Untimely pitching problems for Bama

TUSCALOOSA | University of Alabama head baseball coach Jim Wells said Monday afternoon that the Crimson Tide’s pitching rotation for the upcoming Southeastern Conference Tournament remained unsettled, at least in terms of starting assignments.

Wells said that junior lefthander Miers Quigley, who has been the Tide’s No. 1 starter in recent weeks, would not be available for Wednesday night’s opening-round game against Kentucky night at Regions Park.

“Quigley is out for the next couple of days,” Wells said. “He came out of the game [at Georgia] on Friday and said his back was really bothering him. It’s bothered him all year. He definitely can’t pitch on Wednesday or Thursday. If we are still playing after that, we will see where he is.”

Wells said that the Crimson Tide, the No. 5 seed, was looking at a number of potential starting candidates.

“We could move [Austin] Hyatt [the No. 2 starter] up, although he is usually better with a little more rest,” Wells said. “We could use Will Stroup, or perhaps someone who hasn’t pitched lately, like Del Howell.”

Stroup, who started against Kentucky in the first SEC series of the regular season, has worked out of the bullpen since then. He appeared on both Friday and Saturday in the Georgia series, but said he would be available for duty on Wednesday night if needed.

“I’ve got plenty left,” Stroup said on Monday afternoon. “It’s the end of the year. I’m ready to throw as much as they need me.”

Stroup is currently 5-3 with a 3.93 ERA. Quigley is 5-4 with a 5.35 ERA.

“In the tournament, if you’re going to be successful, you need to have someone step up in the rotation,” Wells said. “That has been the case for us in the past.”

There is no formula for knowing if Alabama, which won its last five SEC series of the regular season, needs to do any additional work in Hoover to attain an NCAA Tournament berth, but Wells said he would coach “to win the tournament, just like we always do.”

“I’d think we are in, but you never know and you can’t let that enter your thinking as a coach,” he said. “We want to go to Hoover and do well.”

Kentucky swept Alabama in Lexington, Ky., in early March.