Fifth-Ranked Alabama Hosts BAMA BASH! This Weekend
2/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The No. 5 University of Alabama softball team will play at home for the first time in 2007 as they host the Hampton Inn BAMA BASH! Feb. 16-18. They will play Radford at 3 p.m. and Michigan State at 5 p.m. on Friday and Toledo at 1 p.m. on Saturday before bracket play begins.
Scouting the Opponents
Radford - The Highlanders went 2-2 at the Seminole Classic in Tallahassee, Fla. last weekend. They defeated Florida A&M twice and lost to Samford and Florida State. Seven players hit over .300 with Cassie Rhodes batting .462 with two doubles, one triple and four RBI. Bre Felix earned both the team's wins on the mound with a 0.78 ERA and eight strikeouts in nine innings.
Michigan State - The Spartans will open their season at the BAMA BASH! tournament. They went 34-25 last season. They return all of their top nine hitters from 2006, including Nicole Mercado who hit .293 with 54 hits, four doubles and five triples and Dayna Feenstra who hit .290 with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 41 RBI. They also return all three pitchers who each recorded around a 2.50 ERA and over 80 innings pitched.
Toledo - The Rockets will also begin their season in Tuscaloosa. They posted a 13-40 record in 2006. They have a young squad with 10 freshmen and sophomores. Leslie Strong is the top offensive performer with a .337 avg. last season to go with five home runs. They return their top two pitchers but it was a problem for the team in 2006 as both had an ERA over 4.00.
Series History
The Tide will welcome three teams to town for the Hampton Inn BAMA BASH! this weekend, including Radford, Michigan State and Toledo. In its 10-year history, UA has only faced one of these three teams. They claimed an 8-4 victory against Radford on March 8, 2000. This will be the first ever meeting with Michigan State and Toledo.
Tournament Champions
The University of Alabama softball team won its first tournament championship of the 2007 season on opening weekend going undefeated in five games at the Century-Tel Softball Classic in San Marcos, Texas. They defeated Oklahoma State 11-1 in five innings in the championship game.
SEC Freshman of the Week
Charlotte Morgan (Moreno Valley, Calif.) was the first SEC Freshman of the Week in the 2007 season. She got off to a fast start in her college career going 4-for-8 with one run scored, one RBI and three walks for a .636 on base percentage. She also pitched in two games with a win in her first collegiate start on the mound. She tossed seven innings against Texas-San Antonio with four hits, three runs, two earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts. She also closed out the shutout win in the opener against Oklahoma State sending the Cowboys down 1-2-3 with one strikeout.
Offensive Firepower
Alabama brought out the big sticks for its opening weekend, scoring 46 runs in five games. They put up double-digit run totals in three games. The Tide also hit .378 as a group with a .588 slugging pct. and .486 on base pct. They tallied 45 hits with two doubles, one triple and seven home runs to go along with 20 walks and five hit batters. The team also hit .417 (30-of-72) with runners on base and .455 (5-of-11) with the bases loaded.
On the Basepaths
No matter who came up to the plate in the first weekend for the Crimson Tide they seemed to work their way on base. The team cumulated a .486 OBP with all nine players who started at least four games posting a .400 OBP or better. The team tallied 45 hits, 20 walks and five hit by pitch so they reached base in 70 of the 144 plate appearances. Kellie Eubanks led the team with a .667 OBP reaching base eight times in 12 appearances with three hits, five walks and two HBP in four games. She scored seven runs to lead the Tide.
Lasso the Cowboys
Mandy Burford (Anniston) had an unbelievable two games against Oklahoma State last weekend. In the season opener, she went 3-for-4 with one home run and six RBI to go along with a stolen base. In the Century-Tel Championship game she hit two home runs to finish 2-of-3 with two runs scored and five RBI. She finished the first weekend hitting .563 (9-of-16) with six runs scored, three home runs, 11 RBI, one walk and three stolen bases. She recorded an 1.125 slugging pct. and .588 on base percentage while extending her hitting streak to seven games dating back to the 2006 Women's College World Series.
Everything is Bigger in Texas
The saying is true when it comes to sophomore transfer Lauren Parker's (Port Neches) numbers. In her first weekend, at Alabama she hit .538 (7-of-13) with five runs scored, one triple, one home run, seven RBI, one walk, one HBP and two stolen bases. She posted a .923 slugging percentage and .600 on base percentage.
Big Things Come in Small Packages
Kelley Montalvo (Miami, Fla.) is only 5'0" but can hit with as much power as anybody. She came through with two clutch home runs over the opening weekend for the Tide. With Alabama only ahead 1-0 in the fourth inning against Texas State, she hit a two-run shot to left field to help them advance to the championship game with a 3-0 win. In the final contest, UA trailed 1-0 but Montalvo blasted one out of the park to center field to spur a five-run inning for the Crimson Tide.
Sophomore Sensation
Brittany Rogers (Dacula, Ga.) is coming off one of the top freshman seasons in school history and is off to another good start in 2007. She opened the season with five hits, seven runs scored, three walks, a .444 OBP and four stolen bases. Her seven runs and four stolen bases both lead the team.
Designated Star Player
Jordan Praytor (Vancouver, Wash.) is one of the most dangerous hitters in the Tide lineup at the No. 2 spot. She hits with power, precision and possesses speed to top it off. She opened the season hitting .400 (6-of-15) with five runs scored, two doubles, six RBI, two walks, one HBP and two stolen bases. She has a .533 slugging pct. and a .500 OBP.
Miami Heat
Chrissy Owens (Miami, Fla.) is the ace of the Crimson Tide pitching staff and showed over the first weekend why she ranked second in the nation in ERA last year. She started 3-0 with a 0.44 ERA. She pitched 13 2/3 scoreless innings to start the year. So far this season she has thrown 16 innings allowing eight hits and one run, with six walks and 13 strikeouts. Opponents are batting just .145 against her.
One Eyed Wonder
Despite playing with poor visibility due to a scratched cornea in one eye, Dani Woods (Cockeysville, Md.) started all five games and posted a .308 avg. with four hits, four runs scored, one home run, seven RBI and two walks.
Tide in the Rankings
Alabama climbed three spots to the No. 5 slot in the first regular season ESPN.com/USA Today Collegiate Top-25 poll. They are one of just nine undefeated teams remaining in the rankings. They are also No. 5 in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll.
ASA Top 50 Watch List
Brittany Rogers (Dacula, Ga.) was named to the American Softball Association Top-50 watch list for the prestigious 6th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award.
ESPN.com Preseason All-American
Jordan Praytor (Vancouver, Wash.) was named to the ESPN.com Preseason All-American first team. She was one of 12 players named to the first team and 24 named preseason All-Americans. She was one of three SEC players on the first team.
Out of the Woods
Opposing pitchers quickly found out in 2006 that they weren't out of the woods until they got past Alabama's run-producing machine Dani Woods (Cockeysville, Md.) in the lineup. Woods recorded 15 multiple-RBI games last season and was second on the squad with 50 RBI. Entering this season she is three doubles away from 11th on the all-time list and two home runs shy of 13th place. She also needs 11 RBI for 100 in her career and 12th on the career charts.
Praytor Climbing Career Charts
Junior utility player Jordan Praytor is looking to move up in several career Alabama career charts. She is six runs away from moving into 8th all-time. She needs two home runs to move into 15th on the career list and one triple from climbing into third. She is also two stolen bases from becoming sixth all-time and seven SB from 50 in her career. She is eight hits shy of 150 for her career.
Pitching Milestones
Junior pitcher Chrissy Owens (Miami, Fla.) is approaching several milestones in her career at Bama. She needs three shutouts for a tie for 4th on the all-time list. She is two saves away from breaking the school record and four wins shy of moving into fifth on the career list. She also needs one strikeout for 350 in her career.
Crimson Tide on WVUA
WVUA radio will be carrying the Crimson Tide on 90.7 FM for home and away games throughout the 2007 season. This will be the 7th season WVUA has covered Alabama Softball. Award-winning sportscaster Nic Hoch will call the action along with others from the WVUA sports team.
