Spring Football Practice Six In The Books; Coleman, Kessens To Transfer From Men's Basketball Program; Bama Baseball Battles Georgia In 3-Game Series; ESPN Preseason Power Rankings

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Spring Practice Six Complete For Bama Football

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton

Spring practice number six is in the books for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Bama practiced in full pads yesterday afternoon outdoors on the Thomas Drew Practice Fields in beautiful Tuscaloosa.

A couple of players were seen working on the stationary bikes at practice yesterday. Wide receiver RAHEEM FALKINS has a leg injury and linebacker SHAWN JENNINGS with a knee problem were limited in their practice.

KEITH HOLCOMBE was indeed at practice on Wednesday. the dual-sport athlete (linebacker and baseball) worked hard, then left to drive to Athens, Georgia to meet up with the baseball team for the three-game series with the Bulldogs that begins tonight.

Already coming out of early spring practice is the optimistic outlook about the depth, not merely depth, but game-ready depth, available along the Crimson Tide's offensive line. That's a great thing, of course, in that many times the offense is running behind the defense in development. That may still be the case this year, breaking in a new starting quarterback as well as running back, but most remember early in last season when there was a lack of cohesion along the line in stopping the pass rush and so on. Of course, it was quickly corrected and that very line became the nation's best.

Alabama head coach NICK SABAN has handed out a few compliments. He has mentioned that LESTER COTTON is doing well at both the left and right tackle positions, and also KORREN KIRVEN coming on strong for the Tide.

Then there's junior college transfer CHARLES BALDWIN. Now this is a big man. Saban believes this young man can contribute right away once he learns Bama's offense and style of play. Saban said, "He's got a lot of ability. He’s got a lot to learn. He’s got a long way to go. We’re going to continue to work with him, to get him to do things right, to get him to buy into doing things the way we need him to do them so he can have success here."

The Tide has one more practice tomorrow before their first of two scrimmages to be held this Saturday. (The A-Day is a scrimmage itself, but gets separate billing since it's a more lavish affair.) The scrimmage this Saturday will be held inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, but will be closed to the public. It will give the coaches an opportunity to check the early development of both the veterans and rookies, and how they are fitting into the process, learning their assignments and their abilities in a near-game-as-possible scenario.

The second scrimmage of the spring practice season will be the Saturday before the A-Day Game. The A-Day Game itself will be held Saturday, April 16th at 2 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game is once again free to the public. The A-Day Game will also be televised live this year on ESPN.

Alabama Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton

Tide Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Pruitt At Work

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton

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Coleman, Kessens To Transfer From Men's Basketball

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama men's basketball team will be losing two players via transfer according to Alabama head basketball coach AVERY JOHNSON. In a statement yesterday, Johnson reported that sophomore guard JUSTIN COLEMAN and redshirt junior forward MICHAEL KESSENS will be transferring.

During his sophomore season, Coleman participated in all 33 games for the Tide, seven of which were starts. He averaged 7.8 points per game, as well as leading Bama in assists (3.3 apg) and free throw percentage (.890). 

Johnson stated, "Justin and I met [Tuesday] afternoon and discussed his future with our program. After talking it over with his family, Justin felt it is in his best interest to transfer from the University of Alabama. Justin is a terrific young man and I wish we had the opportunity to work with him more. I would like to thank him for all the hard work he has put in during the past year and want to wish him the best of luck." Coleman is a native of Birmingham, Alabama.

Kessens is a slightly different story in that he is set to graduate this May with his degree in business administration. He also played in 33 games this past season, 21 of which were starts. He averaged 3.7 points per game and 3.5 rebounds.

"Mike is set to graduate this May with an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and will explore his options of either playing professionally in Europe or use his fifth year of eligibility at another school,” Johnson commented.  "I loved his energy he gave us throughout the season and he was a joy to coach. We certainly wish him the best in whatever career path he chooses."

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Bama Baseball Battles Georgia In 3-Game Series

Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama baseball team heads to Athens, Georgia for a three-game series with the Georgia Bulldogs at Foley Field that begins tonight and continues through Saturday. Start time for tonight's contest is 6 p.m. CT. The Friday game will also begin at 6 p.m. CT. The series finale on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT. All three games will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.

Tonight will be the 141st meeting between the two schools with Alabama holding a slim 70-68-2 series lead. 

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ESPN Preseason Power Rankings

Leave to ESPN to stir up a little controversy to "liven up" their news/sports. They have released their preseason power rankings for college football. Well, try to figure how they came up with these. Here are their top 15 in order:

1. LSU

2. Florida State
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson
5. Tennessee
6. ALABAMA 
7. Ole Miss
8. USC
9. Georgia
10. Oklahoma State
11. Michigan
12. Louisville
13. Washington
14. Texas A&M
15. Notre Dame

Really, I have nothing to say about this. Like mama said, "If you can't say something nice..."

Tide Preps For Football Scrimmage; Bama Baseball Crushed 10-1; Tide Softball Ranked 6th/7th; Kord Ferguson Named SEC Freshman Of The Week; Haylie McCleney Senior CLASS Award Finalist

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Tide Prepares For First Spring Football Scrimmage

Alabama Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Pruitt

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The first scrimmage of a planned two spring scrimmages (not including the A-Day Game scrimmage) will be this Saturday, April 2nd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, and will also be the first opportunity to not only see the 2016 version of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team in action, but also how the defensive signal-calling will be handled by new defensive coordinator JEREMY PRUITT after the departure of long-time defensive coordinator and new Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Well, the "seeing" won't be the general public, but will be the head coach having the opportunity to view the progress and cohesiveness of his new staff and team.

There have been several shifts in positions for the coming year. One of the biggest is junior pass-rusher RASHAAN EVANS. He's been working with the inside linebackers this spring. Evans, remember, played on the outside in 2015, and was called upon by the coaches to go into games on crucial third down situations to add needed speed off the edge.

What many are wondering about for the upcoming season is how the change in defensive coordinators will affect the play of the defending national champion's defensive. How will things change as to how signals are given or sent to the field, or the strategies implemented for various situations. One word being tossed about already by players is "energy."

Outside linebacker RYAN ANDERSON made the comment that "he (Pruitt) brings a different kind of energy"...to the players and the process overall. Anderson further stated, "He's definitely more of a player's coach. A lot of the guys are more willing to sell out for the guy because he's willing to do it for us. It's a different style."

Pruitt has the defensive credentials for coaching a national championship defense. Remember, after leaving Alabama following the 2012 title, Pruitt helped win another BCS National Championship as the defensive coordinator of the Florida State Seminoles in 2013. He then headed to Georgia last year, but after the firing of then-head coach Mark Richt he became available and was snatched up by Alabama head coach NICK SABAN to lead the Crimson Tide defensive beginning in 2016.

Pruitt has a more aggressive approach to defense than Smart. In fact, in the run to the national championship in 2013 with FSU saw Pruitt calling blitzes 60 percent more than those used by Smart with the Crimson Tide. And last season with Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs? Pruitt's defense ended the season No.1 in pass efficiency defense as well as the No. 1 defense against explosive plays allowed. Compare that to the national championship Tide coming in at seventh and ninth in those same categories.

One of the things the defensive unit has already learned and appreciate has been articulated by Anderson very succinctly, "He (Pruitt) puts his players first. We all appreciate that."

Here is the remainder of the Crimson Tide's spring practice schedule:

• Wednesday, March 30 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Friday, April 1 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Saturday, April 2 (TBD)
• Monday, April 4 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Wednesday, April 6 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Friday, April 8 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Saturday, April 9 (TBD)
• Tuesday, April 12 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Thursday, April 14 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Saturday, April 16 (2 p.m. CT)  A-Day Game scrimmage

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Bama Baseball Crushed 10-1 By Auburn

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama baseball team was crushed 10-1 by Auburn last night in the annual MAX Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery. The loss moves the Tide to 15-9 overall on the season.

"Part of [last night's] loss can be attributed to when your opponent does a really good job," stated Alabama head baseball coach MITCH GASPARD. "They slapped us around early, and we could never get our footing. When we went to the bullpen, it seemed like they greeted every guy with a hard-hit ball. Offensively, when we did get a few guys out there in the first three innings we couldn't produce a big hit. We had our spots there early to do it, but we couldn't deliver."

The Tide bats were never able to get on track to put men over home plate. The lone Bama score came in the top of the second inning. HUNTER WEBB was hit by a pitch allowing a runner to score as he was advanced to first.

Up next for Bama is a three-game series with Georgia slated for Thursday through Saturday. Thursday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, Friday at 6, and then the final game on Saturday will be at 11 a.m. CT. All three games will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Alabama Softball Ranked 6th/7th Nationally

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama Crimson Tide Softball team remains in the top 10 in the national rankings this week. Bama remained at number six for the fourth-consecutive week in the USA Today/NFCA coaches' poll, and advanced one position to seventh in the ESPN.com/USA Softball media poll.

The first six in the coaches' poll remains the same from last week, but James Madison moved to seventh while LSU dropped one position to eighth. Washington and Texas A&M fell out of the top 10 to 11th and 12th, while Florida State and Georgia moved into the ninth and tenth slots. Most of the media poll was similar with the exception of James Madison  jumping the Tide to sixth when LSU fell to tenth.

The Southeastern Conference has nine schools in this weeks top 25, more than any other conference. Those schools are: Florida (1/1), Auburn (3/3), ALABAMA (6/7), LSU (8/10), Georgia (10/9), Texas A&M (12/11), Kentucky (14/12), Missouri (15/15) and Tennessee (17/16). South Carolina is receiving votes outside the top 25 in the coaches’ poll, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs are receiving some love in the media poll.

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Men's Track & Field

Kord Ferguson Named SEC Freshman Of The Week

Tide Track & Field Athlete Kord Ferguson

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Southeastern Conference yesterday announced that Alabama track & field's KORD FERGUSON is the SEC Men's Freshman of the Week.

Ferguson currently leads the Tide in both the shot put and discus, and is ranked inside the top 20 nationally in both events. Last weekend at the Florida State Relays, the redshirt freshman recorded a new personal-best toss of 61-3 1/2 (18.68m) to claim the shot put title, which is good enough for 16th in the nation so far in the outdoor season.

The young man also ranks second in the NCAA in the discus behind a throw of 193-6 (58.98m) at the John Mitchell Alabama Relays to open the season.

This is the first outdoor SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week accolade earned by a member of the Alabama men’s track & field squad since 2014 when current junior HAYDEN REED did so.

The Crimson Tide track & field teams will be sending athletes to the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Florida March 31-April 2 and the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California on April 1.

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Haylie McCleney Senior CLASS Finalist

Alabama Senior Haylie McCleney

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Alabama senior softball player HAYLIE McCLENEY has been named as one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Senior CLASS award. The award is presented each year to honor student-athletes who use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as community leaders. 

Fans of the Crimson Tide and Haylie are encouraged to go to www.seniorclassaward.com to vote on the award's official website. Fans are allowed to vote for up to three candidates once per day on your computer or mobile device. Voting is scheduled to run through May 9th and fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine a winner, which will be announced during the 2016 Women’s College World Series.

The Senior CLASS award stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. It is awarded each year to a senior student-athlete that best exemplifies the four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

McCleney is a senior exercise science major and holds a 4.0 cumulative GPA at Alabama and is a two-time Academic All-American. She was named the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division I softball last season. McCleney is only the second player in program history to earn First Team honors as both an All-American and Academic All-American in the same season, doing so as a sophomore and junior.

Those from Bama who have previously won the award are CHARLOTTE MORGAN in 2010 and KAYLA BRAND in 2013. KAILA HUNT was a finalist for the Tide in 2014.

Spring Football Practice Resumes; Bama Softball Defeats Mizzou 16-2; Gymnastics Trio Earn All-America Honors; Women's Basketball Picks Up New Player; Bama Baseball Faces Auburn Tonight

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Spring Football Practice Resumes

Head Coach Nick Saban At Monday's Practice

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Robert Sutton

The second full week of spring football practice got underway yesterday for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Bama worked out for approximately two hours in full pads on the Thomas-Drew Practice fields under sunny skies in beautiful "Sweet Home" Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Yesterday's practice was the fifth of 15 spring practices (including the A-Day Game). The first scrimmage of the spring "season" will be held this Saturday, April 2nd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The scrimmage, however, will be closed to the public. There will be a second and final scrimmage the Saturday before the A-Day game.

There has been no real "news" or rumors concerning the starting quarterback battle as was the case the past two years. Sure, a mention or two, but perhaps reporters and fans are starting to see this as "the norm" with the defending national champions. That being said, head coach NICK SABAN did comment in his press conference that COOPER BATEMAN has the most knowledge of the offense, and has gotten the most reps with the first-team offense. He also stated there was still a lot of work to do.

Saban also commented on DAVID CORNWELL, saying he is having a good spring...and that he has as much arm talent as anyone on the roster. He also said he has good accuracy.

Concerning other players and positions Saban said that Da'SHAWN HAND has done a nice job this spring. He spoke of the fact that he and DALVIN TOMLINSON have been getting all the reps with the first team while JONATHAN ALLEN has been out.

Saban said that LESTER COTTON and KORREN KIRVIN have been developing. He said Cotton is having a good spring at both left and right tackle. He did say he wants to give everyone enough turns to figure out who would make the best starting five.

ROSS PIERSCHBACHER continues to work at the center position and seems pretty much ready to settle-in to that spot. How exactly that impacts the rest of the offensive line remains to be seen.

For a second consecutive week RASHAAN EVANS was working out with the middle linebackers. 

The 2016 A-Day Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th at 2 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game is once again free to the public. ESPN will air the game live.

Starting Quarterback-hopeful Cooper Bateman

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Robert Sutton

O.C. Lane Kiffin & Receivers Coach Billy Napier

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Robert Sutton

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Alabama Softball Defeats Missouri 16-2

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama softball team has really been banging the bats this season, and last night was no exception. The Tide (29-6 overall, 3-3 SEC) pounded out hits, but mainly took advantage of walks, wild pitches and errors to handily defeat the Missouri Tigers (24-6 overall, 3-3 SEC) by a score of 16-2 in five innings at Rhoads Stadium to take the series victory.

Tide softball head coach PATRICK MURPHY said, "It was of those games where we had a ton of runs off only a few hits. That hasn't happened a lot this year. We just took advantage of every walk, wild pitch, error and hit. When we do that, this is what happens."

Bama's 16 runs scored is the most for a Crimson Tide softball team in a Southeastern Conference games since 2012 when the Tide scored 19 against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The 14-run margin of victory is the largest for Bama in an SEC contest since 2013 when the Tide rolled over the Kentucky Wildcats 14-0. Alabama scored three runs in the first inning, but the ladies plated another 12 runs in the second inning on six hits and two Mizzou errors. Alabama's final run came in the fourth inning. The Tigers were able to score their two runs on a two-run homerun in the third inning.

Pitcher SYDNEY LITTLEJOHN (12-2) earned the victory, allowing just two runs on four hits.

Alabama faces the No. 1 Florida Gators (33-1 overall, 8-1 SEC) this next weekend in Gainesville, Florida for a three-game series. Game one will be played Friday, April 1st at 5 p.m. CT. Game two will air live on ESPN2 on Saturday, April 2nd at 2:30 p.m. CT, and the final game will be played on Sunday, April 3rd.

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Gymnastics Trio Earn All-America Honors

Three members of the Alabama gymnastics team earned regular-season All-America honors. The National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women made the announcement.

Senior LAUREN BEERS, junior AJA SIMS and sophomore KIANA WINSTON earned the regular-season honors. It was Beers earning second team honors on the vault, Sims garnering a first-team selection on the balance beam while Winston made the first team for her work on the uneven bars.

Alabama gymnasts will host the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Championship this Saturday, April 2nd. The tournament will get underway at 4 p.m. CT.

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Women's Basketball Picks Up New Player

University of Alabama Crimson Tide women's head basketball coach KRISTY CURRY announced yesterday that three-time Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week DaiJai RUFFIN will join the Bama women's basketball program after playing 17 games at UT-Martin.

Curry said, "We are excited to welcome DaiJia and her family to our program. DaiJia brings a unique versatility with her size and strength on the offensive end that we feel will complement our current roster, and we look forward to her continued development wearing crimson and white."

The 5' 9" guard out of Louisville, Kentucky averaged 14.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals last season for the Skyhawks. Ruffin scored in double figures in 14 of her 17 contest last season. Her season high was 22 points, which she accomplished twice. In a game against her new team, Ruffin scored 21 points, had eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Ruffin was a finalist for the 2014 Kentucky Miss Basketball award while playing high school ball at Sacred Heart Academy. She played in 35 games as a senior in high school, averaging 21.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals. Ruffin was first team All-State in 2014, and a member of the second team in both 2012 and 2013.

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Bama Baseball Begins 4-Game Road Trip

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Faces In-State Rival Auburn Tonight In Montgomery

Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team hits the road for their next four contests, starting tonight with in-state rival Auburn. The Tide and Tigers hook up for the annual MAX Capital City Classic for the eighth consecutive in a non-conference matchup. First pitch tonight is at 7 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network. Mike Morgan and Gabe Gross will handle announcing duties for the network.

Alabama and Auburn will meet for the 283rd time, with the Tide holding a 155-127 advantage in the series. Senior lefty JON KELLER has been tapped for the start for Bama.

Men's Tennis Falls To Gators 5-2; Number 2 Football Prospect Visits Bama Today; Saban To Open Mercedes Benz Dealership In Nashville; Women's Tennis Loses 7-0

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Tide Men's Tennis Falls To Florida 5-2

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama men's tennis team fell to the 16th-ranked Florida Gators yesterday 5-2 at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Center in Tuscaloosa. Alabama slips to 13-9 overall, 4-4 SEC.

Tide men's head tennis coach GEORGE HUSACK said, "There was good excitement and great energy. I think the difference in the match, really in doubles and singles, was execution."

It was sophomore KOREY LOVETT and freshman MAZEN OSAMA, ranked 17th duo in the country, taking a doubles win from the Gators 7-5 for one win. A battle ensued for Bama's next win, but  sophomore MATTHEW ROSSOUW and freshman SPENCER RICHEY were finally able to overcome in a tie-breaker to bring Bama their second and final victory.

Husack continued, "Down the stretch in doubles, we came back because we made more balls. We got down early because we missed more balls. At the end, they (Florida) ended up missing more balls (in doubles). There was clearly some pressure there when the score got tight, but at the end of the day it is who executes and who produces less unforced errors."

The Crimson Tide was unable to catch a break in singles action, losing all matches.

Husack commented, "I thought in doubles we did a good job of being more solid down the stretch, and in singles, on the courts that I saw, that we just didn't execute enough, and they (Florida) were just more rock solid. With Matthew, it was great to get a win. He made more balls. He executed, and that's a testament to him and the work that he has put in to his game.

"They (Florida) are a very good. I think they are the best team we have faced all year. They are so sound, very disciplined and very well coached. I could see this four years ago when we first played them here and Bryan (Shelton) took over as coach. They are very good. If we want to be good like them we have to get better, and that comes with practice Sunday through Saturday."

Next up for the Tide will be a home match with the Arkansas Razorback on Friday, April 1st. The contest is slated to begin at 5 p.m. CT. Bama then travels to Ole Miss for a match with the Rebels on Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m. CT.

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Number Two Football Prospect To Visit Alabama Today

Dylan Moses

Photo Credit: 247Sports

Five-star linebacker prospect DYLAN MOSES will be paying an unofficial visit to the campus of the University of Alabama today according to a tweet sent out by Moses this weekend.

The 6' 2", 220-pound linebacker prospect plays for IMG Academy in Florida, but is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In fact, Moses was originally committed to LSU before his decommitment this past summer.

Moses was the No. 1 overall high school prospect, but then dropped to No. 2 behind Alabama five-star commit NAJEE HARRIS, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He is the country's number one defensive player and outside linebacker.

He says Alabama is his number one choice.

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Saban To Open Mercedes-Benz Dealership In Nashville

Nick & Terry Saban

The Nashville Tennessean this weekend reported that University of Alabama head coach NICK SABAN and his wife, TERRY, will own a 50 percent share in a new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Nashville, Tennessee. The new Mercedez-Benz of Music City is planned for the property at Interstate 40 and Briley Parkway. And get this, the dealership is expected to open in a year at...wait for it...734 Envious Lane. 

The other 50 percent will be owned by Joe Agresti, and said that he and the Sabans selected Nashville because it's a thriving city with high growth expectations.

Agresti and the Sabans already own the Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham and Infinity of Birmingham car dealerships located in Hoover, Alabama.

The three also own BIJ Motors TN LLC, the owner of the operating entity for the planned new dealership in Nashville.

Final plat approval is expected on April 28th.

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Women's Tennis Swept By Mississippi State

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama women's tennis team (4-12, 0-8 SEC) were soundly beaten this weekend 7-0 by Mississippi State (12-6; 3-5 SEC) at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

The Alabama ladies next travel down to the Plains to take on in-state rival Auburn this Friday, April 1st at 5 p.m. CT.

Saban Comments On Out-Of-State Practice; Bama Baseball Takes Series Win Over Vols; Tide Swimming & Diving 6th At NCAA Championships;Bama Softball Splits Doubleheader With Mizzou; Men's Golf 3rd At FarmLinks Collegiate

Saban Comments On Out-Of-State Practice

Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Alabama head coach NICK SABAN had a few things to say concerning Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh's decision to move a week of spring football practice to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.  While Saban didn't rip on Harbaugh and his plan, Saban has no interest in doing the same type thing with the Crimson Tide.

According to 247Sports:

"I don't really know a lot about Michigan and their program," Saban said. "I think everybody's gotta make decisions that they feel are best for what they need to do in their program. I don't think when people designed the rules they didn't design the rules to take your team someplace else and have spring practice during spring break.

"But there's a lot of good people and a lot of good places and the NCAA will decide whether that's something that we should or shouldn't do. And whenever they decide, we'll kind of roll on. We love having spring practice right here at Alabama. There's a lot of people that have a lot of interest here. Our players, it doesn't disrupt their schedule, their class time, and we get a lot out of them and have lots of fun."

Of course many will say that it's within the limits of current NCCAA regulations so it's okay to do. But for the good of the school and the fan base is it really right?

Concerning the "value" of the decision and trip that Harbaugh and Michigan made, well, it has been widely reported so the kids looking to make a decision as to where to play their college football certainly notice. Some might even notice the "desperation" aspect of it. While Michigan was once "THE" powerhouse, along with Ohio State, of their conference, they haven't been what they once were in the so-called "glory days." With the Southeastern Conference having risen up as the dominant force in college football, especially the University of Alabama, Harbaugh felt he needed to shake things up a bit to attract athletes to where the sun and warmth of the south help keep them.

Is there any real value in this move by Harbaugh? Will it "pay off" with recruits committing to Michigan? Or will it help in the training process, or perhaps be a detriment to the spring practice progam? Sabn has his own ideas.

"Yeah, I get it," Saban said. "But I'm not sure that anybody really knows the value of doing some of these things, whether it's having off-campus camps all over the place. If everybody has one, then how do the kids really decide where they go and where they don't go?

"And how much of a benefit really is it? And the same thing with this: nobody really knows how big a benefit it is. I mean what's the value for what they do? But that's for everybody to decide on their own. I basically like focusing on the way we do it and I'm not too worried about what someone else is trying to do."

Of course Harbaugh has been big into shaking things up, even making controversial decisions concerning his program. Some wonder is it more to help his Michigan Wolverines pick up recruits or is it just to be a burr in the seat of the SEC. Most Southeastern Conference Coaches, including the SEC offices, have expressed displeasure with Harbrough and his "scheme" to taking his recruiting camps to the deep south. In fact, he even held a camp in the state of Alabama last year. Of course in most circles it was still the University of Alabama coming up with the Number 1 recruiting class for the sixth year in a row.

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Bama Baseball Splits Doubleheader With Vols

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Claims Weekend Series Victory

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team split the Saturday doubleheader with the Tennessee Volunteers, but still won the weekend's three-game series. Yesterday the Tide took game one 11-2 before being defeated by the Vols 6-3 in the series finale. This is Bama's first SEC series victory in the new "Joe", and the second SEC series win in as many weekends.

"It's about winning series in conference play," Alabama head coach MITCH GASPARD stated. "The biggest takeaway for me is that our pitching continues to really pound the strike zone. That was a really good offense in Tennessee. They're up top in the league in a lot of offensive categories, and I thought we matched up well on the mound."

The Bama boys allowed nine runs total yesterday, six of which were earned runs, while the pitching staff picked up 14 strikeouts. 

Junior catcher WILL HAYNIE really did shine for the Crimson Tide, belting out three hits, a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored and he even picked up a walk. HUNTER WALKER did a bang-up job himself going four for eight with a double, three runs scored and picking up two walks. CONNER SHORT banged out three hits himself, including a double. He had two RBIs , one run scored and picked up a walk.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is a trip to Montgomery for a non-conference game with Auburn in the annual MAX Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium this coming Tuesday, March 29th. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. CT. The Tide will next head to Athens, Georgia for a three-game series with the Dogs slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

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Tide Swimming & Diving 6th At NCAA Championships

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

For the second consecutive year the Alabama swimming and diving team has finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Championships. The Crimson Tide finished really strong last night, taking sixth place in the 2016 NCAA Championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tide head coach DENNIS PURSLEY said, "I couldn't be more proud of the team. It’s been a big culture change for them over the last three or four years and these guys have bought into it and they’ve taken big step forward in each of those years and this was another one tonight."

Through the four-day championship Bama picked up 225 points, the most in program history. It is also the Tide's best NCAA finish since 1983 when Bama finish fifth. Texas took first this year, followed by California, Florida, N.C. State and Georgia rounded out the top five. Alabama, as mentioned, was sixth, Tennessee took seventh while Missouri, Indiana and Auburn rounded out the top 10.

"We had a strong finish on the last day where that’s been our Achilles’ heel in the past," Pursley commented.

"We had three school records tonight and ended up sixth in the nation in the final standings. So we’re real pleased with how they performed throughout the meet."

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Bama Softball Splits Doubleheader With Mizzou

The Crimson Tide softball team split a doubleheader yesterday with the Missouri Tigers. Bamas ladies dropped the first contest 7-3, but came back with a five-inning 9-1 victory.

Mizzou (24-5; 3-2 SEC) took the early lead and held on for the game one victory. In game two, it was Alabama (28-6; 2-3 SEC) opening with five unanswered runs and hanging tough for the run-rule win.

Alabama baseball head coach PATRICK MURPHY said, "Credit Missouri, they did everything right and had a great game one. We had some defensive errors in game one that cost us three unearned runs. We needed to come back better and stronger for the second game. In game two, we scored early and took the lead instead of letting them take it. The hitters did well throughout the whole lineup. Eight out of our nine starters got on base. That's a good thing for us."

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Men's Golf Third At FarmLinks Collegiate

The seventh-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide men's golf team split a pair of matches at The FarmLinks Collegiate Match Play event yesterday to finish third at the one day, 36-hole event.

Alabama men's golf head coach JAY SEAWELL said, "This was a new event and was something that (Vanderbilt head coach) Scott Limbaugh and I put together in the winter. We had some competition days available and Scott found the FarmLinks course. You can't practice what we were able to do today in terms of playing a match play competition. It's totally different than stroke play."

The Crimson Tide will close out the regular season April 2-3 at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, Tennessee, before heading to the Southeastern Conference Championships April 15-17 at the Sea Island Golf Course in Sea Island, Georgia. Live-scoring for the tournaments can be found on www.Golfstat.com.  

Tide Spring Football Continues; Bama Baseball Rallies To Win; Retin Obasohan Honored; Men's Tennis Beats Auburn 4-3; Men's Swim Team Breaks Alabama 200 Medley Record

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Crimson Tide Football Puts In 2 Hours Yesterday

Crimson Tide Spring Football On Friday

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Spring football practice number four is in the books, with 11 more to follow (including the A-Day Game). The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team worked out approximately two hours on a warm, sunny afternoon outdoors on the the Thomas-Drew Practice fields yesterday. The session concluded the first full week of practice sessions for the Tide. 

Besides the conditioning and stretching exercises the team worked with their various groups/positions. No new injuries have been reported, with the same players in black no-contact jerseys as has been since the opening of spring practice.

The University of Alabama's 2016 Golden Flake A-Day Spring Football game is set for Saturday, April 16th at 2 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The game is again free to the public and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Here is a look at the remainder of the Crimson Tide's spring practice schedule:

• Monday, March 28 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Wednesday, March 30 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Friday, April 1 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Saturday, April 2 (TBD)
• Monday, April 4 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Wednesday, April 6 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Friday, April 8 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Saturday, April 9 (TBD)
• Tuesday, April 12 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Thursday, April 14 (3:30 p.m. CT)
• Saturday, April 16 (2 p.m. CT)  A-Day Game scrimmage

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Bama Baseball Rallies To Beat Vols 7-3

Crimson Tide Starting Pitcher Geoffrey Bramblett

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team erased a 3-0 deficit to the Tennessee Volunteers to rally to a 7-3 win last night in front of a sold-out crowd at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. This was the Crimson Tide's first SEC win inside the new "Joe". Alabama's record improved to 14-7; 3-1 SEC with two more games to play with the Vols this weekend.

Alabama baseball head coach MITCH GASPARD said, "Bouncing back from the three-run deficit starts on the mound with GEOFFREY (BRAMBLETT). In the first inning, they were on every pitch and it looked like the wheels were falling off, but that's why he pitches on Friday night. That kind of inning is going to happen occasionally. It's how you respond from it, and he did a hell of a job. He came back and started punching out zeros and our offense was able to get going."

The 3-0 lead by Tennessee came in the first inning, but then would score no more. The Vols had a two-run homerun and a double to send three home. Bramblett (3-0) quickly recovered to shut down the Volunteers for the next 5.1 innings of play.

Bramblett commented, "Some of their guys just got on the barrel and they got hot. You keep making pitches in the zone and you have nights like that or, hopefully, like we did, you shut that down as early as you can. You credit them - they're a good offense, they came out swinging and they were hot. You keep making pitches and you keep doing what you can do and control what you can control to limit that, and it ended up working out for us."

The Tide's rally began in the third inning and there was no going back. Concerning the rally, Gaspard said, "Once we got the two, I thought we got some momentum and we really kept it on our side. A lot of credit to our pitching at that point, as they kept making pitches. I thought DYLAN DUARTE got a couple big double-play balls to help end any threat, and a lot of credit goes to Geoffrey tonight to give our offense a chance to get going."

The Tide and Vols close out the series today with a pair of games. The first of the doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. CT, with the final game of the series tonight at 8 p.m. CT. Tonight's contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton

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Tide's Retin Obasohan Honored

Retin Obasohan

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Alabama Crimson Tide basketball senior guard RETIN OBASOHAN has received two more awards following his outstanding 2015-16 season. The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) has named Obasohan to first team all-districk, while the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has named him to its all-district second team.

The last Alabama basketball player to earn this distinction was TREVOR RELEFORD back in 2014.

Besides these two awards, Obasohan was named the Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the SEC First Team as well as the All-Defensive team earlier in the month.

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Tide Men's Tennis Defeats Auburn 4-3

The University of Alabama men's tennis team captured its eighth match of the season at home and their 13th overall in fine fashion with a 4-3 win over in-state rival Auburn last night at the Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The win improves the Tide's record to 13-8 overall, 4-3 SEC while the Tigers drop to 9-8 overall, 1-5 SEC.

Crimson Tide men's tennis head coach GEORGE HUSACK said, "It means a lot to win an in-state rivalry. They (Auburn) are always tough. You can throw out all the records and rankings. It doesn't matter."

Bama winners included senior BECKER O'SHAUGHNESSEY, sophomore GRAYSON GOLDIN, sophomore MATTHEW ROSSOUW, freshman SPENCER RICHEY, freshman MAZEN OSAMA and sophomore KOREY LOVETT.

Husack said, "You look at the scoreboard tonight, and we've got four three-set matches. Doubles was tooth and nail. We just got by there. That's the beauty of it. Every match means a lot, but it's a little extra special tonight with Auburn."

Alabama will host the 16th-ranked Florida Gators at the Alabama Tennis Stadium tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT.

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Men's Swim Team Breaks Program's 200 Medley Record

200 Medley School Record Breakers

Conner Oslin, Pavel Romanov, Luke Kaliszak & Kristian Gkolomeev

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

It was a record-setting night for the University of Alabama men's swimming and diving team. The Crimson Tide beat the previous 200 medley relay school record and was only a hundredth of a second off an NCAA record last night as Bama won their first NCAA relay title in program history with a time of 1:22.28. The competition is being held in the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.

Congratulations of juniors CONNOR OSLIN and PAVEL ROMANOV who combined with sophomore LUKE KALISZAK and junior KRISTIAN GKOLOMEEV to take the win over California and Texas.

Alabama men's swimming and diving head coach DENNIS PURSLEY said, "Relays are the consummate team events, so those are extra special. It was a big step forward for us and a lot of fun for the whole team. It was a great night."

Gkolomeev was the anchor for Bama, and made up the difference in time as the Tide was fourth through the halfway point of the race, then managed to get to third behind California and Texas to power the team into first. 

Bama's Oslin commented, "When you have Kristian Gkolomeev anchoring, you can come back from just about anything."

The Crimson Tide has 143 points and is in seventh place after day three of the meet. Bama closes out the final day of the championships today with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, platform diving as well as the 400 freestyle relay.

Saban Makes Fortune.com List; Women's Tennis Falls 5-2; Swimming & Diving 9th After Day 2 NCAAs; Bama Baseball To Host Tennessee; Tide Men's Tennis Hosts Two; Former Player Kevin Turner Passes

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Nick Saban Makes Fortune.com List

Tide Football Head Coach Nick Saban

Seeing the name of the University of Alabama football coach NICK SABAN being mentioned in "lists" isn't something new. He is mentioned as one of the greatest coaches of all time, most wins by an active coach, paired with coaching duos, best recruiter and the like. But now he's made another list.

Yesterday, Fortune.com listed Saban among the "World's Greatest Leaders". He is number 11 on the list. Now this is a list that includes such personalities as House Speaker Paul Ryan and Pope Francis, not one with Urban Myer and Les Miles. This particular list is one that spotlights men and women who are "...transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same." Yeah, now that's a fit for sure.

Saban was talking with a group of reporters prior to a speech in Mobile, Alabama for Team Focus, a mentoring organization founded by Mike Gottfried, former college football coach and broadcaster. Somewhat bewildered about the list, Saban said, "I guess that I get a lot more credit than I deserve obviously, but it's quite and honor."

Saban also had this to say concerning the passing of former Bama and NFL football player KEVIN TURNER:

"We played against him in the NFL when I was at Cleveland. I think he was in New England at the time. He was a great person, great family, represented the university in a first-class way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and certainly our condolences to all his teammates and people who knew him well and had a great relationship with him.

"The guy was a fantastic player and even a better person and a great ambassador for the University of Alabama and we'll certainly miss him."

Saban also commented on having to find a new starting quarterback for the third consecutive year, stating, "We had A.J. (McCARRON) for three years and he did a fabulous job for us. We're excited for what he's been able to do and the opportunities he's got in the NFL. He has certainly represented this community very well. BLAKE SIMS, JAKE (COKER) both did an outstanding job for us.

"We have four guys competing right now. I think they're all doing very well. I think they have some talent and things they can contribute. We'll just see who develops the best. Leadership, decision-making, accuracy, those kinds of intangible things, I think are really important to be successful at quarterback. Whichever one of those guys can do it on the most-consistent basis will have the best chance to win the job."

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Women's Tennis Falls To Ole Miss 5-2

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama women's tennis team suffered a big 5-2 loss yesterday evening at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels at home in Tuscaloosa.  Alabama is now 4-11 overall, 0-7 SEC while Ole Miss improves to 9-5 overall, 2-5 SEC.

Next up for the Crimson Tide will be another home contest, this one against 27th-ranked Mississippi State who dropped a 5-2 decision to Auburn yesterday.

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Swimming & Diving In 9th After Day 2 NCAAs

The Alabama men's swimming and diving team is tied with Georgia for ninth place after the second day of finals of the NCAA Championships being held in the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alabama head coach DENNIS PURSLEY said, "It was kind of a rocky morning, but we’re real pleased with the way the guys turned it around tonight."

Alabama has a total of 68 points after day two.

The Crimson Tide is back at it today with the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving and the 200 medley relay.

"We’ve got some strong events coming up tomorrow and we’re looking forward to taking advantage of those and moving forward," stated Pursley.

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Bama Baseball To Host Tennessee

Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama men's baseball team returns to Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa to host the Volunteers of Tennessee for an SEC weekend series. Tonight's series-opener is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday's contest will begin at 8 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. Both the Saturday and Sunday games will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network with Dave Neal and Chris Burke calling the action.

Tonight's game will be the 109th meeting between the two teams, with the Tide holding a 73-35 lead in the series over the Volunteers. The Tide is 43-15 in Tuscaloosa over the Vols.

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Tide Men's Tennis Hosts Two

The University of Alabama men's tennis team (12-8, 3-3 SEC) will host a pair of matches at the Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa to close out the month. Bama faces in-state rival Auburn (9-7, 1-4 SEC) later this afternoon at 5 p.m. CT, and will then face the 16th-ranked Florida Gators (9-4, 4-1 SEC) on Sunday with a first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.

The head basketball coach for the University of Alabama, AVERY JOHNSON, will be on hand for the honorary first serve tonight. 

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Former Player Kevin Turner Passes 

Former Alabama Crimson Tide Fullback Kevin Turner

A beloved former Alabama Crimson Tide player has passed. KEVIN TURNER, who played fullback for the University of Alabama football team died in his home in Vestavia Hills, Alabama after battling Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 46.

It was Turner's father who made the announcement yesterday morning via Facebook, which was also posted to the Kevin Turner Foundation's website. His father, Raymond, said, "Myra and I lost a great son today. He will be missed so much. Thanks to everyone so very much for your support and prayers during this journey. He was ready to go to Heaven, excited he said, Love y'all and God Bless."

This was also posted on the official website: Our dear brother, former Crimson Tide and NFL star, Kevin Turner passed away this morning after a long battle with ALS. He was surrounded by his family and friends.

Turner was a part of the GENE STALLINGS 1992 National Championship team. He was drafted by the New England Patriots, then went on th play with the Philidelphia Eagles from 1995-1999. Turner was diagnosed with the neurological disease ALS in 2010.

Following the diagnosis Turner formed the Kevin Turner Foundation and served as its President. The foundation was tasked to show the connection between repeated brain trauma and ALS in athletes.

Alabama head football coach NICK SABAN had this to say concerning Turner's passing:

"We played against him in the NFL when I was at Cleveland. I think he was in New England at the time. He was a great person, great family, represented the university in a first-class way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and certainly our condolences to all his teammates and people who knew him well and had a great relationship with him.

"The guy was a fantastic player and even a better person and a great ambassador for the University of Alabama and we'll certainly miss him."

Rest in peace, Kevin Turner, and our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

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