The Tide will once again be without ace pitcher Connor Prielipp as the team takes on Tennessee in a home series this weekend. Bama baseball is currently 1-5 in SEC play and has lost six games straight. Prielipp pitched the opening game on Feb. 19 with a 0.00 ERA in five innings and has not played a single game since.

Curtsey of Alabamabsb on Instagram
Curtsey of Alabamabsb on Instagram
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In Prielipp’s absence, Alabama has used the familiar faces of sophomore Antoine Jean, junior Tyler Ras, and junior Dylan Smith as its starting pitchers. All of which have been able to hold their weight.

However, with Prielipp missing, depth is cut short. Jean was expected to open this past Sunday’s game against Ole Miss, but never saw the mound. The Tide went through five different pitchers on Sunday with three guys playing a single inning or less. Relief star pitcher Chase Lee was also absent during the Ole Miss series.

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Alabama baseball tweeted the weekend rotation for the Tennessee series this afternoon and Sunday’s game is TBA. Ras will start Friday and Smith will start on Sunday. Jean is questionable.

Earlier this month, I wrote an article titled, "Is Tide's Pitching Depth A Cause For Concern" where I addressed issues with the bullpen and let out an all too early cry for help. Unfortunately, as the season goes on it appears those cries are happening more and more frequently. Injuries are plaguing the team and Prielipp’s medical condition and return date continue to be unknown.

In a newly uploaded video titled “Tennessee Preview” head coach Brad Bohannon gives us some injury updates. He says that Prielipp won’t pitch this weekend but has made some progress. Coach Bo gave no timeline for his return and said evaluations will continue going forward. Jean is currently battling tendonitis and his ability to pitch in Sunday’s game will be evaluated Friday or Saturday. There was no word on why Lee didn't play last weekend, but he will be pitching this weekend, which is great news.

The first game against the Vols will kick off at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by another 6 p.m. game Saturday and the series will close out on Easter Sunday at 11 a.m.

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