Mickey White

A true freshman, White started at shortstop and hit second in the Alabama order in all three games. White was 6-for-11 on the weekend that included six singles, three RBI, three walks and a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. He also finished the three-game set against VMI with a .643 on-base percentage.

White got his career off to a start with a bang, going 4-for-5 with two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in the first game of the season. His biggest hit of the night came in the seventh inning when he drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single up the middle.

In game two, White was 1-for-2 with three walks and a pair of stolen bases and he finished the series with a 1-for-4 afternoon on Sunday. Defensively, White was part of four double plays turned by the Tide on the weekend. He committed just one error in 15 chances.

Big Sticks

The Tide’s offense broke the game open in the fifth. Booth and Baxter got on base with a double and a hit by pitch, respectively, and an error on junior designated hitter Austen Smith’s at bat loaded the bases. The three freshmen at the top of the order – Salem, White and Overstreet – all drove in runs for the Tide, with White adding a two run single after an RBI ground ball by Salem kept the bases loaded for White. Combined with defensive errors by the Golden Eagles, the Tide put together a five-run fifth inning, the most runs in an inning for Alabama this season.

The Crimson Tide padded their lead in the sixth inning. Senior third baseman Kenny Roberts led off with a stand-up triple and Booth ripped an RBI single to put Alabama up 7-1.

After Southern Miss rallied to cut the lead to 7-5 in the eighth, the Tide answered with three runs of their own, highlighted by a Booth cruise missile off the scoreboard to put the Tide back up, 10-5, after eight.

 The Golden Eagles did not go away and mounted a rally in the ninth, cutting the lead to 10-8, but Kamplain struck out Brown to end the game, giving the Tide their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide returns to action at Florida Atlantic on Friday, February 22, with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT, from the FAU Baseball Stadium.

Bama Wins Again

Alabama is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2011, and the Crimson Tide was never four games over .500 during the 2012 season. Alabama has outscored its opponents 35-20 through its first four games. The Alabama pitching staff has a 3.75 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 17 walks in 36 innings pitched. Alabama is hitting .299 as a team, while averaging 8.7 runs and 9.5 hits per game. The Tide had swiped 10 bags this season, and is a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts.

Brett Booth leads the way with a .636 average, has a three-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all four games, bringing his streak to 10 games dating back to last season. Booth also leads the team with six RBI and eight runs scored. Cary Baxter, who has started the last three games at first base, is hitting .500 with two doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. Shortstop Mickey White  was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after posting a .545 average against VMI. White is hitting .467 with five RBI, four runs scored, three walks and three stolen bases this season. 

Bama Baseball

The Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) will play its first road games of the 2013 season when it travels to Boca Raton, Fla., for three games against Florida Atlantic (3-1). First pitch for the series is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT, on Friday night from FAU Stadium. Game two will start at 3 p.m. CT, on Saturday, and the series concludes on Sunday, with first pitch at noon CT.

Alabama enters the weekend with a 4-0 record following a 10-8 win over No. 21 Southern Mississippi at home on Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide opened the season with a three-game series sweep over VMI at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama won the opening game of the series, 8-3, before posting a 10-5 win on Saturday and a 7-4 victory on Sunday. Florida Atlantic dropped its first game of the season on Wednesday night, falling to No. 23 Miami, 5-4, in 11 innings.