from playing there during the year like other SEC golfers are.
“I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in the SEC that gets to play there throughout the past year because we’re members out there,” Collier said. Whenever I get a free weekend or a day off, I like to go down there and play.
“It’s pretty awesome. There are so many great courses around the Southeast, and I got pretty lucky that Greystone ended up being the choice. It’s exciting.”
Excitement will soon be taken over by the challenge of Greystone.
“I don’t think it’s very narrow, but if they get the greens going, it can be pretty tricky,” Collier said. “I think it will be a true test to all of the golfers.”
Potter added, “The speed of the greens, you have to be on your toes, you have to be careful. We feel more comfortable there than any other team and Hannah feels more comfortable there than any individual player.”
Potter hopes Collier’s comfort converts to low scores for the Tide in the SEC Championship Tournament.
She’s got to have a comfort level on every tee, on every approach shot to every green her feel for the greens,” Potter said. “The question is, do you feel too much pressure playing on your home course, and my guess would be no, because Hannah doesn’t seem to feel too much pressure any time.”
Alabama bat-and-ball sports took Tuesday seriously, combining to go 2-0 with a combined score of 18-4, as the Alabama softball team beat Southern Miss 11-0 in a mercy-rule decision and the baseball team beat UAB 7-4.
The baseball team got another strong midweek start from walk-on Mike Oczypok, throwing six innings and giving up five hits and one run. Oczypok’s record improved to 3-0 with the win while Jay Shaw go this fist save with a 1.2 inning appearance in which he gave up just one hit.
Alabama catcher Ben Moore had a nice night at the plate, ripping a two-RBI double in the first inning then a RBI triple in the third. Right fielder Andrew Miller also had a multi-hit game, going 2-4 from the plate with one RBI.
It was a bench-clearing night for the Crimson Tide softball team, as all but one player saw the field in the 4.5 innings of action.
Offensively, the Tide did it with both speed and power. Alabama stole three bases, including one by left fielder Kayla Braud, who went 2-2 from the plate and worked around the bases to score a run both times.
The power came from the bats of catcher Jordan Patterson and first baseman Jadyn Spencer, both hitting deep balls in the bottom of the 4th to extend Alabama’s lead to the final 11-0 margin.
Both teams will stay at home for the weekend to capitalize on the crowds in Tuscaloosa for A-Day. The baseball team hosts Texas A&M in a three-game series starting on Friday and the softball team will do the same against Mississippi State.
Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kirby Smart observes as Reggie Ragland goes through a drill in Tuesday’s practice. (Copyright photo by Brett Hudson)
To start off the final week of spring practice before A-Day, the Crimson Tide practiced outdoors in full pads. This was also the first Tuesday practice of the spring schedule, as Alabama moved from its normal Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule to Tuesday-Thursday so the players are fresh for A-Day.
Here’s the news.
– Injured cornerback John Fulton was off the exercise bike today, but not doing light running like he has before. Instead, he was alongside his fellow defensive backs on the practice field for drills. I did not notice Fulton doing any drills, but he seems to be getting closer to practicing. Linebacker Trey Depriest and wide receiver Kevin Norwood were still on the exercise bike.
– I was unable to spot running back Derrick Henry at practice today. That does not mean that he was without a doubt absent, but it is a possibility since he has just recently had surgery on his broken leg. Plus, I like to think my eyes are not bad to the point that I would miss a character like Henry walking around.
– The quarterback rotation is still hidden for the time being. Clearly, AJ McCarron is the front runner, but behind him remains a clouded mess. It appears that Blake Sims, Phillip Ely and Alec Morris are battling for the No. 2 spot behind McCarron while the freshmen: Cooper Bateman, Parker McLeod and Luke Del Rio are trying to separate themselves from the pack for the future.
– Former linebacker Nico Johnson was in town to observe practice. Johnson has recently been working out in hopes of being taken in next week’s NFL Draft.
Senior outfielder Kayla Braud laying down a bunt in the three-game series against Missouri last weekend. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)
Each week for the duration of the Alabama baseball and softball seasons, Daily Bama Blog contributor Brett Hudson will track outstanding individual performances with the Star Series. Three players from each team will get 1-star, 2-stars and 3-stars with a running season tally.
Baseball
Alabama compiled a 2-3 week, sweeping two midweek games with Alcorn State on Tuesday and Wednesday, 3-2 and 7-3. Alabama was then swept in a three-game series against the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Miss., and Swazye Field: 6-0, 5-2 and 4-3 (11 innings).
3-Star Player: Second baseman Kyle Overstreet. Overstreet led the team in most hitting categories, including the following: hits (six), doubles (one), RBI (four), total bases (seven) and slugging percentage (.368 on a .316 batting average). Overstreet also had 16 putouts and 15 assists without an assist.
2-Star Player: Pitcher Mike Oczypok. Oczypok, a walk-on, had one apperance in the week: a five-inning start on Wednesday where he walked just one batter and did not giev up a hit. Oczypok struck out one batter and mproved his record on the year to 2-0 with an opposing batting average of .205 on the season.
1-Star Player: Third baseman Kenny Roberts. Roberts went 4-18 from the plate (.222) and led the team with three runs scored. Roberts also added two RBI and sported an on-base percentage of .364 while not committing an error in the five games.
Season Tally:
Ben Moore: 6 stars
Spencer Turnbull: 6 stars
Kyle Overstreet: 6 stars
Austen Smith: 5 stars
Brett Booth: 4 stars
Charley Sullivan: 4 stars
Georgie Salem: 4 stars
Kenny Roberts: 4 stars
Cary Baxter: 3 stars
Ray Castillo: 3 stars
Mikey White: 2 stars
Jon Keller: 2 stars
Mike Oczypok: 2 stars
Andrew Miller: 2 stars
Jake Hubbard: 1 star
Softball
The Crimson Tide had a rare weekend off, only playing two games this week and winning both of them. Alabama had to battle hard with Mississippi Valley State in a 8-5 win on Tuesday before rebounding to beat UAB 11-0 in six innings the next day.
3-Star Player: Catcher Molly Fichtner. Fichtner wins the three stars for the second week in-a-row after leading the team in the week’s two games with five hits. Fichtner batted in three runs and finished the two-game stretch with a batting average of .833.
2-Star Player: Left fielder Kayla Braud. Braud went 4-8 from the plate while scoring two runs in the two games. Braud also had a double.
1-Star Player: Center fielder Haylie McCleney. McCleney, in addition to stealing two bases without being caught, reached base in all but one of her plate appearances in two games, with three hits and four walks.
