FLORENCE, Ala. (April 29, 2024) – The University of North Alabama baseball team is set for two midweek matchups, starting on Tuesday, April 30 at 6 p.m. against Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, Tenn. before returning to Florence to take on Samford on Wednesday, May 1 at 4 p.m.
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast while live video will be available via ESPN+.
North Alabama at MTSU
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
6:00 p.m.
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Samford at North Alabama
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
4:00 p.m.
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NOTES
April Showers: In the month of April, the University of North Alabama baseball team has strung together some of the best offensive numbers of the Division I era. The Lions put up the best numbers in home runs (24) and slugging percentage (.476) in 15 games during April.
Big Fly Frei: UNA infielder
Gehrig Frei leads the team with 11 home runs so far this season. The redshirt sophomore has appeared in 41 games for UNA and has already hit the most home runs by a UNA batter in Division I program history. The North Alabama record for most home runs in a season is 17, set by Mike Burns (1989) and D.J. Harris (1993).
A Record Weekend: North Alabama set multiple Division I offensive program records against Bellarmine on April 13-14. UNA tallied 48 runs in three games, the most in a series since 2006. The Lions also set new single-game Division I program records for runs (22), hits (23), total bases (36) and margin of victory (19) in Sunday's match.
A Chance at History: North Alabama starting pitcher
Jacob James struck out eight batters on Friday, April 26 against UCA. He exits the series with the Bears having struck out 264 batters in his UNA career. James is second in the ASUN with 77 strikeouts and is just 16 strikeouts shy of tying Chad Boughner for the most in program history.
Mr. 300: North Alabama head baseball coach Jad Prachniak picked up his 300th career win on Sunday, April 14 against Bellarmine, 22-3. Prachniak came to UNA with 273 career victories at Division II West Chester, where he won two NCAA Division II National Championships. Prachniak is in his second season at the helm of the UNA Baseball program.
Five is the Magic Number: On Sunday, April 14 against Bellarmine,
Gehrig Frei tied the program record for the most hits in a game with five. Frei tallied three singles, a double and a three-run homer in the series finale in Louisville. Earlier this season, Frei became the first UNA player with five hits in a game since 2016 in a 5-for-6 performance against Alabama A&M on April 3.
Scouting the Blue Raiders: MTSU enters the midweek game with a 14-29 record, including a 5-13 record in C-USA play. MTSU met with Austin Peay on Tuesday, April 23, falling 16-10 in Clarksville and is coming off of a 2-1 series loss to Western Kentucky at home. MTSU is led by head coach Jerry Meyers, who is in his second season as head coach after spending time at South Carolina and MTSU as an assistant.
MTSU Series History: The Lions and Blue Raiders are set to clash for the first time since 1992, with MTSU holding the series lead 8-4 over North Alabama. UNA and MTSU were set to meet last season before inclement weather spoiled the contest. MTSU won the last meeting 11-3 over UNA in 1992, a season in which the Lions made an NCAA Division II Regional appearance.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Samford travels to Florence with a 28-15 record and a 10-2 record in SoCon games. The Bulldogs are coming off a series victory against Liberty in Birmingham. UNA and Samford share a pair of common opponents in Queens and Bellarmine this season.
Samford Series History: UNA and Samford have met 15 times previously with North Alabama holding a 12-3 edge over the Bulldogs. UNA took the most recent meeting between the teams in an 11-10 thriller in Florence. UNA led 11-4 entering the ninth inning before Samford stormed back and cut the lead to one. Samford has taken two of three meetings since UNA made the move to Division I.
