Tide Softball Travels to Ole Miss
4/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The third ranked Alabama softball team takes to the road in the SEC for the second straight weekend as the Tide (33-4, 12-0 SEC) heads to Oxford, Mississippi for a three-game series with the Ole Miss Rebels (14-25, 2-11).
The Crimson Tide has rolled through its SEC competition so far posting sweeps over Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. Bama is currently on a nine-game winning streak and holds a 29-2 overall record against the Rebels.
The Tide is enjoying its best start to the SEC season. The team's 12-0 start in league play easily eclipses the team's best starts of 7-0 which has occurred three times.
Ole Miss has had a rocky start to its conference season; however things could be on the upswing for the Rebels as they come into the series off a 2-1 upset over 25th ranked Mississippi State Wednesday night.
While the series may look to be one-sided, only two of the Alabama victories have come by way of the run-rule. Ole Miss' lone wins in the series came in 1999 and 2005 when the Rebels beat the Crimson Tide 3-1 in the final game of a four-game series and 3-0 in Game 2 of the ??05 series. The Tide pitching staff usually brings its ??A' game when it comes to playing Ole Miss. Bama pitchers have either thrown a shutout or yielded only one run in 22 of their 29 victories.
The Alabama offensive attack is led by freshman Brittany Rogers who's hitting at a .432 clip. Rogers also leads the team in stolen bases with 21, the fifth most in a season in UA history. Sophomore Dani Woods provides the power in the lineup with a team best six home runs and 33 RBI.
The Tide pitching staff has been just as phenomenal posting a 0.87 ERA and a 0.52 ERA in conference play, which is tops in the league. The Tide staff is a two-headed monster with senior Stephanie VanBrakle leading the way with a 19-2 record and 212 strikeouts in 131.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Chrissy Owens leads the staff with a 0.61 ERA in 80.2 innings of work.
The series is scheduled to begin on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. CT. The two teams will get together for the series finale at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday which will be televised live on the Fox Sports Network.
Fans can follow all the action on www.rolltide.com where live stats and audio will be available. In the Tuscaloosa area, fans can tune into WVUA 90.7 FM where Nic Hoch will call all the balls and strikes.
