Getting Coach Todd Butler back to Bama from McNeese State was what we have been missing lately. Bama's recruiting fell off greatly when Coach Butler went to McNeese as HC. Along with Coach Butler came pitcher Wade LeBlanc who has done well for the Tide. Bama's W/L record is not what we would like this year but as some have said, we lost quite a few heartbreakers. Here are some stats and such from our tidefans baseball forum. The Alabama baseball team boasts one of its finest pitching staff’s in school history. *Through 42 games, the Crimson Tide has a sparkling 2.94 ERA, which paces the SEC and ranks sixth nationally. *Alabama is also leads the SEC in complete games (5) and fewest earned runs allowed (120) this season. *The Crimson Tide staff has seen its ERA over 3.00 just once since the first five games of the 2004 season. *After allowing nine earned runs in a 10-5 loss to Samford on April 21, the staff ERA rose to 3.03 its highest since Feb. 20th. *Bama allowed just five earned runs in 26 2/3 innings at South Carolina this past weekend to lower its mark to the current 2.94 ERA. *Here are the nation’s Top 10 pitching staff’s (based on ERA) through games of April 25th. NCAA ERA LEADERS Rank Team ERA 1. Texas 2.34 2. Long Beach State 2.37 3. Rice 2.39 4. UC Irvine 2.74 5. Central Florida 2.91 6. ALABAMA 2.94 7. Oral Roberts 2.98 8. Wichita State 3.09 9. North Carolina State 3.10 10. Tennessee 3.18 Alabama’s SEC Rankings (April 25th) Category Stats (SEC Rank) Earned Run Average 2.94 (1st) Fewest Earned Runs Allowed 120 (1st) Complete Games 5 (1st) Fewest Runs Allowed 156 (2nd) Opponents Batting Avg. .241 (3rd) Strikeouts 352 (3rd) Fewest Hits Allowed 336 (3rd) Fewest Home Runs Allowed 25 (3rd) Pickoffs 9 (3rd) Fewest Walks 110 (4th) Innings Pitched 370.2 (6th) ONE-TWO PUNCH In addition to having the lowest ERA in the SEC, Alabama also boasts the top two pitchers in the league. *Junior left-hander Taylor Tankersley (1.42) and freshman left-hander Wade LeBlanc (1.81) rank first and second in the SEC in terms of ERA. *The Crimson Tide has had only two pitchers to lead the SEC in ERA, dating back to 1960. Left-hander Mike Innes (1.09) led the league with a school-record 1.09 ERA in 1968 and right-hander Lance Cormier (2.30) paced the league with a 2.30 ERA in 2002. *Alabama boasts the sixth-best ERA in the country this season and Tankersley and LeBlanc are among the Top 20 pitchers. *Tankersley ranks ninth with a sparkling 1.41 ERA this season and has allowed only eight earned runs in 50 2/3 innings in 13 appearances. *Tankersley’s current ERA would be the lowest total to lead the SEC since Auburn’s Gregg Olson paced the league with a 1.27 ERA in 1988. *LeBlanc is 17th in the nation with a 1.81 ERA this season and has allowed only 16 earned runs in 79 2/3 innings. *LeBlanc ranks sixth nationally among freshman pitchers this season with his 1.81 ERA in 12 games. NCAA INDIVIDUAL ERA LEADERS Rank Player ERA 1. Nate Moore, Troy State 0.45 2. Jose Pena, Southern 0.92 3. Jared Weaver, LB State 1.13 4. Wade Townsend, Rice 1.17 5. Matt Fox, UCF 1.24 6. Jason Meyer, Texas A&M 1.27 7. Kyle Bono, UCF 1.41 8. Phillip Humber, Rice 1.41 9. TAYLOR TANKERSLEY, UA 1.42 10. Jonathan Ellis, The Citadel 1.44 17. WADE LeBLANC, UA 1.81 GOING THE DISTANCE Alabama freshman left-hander Wade LeBlanc leads the SEC with five complete games this season. *LeBlanc has all five of the Crimson Tide’s SEC-leading five complete games this year. *No other team in the SEC has five complete games this season. Ole Miss is next with four CGs, while Florida has three complete games. *Arkansas and Georgia are the only two SEC teams without a complete game this year. SEC COMPLETE GAMES Rank Team CGs 1. Wade LeBlanc, Alabama 5 2. Ole Miss 4 3. Florida 3 4. Tennessee 2 LSU 2 South Carolina 2 Vanderbilt 2 Kentucky 2 9. Auburn 1 Miss. State 1 11. Arkansas 0 Georgia 0
