Alabama Softball Prepares for SEC Tournament
5/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The Crimson Tide will try to win its fourth SEC Tournament Championship when they head to Auburn for the 2007 SEC Tournament this week. Alabama will be the No. 3 seed and face sixth-seeded Georgia on Thursday at 11 a.m. to start the tournament. The Tide is coming off a pair of losses at No. 2 Tennessee last weekend. The Bulldogs won two of the three games in its series against No. 4 LSU last weekend.
SEC Tournament History
Alabama has an all-time record of 20-15 in the SEC Tournament. Here is a look at how they have fared in 10 seasons of tournament play.
SEC Tournament Ledgers
The Crimson Tide has a 20-15 all-time record in the SEC Tournament with three tournament championships in 1998, 2003 and 2005. Here is a look at how they have fared against the other 10 SEC schools.
Last Year's Tournament
The Crimson Tide won its first game in the 2006 SEC Tournament, defeating Ole Miss 6-0. Chrissy Owens allowed just one hit in six innings with seven strikeouts for the win. Brittany Rogers went 4-for-4 in the game with two runs while Kelley Montalvo was 2-for-2 with a double, walk, run scored and RBI. Tennessee scored two unearned runs in the second game off a Tide error and won 2-1. Stephanie VanBrakle's solo home run gave Bama its only run of the game.
Scouting Georgia
The Bulldogs struggled early in the season but have caught fire of late winning seven of their last eight contests. They swept both Ole Miss and Arkansas before winning the LSU series by taking two of the three games. On the season they are 43-25 with a 14-5 record on a neutral field and 13-15 mark in SEC play. Kellie Middleton leads the team batting .383 with 15 doubles, five home runs, 42 RBI and 44 stolen bases. Charvi Greer is hitting .356 with 45 runs scored and 39 stolen bases but only has one extra base hit. Melissa Wood and Megan McAllister are tied for the team lead with nine home runs each. Kasi Carroll is the top pitcher for the Bulldogs. She is 26-8 with a 1.85 ERA and 209 strikeouts.
Series History
Alabama leads the all-time series with Georgia 20-10. After losing the first game this season in extra innings, the Tide bounced back with two victories. The Tide had the most success from 1999-2002 when they won eight straight games.
Alabama Players vs. Georgia
Several Crimson Tide players have had success in their careers against Georgia. Jordan Praytor is batting .441 (15-of-34) in 10 games with nine runs scored and seven RBI. Kelley Montalvo is 9-of-17 (.529) with five runs scored in six contests. Lauren Parker was 7-for-10 in this year's series with four runs, three doubles and four RBI. Blair Potter went 2-0 on the mound this year pitching 12 innings with four runs allowed, three earned, on 10 hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Season Series
Alabama saw its 30-game home winning streak come to a close when No. 22 Georgia pulled out a 2-1 victory in nine innings. Two infield singles in the top of the ninth set up a RBI groundout by Melissa Wood. The Tide put two runners on in the bottom half but a popup would end the game. A 10-run second inning led to a 10-2 victory in five innings for UA in the second game. Charlotte Morgan hit her first career grand slam and Dani Woods added a two-run shot. Despite two solo home runs by Kellie Middleton in the series finale, Bama won 9-2. Lauren Parker went 4-for-4 with three runs, two doubles and three RBI and Ashley Holcombe hit a solo home run.
Crimson Tide in the Rankings
Coming off its first No. 1 ranking in school history, the Crimson Tide are ranked second in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 and are tied for No. 3 this week in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25. Since the first regular season poll came out the Crimson Tide has been ranked in the top five every week this season with this week marking the 13th straight for Bama. The Tide has been ranked in the top 10 for 30 straight weeks and have been ranked in 74 consecutive polls.
RPI Has Bama No. 2
Alabama was listed No. 2 in the latest NFCA Simulated Ratings Percentage Index on May 2. For the fourth straight week the Crimson Tide was listed among the top five RPI in the nation. Arizona has held the top spot every week with the top strength of schedule. The Tide has the second best winning percentage in the nation.
Last Time Out
The Crimson Tide played as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in school history last weekend but the task was difficult as they went on the road to play No. 2 Tennessee. Four errors by Alabama helped give the Lady Vols a 9-2 victory in the first game. In the second contest the Tide stranded 10 runners on base and had a runner thrown out at home plate. Tennessee won the game 4-0. Brittany Rogers led the Tide going 5-for-8 at the plate in the two games.
One of Top Programs Since 2000
Since 2000 the Alabama softball team has won the second most games of any team in college softball with 423 victories. They are only four wins shy of the winningest program in the country, Arizona, at 427 wins. LSU is close behind with 416 overall victories.
BAMA Matches SEC Home Run Record
The 2007 Alabama softball team matched the school and SEC single season home run record against Kentucky when they drove five out of the park in three games. Senior Mandy Burford hit a solo home run to give them 73 for the season, matching the record set by the 1998 squad. With three games left to play in the regular season they need just one to break the record. This season in 56 games they are averaging 1.30 per contest.
Record Setting Year
Alabama has already set four stolen base records and the single season home run record. They are on pace to shatter other records including, batting avg., slugging pct. and on-base pct. Here is a look at records the Tide are approaching.
Strengths in Numbers
Alabama is the only team in the country that puts nine starters in the batting order every day who have hit four or more home runs. They are actually the only team with more than eight players who have hit four or more as 10 different players have hit four this season for Coach Murphy's squad. The Tide is also one of only three teams in the country with 13 different players who have hit home runs (Alabama, CSU and Hawai'i).
Stealing Records
This season nearly every season and game school record for stolen bases has fallen or is close to being passed. On April 3 against Northwestern State, Alabama set a record with nine stolen bases in one game. It broke the previous mark of eight. In the first game at Ole Miss, the Tide swiped seven bases to set a new single season record with 139 and now have 155 for the year. Mandy Burford had four SB in the game to match the record held by Kelly Kretschman against Arkansas in 1999. Brittany Rogers has set the single season individual record with 44 SB, one more than Kretschman's 43 SB in 2000.
150 Stolen Bases and Counting
The Crimson Tide has blazed their way to a SEC-leading 168 stolen bases in 54 games this season, an average of 3.11 stolen bases per game. Brittany Rogers leads the team with 44 stolen bases. Jordan Praytor is next with 28 SB while Mandy Burford has 27. Mallory Benak is 17-of-21 and Lauren Parker is 15-of-20. The Tide has stolen 147 more bases than their opponents and has three or more stolen bases in 31 games.
Speed Demons
Alabama is far and away leading the nation in stolen bases per game at 3.11 per outing. They have posted 168 SB in 54 games. The next best team is Tennessee who is averaging 2.49 per contest and has 136 SB in 55 outings. Only 11 teams have over 100 SB for the season.
Crossing Home
The Crimson Tide players have stepped on home plate 404 times this season to rank second in the nation. They are averaging 7.21 runs per game to lead the country. So far 11 different players have scored 20 runs. Seven of those have tallied over 30 with three over 40 and one over 50. Brittany Rogers leads the SEC with 58 runs, scoring in 38 of the 56 contests. Lauren Parker has scored 46 times with runs in 35 of her 49 games. Mandy Burford is next with 40 runs scored and has scored in 30 outings.
Hitting on All Cylinders
Alabama has been outstanding at the plate all season and currently lead the nation with a .339 team batting average. The Tide has 470 hits in 56 games, an average of 8.39 hits per game. Two players have over 60 hits with Brittany Rogers leading the way with 76 and Lauren Parker close with 62. If the season ended today, Parker would be just four points shy of the school record held by Kelly Kretschman at .467.
Leading the Nation
Alabama ranked first in the country in three different categories when the NCAA came out with its team and individual rankings on Tuesday. They are first in batting (.339 avg.), slugging pct. (.561) and stolen bases per game (3.0). The Tide also rank in the top-10 in four other categories. They are second in win pct. (.893) and scoring (7.21 runs per game), eighth in ERA (1.41) and ninth in home runs per game (1.30).
SEC Leaders
Alabama leads the SEC in 12 team categories. They are batting nine points higher, have scored 77 more runs, hit 17 more HR and stolen 26 more bases than any other school. In SEC games only, Alabama leads the conference in 14 different team categories. They are batting 32 points higher, have a 111 point higher slugging pct., scored 50 more runs, tallied 18 more hits, hit 13 more HR, walked seven more times and stole eight more bases than any other SEC school in conference play.
Eyeing SEC Records
Alabama is right on target to finish the season close to several single season SEC records. With the numbers the team has currently they would be close to or break records for batting avg. (UA .339 - SEC .342), slugging pct. (UA .561 - SEC .527) and on-base pct. (UA .434 - SEC .409). They are also on pace to push the records for runs scored (UA 404 - SEC 437) and RBI (UA 349 - SEC 374). Lauren Parker is also close to the SEC record for batting avg. in a single season with her .463 avg. Sarah Fekete of Tennessee hit .500 in 2006.
Alabama Players in SEC Tournament
Several Alabama players have been successful in the SEC Tournament. Last year in the two games Kelley Montalvo was 3-for-4 with a double, run scored and RBI. Brittany Rogers went 4-for-6 with a double and two runs scored. Chrissy Owens is 1-0 in four games with a save. She has thrown 10 1/3 innings with eight hits allowed, one earned run and two runs allowed, one walk and 12 strikeouts.
50-Win Season
The Crimson Tide won No. 50 against Kentucky to give them 50 wins for the fifth time in school history and third straight year. The first came in 2000 when the team set a school record with 66 victories (66-14). They followed with a 50-11 mark in 2001. Bama has also won over 50 games the last two years going 63-15 in 2005 and 54-11 last year. Bama ended the regular season with a 50-6 record. The .893 winning percentage is the top regular season mark in program history.
Undefeated Months
The Crimson Tide went udefeated in both February and April this season. They won their first 25 games of the sesaon with 17 of those victories coming in February. After posting a 17-4 record in March, the Tide went 16-0 in April to leap to No. 1 in the country. Last year Alabama went 12-1 in February and 15-4 in April. May was also kind to them as they won nine of their 10 games to advance to the Women's College World Series for the fourth time. The only loss came to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.
No-Hitter
Blair Potter tossed the 11th no-hitter in school history against Kentucky on April 29 and the first of her career. It was the first no-no of the 2007 season for Alabama after they recorded four last season. Chrissy Owens was the last to record one before Potter when she did not allow a hit in five innings against Mississippi Valley State in the NCAA Regionals last year. Stephanie VanBrakle tallied five no-hitters in her career with the Tide's only perfect game last season at Kentucky.
Setting the Table
As the leadoff hitter in the Tide lineup, Brittany Rogers (Dacula, Ga.) has done a good job setting the table for her teammates this season. She leads the team with 76 hits and is tops in the SEC with 58 runs scored. She has also set the school record with 44 stolen bases this season. In the 20 times she has reached base in the first inning, she has 15 stolen bases providing a deadly threat early in the game for Bama. In her last eight games she is batting 14-of-31 (.452) with 10 runs scored and eight stolen bases.
Praytor Coming Alive
Junior designated player Jordan Praytor (Vancouver, Wash.) has started to heat up at the right time. Over the last 12 games she is batting .500 (14-of-28) with seven runs scored, three home runs, nine RBI, seven walks and six stolen bases. In the second game against Ole Miss she went 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. In the three game series against Kentucky she was 4-for-7 with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored. She had four RBI in the series opener. She reached base in 7-of-10 plate appearances in the series.
Owens Moves Up on Shutout Lists
Junior righty Chrissy Owens has blossomed into a No. 1 pitcher this year with a 23-3 record and 1.18 ERA. She has started 25 games with 11 shutouts and five combined shutouts for 16 total. She has only allowed 26 earned runs in 154.1 innings with 133 strikeouts. She tallied two shutouts at Ole Miss to move into second on the single season record list and third all-time.
Victory Milestones
Chrissy Owens (Miami, Fla.) earned her 50th career win against Tennessee Chattanooga, becoming just the fifth Tide player to win 50 games. The win also was her 20th of the season and she is now 23-2. It was the 12th 20-win season in the program's 11-year history. Owens has accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons after recording 21 victories last season as a sophomore. The last two seasons Alabama has had a pair of players who won 20 games. They are trying to accomplish the feat for the third straight year as Blair Potter is 16-1 on the year.
No Extra Base Hits
Chrissy Owens has only allowed 17 extra base hits this season. She has only allowed two home runs in 154.1 innings, the fewest by any pitcher in the SEC who has pitched an average of one inning per the team's total games. Owens has only given up six home runs in 423.1 career innings. She has allowed 13 2B and two 3B this season as well for only 17 extra base hits out of 134 total hits. As a team Alabama has only allowed 13 home runs, tied for first in the SEC.
Multi-Hit Games
The Crimson Tide players have tallied 119 multiple-hit games this season. So far 13 different players have posted a game with two or more hits. Brittany Rogers leads the way with 25 multi-hit games while Lauren Parker is right behind her with 21. Rogers has 18 contests with two hits and seven with three hits. Parker has 17 games with two hits, three with three hits and one with four hits. Charlotte Morgan and Jordan Praytor each have 14 on the year with Kelley Montalvo at 11.
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 14 multi-RBI games while Dani Woods and Jordan Praytor each have 12. Charlotte Morgan sits at 11 and Kelley Montalvo has tallied 10 multi-RBI contests.
Two-Out RBI
With two outs you can't count the Tide batters out. They have produced 121 runs this season with two outs. They drove in nine runs with two outs in three games against Kentucky. Lauren Parker leads the team with 18 two-out RBI while Jordan Praytor has driven in 17 runs. Parker is batting .400 (18-of-45) with two outs while Praytor is also hitting .429 (15-of-35). Brittany Rogers is hitting .410 (16-of-39) with two outs and has nine RBI. Dani Woods hit a RBI double against Troy to give her 13 two-out RBI. Mandy Burford has driven in 12 runs with two outs while Charlotte Morgan is next on the list with 11 RBI coming with two outs.
New Infield Has Bright Future
At the start of the 2007 season the Tide had new starters at all four infield positions. So far they have all been pleasant surprises with 34 combined home runs and only 26 errors in 56 games. Another bright side is all four are either freshman or sophomores. Kelley Montalvo is the only returning starter moving from second to third base. She has 10 home runs and seven errors in 171 chances. Sophomore shortstop Kellie Eubanks has six home runs and 12 errors in 172 chances. Sophomore transfer Lauren Parker has nine home runs and five errors in 159 chances. Freshman Charlotte Morgan has nine home runs and two errors in 320 chances.
New Positions
Of the nine every day starters, the Crimson Tide has seven players who are in new roles. All four infield positions features new starters. The starting first baseman from 2006, Dani Woods, has played in the outfield for the first time in her career. Chrissy Owens is the No. 1 pitcher for the first time and Blair Potter became the second SEC starter.
Scoring in Bunches
One of the big reasons that Alabama is 50-6 this season is the fact that they have scored three or more runs in an inning 56 times. They have had an inning with at least three runs in 37 of the 56 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. 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 six times, five runs nine times, four runs 14 times and three runs 22 times.
Tough to Strikeout
Alabama is a tough out at the plate. They have struck out the fewest times of any SEC school with only 190 k's in 1,693 plate appearances. Charlotte Morgan is one of the toughest players in the country to strike out with only seven total strikeouts this season, an average of only one strikeout every 19.7 at bats. Lauren Parker has only k'd nine times, one out of every 14.9 at bats.
Walk this Way
The Crimson Tide leads the SEC with 199 walks this season. The patience at the plate has paid off with the team's SEC-leading .434 on-base percentage. There have been 19 games this season Alabama has drawn five or more walks. On April 3 against Northwestern State the Tide walked 12 times, an Alabama Softball Complex record. Five different players have recorded over 20 walks on the year.
Unbelievable
Brittany Rogers (Dacula, Ga.) accomplished the unthinkable against Tennessee Chattanooga on 4/11. Her slap home run from the left side of the plate gave her inside and outside the park home runs from both the left and right side of the plate. Her four home runs this season have all come in different ways. Her two outside the park home runs came against back-to-back opponents with a right-handed shot against Auburn and left-handed vs. UTC. Earlier this season she hit inside the park home runs on back-to-back days in the Hampton Inn BAMA BASH! She hit one from the left side against Radford and the right against Toledo.
BAMA vs. Ranked Teams
Alabama has played 17 games against teams ranked in the Top-25 this season and own an 11-6 record. The Tide shutout No. 22 N.C. State twice in the Crimson Classic. The following weekend Alabama downed No. 11 ULL twice 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 three at home against Georgia. Alabama recently lost two games to No. 2 Tennessee.
Crimson Tide on WVUA
WVUA will be carrying the Crimson Tide on 90.7 FM for all games throughout the 2007 season. This is the 7th season WVUA has covered Alabama Softball. Award-winning sportscaster Nic Hoch calls the action along with others from WVUA. All games can be heard on the internet at http://broadcastmonsters.com/Alabama/alabama.asx.
