Alabama Softball to Face Auburn in Three Game Series
4/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The Alabama softball team will host in-state rival Auburn in a three-game series Friday and Saturday at the Alabama Softball Complex. The Crimson Tide have won four straight games, including the final two against Georgia last weekend and two on Tuesday against Northwestern State and Florida Atlantic. Auburn is coming off a victory over FAU on Wednesday after they were swept last weekend by LSU at home.
Friday's doubleheader will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the first 1,000 fans to receive a set of Alabama softball trading cards. Saturday the Crimson Tide will conduct an Easter egg hunt at noon with kids encouraged to bring their Easter baskets with them. The game will begin at 2 p.m. and Saturday is also Scout Day at the Alabama Softball Complex. All boy and girl scouts who wear their uniform to the game will receive free admission.
Scouting Auburn
The Tigers come to Tuscaloosa with a 17-22 record overall and 6-10 mark in the SEC. They have conference wins over Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas. Holly Currie leads the offense with a .301 avg., seven home runs and 21 RBI. She is also 7-10 on the mound with a 2.36 ERA. Anna Thompson is 10-10 with a 1.55 ERA and 204 strikeouts.
Series History
Alabama holds a 24-13 all-time lead in the series with Auburn. The Tide took two of three from the Tigers last season in Auburn. Alabama won nine straight meetings from 1999 - 2001. They are 13-5 at home in the series.
Last Year's Series
Alabama won by the eight-run rule in two of the three games at Auburn last season, but the Tigers took the second game 4-2. The Tide had the offense going with 20 runs on 22 hts in the three games. Auburn also committed eight errors in the series. Brittany Rogers reached base all four time and scored three runs in the first game 9-1 (5) win. Rogers and Ashley Holcombe each had two hits in the second game loss as the Tide left 11 runners on base. Jordan Praytor went 2-for-4 with three runs, a home run and four RBI in the final game, a 9-0 (6) win.
Alabama Players vs. Auburn
Several Crimson Tide players have had success in their careers against Auburn. Jordan Praytor is batting .400 (8-of-20) in six games with 10 runs scored, two home runs and eight RBI. Brittany Rogers was 6-of-10 with six runs scored, two RBI and four stolen bases in last year's series.
Last Time Out
Alabama won two games on Tuesday to improve to 37-4. They defeated Northwestern State 13-7 in the first game. Brittany Rogers, Lauren Parker and Dani Woods each had two-run singles in an eight-run second inning. Charlotte Morgan was 2-of-2 with two walks and two runs scored. The Tide won a pitcher's duel, 1-0, in the second contest. Blair Potter and Chrissy Owens combined for a four-hit shutout and Woods hit a sacrifice fly to score Parker for the only run in the game.
National Player of the Year Finalists
Lauren Parker and Chrissy Owens were named two of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Wednesday. Parker is hitting .476 with eight home runs and 37 RBI. She leads the SEC in hitting and on-base pct. (.521). She is batting .480 in SEC play and leads the league in six categories in conference only games. Owens is 17-2 with a 0.80 ERA and 89 strikeouts. She has eight shutouts in 18 starts. The Crimson Tide is one of six teams with multiple selections to the list. The list will be narrowed to 10 finalists on May 9.
Crimson Tide in the Rankings
Alabama is ranked No. 2 in the country in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 and No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25. The Tide have been ranked in the top 10 for 25 straight weeks and have been ranked in 69 consecutive polls.
Home Sweet Home
Alabama had its 30-game home winning streak snapped last weekend with an extra-inning loss to Georgia but have won four straight since the loss. The are now 26-1 at home this season. Now in the 11th year of the program, the Tide owns a career record of 216-38, a winning percentage of .850. Season ticket sales are at an all-time high with over 1,100 sold for the first time in program history. Last season Alabama went an incredible 30-4 at home with an undefeated 5-0 during the NCAA Tournament.
On Fire
Sophomore second baseman Lauren Parker (Port Neches, Texas) has been on fire in the last three weeks. In the last 11 games she is batting .571 (20-of-35) with two home runs, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and four doubles. She has started 10 of those 11 games and recorded two or more hits seven times. She had two-run home runs in the first inning of both contests against Arkansas, a three-hit game at LSU and a 4-for-4 day with three runs and three RBI Sunday versus Georgia.
Lighting Up the SEC
Lauren Parker was dominant in non-conference games but has maintained her high level of play during the SEC season. In 16 league games, she leads the conference with a .480 batting average and .518 on-base percentage. She is 24-of-50 with three home runs and 13 RBI. She leads the team in SEC play with 13 runs scored and four doubles. She has also walked three times and been hit by a pitch twice.
What a Difference a Year Makes
Last season Lauren Parker played in 30 games at Baylor and hit .266 with 10 RBI but this season she has been on a tear, leading the team in several categories and ranking among the SEC leaders. She leads the team and the SEC with a .476 batting avg. to go with 49 hits, 36 runs, eight doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 37 RBI. She has recorded an .825 slugging pct. in 38 games and a .521 on-base percentage. She leads the team with 16 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI contests. She has a hit in 29 of her 38 games, scored a run in 28 outings and driven in a run in 20 games. She has also been effective on the basepaths with 11 stolen bases.
Morgan a Menace at the Plate
Freshman Charlotte Morgan (Moreno Valley, Calif.) lost her 11-game hitting streak on Sunday but has recorded a hit in 14 of the 15 games. In her last 18 games she is batting .423 (22-of-52) with 15 runs, 19 RBI, six home runs and six walks. After 16 SEC games she is batting .340 and leads the team with five home runs and 16 RBI to go along with 12 runs scored. She has hit home runs in five of Bama's six SEC series. She has raised her season avg. to .379 (36-of-95) with seven home runs and 27 RBI to go along with 23 runs, five doubles and 18 walks.
Stealing a Record
Tuesday night against Northwestern State, Alabama set a school record with nine stolen bases in one game. It broke the previous record of eight set three times before. Five players combined for the nine steals. Brittany Rogers swiped three to lead the team. Jordan Praytor and Mallory Benak each tallied two while Charlotte Morgan and Mandy Burford also stole a base.
100 Stolen Bases and Counting
The Crimson Tide have blazed their way to a SEC-leading 118 stolen bases in 41 games this season, an average of 2.88 stolen bases per game. They have only been caught stealing 23 times on the year for a success rate of 83.7-percent. They have 11 more stolen bases than any other SEC school. Brittany Rogers leads the team with 32 stolen bases and has only been caught stealing four times. Jordan Praytor sits at 21 on the year while Mandy Burford has 18 stolen bases. Lauren Parker is 11-of-14 and Mallory Benak is 11-of-15. The Tide has stolen 99 more bases than their opponents.
Walk This Way
Sophomore Kellie Eubanks has been patient at the plate this season and is tied for the team lead with 21 walks. She currently ranks fifth in the SEC in walks. She has drawn three walks on two occasions this year, most recently against Georgia on Saturday. She has five games this season with two or more walks. Despite her .224 batting average, Eubanks still has a .400 on-base percentage due to the walks and four hit-by-pitch.
Patience is a Virtue
The Crimson Tide team drew 17 walks in two games on Tuesday to give them 141 walks on the season. They have drawn 50 walks in the last 10 games and now lead the SEC in total walks. They also lead the conference with 45 walks in league play. Players have drawn three walks in a game six times this season. As a team they have walked five or more times in the six contests and 14 times this season. Kellie Eubanks and Mandy Burford lead the team with 21 walks. Charlotte Morgan is next with 18 walks. Jordan Praytor has 15 walks and Kelley Montalvo has earmed 14 free passes.
Big Innings
One of the big reasons that Alabama is 37-4 this season is the fact that they have scored three or more runs in an inning 37 times. They have had an inning with at least three runs in 25 of the 41 contests. They have two games this season with a 10-run inning with both coming in the second frame. They accomplished the feat against Winthrop and most recently Georgia on Saturday. The 10 runs tied for the second highest run total in a single inning in school history. Alabama has also recorded nine, eight and seven-run innings this season. They have scored six runs five times, five runs five times, four runs eight times and three runs 14 times. They have outscored their opponents 66-10 in the second inning.
Who's on First
Alabama has received production throughout the lineup with seven of the nine everyday starters posting at least a .400 on-base pct.. Lauren Parker has the highest OBP at .521 with 49 hits, seven walks and five HBP. Charlotte Morgan has found her way on with 36 hits, 18 walks and one HBP for a .474 OBP. Mandy Burford has 31 hits, 21 walks and five HBP for a .460 OBP and Jordan Praytor has posted 43 hits to go along with 15 walks and three hit-by-pitch for a .449 OBP.
Offensive Firepower
Alabama is batting .330 as a team this season. Six players are hitting .300 or better. Lauren Parker leads the team and the SEC in both batting avg. (.476) and on-base percentage (.521). Brittany Rogers is batting at a clip of .386 (51-of-132) to lead the team in hits. Charlotte Morgan is hitting .379 (36-of-95) and has a .474 OBP while Jordan Praytor is batting .364 (43-of-118). The Tide has outscored its opponents 291-62 on the season, a margin of 5.6 runs per game.
Manufacturing Runs
Alabama is scoring 7.1 runs per game to lead the SEC. The 291 runs scored is 36 more than LSU. Alabama has scored three or more runs in all but four games this season. They won 1-0 against both South Carolina and Florida Atlantic and lost 3-0 at LSU and 2-1 to Georgia. The Tide has scored 10 or more runs 11 times and five or more runs in 30 of the 41 games. The Tide has run-ruled its opponent 15 times.
SEC Leaders
The Crimson Tide leads the SEC in 11 team categories, including batting (.330), runs (291), RBI (244), home runs (50), total bases (549), walks (141), slugging pct. (.541), OBP (.421), fewest strikeouts (134), stolen bases (118) and pickoffs (4). Ashley Holcombe leads the SEC with four pickoffs, Lauren Parker leads the league with a .490 batting avg. and .536 OBP Brittany Rogers leads the SEC with 40 runs scored. In SEC games, Alabama leads the conference in 11 different team categories. Lauren Parker leads the conference in six different categories in league games, including avg. (.480), slugging pct. (.740), OBP (.518), runs (13), hits (24) and total bases (37). Charlotte Morgan leads the conference with five home runs and 16 RBI. Five other players are first or tied for the lead in individual categories.
Power Hour
In the first 41 games of the 2007 season, Alabama has hit 50 home runs with 12 of the Tide's 16 batters recording a home run and 10 players hitting two or more. The Tide has hit 22 home runs in the last 14 games. Mandy Burford leads the team with nine home runs. Lauren Parker has eight on the season after not hitting a single home run as a freshman. Charlotte Morgan has hit a home run against six of the last seven opponents and in five of the six SEC series. She has seven on the year while Kelley Montalvo has six with four in the last 11 games. Brittany Rogers hit two inside-the-park home runs, 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.
Grand Slam
Alabama players have hit 18 grand slams in the program's 11-year history. Two of the 18 have been hit in 2007 with both coming in the last week for the Tide. Kellie Eubanks (Prairieville, La.) hit her first career grand slam against Louisiana Tech to give the Tide a 15-0 victory. On Saturday freshman Charlotte Morgan rounded the bases after her first career grand slam that was part of a 10-run inning in Alabama's 10-2 victory over Georgia.
Put the Bat on the Ball
In a total of 1,181 plate appearances this season, Alabama hitters have only struck out 134 times. Only one out of every nine plate appearances has resulted in a strikeout. There are four players who have started over 30 games and have 10 or fewer strikeouts. Lauren Parker has only struck out five times in 115 plate appearances while Charlotte Morgan has gone 114 plate appearances with only four strikeouts. Brittany Rogers has gone down 10 times in 138 plate appearances and Kelley Montalvo has nine strikeouts in 133 plate appearances.
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 16 shutouts in 41 games and have allowed one run or less in 25 contests. Opponents have only scored two runs seven times and three runs five times. Only four times has Alabama allowed more than three runs, two of which resulted in losses with an 8-4 setback at Florida and a 5-4 loss in eight innings at LSU.
Two-Out RBI
With two outs you can't count the Tide batters out. They have produced 75 runs this season with two outs. Lauren Parker leads the team with 15 two-out RBI while Jordan Praytor has driven in 10 runs. Parker is batting .424 (14-of-33) with two outs. Brittany Rogers is hitting .438 (14-of-32) with two outs and has seven RBI. Ashley Holcombe has also added seven RBI with two outs. Mandy Burford has 33 RBI on the year, seven of which have come with two outs.
Undefeated
Senior starting pitcher Blair Potter has a distinction not many collegiate players have. She is undefeated in her Division I career with a 14-0 record at Alabama. Since transferring from Wallace-Dothan Community College, Potter has gone through the ranks without a loss. She has a career 1.67 ERA after posting a 1.26 ERA this season. In 2007 she has recorded one shutout in her 13 starts and has won nine games. She has allowed only 13 earned runs in 72 innings with 49 hits allowed, 11 walks and 62 strikeouts. Right-handed batters are hitting just .160 against the Tide's first ever left-handed hurler.
No Free Passes
Once the conference season started senior Blair Potter (Columbus, Ga.) buckled down and has only walked four batters in her last 44 2/3 innings. The lack of walks has helped her give up only 10 earned runs on 32 hits to go 5-0 over that span with two saves. She has 35 strikeouts in league games. She went a stretch of 20 2/3 innings without a walk before walking a batter at LSU. She recorded 22 strikeouts during that time. On the season she has only walked 11 batters in 72 innings with 62 strikeouts.
Monty Rounds Out Tide Batting Order
Sophomore third baseman Kelley Montalvo (Miami, Fla.) has batted ninth in the Tide batting order in 26 games this season and is producing like a 3-4-5 hitter. She is batting .330 (31-of-94) with six home runs and 21 RBI. She has scored 26 runs and has six doubles. She has also walked 14 times and has a .418 on-base percentage. In her last 13 games she is batting .406 (13-of-32) with four home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs scored. The sophomore has already eclipsed her career highs for runs, doubles, home runs and RBI.
Powerful Pitching
Chrissy Owens (Miami, Fla.) started the season 16-0 before dropping two starts to #8 LSU and #22 Georgia. Before the losses she had been nearly unhittable in the previous six games, allowing just one run in 23 2/3 innings. On the year she has a 0.80 ERA with 13 earned runs allowed in 113 2/3 innings. She has 89 strikeouts compared to 29 walks. She has pitched eight complete game shutouts and combined for four others. She has allowed one run or less in 15 of her 18 starts. Her best inning is the second where she has not allowed a run in 18 innings and has 21 K's.
Crimson Tide vs. Ranked Teams
Alabama has played 15 games against teams ranked in the Top-25 this season and own an 11-4 record. The Tide shutout No. 22 N.C. State twice in the Hampton Inn Crimson Classic. The following weekend Alabama downed No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette two times with a 6-0 victory in the first game and a walkoff three-run home run in the eighth inning by Mandy Burford in the second. The Tide split with No. 22 Florida and followed by sweeping 24th-ranked South Carolina on the road. The Tide lost 2-of-3 at No. 8 LSU but bounced back by winning two of the three games at home against Georgia. Alabama's next scheduled game against a team ranked in this week's polls is at Tennessee May 5-6.
Multi-Hit Games
The Crimson Tide players have tallied 81 multiple-hit games this season. So far 13 different players have posted a game with two or more hits. Brittany Rogers and Lauren Parker lead the way with 16 multi-hit games. Rogers has 13 contests with two hits and three with three hits. Parker has tallied two or more hits in seven of her last eight starts to give her 13 games with two hits, two with three hits and one with four hits. Jordan Praytor has nine on the year.
Multi-RBI Games
Part of the reason why the Crimson Tide are averaging 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 12 multi-RBI games while Jordan Praytor has eight multi-RBI games and Dani Woods has seven games with two or more RBI.
Career Highs
Lauren Parker recorded career highs of four hits and three runs scored on Sunday vs. Georgia. In the second game on Saturday, Charlotte Morgan matched a career high with four RBI on her first career grand slam.
Milestone Watch
Several Alabama players are close to setting personal milestones or moving up in the Crimson Tide record book. Jordan Praytor continues to etch her place in the record books. She needs five hits to move into 12th on the career list. Dani Woods needs two RBI to move in to 11th all-time. Mandy Burford needs one run for 100 in her career while Brittany Rogers is one stolen base shy of second on the career list.
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.
UA on TV
The Crimson Tide has played several games on TV this season and will have all three games against Auburn televised locallay this weekend on WVUA.
