No. 1 Softball Heads to Cathedral City Classic
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 18, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 1 ranked Alabama softball team will head across the country to play a total of five games in the Cathedral City Classic. The Crimson Tide will open play against the stiff competition on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. (CT) against BYU. Of the five opponents Alabama will face, four are ranked or are receiving votes, including two that reside in the top 10 in both polls
Last Time Out
Alabama continued to roll through its early season competition as it rallied off four straight wins to secure the BAMA Bash team title, its second tournament title in as many weekends. The Crimson Tide opened play by defeating Notre Dame 10-1 and then 10-0 to start day two. UA then handed Wisconsin an 8-0 loss and then capped off tournament play with an 8-0 win against East Carolina. All four wins were by the way of the mercy rule. Lauren Parker was named the BAMA Bash MVP after batting .583 (7-for-12) with four RBI. In the circle, sophomore Kelsi Dunne earned two wins without allowing an earned run. Dunne fanned 15, only walked three and scattered three hits over the weekend.
Who to Watch
Freshman Amanda Locke took a liking to her first appearance at the Alabama Softball Complex. The rookie smacked three home runs in consecutive games to lead the Crimson Tide offensive charge. Locke batted .556 (5-for-9) with a team-leading five runs and five RBI. Locke slugged 1.667 on the weekend and sported a .636 on base percentage. In the circle, the 5-11 right-hander tossed a complete game shutout against Wisconsin. For her efforts, Locke was named the SEC Freshman of the week, a career first for the Mesquite, Texas native.
Cathedral City Classic
Alabama will play a total of five games in the three day tournament. The classic is much larger than just the five games UA is playing though as 32 teams will head to the Palm Springs, Calif. area to play. Alabama has a tough draw as it is pitted against No. 6/6 UCLA and No. 8/4 Oklahoma. BYU and Oregon are receiving votes in the poll as well. The Cathedral City Classic is one of the premiere Division I softball tournaments in the country, with 13 teams ranked in the top-25 participating.
Scouting the Competition
| BYU: | The BYU softball team heads to California with a 6-5 overall record. The Cougars are coming off a 5-0 loss to UC Davis at the Louisville Slugger Classic. BYU went 2-3 at the Las Vegas tournament, earning wins over Virginia (8-0) and Southern Miss (10-4). As a team BYU is batting .290 while opponents are hitting at a .235 clip. In the circle, BYU sports a 2.01 ERA while the opposition has a 3.99 ERA. Individually the Cougars are led by Andrea Ramirez and Kristin Delahoussay at the plate. Ramirez sports a .429 batting average with two home runs and 10 RBI. Delahoussay follows at a .414 clip with one home run and four RBI. Providing the punch at the plate for BYU has been Jessica Purcell. Purcell has smacked five home runs and has driven in 18 runs and hits at a .314 clip. In the circle the duo of Paige Affleck and Christie Zinanti has thrown every inning. Affleck is 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA and has fanned 37 in 35 innings. Zinanti closely follows with a 2.03 ERA and a 3-3 record. She has struck out 35 in 38 innings. BYU returns 12 letterwinners to a team that finished 44-20 and made a postseason appearance at the Chapel Hill regional. |
| Oregon: | The Ducks enter the Cathedral Classic with a 5-5 overall record after going 2-3 at the Louisville Slugger Classic in Las Vegas. Oregon won its final two games of the tournament by beating Hawai'i 3-2 and Southern Miss 14-0. As a team the Ducks are batting .326 while opponents are hitting at a .248 clip. In the circle Oregon sports a 3.21 ERA while opponents are pitching at a 5.33 clip. Individually the Ducks are led by Kelsey Chambers and Neena Bryant. Chambers leads the team with a .458 batting average and 12 RBI while Bryant follows with a .455 average, one home run and nine RBI. Monique Fuiava has drilled six home runs and driven 11 runs on top of a .367 average. In the circle, Sam Skillingstad leads the team with a 1.93 ERA and a 5-1 record. Skillingstad has struck out 41 in 36.1 innings and has posted four complete games and a shutout. |
| UCLA: | The Bruins stay remotely close to home and enter the tournament with an 8-2 record and a No. 6/6 ranking. UCLA has won three straight and eight of their last nine. The Bruins are coming off wins against Simon Frasier (13-2) and South Dakota State (12-0). UCLA fell to No. 5 ranked Michigan 7-4 in game two of the Louisville Slugger Classic. As a team the Bruins are hitting .335 while its opponents bat at a .206 clip. In the circle UCLA possesses a 3.08 ERA while the opposition is pitching at an 8.35 clip. Individually the Bruins are led at the plate by Katie Schroeder and Kaila Shull. Schroeder paces the team with a .469 average and six home runs. She has also driven in 13 runs and scored 14 runs. Shull is batting at an even .400 with three home runs and a team-leading 15 RBI. Seven UCLA players have hit two or more home runs. In the circle the Bruins are led by Whitney Baker and her 3-0 record and 2.52 ERA. Baker has added 19 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. Donna Kerr has struck out 52 and only walked seven in 34 innings. The Bruins are coming off another Women's College World Series appearance after having its season come to an end by the Florida Gators. |
| Oklahoma: | The Sooners enter The Classic with a 6-2 overall record and an 8/4 national ranking. Oklahoma is coming off a 3-2 win against Texas State and a 5-3 win over then No. 14 ranked Houston. As a team the Sooner are batting .326 while opponents muster a .141 mark. In the circle Oklahoma sports a 1.94 ERA while its opposition has been shelled for a 7.36 ERA. Individually the Sooners are led at the plate by Lindsey Vandever and Amber Flores, who both bat over .500. Through eight games Vandever leads the team with a .522 batting average while adding a home run and nine RBI. Flores follows with a .500 average and paces the Sooners with three home runs and 15 RBI. In the circle D.J. Mathis has started five games and holds a 3-2 record. Mathis has struck out 29 in 27.1 innings and has a 1.79 ERA. Kirsten Allen closely follows with a 1.91 ERA in 11 innings pitched. The Sooners just missed out on a World Series berth by falling to Arizona in the Super Regional. |
| Hawai'i: | The Rainbow Wahine enter Cathedral City with a 2-8 overall record. Hawai'i dropped its final contest of the Louisville Slugger Classic to UC Davis by the score of 8-1. Hawai'i opened the season with a big win over then ranked No. 10/6 Oklahoma by the score of 8-5. As a team the Rainbow Wahine are batting .201 while opponents are batting at a .296 clip. In the circle Hawai'i pitches at a 4.42 clip while the opposition throws at a 2.61 ledger. Individually at the plate Tanisha Milca is hitting .464 with three home runs and six RBI. Clare Warwick closely follows with a .407 batting average, one home run and seven RBI. In the circle Courtney Baughman has pitched most of the innings. Baughman has made six starts and is 2-4 with a 4.20 ERA. In six appearances Stephanie Ricketts sports a team-leading 3.82 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched. Hawai'i returns 15 letterwinners to a team that finished 40-21 a year ago and made an appearance at the Tempe, Ariz. Regional. |
Series History
Alabama will play a total of five games at the Cathedral City Classic and the Crimson Tide has history with four of the five teams. Alabama has played UCLA the most of any of its opponents in the field but have not had much success as the Bruins hold 8-0 advantage. Against Oklahoma Alabama sports 3-2 record and against Hawai'i the Crimson Tide is a perfect 2-0. UA has never played BYU. The last time Alabama squared up against one of the teams from the field was in the 2006 World Series when the Crimson Tide fell to the Bruins 4-1.
Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Freshman Amanda Locke was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, a career first for the Mesquite, Texas native. Locke excelled in her first career home appearance by batting .556 (5-for-9) and slugging 1.667.Locke belted three home runs in three straight games and led Alabama with five RBI on the week. Four of the five hits by the 5-11 rookie were for extra bases. Locke posted an RBI in every contest on the week and had a multi-hit game in two of the match ups. Her second home run of the weekend came after battling off 11 previous pitches and her third hit off the light pole in left-center field. In the circle the newcomer earned a complete game shutout after striking out four and walking none. Locke also posted a team-leading five runs and sported a .636 on base percentage.
Alabama Ranked No. 1
For the second consecutive week the Alabama softball team checked in at No. 1 in both polls. Alabama earned the nod in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 with 27 first place votes. Florida checked in at No. 2 with two first place votes while Arizona State received one vote. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll Alabama received 14 first place votes and Florida garnered six. Alabama has been ranked number one at some point in each of the last three seasons.
BAMA Bash All-Tournament Team
Four members of the Alabama softball team earned BAMA Bash All-Tournament team accolades. Senior Lauren Parker was named the MVP after batting .583 with four RBI and a .833 slugging percentage. Freshman Amanda Locke belted three home runs and batted .556 for the tournament while senior Kelley Montalvo batted .429 with five stolen bases from the leadoff spot. Freshman Jennifer Fenton also garnered All-Tournament team honors after batting .556 with four runs scored.
SEC Rankings
Early in the 2009 season Alabama ranks atop the Southeastern Conference in numerous categories. The Tide pace the conference in average with a .424 mark and are second in ERA at 0.60. Freshman Cassandra Reilly-Boccia ranks second in the league in hitting with a .550 average while Jennifer Fenton, Charlotte Morgan and Lauren Parker round out the top 10 at 7-10, respectively. Sophomore Kelsi Dunne is tied atop the SEC leader board with a perfect 0.00 ERA while freshman Amanda Locke closely follows in third with a 0.54 ERA.
Holcombe Drafted by Rockford Thunder
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) held its 2009 Senior Draft on Tuesday night in Akron at the Cambria Suites with the Rockford Thunder using its first pick in the fifth round on Alabama senior catcher Ashley Holcombe.
With the No. 21 pick the Thunder selected Alabama's Holcombe, a player highly regarded for her abilities behind the plate. She was a second team All-SEC selection in 2008, as well as a member of the SEC All-Defensive team, as she started and captained all 65 games for the Crimson Tide.
Preseason Awards
Alabama enters the 2009 season with numerous players up for awards. Seniors Brittany Rogers and Kelley Montalvo along with junior Charlotte Morgan were named to the ASA Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Rogers, Montalvo, Morgan and Dunne were named to the Preseason All-SEC Team. Rogers was one of two players selected unanimously.
All-Americans Abound
Alabama softball team had four players earn 2008 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association The Crimson Tide led the nation with three first-team selections as Brittany Rogers, Charlotte Morgan and Kelley Montalvo were honored. Kelsi Dunne also garnered third-team honors. It marked the most first-team All-America selections in school history and tied the 2001 team with four total All-Americans. Rogers becomes a three-time All-American, while Morgan, Montalvo and Dunne all garnered their first honor.
Alabama in the NCAA Tournament
Alabama earned its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid in 2008 and finished with a 58-8 overall record. In just its 12th year of existence, the Crimson Tide program has garnered 10 appearances in NCAA Regional play. The Tide has a 36-21 record in the NCAA Tournament (including regionals, super regionals and the WCWS). Alabama has won six NCAA Regional titles (2000, `03, `05, `06, `07 & `08) and three NCAA Super Regional championships (2005, `06 & `08). UA made its fifth appearance in the Women's College World Series this season, including its third trip in the past four years.
Rogers Red Hot
Alabama center fielder Brittany Rogers finished the 2008 season with an amazing NCAA Tournament. She hit .567 (17 for 30) in three NCAA Regional games, two NCAA Super Regional games and the WCWS. During that time Rogers has collected five doubles, an inside-the-park home run and swiped seven bases. She posted a .833 slugging percentage and a .606 on-base percentage. Rogers also passed Missouri's Rhea Taylor for the NCAA stolen base lead with No. 58 in the super regional against Taylor's Tigers. For the year, Rogers hit .452 with 98 hits, 79 runs scored, 13 doubles, a triple, home run, 22 RBI. She reached base at a .502 clip while still slugging .535.
RBI Machine
Alabama's first baseman and pitcher Charlotte Morgan has been an RBI machine. As a sophomore her 79 runs batted in broke an Alabama and Southeastern Conference single-season record. She surpassed Tennessee's Kristi Durant, who had 77 in 2005. Morgan's 79 RBI also led the NCAA in total RBI. This season Morgan has nine RBI in seven games and began the 2009 campaign with five RBI in the season opener.
All-Americans
Alabama's roster was filled with outstanding talent from 1-9 in the lineup, but a few names stepped to the forefront and earned All-America honors in 2008.
- First baseman/pitcher Charlotte Morgan was one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. The native of Moreno Valley, Calif., hit .417 with 19 home runs, 19 doubles and a school- and SEC-record 79 RBI, which led the nation in total RBI. A first-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American, she was also 18-2 in the circle with a 1.27 ERA, while boasting a 10-1 record in SEC play with a 1.00 ERA that ranked second in the league.
- Pitcher Kelsi Dunne was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-South Region honors. She also garnered honorable mention All-America honors from the NFCA. Dunne had a 26-6 overall record and a 1.44 ERA. She was second in the league with 114 Ks in conference games and has 275 in 41 total appearances this season that ranked fifth all time at Alabama. Her 26 wins is a UA freshman record and ranked fifth all time.
- Center fielder Brittany Rogers led the nation in stolen bases with 60, including a SEC-best 25 in league play. A first-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American, she hit .452 and was second in the nation in runs scored with 79. Rogers on-base percentage was .502 while slugging .535. She finished the season with a 19-game hitting streak.
- Kelley Montalvo is one of the best defensive players in the country with a staggering .983 fielding percentage at third base in 175 chances at the hot corner. Montalvo was a first-team All-American by the NFCA. She hit .373 with 15 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs while driving in 54 runs. Montalvo reached base at an astounding .511 clip with a .663 slugging percentage.
- Catcher Ashley Holcombe didn't make All-American, but she did garner second-team NFCA All-South Region honors after an outstanding amazing behind the dish. She recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in SEC play and ... She is also hitting .297 overall with seven home runs and 25 RBI. There have been just 20 stolen base attempts on the strong-armed backstop this season while throwing out six and picking off a school record seven. Missouri, who ranked second nationally in stolen bases entering the super regional, didn't even attempt a stolen base on Holcombe.
Tide in the Rankings
The Crimson Tide ranked in the top 10 in eight categories in the NCAA's final rankings last season. The Crimson Tide ranked second nationally stolen bases with 2.47 per game (163 of 186) and scoring (6.74). UA was third slugging percentage (.544) while also ranking third in winning percentage (.879). Alabama was fifth in doubles (1.79 or 118) and batting average (.324) while ranking 10th in home runs (1.17 or 77) and seventh in fielding percentage (.977).
Individually, Brittany Rogers led the nation in stolen bases, averaging .91 per game (60 for 66). Rogers was second in runs scored at 1.20 per game. She also ranked seventh in batting average (.452). Charlotte Morgan led the nation in total RBI with 79 while ranking second in RBI per game (1.22). She was 10th in home runs in total home runs with 19 and 15th in home runs per game (.29). Chrissy Owens was tied for 10th nationally in saves with five while Dani Woods ranked 24th in walks per game with .68.
SEC Chart Toppers
The University of Alabama played outstanding softball last season and it has shown in the SEC team statistics. The Tide paced the league in 12 offensive categories in conference games only, including; average (.332), slugging percentage (.598), on-base percentage (.433), runs (195), hits (238), home runs (43), doubles (54), stolen bases (68), total bases (429), walks (105), hit by pitches (27) and RBI (177).
Sold Out
The success of the UA softball program under head coach Patrick Murphy can be seen by simply looking around the Alabama Softball Facility. As the wins have, the Crimson Tide fan base has grown steadily. UA sold out for an NCAA record second straight season for season ticket sales. Last season UA set its single game attendance record on 10 different occasions.
Next Time Out
The Alabama softball team will continue tough tournament play as it will head to the prestigious Leadoff Classic next weekend. The Crimson Tide will play a total of five games in Columbus, Ga. against some highly ranked competition. UA will begin tournament play against Southern Illinois on Friday, Feb. 27. UA will also face the likes of Michigan, Virginia Tech, Houston and UMass.
