Daily: Concerts Back At The Amp?; High School Baseball Roundup

Good Morning Tuscaloosa!

In today's Daily, we feature a detailed story about the tentative return of large-scale concerts to Tuscaloosa, a breakdown of area high school baseball action from over the weekend and a look at a new video storytelling series I'm testing out.

First, today's weather:

Tuscaloosa can expect showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. The high Monday will be near 77 with a low around 62. Chance of rain: 80%.

Patch Pick: I've been fine-tuning some new content — Patch Digital Features — that seeks to better tell the stories of our community events and arts scene in a more visual and concise way. Check out my latest Digital Feature and let me know what you think!

Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa

1. Columnist Cecil Hurt provided his expert commentary and one of the best ledes I've read recently as he breaks down Alabama basketball's 80-79 victory over LSU to claim the Crimson Tide's first SEC Tournament championship since 1991. (Tuscaloosa News)

2. The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater will officially announce its first concert of 2021 on Monday, Mark Hughes Cobb wrote in an in-depth newspaper story published over the weekend. The amphitheater expects this to be its first major event hosted since the coronavirus pandemic forced postponements and eventual cancellations during the 2020 concert season, as well as Holidays on the River. The return to live music at the amphitheater is tentatively set for June 17. (Tuscaloosa News)

3. The widening of U.S. Highway 43 from Thomasville to Tuscaloosa was the subject of a well-written piece published by John Sharp, as the long-discussed project appears to be moving forward after the initial announcement in Gov. Kay Ivey's most recent State of the State Address. (AL.com)

4. In statewide transportation news, Angel Coker of the Birmingham Business Journal reports that passenger traffic remains down nearly 60% at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport a year after the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

5. Four-star running back/athlete prospect Emmanuel Henderson has committed to play for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, recruiting expert and journalist Andrew Bone reports. The product of Geneva County High School in Hartford, Alabama is the fifth commit for the Class of 2022 and chose Alabama over Georgia, Auburn, and Clemson. (BamaInsider)

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Today in Tuscaloosa

- Shelton State Community College baseball coach Bobby Sprowl will host the school's annual Spring Break Baseball Camp, which starts today. Click here for registration information. If all of the spots are not filled by the start of camp, late registration will be accepted.

- Hey Coach! will be broadcast live from Baumhower's Victory Grille, beginning at 6 p.m.

- Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority will kick off its spring break camp for kids today at the Phelps and Tingle centers. The camp will run through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Click here for more.

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

- While my resources for gathering high school sports scores are improving, I'm always looking for local stringers to provide accurate, updated scores, stats and anecdotes to help me better cover local sports as a one-man news team. While I can't offer any cash, I can promise coverage for your favorite team, from little league on up to the pros. Those interested can email me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.

- DCH Health System reported a total of 21 total coronavirus cases on Sunday, with five or fewer coronavirus-positive inpatients being treated in the system's intensive care units. The number of hospitalizations has remained relatively flat over the last two weeks after hitting a low of 19 total inpatients on March 5.

- The Northport City Council will convene for its regular meeting Monday night at 5:30 p.m. Click here to view the full agenda. You can also click here for the agenda from this week's Northport Board of Zoning Adjustments meeting.

- The Tuscaloosa City Council will hold its regular meeting Tuesday. Click here for all of the committee agendas and from the full council meeting.

- The Tuscaloosa County Commission will not hold its regular meeting on Wednesday due to spring break.

From The Cheap Seats

- The No. 8 seed Stillman Tigers will take on No. 9 Saint Francis (Indiana) on Thursday, March 18 at 2 p.m. as postseason play continues at the NAIA Men's Basketball Final Site in Kansas City, Missouri.

- Alabama Crimson Tide softball sustained its success on the diamond Sunday, defeating rival Auburn 4-2, while the Tide baseball team clinched its series over visiting Stetson with a 9-4 win,

- The Tuscaloosa County Wildcats baseball team dropped a 10-1 loss to the Central (Phenix City) High School Red Devils Saturday. While offensive production was scarce for the Wildcats, the game did see Brian Cooley and T.J. Glasgow manage two hits each.

- The American Christian Academy Patriots baseball team fell 4-2 across state lines Saturdayagainst the talented Starkville High Yellow Jackets. John Blount took the loss for the Patriots on the mound, throwing one inning after Chad Fendley tossed five, giving up two runs and striking out eight. The Patriots also logged a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the DeSoto Central Jaguars, another Mississippi squad.

- The Central High Falcons baseball team fell 10-7 to the West Blocton Tigers Saturday. Despite the loss, Tyan Hoppins and Anthony Dunn recorded two hits each for the Falcons.

- The Tuscaloosa Academy Knights baseball team was shut out in a 5-0 road loss to Lee-Scott Academy in Auburn Saturday, but did receive some noteworthy offensive production from designated hitter Sam Rowley, who went 3-for-3 on the day.

- The Tuscaloosa County High Wildcats and new head football coach Adam Winegarden announced that spring practice will begin May 10. The Wildcats will open the 2021 season against the Paul W. Bryant High Stampede on Aug. 20.

It may be storming out, but at least you're in the loop on everything going on in Tuscaloosa, right? But don't miss out during the rest of the day! Be sure to follow me on Tuscaloosa Patch and its social media platforms for more.

P.S. Another reminder to make sure you have your severe weather plan in place this week!

Stay safe!

- Ryan

About me: I grew up in Tuscaloosa. I'm a graduate of the University of Alabama, an experienced journalist, editor and columnist and the founder of Tuscaloosa Patch. You can find me at baseball games, public meetings, events in the local arts community and wherever live music is played!