Bama Football Completes 5th Practice; Alabama Men's Tennis Falls To Florida; Bama Baseball To Host Arkansas This Weekend; Tide Track & Field Looking Good At Florida Relays

Alabama Football Closes Out Practice No. 5

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Thursday was a wet day providing wet conditions for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team, but the Bama boys persevered during drizzle in the early part of the two-hour practice session in full pads on Thursday afternoon on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields. This two-hour practice session was the fifth of 15 scheduled spring practices for the Crimson Tide.

Injured Tide players continue in black, non-contact jerseys but are showing improvement. Damien Harris, recovering from that foot injury, was back, although Bo Scarbrough was first in the running back line.

Doing conditioning work off to the side were linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton (recovering from a knee injury) and defensive back Jared Mayden (recovering from offseason hip surgery).

Bama is gearing up for the 2017 A-Day Spring Football Game scheduled for Saturday, April 22nd, at 2 p.m. CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium in beautiful Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The A-Day Game will be broadcast live on ESPN for the second consecutive year, and will once again be free to the public. It will be Joe Tessitore, Joey Galloway and Kirk Herbstreit teaming up to call the action, along with Laura Rutledge providing sideline reports.

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

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Crimson Tide Men's Tennis

Falls To Florida

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Alabama Crimson Tide men's tennis team falls to 8-13, 1-7 SEC after a 4-0 defeat to the 12th-ranked Florida Gators on Thursday night at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. With the victory, Florida improves to 13-6 and 6-1 in Southeastern Conference action.


SINGLES
1. No. 35 Mazen Osama (Alabama) vs. No. 7 Alfredo Perez (Florida) 6-1, 5-7, DNF
2. No. 105 Thibault Cancel (Alabama) vs. No. 106 Elliot Orkin (Florida) 6-7, 3-5, DNF
3. Chase Perez-Blanco (Florida) defeated Edson Ortiz (Alabama) 6-2, 6-0
4. Johannes Ingildsen (Florida) defeated Alexey Nesterov (Alabama) 6-3, 6-0
5. Maxx Lipman (Florida) defeated Spencer Richey (Alabama) 6-3, 7-6(5)
6. Zhe Zhou (Alabama) vs. Joseph Guillin (Florida) 3-6, 5-6, DNF

DOUBLES
1. No. 40 Mazen Osama/Spencer Richey (Alabama) vs. No. 6 Alfredo Perez/Johannes Ingildsen (Florida) 6-6(4-2) DNF
2. Maxx Lipman/Elliot Orkin (Florida) defeated Thibault Cancel/Alexey Nesterov (Alabama) 7-5
3. Joseph Guillin/McClain Kessler (Florida) defeated Zhe Zhou/Edson Ortiz (Alabama) 6-1

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Alabama Baseball To Host Arkansas This Weekend

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Alabama baseball comes back home to Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa for the first time in over a week to host the 21st-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in a Southeastern Conference matchup for a three-game weekend series. The Crimson Tide and Razorbacks will do battle in the first contest tonight beginning at 6 p.m. CT, followed by a 7 p.m. CT start time on Saturday. The Sunday finale is set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch.

Tonight's game will be the 83rd meeting between the two schools, with Bama holding a 46-36 edge in the overall series. The Tide is 23-12 versus the Hogs in Tuscaloosa. 

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Alabama Track & Field

Looking Good At Florida Relays

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

GAINESVILLE, Florida – The first day of competition of the Florida Relays is in the books, and the University of Alabama Track & Field team was in full throttle. Crimson Tide senior McLean Lipschutz came on strong in the javelin throw, posting two throws that rank in Alabama's top-10 on Thursday at the Pearcy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida.

Making the sixth-best throw in Alabama track & field history, Lipschutz finished fifth on Thursday in the men's javelin with a toss of 222-2 (67.72m) in his first outing of the season. Lipschutz also had a later throw of 217-5 (66.27m) that comes in No. 9 on Bama's all-time list.  Sophomore Will Edwards finished 15th with his season-best mark of 198-0 (60.36m).

UA freshman Jacob Beene finished third in the men's college hammer throw with a personal-best of 196-6 (59.89m) on his final attempt of the competition. Juniors Andrew Bull (14:45.49) finished 12th and Garrett Bull (14:51.41) finished 22nd in the men's 5,000 meters, with both times personal-bests for the two men.

It was Tide senior Brianna Sims (24.50) and junior Nicole Sassaman (25.29) in the women's open 200 meters in the only women's competition for the Crimson Tide on Thursday. Both ladies finished fifth in their respective heats of the competition.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Dan Waters commented after the meet, "I liked the way we competed tonight. We had a personal-best in the hammer throw by Jacob Beene and McLean Lipschutz and Will Edwards both had very good nights in the javelin as well. McLean finishing with two top10 marks in the javelin was especially good to see in his first time out this season."

Bama will begin Day 2 of the Florida Relays at 11 a.m. CT today. on Friday. The Crimson Tide will also have five athletes at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California this evening.


Men's Event Summaries – Florida Relays- Day 1

Finals
5,000-Meters – Juniors Andrew Bull (14:45.49) and Garrett Bull (14:51.41) finished 12th and 22nd, respectively, in the men's 5,000 meters. Times are personal-bests for both men.
College Hammer Throw – Freshman Jacob Beene finished No. 3 in the men's college hammer throw with a personal-best effort of 196-6 (59.89m) on his final attempt of the competition.

Alabama Series
Beene – Foul; Foul; 183-7 (55.97m); 191-7 (58.41m); 195-3 (59.52m); 196-6 (59.89m)

Javelin – Senior McLean Lipschutz finished fifth in the men's javelin with a mark of 222-2 (67.72m), the sixth-best throw in school history, in his first outing of the season. Lipschutz also had a later mark of 217-5 (66.27m) that ranks ninth on the UA all-time list. Sophomore Will Edwards finished 15th with a season-best mark of 198-0 (60.36m).

Alabama Series
Lipschutz – 208-11 (63.69m); Foul; Foul; 222-2 (67.72m); 217-5 (66.27m); Foul
Edwards – 195-2 (59.49); 198-0 (60.36m); 181-6 (55.34m);


Women's Event Summaries – Florida Relays- Day 1

Finals
200 Meters – Senior Brianna Sims finished 29th in the open 200 meters in 24.50. Junior Nicole Sassaman closed out in 54th in 25.49.


Florida Relays
Thursday, March 30, 2017

Alabama Results

Men
Finals
5,000 Meters – 12. Andrew Bull, 14:45.49 (PB); 22. Garrett Bull, 14:51.41 (PB)
College Hammer Throw – 3. Jacob Beene, 196-6 (59.89m) (PB)
Javelin – 5. McLean Lipschutz, 222-2 (67.72m) (SB); 15. Will Edwards, 198-0 (60.36m) (SB)


Women
Finals
200 Meters – 29. Brianna Sims, 24.50; 54. Nicole Sassaman, 25.49


Alabama Superlatives
School Top-10 Performances
Men
Javelin- 6. McLean Lipschutz, 222-2 (67.72m)
Javelin- 9. McLean Lipschutz, 217-5 (66.27m)


Personal Best
Men
Hammer Throw- Jacob Beene, 196-6 (59.89m)


Season Bests
Men
Hammer Throw- Jacob Beene, 196-6 (59.89m)
Javelin- Will Edwards, 198-0 (60.36m)

Javelin- McLean Lipschutz, 222-2 (67.72m)

*All statistical information from RollTide.com

Bama Soccer To Host Doubleheader; Alabama Men's Tennis To Host 3 Teams This Weekend; Alabama Track & Field Participates In 2 Meets This Weekend; In-Stater Jalen Cunningham Likes UA; Erin Routliffe Is SEC Women's Tennis Athlete Of The Week; 4-Star OT Reuben Unije Is High On The Tide

Alabama Soccer To Host Doubleheader On Saturday

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Kids Clinic Set For This Weekend

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The University of Alabama soccer team will be hosting a doubleheader this Saturday, April 1st, as the Crimson Tide takes on Columbus State at 1 p.m. CT, followed by Troy at 6 p.m. CT at the Alabama Soccer Stadium. In between the pair of matches at 4:30 p.m. CT, the Tide will host a free clinic to kids in eighth grade and younger on the game field.

Saturday's two matches will mark the fifth and sixth contests of the spring season for Bama. After this weekend, Alabama will roll on over to Memphis, Tennessee to battle the Memphis Tigers on Sunday, April 9th at noon CT in its lone contest of the weekend.

UA will then travel back to the state of Tennessee on Saturday, April 22nd to play Wake Forest at 11:30 a.m. CT and West Virginia at 1:30 p.m. CT in Knoxville, Tennessee.


The Crimson Tide will conclude its 2017 spring season with the Crimson/White match, an intra-squad scrimmage, at 7 p.m. CT on April 28th at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.

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Alabama Men's Tennis 

To Host Three Teams This Weekend

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Alabama men's tennis team will play host to three teams this weekend to conclude UA's home portion of this year's schedule. Bama (8-12, 1-6 SEC) will take on 12th-ranked Florida today at 6 p.m. CT at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. The Crimson Tide will then host the 21st-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, April 1st at 1 p.m. CT, and will then face the Jackson State Tigers later that evening at 6 p.m. CT.

Tonight's match will serve as Greek Day/Tuscaloosa Tennis Association Night. Being recognized tonight will be those who are in the Tuscaloosa Tennis Association during the match as well. Taco Mama will also be provided at the match for Alabama fans.


Saturday will serve as Fan Appreciation Day/Senior Day. The Alabama men's tennis team would like to invite fans to celebrate the 2017 season and say their goodbyes to this season's senior class. The Crimson Tide student-athletes will show thanks for this year's support by talking with fans after the match. Fans in attendance will receive double CTR points, and there will be free BBQ provided for Alabama fans.

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Alabama Track & Field

To Participate In Two Meets This Weekend

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The University of Alabama men's and women's track & field teams are on the road to Gainesville, Florida this week for the Florida Relays to be held on March 30-April 1 at the Pearcy Beard Track. A small group of Tide distance runners will also be heading to Palo Alto, California to compete in the Stanford Invitational on March 31st.

Alabama track & field head coach Dan Waters said, "I've been pleased with our performances so far in the outdoor season. We're set to compete in a couple of excellent meets this weekend in the Florida Relays and the Stanford Invitational. The Florida Relays is always a highly-competitive meet, which is what we need to continue to improve and perform at a high level. The distance fields at Stanford are filled with some of the best distance runners in the nation so that will be a good test as well."

Up next is the Crimson Tide Invitational presented by Beynon Sports. This is the only home meet of the season for Bama, and will be held at the Sam Bailey Track & Field Complex for two days, April 7th to 8th. Schools competing include Missouri, Mississippi State, Louisville, Southern Miss, Shorter (Georgia), Memphis, Kent State and Miami (Ohio).

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In-Stater Jalen Cunningham Likes UA

Jalen Cunningham
Photo Credit: 247Sports

St. Clair County (Alabama) defensive lineman Jalen Cunningham really likes the University of Alabama. So much so that he just made his third trip to The Capstone this week to take in an Alabama football practice. He's looking at the Tide...and the Tide is looking back. In fact, Cunningham has quite a few schools looking back. At least 10 colleges have extended offers, including the University of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and South Carolina out of the Southeastern Conference.

According to Cunningham, Alabama has the lead right now. In fact, he keeps in regular contact with Bama assistant coach Karl Dunbar. Cunningham told AL.com that the pair speaks "at least twice a week." He further commented that Dunbar was his "favorite defensive line coach of all the schools" from which he has offers. He likes the fact that Dunbar has had success in the NFL, and that he "can develop some defensive linemen."

The 6'4", 352-pound Cunningham is looking to get back to Alabama soon, but in the meantime he has other visits to other schools planned. He's planning, in fact, a trip to Ole Miss for a Junior Day.

Cunningham says that after the Ole Miss visit an announcement could be forthcoming. He says he "probably will make a commitment" when he gets back. Besides Alabama, Cunningham ranks Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State as his other finalists.

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Erin Routliffe Is SEC Women's Tennis

Athlete Of The Week

Erin Routliffe
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Alabama women's tennis senior Erin Routliffe has earned her first Southeastern Conference Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week honor of the season. The announcement came yesterday from the SEC office.

Routliffe is currently ranked No. 38 in women's tennis singles after compiling 10 wins since beginning the dual match season. All Routliffe's matches come from her holding the No. 1 position. Routliffe has registered eight wins over nationally-ranked singles opponents and five victories over nationally-ranked doubles opponents this year. She won three of her four matches last weekend, each of which came against top-20 opponents. Routliffe helped upset the 13th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats with a victory in straight sets in singles against No. 19-ranked Aldila Sutjiadi, which was the Tide's first SEC victory of the season.
 
Routliffe is also ranked No. 25 in doubles play with freshman Maddie Pothoff. 

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4-Star OT Reuben Unije Is High On The Tide

Reuben Unije
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

According to 247Sports, four-star offensive tackle prospect Reuben Unije will be at The Capstone today to watch the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football practice. Unije, out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, is the nation's 13th-ranked offensive tackle prospect and No. 173 overall prospect in the the country, once again according to 247Sports.

Not only is Bama interested in the services of Unije, but so are Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas out of the Southeastern Conference.

Unije says he loves Alabama, though he hasn't committed. According to AL.com, Unije says that Bama does "everything to the top." He says the program is "Top program, Class A, class act, everything."

According to Unije, he plans to graduate early and wants to major in business or something related pre-pharmacy.

Bama Softball Bests Kent State; Watch Patrick Murphy Celebrate 1,000th Coaching Victory; Tide Baseball Falls To Auburn; Alabama Football Dons Pads For First Time During Spring Practice; Nick Saban Press Conference Following First Full Pads Practice

Alabama Softball's Patrick Murphy 1,000th Career Wins

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Crimson Tide Defeats Kent State 5-3

Patrick Murphy taking a Gatorade shower in the victory
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – 1,000 wins! University of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Patrick Murphy became the 16th active Division-I coach to reach the 1,000-win threshold in college softball. It wasn't as easy task though, as the Alabama ladies had to fight from behind to defeat the Kent State Golden Flashes 5-3 at Rhodes Stadium. 

When asked about the impending milestone, UA softball head coach Patrick Murphy said, "I didn't think about it or talk about it. I know they've talked about it behind the scenes, but I didn't mention it at all over the weekend or today. It's about the team, not me. I think they realize that."

Murphy is only the 23rd coach in Division-I softball history to reach 1,000 wins and is only the 16th active coach to reach the milestone. Only six other Southeastern Conference coaches have hit the 1,000 mark, making him the seventh.  He joins fellow-SEC coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly of Tennessee, Texas A&M's Jo Evans, Auburn's Clint Meyers, Georgia's Lu Harris-Champer and former South Carolina coach Joyce Compton in the 1,000 coaches circle.

Murphy was humble, yet exuberant reaching the milestone, saying "These players have been terrific to coach since day one. All of them through all 19 teams. Everyone on the team and all the support staff are tremendous role models. It's not just about one person."

With the victory, Alabama improves to 31-4 overall. Meanwhile Kent State drops to 10-16 on the season.

Sydney Booker was three-for-three with one RBI in last night's victory. Demi Turner was two-for-four with one run, one RBI. Chandler Dare hit one-for-three with one run and Mari Cranek was one-for-three with one run, one RBI.

The Crimson Tide hits the roach for a three-game Southeastern Conference road series at Missouri (18-13, 1-4 SEC) this weekend. The first game is Friday, March 31st at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athetics

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Watch Patrick Murphy Celebrate 1,000th Career Win

Click HERE to watch Patrick Murphy celebrate

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Bama Baseball Suffers Loss To Cross-State Rival

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Tide Falls To Tigers 4-3

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Cross-state rival Auburn came out on top in this one. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team suffered a 4-3 loss to the Auburn Tigers last night at Riverwalk Stadium in the annual MAX Capital City Classic in front of 7,605 screaming fans. With the loss the Crimson Tide now drops to 12-13 overall on the season.

Following the contest, UA head baseball coach Greg Goff said, "I thought we came up just short tonight. We had guys in scoring position and we hit into a double play one time. We just need to play with a little more heart, a little more grit and a little more dirtiness to get those type of hits when we need them. Our guys need to bring a little more to table every day, and I need to do a better job coaching them up to help us gets wins in games like this."

Though the Tigers took the early lead with a three-run third inning, Bama was able to score singles in the third, fourth and fifth innings to tie it up at 3-3. But it was not to be, as a solo run in the top of the sixth inning by Auburn ended the scoring. The Tigers now have an 8-1 record against the Tide in the MAX Capital City Classic.

It was Garret Rukes starting for Alabama, working and allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five AU hitters before the bullpen stepped in. It was Sam Finnerty (1-2), Garrett Suchey, Mike Oczypok and Jake Walters coming on in relief for the final 6.0 innings, but Finnerty's lone run allowed would prove the difference in the game. The Tide foursome allowed just two hits and walked three batters while striking out six to keep Bama in the game.

Cobie Vance was two-for-three with one RBI on the evening, while Chandler Avant and Kyle Kaufman added the other two runs. Avant went one-for-five while Kaufman was one-for-three. Chandler Taylor hit one-for-three with one RBI.

Up next for the Crimson Tide is a three-game home series with the 21st-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Friday's contest will begin at 6 p.m. CT, followed by a 7 p.m. CT start on Saturday and the finale at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday. Game one can be seen on SEC Network+, with the final two games of the series will air nationally on the SEC Network.

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Alabama Football Dons Pads For First Time

During Spring Practices

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team donned full pads for the first time during spring practices yesterday, working for two hours in full pads on Tuesday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields. This was practice session number four of 15 scheduled spring practices for Bama.

Shaun Dion Hamilton was wearing a black non-contact jersey yesterday. He has been rehabbing his ACL since December, but was seen with the middle linebackers at practice.

Bama has 13 starters returning from last year's Southeastern Conference Championship team, consisting of six on offense, six on defense and All-American punter JK Scott. For the offense Jalen Hurts, Bradley Bozeman, Ross Pierschbacher, Jonah Williams and Calvin Ridley. For the defense it's Da'Ron Payne, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Anthony Averett, Ronnie Harrison and Tony Brown coming back.

Alabama's 2017 A-Day Spring Football Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 22, at 2 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Once again the A-Day Game is free to the public and will be televised live on ESPN. The Crimson Tide's fifth practice session of the spring is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by three additional practices next week. Bama will hold its first scrimmage of the spring Saturday, April 8th, at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but will be closed to the public.

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

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Nick Saban Press Conference

Following First Spring Practice In Full Pads

Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban
Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban met with reporters following yesterday's first football spring practice in full pads. Here's what Saban had to say:

Saban spoke about the heat and full pads, saying, "It was a little a warmer outside today than what it has been, so I think it was a little bit of a challenge for some of the players. Always is the first day of pads. Always is when it's a little warmer outside. Been really pleased with the progress that we made, especially with a lot the young players."

As to his assessment of practice, today and the other sessions included, Saban said, "Wasn't necessarily pleased with the first day in pads, but I've been pleased with the progress we have made the entire spring to this point."

Concerning defensive linemen Raekwon Davis and Jamar King, Saban commented, "I think both guys have made a lot of progress in the course of last year in terms of the improvement that they made. I think they both had really good offseasons. They both, I think so far this spring, they have shown some of that improvement, and I think the biggest thing with them would be consistency. ... I think both guys can contribute to the team."

Saban spoke about one of the veteran's on the team, Robert Foster, saying, "I think he's playing better than he did a year ago, and hopefully he will continue to improve and have a role on the team. I think we need for him to do that."

Coach Saban was complimentary of incoming freshman receiver Jerry Jeudy as well as returning receiver Calvin Ridley. He gave both good marks in their first four spring practice efforts.

Saban said he's pleased with the progress of outside linebacker Christian Miller, in that he has put on "a little weight" and also has "gotten stronger." The head man says he is pleased with Miller's progress. 

Concerning new offensive analyst Chris Weinke, Saban commented, "We've always had a lot of respect for Chris Weinke. The guy was a great player. He played a long time in the league. He's very knowledgeable. He's very smart. He was a great high school coach at IMG. He went to the NFL and got a couple good years of experience in the NFL. So we thought he'd bring some knowledge and experience and certainty be helpful to us off the field and helping us with game plan."

Commenting on new offensive analyst Dan Werner, who was previously a co-offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, Saban said, "Do I need to tell our fans or anybody on our staff the issues that we've had with their offense the last couple of years? I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for what they do, how they coach it. I think it'll help us on offense and defense to have a guy around here that can add some knowledge and experience to the way they do RPOs, some of the things they did in the passing game. So I've always had a lot of respect for Dan and we're glad to have them here to help."

Saban is pleased with the progress of all of Alabama's running backs thus far. He likes the fact that the position has the depth that was previously lacking. He specifically named Najee Harris and Brian Robinson. 

Concerning the return of Bo Scarbrough, Saban said, "He did quite a bit today in practice, non-contact stuff, but he's sort of gaining confidence. Our goal for Bo is, by the end of spring, he's fully confident that he can do everything he needs to do. Whether he ever scrimmages or not is really something that we're not that concerned about."

Saban did mention an injury to Damien Harris as well. He said that Harris injured his foot on Saturday and didn't participate in the Tuesday practice, but is expected to practice on Thursday.

Saban spoke on Ben Davis' move to outside linebacker and is pleased with the progress of the young man. Saban also mentioned the possibility of using him on special teams.

The Crimson Tide will return to practice tomorrow. 

Bama Baseball To Face Auburn; Coach Goff Previews Alabama Baseball This Week; Alabama Softball To Host Kent State; Tide Men's Swimming & Diving 10th In NCAAs, Capture 21 All-American Honors; 2017 SEC Gymnastics Awards

Bama Baseball To Face Auburn Today

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The University of Alabama baseball team will face the No. 18 Auburn Tigers today in the MAX Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. Today's contest will be the final one in Bama's five-game road trip. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT start tonight at the home of the Montgomery Biscuits. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Dave Neal handling play-by-play and Gabe Gross providing the color for the midweek, non-conference matchup (result does not count towards SEC record).

This will be the 287th meeting between the two teams, with UA holding a 157-129 advantage. Alabama holds a slight 24-23 edge in neutral site games. This will be the ninth meeting between the Tide and Tigers at the MAX Capital City Classic, with Auburn leading the Crimson Tide 7-1 and have won two-consecutive going into tonight's contest.

Alabama will start freshman left-hander Garret Rukes in tonight's matchup. Auburn has chosen freshman-righty Christian Camacho to start for the Tigers.

Following tonight's game Alabama will host it's third SEC series by welcoming the Arkansas Razorbacks to The Joe from March 31-April 2 for a trio of games. The first of the three games is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. CT on Friday night, followed on Saturday with a 7 p.m. CT start. The series finale will be Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. The series opener can be seen on SEC Network+, while the final two games of the weekend will air nationally on SEC Network.

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Coach Goff Previews Bama Baseball This Week

Click HERE to watch this week's preview

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Alabama Softball To Host Kent State

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - The ninth-ranked University of Alabama Crimson Tide softball team will host the Kent State Golden Flashes tonight at 6 p.m. CT at Rhoads Stadium. Bama is 30-4 on the season, while State holds a 10-15 record. 

The Tide leads the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts with 321 as well as wins with a total of 30. In conference-only games, Alabama is ranked first in hits (63) and wins (7), second in batting average (.290), on base percentage (.391), walks (34) stolen bases (10) and strikeouts (62) and is third in runs scored (44).

Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy is just one win shy of his 1,000th career victory, boasting an overall record of 999-279 (.782). This includes a 28-20 record as the interim head coach at Northwest Missouri State in 1995 and a 971-259 (.789) mark as the head coach of the Crimson Tide, a position he has held since 1999.

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Alabama Men's Swimming & Diving

Alabama Swimming & Diving 10th In NCAAs

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Nine Bama Men Take 21 All-American Honors

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - Over the course of the four days of the 2017 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, not only did the 2017 University of Alabama Crimson Tide men's swimming and diving team take its third-consecutive top-10 finish, but it also took numerous honors in the process. A total of nine members of the UA team earned 21 All-American honors during the championships in Indianapolis last week.

Here are the nine members of the Alabama Men's Swimming & Diving team along with the 21 honors earned:

• Laurent Bams (3), Sophomore – 200 freestyle relay; HM: 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay
• Alex Gray (1), Senior – HM: *400 freestyle relay
• Robert Howard (2), Sophomore – 200 freestyle relay; HM: 400 freestyle relay
• Luke Kaliszak (3), Junior – 100 backstroke, 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay
• Anton McKee (2), Senior – 200 breaststroke HM: 200 breaststroke
• Connor Oslin (3), Senior – 100 and 200 backstroke and 200 medley relay
• Christopher Reid (1), Junior – HM: 400 freestyle relay
• Pavel Romanov (1), Senior – 200 medley relay
• Zane Waddell (5), Freshman – 200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay HM: 50 and 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay

*swam on the relay in prelims

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2017 Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Awards

Gymnast of the Year: Alex McMurtry, Florida
Event Specialist of the Year: Ashleigh Gnat, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Mollie Korth, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Alex McMurtry, Florida
Coach of the Year: D-D Breaux, LSU


All-SEC

Katie Bailey, Alabama
Maddie Desch, Alabama
Kiana Winston, Alabama Hailey Garner, Arkansas
Samantha Cerio, Auburn
Gracie Day, Auburn
Emma Engler, Auburn
Kullen Hlawek, Auburn
MJ Rott, Auburn
Emma Slappey, Auburn
Kennedy Baker, Florida
Alicia Boren, Florida
Amelia Hundley, Florida
Alex McMurtry, Florida
Rachel Slocum, Florida
Lauren Johnson, Georgia
Sydney Snead, Georgia
Sidney Dukes, Kentucky
Alex Hyland, Kentucky
Mollie Korth, Kentucky
Ashleigh Gnat, LSU
Myia Hambrick, LSU
Ruby Harrold, LSU
McKenna Kelley, LSU
Lexie Priessman, LSU
Becca Schugel, Missouri
Britney Ward, Missouri



All-Freshman

Wynter Childers, Alabama
Maddie Desch, Alabama Hailey Garner, Arkansas
Jessica Yamzon, Arkansas
Gracie Day, Auburn
Emma Slappey, Auburn
Rachel Gowey, Florida
Amelia Hundley, Florida
Mollie Korth, Kentucky
Kennedi Edney, LSU
Ruby Harrold, LSU

Bama Softball Splits Doubleheader; Alabama Women's Basketball Season Ends; Vandy Women's Tennis Defeats Crimson Tide; Bama Baseball Falls To South Carolina; 4-Star QB Prospect Emory Jones Visits The Capstone; Avery Johnson Announces Two Transfers From Alabama Basketball

Alabama Softball Splits Sunday Doubleheader

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Wins Weekend Series Over South Carolina

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – First it was the Sunday game being moved to Saturday for a doubleheader due to expected bad weather. Then the two games were moved to Sunday. Right, inclement weather on Saturday. Alabama and South Carolina had to play games two and three of their three-game weekend series on Sunday to resolve just who was the better team this particular weekend. The Crimson Tide defeated the Gamecocks on Friday, then fell 14-0 in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader before rebounding to take Sunday's second contest 5-2 to capture the series win.

Alabama improves to 30-4, 7-2 SEC while South Carolina drops to 21-12, 2-7 SEC. The 14 runs scored by South Carolina in game two are the most runs ever scored against the Tide at Rhoads Stadium. Between the two contests, Demi Turner was three-for-six while Mari Cranek c was able to take advantage of her starting opportunity, blasting a pair of hits in game three of the series.  Gabby Callaway started game three and went three-for-three with an RBI and a run scored.

Next up for Bama is a contest with Kent State (10-15) on Tuesday, March 28th at 6 p.m. CT. Then it's back on the road for a three-game series at Missouri (18-13, 1-4 SEC) in Columbia, Missouri, starting Friday, March 31st at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

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Alabama Women's Basketball Season Ends At 22-14

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Falls To Georgia Tech 76-66 In WNIT Quarterfinals

Alabama Women's Basketball Head Coach Kristy Curry
Photo Credit: UA Athletics/Robert Sutton

ATLANTA, Georgia – The Alabama women's basketball quest for the 2017 Women's National Invitation Tournament Championship came to a screeching halt on Sunday, with the Crimson Tide falling to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by 10 points, 76-66, at McCamish Pavilion. The Bama belles end the season at 22-14, the Tide's best win total since the 1997-98 season.

University of Alabama women's head basketball coach Kristy Curry said, "We just missed so many looks over and over again. Credit Georgia Tech. I thought they shot the ball extremely well from a lot of different people. It was one of those days where we couldn't make shots. It's 17-17 after the first and 17-17 after the third. We outscore them by seven in the fourth. It's that second quarter that jumped up and caught up with us. We have a lot to build on, a lot to be proud of and a lot to move forward with in the future."

UA had four student-athletes to finish in double figures on the day. Bama was led by sophomore Shaquera Wade pumping in 15 points for the Tide, followed by junior Ashley Williams with 13 points and 13 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and 12th of her career. Freshman Jordan Lewis contributed 13 points of her own, as well as game highs in assists with six and steals with a total of three. Junior Hannah Cook stepped up to fuel the Tide with another 11 points. Freshman Ashley Knight had three blocked shots in the contest, bringing her season total to 90.

The Yellow Jackets led by 17 points at the half and pretty much never looked back. Georgia Tech shot 50.0 percent (29-58) from the floor in the contest, while Alabama finished at 31.8 percent (21-66) on the day. The Yellow Jackets outrebounded the Tide by 37-36, and picked up 26 points from its bench compared to only eight for Alabama.

Team Statistics

Game Stats	UA	GT
FG%	.318	.500
3FG%	.316	.438
FT%	.750	.688
RB	36	37
TO	12	18
STL	9	3

Photo Credit: UA Athletics/Robert Sutton

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Vanderbilt Women's Tennis Defeats Crimson Tide

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Alabama Crimson Tide women's tennis team dropped a 6-1 match to the eighth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at the Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Sunday afternoon. The Alabama ladies now fall to 7-11 overall, a 1-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Vandy improves to 11-5,  and 6-1 in SEC play.


SINGLES
1. No. 5 Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) defeated No. 38 Erin Routliffe (Alabama) 4-6, 6-2,
2. No. 12 Sydney Campbell (Vanderbilt) defeated Andie Daniell (Alabama) 5-7, 6-1, 7-5
3. Danielle Spielmann (Alabama) defeated No. 93 Christina Rosca (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-1
4. Emma Kurtz (Vanderbilt) defeated Smith Hinton (Alabama) 6-4, 6-4
5. Georgina Sellyn (Vanderbilt) defeated Juliana Valero (Alabama) 6-1, 6-2
6. Fernanda Contreras (Vanderbilt) defeated Kimberley Gintrand (Alabama) 6-1, 6-1

DOUBLES
1. No. 25 Erin Routliffe/Maddie Pothoff (Alabama) defeated No. 8 Emily Smith/Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) 6-4
2. Sydney Campbell/Emma Kurtz (Alabama) defeated Andie Daniell/Joanna Savva (Alabama) 6-3

3. Fernanda Contreras/Christina Rosca (Vanderbilt) defeated Danielle Spielmann/Juliana Valero (Alabama) 7-5

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

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Alabama Baseball Falls To South Carolina

Photo Credit: UA Athletics

COLUMBIA, South Carolina – The University of Alabama baseball team came up short on Sunday, falling 4-2 to the seventh-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Carolina took the series win by a 2-1 margin. The Crimson Tide falls to 12-12 overall on the season.

The game stayed close throughout. In fact, the game was tied up twice before Carolina was able to put two runs across home plate in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the victory for the day as well as the series win.

Alabama starting pitcher Nick Eicholtz did a good job for the Tide. Even though he was able only to strike out two Gamecocks batters, he was able to help produce three double plays on the day and picked up 14 of his 17 outs via ground balls. Eicholtz threw a total of 104 pitches, his longest start of the season and the second-most pitches in a game for his career. South Carolina's John Parke (1-1) picked up the win and Colie Bowers got his third save of the season.

The Crimson Tide scoring came via a pair of solo home runs from Gene Wood and Cody Henry, with Henry finishing the day two-for-three while adding an RBI and a run scored. Connor Short continued his hitting streak, now nine games with at least one hit, while going one-for-three on the day. Incidentally, this is the longest hitting streak by any member of the Crimson Tide this season. Tanner DeVinny contributed a one-for-four day for Bama on the day.

Bama next takes on the Auburn Tigers in a non-conference matchup at the MAX Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. Game time is set for 7 p.m. CT, and can be seen on ESPNU.

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4-Star QB Prospect Emory Jones Visits The Capstone

Quarterback Prospect Emory Jones
Photo Credit: 247Sports

Four-star quarterback recruit Emory Jones (Heard County High School in Franklin, Georgia) paid a visit to the University of Alabama to speak with head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for the first time. Jones recently received an offer from the UA football program.

An Ohio State commitment, Jones is considered the nation's No. 27 overall recruit as well as No. 1 dual-threat quarterback. He committed to the Buckeyes last July.

While competing at the Atlanta Opening Regional on Sunday, Jones said it was a "pretty good visit" and that it wasn't a personal visit. His seven-on-seven team made the trip to The Capstone after competing in Birmingham.

Despite the visit and the offer from the Tide, Jones said his is still "solid with Ohio State."

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Alabama Men's Basketball Head Coach Avery Johnson

Announces Two Transfers From Program

Alabama Men's Basketball Head Coach Avery Johnson
Photo Credit: UA Athletics/Daniel Melograno

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — University of Alabama Crimson Tide basketball is losing two players via transfer according to UA men's head basketball coach Avery Johnson. The two transferring? Sophomore guard Brandon Austin and junior forward Nick King. Both players lost playing time this past season due to injuries.

Austin only participated in six games during the 2016-17 season. During the course of his career at The Capstone, he played at least a few minutes in a total of 36 games. He averaged 1.4 points and 8.7 minutes per game during his two-years with the Tide.

In a statement, Austin said, "I would like to thank all of the Alabama fans who supported me the past two seasons. I would also like to thank our coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play, as well as my teammates. I felt like it was in my best interest to move on and play elsewhere."

Johnson commented, "Brandon and I met on Wednesday and he informed me of his plans to transfer to another school. He talked about the experience he had at the University of Alabama and what a privilege it was to work with our staff and playing alongside his teammates. After talking it over with his family, he felt it was in his best interest to pursue his education and basketball career at another school. We enjoyed working with Brandon. He is a person of great character, is very coachable and he has the desire to continue to get better. He will be an asset at whatever school he decides to go and we wish him and his family all the best."

This won't be Nick King's first transfer, coming to the University of Alabama after transferring from Memphis Tigers' basketball. He is scheduled to graduate this May with an undergraduate degree in business management after playing in only seven games during the 2016-17 season. King averaged only 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per contest in this one season with the Crimson Tide. He will be immediately eligible to play for another team next season as a graduate transfer according to NCAA transfer rules.

King said in a statement, "I want to take thank the University of Alabama for helping complete my goals of becoming a better player and also a better person. The university took a kid leaving his hometown for the first time and taught me ways on to handle myself as a young adult. I want to give a special thanks to the men’s basketball staff who put in extra time to work on my physical and mental strengths. I felt like I made a great decision by coming here. I’ve become a much better player since I’ve stepped foot on campus and I have made a decision I thought was best for my future as a graduating senior."

Johnson said, "After meeting with Nick on Wednesday, he informed me that after graduation he intends to transfer as a postgraduate player. This is a similar situation to Michael Kessens last season and we hope Nick’s transfer will be as smooth and successful. Nick sat out a season in our redshirt program and he significantly improved on and off the floor. This past year, his season was unfortunately cut short due to a health situation. We really enjoyed working with Nick and getting to know his family. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward."