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Day 3 Of Spring Football Practice Today
Nick Saban At 1st 2016 Spring Practice
Photo Credit: Roll Tide.com
There was no spring football practice for the Alabama Crimson Tide yesterday. Day 3 of the quest for the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championship and National Championship number 17 resumes this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT.
The great thing, or ONE of the great things about Alabama head football coach NICK SABAN is that he is always so focused on the "right now" and not the "what was." Fresh off his team winning the national championship, Saban is working to make THIS team all it can be. He will, indeed, be working these guys to get everything out of them. Earlier Saban commented, "You can't be casual when you approach spring practice. Spring
practice is like a project, man. It's like we're building a new house."
Concerning redshirt junior wide receiver ROBERT FOSTER, he returned to action, although limited, for the first time since his season-ending shoulder injury against Ole Miss. Foster was in a black, no contact jersey for Monday's second spring practice.
Concerning Foster, Saban said, "(Foster's) doing a good job, a really good job. He's out there practicing. We put him in a black shirt because he's coming off an injury, but he's done everything that everybody else is doing, running all the routes, learning. He's playing with a lot more confidence and has got better knowledge of the position."
Here is the remainder of the practice schedule for spring football:
- Wednesday, March 23 (3:30 p.m. CT)
- Friday, March 25 (3:30 p.m. CT)
- 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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Alabama Football Coaches
Former Tide Player Josh Chapman Joins Coaching Staff
Josh Chapman, Asst. Strength & Conditioning Coach
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Former nose tackle JOSH CHAPMAN has returned home to the Alabama Crimson Tide football program. This time he comes to campus not as a snot-nosed newbie looking to win a starting spot on the team, but as the new assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Chapman was a nose tackle for the University of Alabama from 2007-11 before going on to the National Football League. His professional career ended last September when he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by Indianapolis, but found himself having to work through injuries during his career, finally earning a start in 15 of 16 games in 2014.Now Chapman rejoins the Tide.
He has already been a busy man, helping and working the first two spring practices as well as a vital part during Alabama Pro Day back on March 9th. Crimson Tide defensive lineman DALVIN THOMPSON made the comment that Chapman was "always critiquing" them.
NICK SABAN and SCOTT COCHRAN whole-heartedly welcome Chapman back home.
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Crimson Tide Softball Records Another Shutout
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
It's another run-rule win for the season for the Alabama softball team (27-5). The Lady Tide earned their 13th, in fact, yesterday with an 8-0 whoopin' of Alcorn State in five innings at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
It was REGAN DYKES swinging the big stick for the Tide yesterday with a pair of home runs that produced four of the eight Bama runs. She now leads the team with seven. HAYLIE McCLENEY, CHANDLER DARE and MERRIS SCHRODER also stepped up big for Bama yesterday.
The win goes to Tide starter MADI MOORE (9-0). She pitched her fourth shutout of the season over Alcorn State yesterday to remain undefeated.
Head softball coach PATRICK MURPHY said, "Madi has earned every one of her starts. She has kept us in the game, gave us a chance to score first and
gets out of tough situations. She’s been making the pitches when she
needs to and I think everybody is confident behind her."
The Crimson Tide continues Southeastern Conference play this weekend when the 15th-ranked Missouri Tigers (22-4) come to T-Town. The series begins Saturday, May 26th at 2 p.m. CT. The contests slated for Sunday and Monday are schedules for 6 p.m. CT starts and will air live on the SEC Network.
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Men's Golf Wins Linger Longer Invitational
The seventh-ranked Alabama men's golf team captured the championship of the 2016 Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro, Georgia. Three Tide golfers finished among the top 12 in the standings. The tournament was a three-day, 54-hole affair, with Bama producing a team score of 12-under par 852 (282-285-285) to clinch the win. This is Bama's fourth title in it's last five tournaments.
Alabama head golf coach JAY SEAWELL commented, "We got off to a great start today, but had a little hiccup in the middle of the round. I am really proud of how we overcame that. Sometimes on the last
day, when things aren’t going as you had hoped, it’s easy to have the
negative momentum last too long. Our guys did a really good job of
staying in the moment and finding a way to earn a victory, which I am
very proud of."
This is the fourth time in six years that the Alabama men's golf team has won the Linger Longer Invitational. Victories came in 2011, 2012, 2013 and then this year.
The Tide won by four strokes over No. 3 Georgia and No. 47 Augusta State, who tied for second. 22nd-ranked Virginia was fourth followed by tournament host Kennesaw State rounding out the top five.
Alabama had three players finish in the top 12 in the tournament. They are junior ROBBY SHELTON, freshman DAVIS RILEY and senior TOM LOVELADY.
Seawell said, "I think our depth is why we were able to win this tournament. Our guys did a really good job of backing up each other when one of them may have been struggling. If you’re going to be a great team, you have to have depth. You can’t really be just a one or two man team and just hope everyone else hangs in there. It just creates a trust factor with one another. I thought we did a really good job of having all of our guys close enough for their scores to count each day. It keeps everybody energized."
Alabama heads to Sylacauga to compete at the FarmLinks Collegiate Match Play even on Saturday, March 26th. The Tide will open with No. 10 Auburn. The winner will meet the winner of No. 6 Vanderbilt vs No. 21 Georgia Tech for the championship.
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Bama Baseball Blanked By Blazers 8-0
The University of Alabama baseball team was hit hard yesterday. The UAB Blazers laid an 8-0 defeat to the Crimson Tide at Regions Field in Birmingham. It was Bama's first shutout loss of the season.
Head baseball coach MITCH GASPARD, said, "Credit UAB, they played extremely well. They pitched well and swung the bats well. On our end, it's the second Tuesday in a row that I thought we put together a pretty poor performance. We didn't have good energy, came out flat and they jumped on us in a hurry. We didn't show a lot of fight tonight, unlike what we did this weekend, so it was disappointing."
Alabama used a total of five pitchers battling the Blazers. Starter MIKE OCZYPOK (2-2) was tasked with the loss.
UAB had 12 hits on the night, including four doubles. Their scoring began with a four-run second inning which would have proven to be enough for the win.
Gaspard stated, "Our team is very capable. We just have to stay with it. It's a disappointing night, but this team will bounce back. They will be ready to go this weekend."
Next up for Bama will be the Tennessee Volunteers comeing to Sewell-Thomas Stadium for a three-game weekend series. The first game is slated for Friday night at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's contests will be aired by the SEC Network, with the Saturday game slated for an 8 p.m. CT start then at 3 p.m. CT on the Sunday finale.
