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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – With cold and wet weather in the forecast, the 16th-ranked University of Alabama in Huntsville baseball team will welcome GSC-rival and the current No. 1 team in the country Delta State to Charger Park this weekend for a three-game series.
UAH (21-6, 6-2 GSC) will play top-ranked Delta State (22-4, 7-2 GSC) in a doubleheader at 3 p.m. on Saturday and a single nine-inning game at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. UAH is seeking revenge, as Delta State put UAH out of both the GSC Tournament and the NCAA South Regional last season.
The Chargers crushed Tuskegee on Wednesday, rolling to a 21-3 convincing victory at home. A total of 12 players recorded at least a hit in the game, while the pitching staff allowed just two earned runs.
The Statesmen downed Harding in a close 2-1 game at home on Wednesday evening as well, having now won five straight games overall.
This weekend's series will have major implications on both the conference race and the regional race and how the season will shape out. It's a battle of the top two teams in the conference, with Delta State owning just a half game advantage. In the latest NCBWA South Region Poll, Delta State sits at No. 1 with the Chargers coming in at No. 5.
UAH is looking to start another lengthy winning streak, having won their last two after losing three in a row. Prior to the three-game losing streak, the Chargers rattled off eight straight wins before the slip up at Montevallo and North Alabama. It won't be easy to build on their current streak, but the Chargers certainly have the offense to do so.
“It's going to be a battle. We know them and they know us, it's going to come down to who is going to make the pitches and hits to win,” said Royer.
The two teams have played very similar opponents. Delta State swept three games from Montevallo, while UAH dropped their only game to the Falcons so far. UAH went 1-2 against North Alabama, while the Statesmen went 2-1. Both teams swept their three-game series' with Christian Brothers, who remains winless in conference.
The two squads sit one and two in terms overall batting this season in the conference, with UAH No. 1 and Delta State No. 2. The Chargers are a hitting a league-best .357 this season, with three of the top five individual leaders in the conference wearing the blue and white.
Tyler Aldridge of Delta State and
Vincent Kortbawi also sit one and two in the league in hits with 45 and 42 respectively.
Playing in Huntsville for the second straight season, Delta State took two out of three from the Chargers in early March of last season. The two teams then met again in the GSC Tournament, with Delta State getting the better of UAH in the title game. The Chargers defeated DSU on their way to the championship game, but the Statesmen came away with the trophy.
Then a week later, the two teams would meet again in Tampa, Fla., at the NCAA South Regionals. Again UAH won the first of two meetings, but Delta State sent UAH home by giving them their second loss.
“We still have that taste in our mouth from being put out in the regional and losing in the GSC Championship. This is our chance to change that taste and gain some ground in the conference race early in the season,” said Royer.
The two teams have built up a small rivalry, having played each other seven times last season.
The Statesmen hold a convincing 33-17 record in the series, while going 4-3 last year.
