Tide Softball Heads West for Judi Garman Classic
3/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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| Head Coach Patrick Murphy |
The sixth ranked Alabama softball team will take a break from conference play this weekend and head to the West Coast for the prestigious Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California.
Formerly known as the Kia Classic, the inaugural Judi Garman Classic (named after the former Titan Hall of Fame Head Softball Coach) is widely regarded as the premiere mid-season collegiate tournament in the country.
Former NCAA champions Oklahoma, Fresno State, and Arizona, along with 2005 National Champion Michigan will compete in this year's event, along with several other top-ranked squads from across the country including Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, Texas, Florida State, Notre Dame, Arizona State and host school Cal State-Fullerton.
The Crimson Tide (21-3) opens pool play on Thursday against Fresno St. and Oklahoma. A Friday game against Utah will close out pool play and Alabama will then move on to bracket play.
Bama has a combined record of 4-5 against the teams in its pool owning a 2-2 record against both Oklahoma and Utah while dropping its only game to Fresno back in the 1998 season.
The only team in the field that Alabama has seen this season is Michigan, who the Tide defeated 3-2 in nine innings at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
Bama is led offensively by freshman Brittany Rogers who comes in the tournament with a .406 average and a 12-game hitting streak. Dani Woods and Staci Ramsey provide the power with each hitting four home runs and driving in 18 RBI.
Stephanie VanBrakle, recently named USA Softball National Player of the Week, is the ace of the Alabama pitching staff. She has a team best 0.34 ERA while holding opponents to a .085 batting average. She has recorded 144 strikeouts in 83.1 innings of work.
Bama's first game against Fresno State is scheduled of 11:00 a.m. CT followed by its 3:30 p.m. CT tilt with Oklahoma. Fans can follow all the action at www.rolltide.com where live stats and audio will be available. In the Tuscaloosa area, fans can follow all the balls and strikes on 90.7 FM WVUA, where Nic Hoch will call the action.
