Alabama Softball to Host Doubleheader With Arkansas on Wednesday
3/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The Crimson Tide will return home for a doubleheader against Arkansas on Wednesday beginning at 5 p.m. Alabama played its last five games on the road, sweeping a three-games series with No. 24 South Carolina and splitting a doubleheader at No. 22 Florida. The Lady Backs went 2-4 over the weekend at the Big Red Tournament in Lincoln, Neb. and also lost both contests in a doubleheader with Western Illinois Wednesday.
Scouting Arkansas
After dropping six of their eight games last week, Arkansas fell to 12-23 on the season. They have already faced two No. 3 Texas A & M and No. 6 Oklahoma this season and dropped two games to both schools. Jessica Bachkora leads the team in hitting with a .349 avg., seven doubles and three triples. Dayna Huckabee has five home runs and 23 RBI to go with three triples and a .314 avg. Miranda Dixon is the top pitcher with a 2.79 ERA and a 3-9 record with 45 strikeouts.
Series History
Alabama leads the all-time series with Arkansas 30-7. The Crimson Tide swept the series at Fayetteville last year to clinch their first SEC Championship. Bama has now won 15 straight games against the Lady Backs.
Last Year's Series
The Crimson Tide swept the 2006 series with Arkansas. UA outscored the Lady Backs 23-4 in the three games. Mandy Burford hit two home runs and drove in four runs while Dani Woods tallied two doubles and six RBI for a .500 avg. (5-for-10) is three games. Kelley Montalvo also hit her first career grand slam in the series. Chrissy Owens pitched five shutout innings with five strikeouts.
Alabama Players vs. Arkansas
Several Crimson Tide players have had success in their careers against Arkansas. In six career games Dani Woods is batting 7-of-15 (.467) with two doubles and seven RBI. Brittany Rogers was 5-of-9 last year in three games with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Chrissy Owens has not allowed a run in seven innings with one hit allowed and nine strikeouts.
Last Time Out
Alabama swept a three-game series at No. 24 South Carolina last weekend. The Tide used five home runs to score eight of their nine runs. Lauren Parker hit a solo home run for Bama's only hit in a 1-0 victory. Charlotte Morgan hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning to give the Tide a 5-3 victory. Mandy Burford and Jordan Praytor each had clutch solo home runs in a 3-1 victory in the series finale. Three different pitchers earned victories for the Tide. Chrissy Owens pitched 12 2/3 innings and only allowed one run on eight hits with nine strikeouts.
SEC Freshman of the Week
Charlotte Morgan (Moreno Valley, Calif.) was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the second straight week and third time this season on Monday. Morgan led the Tide in hitting for the week in which the team went 4-1 in five SEC road games. She hit .357 (5-of-14) with four runs scored, two home runs and four RBI. She hit one home run against both Florida and South Carolina to give her a home run in all three SEC series this season. Her two-run home run in the 10th inning against the Gamecocks proved to be the game-winner in a 5-3 victory.
Freshman Finding Groove at Plate
Freshman Charlotte Morgan has taken her game to another level since the start of SEC play two weeks ago. After eight SEC games she ranks among the league leaders in most offensive categories. Morgan is sixth in batting with a .400 avg. Her .850 slugging pct. is second while her .478 OBP is seventh. She leads the league with eight runs scored and is fourth with seven RBI. She is also second with three home runs and third with 17 total bases. Her two sacrifice bunts also are tied for first in the SEC.
Holcombe Adds Offense to Defense
Entering SEC play Ashley Holcombe (Fayetteville, Ga.) led the conference with four pickoffs. Since the Tide's first SEC series she has also picked up her offensive numbers, ranking second in the league with eight RBI. She has recorded a RBI in all three conference series and has a RBI in five of the seven SEC games. She had two RBI in each of her first three games of the conference season. She also had one RBI in the second game against Florida on a sacrifice fly and a RBI in the series finale at South Carolina on a fielder's choice.
No Free Passes
Once the conference season started senior Blair Potter (Columbus, Ga.) buckled down and has only walked one batter in 16 innings. The lack of walks has helped her give up only three earned runs on nine hits to go 2-0. She also has 18 strikeouts in league games. This past week she did not allow a walk in 10 2/3 innings while recording 12 strikeouts. On the season she has only walked eight batters in 41 1/3 innings with 39 strikeouts.
Powerful Pitching
Chrissy Owens (Miami, Fla.) went 2-0 last week and appeared in all five of the Tide's road contests. She finished in strong fashion against South Carolina allowing just one run in 12 2/3 innings. She pitched a seven-inning shutout with four hits and seven strikeouts in the series opener. She got out of a jam in the second game with the score tied 3-3 , a runner on third and one out. She allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings. She started the final game and went four innings with one run on three hits and two strikeouts.
Power Hour
In the first 29 games of the 2007 season, Alabama has hit 34 home runs with 12 of the Tide's 16 batters recording a home run on the year. The Tide hit five home runs in a three-game set vs. South Carolina last weekend to account for eight of their nine runs. Mandy Burford leads the team with eight home runs. Lauren Parker has six on the season after not hitting a single home run as a freshman. Charlotte Morgan has hit one home run in all three SEC series to give her four on the season while Kellie Eubanks and Kelley Montalvo each have three. Brittany Rogers hit two inside-the-park home runs in the BAMA BASH!, with one coming from the right side and the other from the left. Seven players have hit their first collegiate home run this season including Eubanks, Parker, Rogers, Morgan, Michelle Menningmann, Katie Johnson and most recently Jessica Smith against Seton Hall.
Three Runs or Less Equals Success
The Crimson Tide pitching staff has made a living this season by keeping the opposing team off the scoreboard. They have tallied 12 shutouts in 29 games and have allowed one run or less in 21 contests. Opponents have only scored two runs three times and three runs four times. The only game this season that Alabama gave up more than three runs also resulted in their only loss of the year, an 8-4 setback at Florida.
Manufacturing Runs
Alabama is scoring 7.1 runs per game to lead the SEC. The 206 runs scored is four more than LSU, who has also played three more games. Alabama has scored three or more runs in all but one game this season, a 1-0 victory at South Carolina. The Tide have made it common practice to light up the scoreboard, scoring 10 or more runs seven times and five or more runs in 22 of the 29 games. The Tide have run-ruled its opponent 11 times.
On the Basepaths
The Crimson Tide have blazed their way to a SEC-leading 85 stolen bases in 29 games this season, an average of 2.93 stolen bases per game. They have only been caught stealing 13 times on the year for a success rate of 86.7-percent. They have six more stolen bases than any other SEC school. Brittany Rogers leads the team with 22 stolen bases and has only been caught stealing once. Jordan Praytor sits at 17 on the year while Mandy Burford has 16 stolen bases. Lauren Parker is 9-of-10 and Kelley Montalvo has six stolen bases. The Tide has stolen 69 more bases than their opponents and six more than any other SEC school.
Offensive Firepower
Alabama is batting .320 as a team this season. Five players are hitting .300 or better with three of those posting an above .400 average. Lauren Parker leads the team with a .426 batting avg. (29-of-68) while Brittany Rogers is batting at a clip of .411 (39-of-95) to lead the team in hits. Jordan Praytor is hitting .402 (33-of-82) and leads the team in on-base percentage (.495). Alabama has outscored its opponents 206-35 on the season, averaging 7.1 runs per game to lead the SEC.
Big Innings
One of the big reasons that Alabama has started 28-1 this season has been their ability to put together innings of three or more runs. They have had an inning with at least three runs in 18 of the 29 contests. They recorded their biggest inning against Winthrop with a 10-run second inning. It tied for the second highest run total in a single inning in school history. Alabama has also recorded nine and seven-run innings this season. They have scored six runs four times, five runs three times, four runs six times and three runs 12 times. They have outscored their opponents 45-7 in the third inning and 37-4 in the second inning.
Who's on First
Alabama has received production throughout the lineup with each player in the 1-9 slots contributing game-in and game-out. Six different players have recorded at least a .400 on base percentage for the season. Two of those players have reached base nearly 50-percent of the time. Lauren Parker and Jordan Praytor lead the way when it comes to reaching base. Praytor has the highest OBP at .495 with 33 hits, 12 walks and three HBP. Parker has posted 29 hits to go along with five walks and five hit-by-pitch for a .488 OBP. Charlotte Morgan has found her way on with 21 hits and a team-high 13 walks for a .467 OBP while Mandy Burford has 26 hits, 12 walks and three HBP for a .451 OBP.
Advancing Runners
When the Crimson Tide players get on base the batters that follow have had tremendous success advancing them. In 414 opportunities, Alabama has successfully moved the runners 246 times for a .594 pct. Brittany Rogers leads the team advancing 26-of-34 runners (.765) while Lauren Parker has also been clutch with 34-of-45 (.756) runners moving forward. Jordan Praytor (34-of-50, .680), Charlotte Morgan (24-of-37, .649) and Ashley Holcombe (24-of-39, .615) have also had success in advancing runners.
Two-Out RBI
With two outs you can't count the Tide batters out. They have produced 57 runs this season with two outs. Lauren Parker leads the team with 12 two-out RBI while Jordan Praytor has driven in 10 runs. Praytor is batting .429 (9-of-21) with two outs. Brittany Rogers is hitting .435 (10-of-23) with two outs and has six RBI to match Ashley Holcombe's RBI total of six. Mandy Burford leads the team with 30 RBI, seven of which have come with two outs.
SEC Leaders
The Crimson Tide lead the SEC in seven team categories, including runs (206), home runs (34), fewest strikeouts (100), stolen bases (85), wins (28), fewest home runs allowed (7) and pickoffs (4). Ashley Holcombe leads the SEC with four pickoffs while nine other players rank among the top-10 in offensive and pitching categories. In SEC games, Alabama leads the conference in runs (42), total bases (86), RBI (35), slugging pct. (.404), stolen bases (15) and wins (7). Charlotte Morgan leads the league with eight runs scored while Brittany Rogers is first with six stolen bases.
Home Sweet Home
Through the first month of the season, the Crimson Tide is 18-0 at the friendly confines of the Alabama Softball Complex. Now in the 11th year of the program, the Tide owns a career record of 208-37, a winning percentage of .849. Season ticket sales are at an all-time high with over 1,000 sold for the first time in program history. Last season Alabama went an incredible 30-4 at home.
Score, Score, Score
Sophomore center fielder Brittany Rogers terrorizes opponents when she reaches base, which is early and often. She leads the team with 39 hits and 22 stolen bases but also has scored 31 runs to rank second in the SEC. She has scored a run in 11 of the last 16 games. On the season she has scored in 20 of the Tide's 29 games, has nine games with two runs scored and matched a career high with three runs scored against Mississippi State in the SEC opener.
Fast Out of the Gate
The Tide has scored in the first inning in 11 of their last 21 games. They have outscored their opponents 29-4 in the opening frame this season. Only three opponents have scored against Alabama in the first inning, UTSA, Mississippi State and Florida. The Tide have not allowed a run in the first inning in 24 of the last 26 games and are 21-1 on the season when scoring first.
Come-From-Behind Victories
The Tide have earned eight come-from-behind wins this season with three this past week. The Tide trailed 1-0 but rallied to beat Florida 6-2 with the help of a three-run seventh inning. They fell behind in each of their last two games against South Carolina only to come back and win 5-3 in 10 innings and 3-1. The most notable comeback came against No. 11 Louisiana Lafayette. Alabama trailed 3-2 with one out in the seventh when Kellie Eubanks hit a solo home run to tie the game. In the 8th inning, Mandy Burford hit a three-run walkoff home run to give the Tide the victory.
D-Fence
With a defense the caliber of this year's Crimson Tide unit, Alabama's pitchers have been able to relax and put the ball in play knowing the defense will come through and make the play. UA ranks second in the SEC with a .981 fielding pct. and have only committed 15 errors in 803 total chances. They have 15 games with no errors and have only committed multiple errors in one game this season when they had two errors against Texas-San Antonio in the third game of the season. Eight players have a 1.000 fielding pct.
Hits Hard to Come By
The Crimson Tide pitching staff has faced some potent offensive teams this season but has not allowed 10 hits in a game through the first 29 contests. They did not allow more than five hits until the 14th game of the season against Western Kentucky. Alabama has allowed more than five hits in just seven contests and have held its opponents to three or fewer hits on nine occasions, including a one-hitter in the season opener against Oklahoma State.
Deadly 1-2 Punch
The combination of Brittany Rogers and Jordan Praytor as the first two hitters in the Tide lineup this season has been deadly for opponents. Rogers has reached base in her first at bat in 14 of the 29 games with 11 singles. You can almost count it like a double because after reaching base her first time up she has stolen a base 10 times. Praytor has reached base in the first inning in 12 of her 27 starts. She has six singles, one double and one triple. She also has three first inning RBI and three of the 11 times she has gotten out, she advanced Rogers to third with only one out.
Immediate Impact
Sophomore transfer Lauren Parker (Port Neches, Texas) has been a pleasant surprise for the Tide this season. After playing in 30 games at Baylor last season she has already put up bigger numbers this season for Alabama, leading the team in several categories and ranking among the SEC leaders. She leads the team with a .426 batting avg. to go with 29 hits, 25 runs, four doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBI. She has recorded an .809 slugging pct. in 26 starts and a .488 on-base percentage. Her 55 total bases are the most on the squad. She has also been effective on the basepaths and in the field with nine stolen bases and a fielding percentage of .988.
That Time of Year for Praytor
Junior Jordan Praytor (Vancouver, Wash.) loves this time of year as it is the time when she really heats up at the plate. Last season on March 16 she started her 25-game hitting streak. On March 3 last season she was batting .300 and by the end of her hitting streak on April 29, she was hitting at a clip of .433. This year she was hitting .344 on Feb. 24 and has since gone 22-of-50 (.440) in her last 16 games and at one point reached base in nine straight plate appearances and was 12-of-16 over a six-game span. She currently had a 10-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday at South Carolina.
Miami Heat
Chrissy Owens (Miami, Fla.) is the ace of the Crimson Tide pitching staff. After finishing her sophomore season ranked second in the nation with a 0.68 ERA, she has got off to another great start as a junior in 2007. She has only allowed eight earned runs in 85 2/3 innings. She has posted a 14-0 record in her 14 starts with seven shutouts and a 0.65 ERA. She also has 76 strikeouts compared to just 24 walks and 68 hits. She had a career-high 13 strikeouts earlier this season against Indiana State.
Undefeated
Senior starting pitcher Blair Potter has a distinction not many collegiate players have. She is undefeated in her Division I career with an 11-0 record at Alabama. Since transferring from Wallace-Dothan Community College, Potter has gone through the ranks without a loss. She has a career 1.69 ERA after posting a 1.02 ERA this season. In 2007 she has recorded one shutout in her seven starts and has won six games. She has allowed only six earned runs in 41 1/3 innings with 26 hits allowed, eight walks and 39 strikeouts. Right-handed batters are hitting just .157 against the Tide's first ever left-handed hurler.
Multi-Hit Games
The Crimson Tide players have tallied 52 multiple-hit games this season. So far 12 different players have posted a game with two or more hits. Brittany Rogers leads the way with 13 multi-hit games, including 10 contests with two hits and three with three hits. Lauren Parker has nine multi-hit games and Jordan Praytor seven. Praytor is the only player this season with four hits in a game.
Multi-RBI Games
Part of the reason why the Crimson Tide are averaging just over seven runs per game is the number of times they have had a player with two or more RBI in a game. Lauren Parker leads the way with eight multi-RBI games while Mandy Burford and Jordan Praytor each have six contests with two or more RBI.
Crimson Tide on WVUA
WVUA 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. All games can also be heard on the internet at http://broadcastmonsters.com/Alabama/alabama.asx.
