Alabama baseball passed some milestones in last weekend’s win over Missouri. The Crimson Tide’s win in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader gave it 20 overall wins this season and five conference wins.
Alabama had 19 total wins and five conference wins in all of 2016, though the team did also tie a game against Vanderbilt. Players said the win on Saturday wasn’t lost on them.
“It was something you joke about,” third baseman Cobie Vance said. “It’s fun to joke about now. We’re going to try and get as many as we can.”
It was also the second straight weekend Alabama beat a ranked opponent after taking a home series against Kentucky previously. Alabama is among five SEC teams that are 5-7 in conference play after four weeks of play. The Crimson Tide would be in the conference tournament if it began today.
There are other obstacles to overcome before Alabama can look to Hoover. The team has lost three straight midweek games entering Tuesday night’s home game against UAB. The Blazers started that midweek skid when they beat Alabama 6-4 on March 20 in Birmingham. Junior pitcher Dylan Duarte said coach Brad Bohannon challenged the team to keep its focus for midweek games after last week’s 4-0 loss to Jacksonville State.
Midweek games were one more area where Alabama also struggled last season.
“For us, it was a tough year,” Duarte said. “From a wins and losses standpoint as well. This year, I don’t know if you all can see it, but we’re having a lot of fun out there. We’re having way more fun than we had last year, and I think that’s been a huge part of our team this year, letting loose, letting guys go and play. I think that’s part of why we’re doing well right now.”
