No. 1 Softball Heads to Leadoff Classic
2/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 26, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 1/3 ranked Alabama softball team will travel to Columbus, Ga. to take part in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Crimson Tide will begin play on Friday, Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) against Southern Illinois. Four of the five teams that Alabama will face are either ranked or are receiving votes.
Last Time Out
Alabama's trip to California for the Cathedral City Classic saw the Tide drop its first contest of the season against then No. 6 ranked UCLA. The loss came in game three of a five game stretch in which Alabama was able to shutout BYU 6-0 and Oregon 5-0, before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Bruins. Alabama rebounded nicely by beating the No. 8/4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in a closely contested 4-3 game. UA capped Cathedral City play with a 1-0 shutout of Hawaii. Senior Kelly Montalvo provided late game heroics with a walk off double to ice the game against Oklahoma and hand Alabama the victory, and also scored the winning run off a hard-hit ground ball by Amanda Locke to seal the deal against Hawaii. The Crimson Tide was led in the circle by sophomore Kelsi Dunne who started and won three games with a 0.97 ERA. Dunne appeared in four games, tallying 21.2 innings pitched and 30 strikeouts.
Who to Watch
Alabama was led by senior Kelly Montalvo and sophomore Whitney Larsen at the plate during their trip to the West coast. Montalvo batted .400 (4-for-10) on the weekend, drove in a team-high five runs on four hits and also added a home run and two stolen bases to her efforts. Montalvo slugged .800 and sported a .563 on base percentage. Larsen hit .429 (6-for-14), drove in four runs and smacked two home runs while slugging .857 and adding a stolen base of her own.
NFCA Leadoff Classic
The 14th Annual NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic takes place this weekend in Columbus, Ga. Alabama will play five games in three days that will feature four opponents either ranked or receiving votes. The Leadoff Classic will bring in 11 of the nation's top 25 teams. The Crimson Tide will take on No. 19/22 Southern Illinois and Virginia Tech on Friday, before facing Houston, who is receiving votes in both polls, and No. 6/6 Michigan on Saturday. Alabama will close out tournament play on Sunday with a contest against No. 22/17 Massachusetts. UA last played in the Leadoff Classic in 2006 where it defeated No. 5 ranked Michigan 3-2 in nine innings and Georgia Tech 3-2.
Scouting the Competition
| Southern Illinois: | The Salukis come to the Leadoff Classic sporting an impressive 11-0 record and the No. 19/22 ranking. SIU is fresh off a three game sweep at the Elon University Tournament, where they defeated North Carolina A&T (4-4) twice and Elon (2-5) once over the two day event. Southern Illinois is batting .309 as a team and holding opponents to only a .177 clip at the plate. SIU's pitchers have combined for an ERA of 0.83 while the opposition has a 5.18 ERA. Southern Illinois is led at the plate by Alicia Garza and Chelsea Held. Garza sports a .475 batting average with eight RBI off 19 hits. Held leads the team in home runs with two and her .815 slugging percentage is a team high as well. Held is hitting .444 on the year with seven RBI. The Salukis are led in the circle by Katie McNamara who brings in a 5-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. In 27 innings pitched, McNamara has given up only nine hits and racked up 30 strikeouts. Danielle Gibson and Nikki Waters each have 3-0 records with Gibson's ERA totaling 1.05 and Waters' at 1.45 for the year. Southern Illinois returns 13 letterwinners to a team that finished 30-24 in 2008. |
| Virginia Tech: | The Hokies come to the Peach State with a 5-9 record after winning three of five contests at the Kickin' Chicken Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. Virginia Tech defeated Coastal Carolina (1-8) twice and Appalachian State (4-4) once while dropping games to Maine (4-4) and Western Carolina (3-6). As a team Virginia Tech is batting .261 and holding opponents to a .257 clip. The Hokies' pitchers combine for a 3.61 ERA with the opposition tallying a 1.94 mark. Individually Virginia Tech is led at the plate by Jenna Rhodes and Jessica Everhart. Rhodes leads the team with a .479 batting average, driving in four runs off 23 hits. Everhart follows, hitting .324 and leading the team in RBI (9) and home runs (3). In the circle the Hokies are led by Kenzie Roark and Abbie Rexrode. Roark has pitched 57 innings, struck out 39 batters and has a 3.56 ERA. Rexrode has struck out 17 in 30.1 innings and has a 4.15 ERA. Virginia Tech went 49-19 in 2008 and earned a trip to the College World Series before having their season brought to an end by the Florida Gators |
| Houston: | The Cougars come to the Leadoff Classic with a record of 7-7 after dropping 3 of 5 games at the Marriot Houston Invitational. Houston picked up wins over McNeese State and Prairie View A&M while coming up short against Illinois, Texas A&M and Northern Illinois. As a team the Cougars are hitting .292 and holding opponents to a .232 clip. In the circle Houston's pitchers combine for a 3.94 ERA with the opposition holding a 3.92 ERA. Offensively Houston is led by Elaina Nordstrom, Jessica Valis and Christa Raley. Nordstrom paces the team with a .452 batting average and has knocked in 11 runs off 14 hits. Nordstrom also boasts a .710 slugging percentage. Valis leads the team in hits (17) and runs scored (12) while Raley leads the team with four home runs. In the circle Houston is led by Baillie Lott and Amanda Crabtree. Lott comes into the Leadoff Classic with a 3.13 ERA and a 3-4 record. Crabtree has a 4.71 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. Houston won 54 ballgames and lost 11 in 2008 and ended the season in Super Regional play. |
| Michigan: | The No. 6/6 ranked Wolverines enter Leadoff Classic play sporting a record of 12-4 and recently won four of five games in Florida State's Seminole Classic before falling in a mid-week game to Florida by the score of 4-0. Michigan defeated East Carolina (7-5), California Riverside (2-9), Indiana (1-10) and split two games with Florida State (12-3). As a team the Wolverines are batting .272 and holding their opposition to a .146 clip. Michigan's pitchers combine for a 0.92 ERA and have accumulated a 3.77 mark against opposing teams. Individually the Wolverines are led by Dorian Shaw who paces the team in batting average (.371), home runs (3) and slugging percentage (.531). In the circle Michigan's Nikki Nemitz has started seven games and racked up six wins with an ERA of 0.70 and 78 strikeouts over 50 innings pitched. Jordan Taylor has started seven games and won five contests with an ERA of 1.14 and 76 strikeouts over 49.1 innings. Michigan returns 14 letterwinners on team that went 52-8 and won the Big Ten Championship in 2008. |
| UMass: | The Minutewomen enter the weekend with a 6-4 record after dropping three of five games to stiff competition at the Cathedral City Classic. UMass picked up wins in games against North Carolina State (3-6) and Arizona State (13-4) while losing in contests to Tennessee (15-1), UCLA (14-2) and Oklahoma (13-3). The Minutewomen are hitting .259 as team and holding opponents to a .210 clip. UMass' pitchers combine for an ERA of 2.30 while running the opposition's ERA up to 3.24. Individually UMass is led by Michelle Libby and Samantha Salato on offense. Libby leads the team in batting average with a .500 mark and hits with 10 on the year. Salato has knocked in eight runs off eight hits and leads the team in home runs with three. The Minutewomen are led in the circle by Brandice Balschim and Bailey Sanders. Balschim has pitched 44 innings, struck out 40 batters and tallied an ERA of 1.91. Sanders has struck out 10 batters in 17 innings with a 3.29 ERA. UMass is ranked No. 22/17 and returns 15 letterwinners on a team that went 42-13 in 2008. |
Series History
Alabama will play a total of five games at the Leadoff Classic against teams that share a history with the Crimson Tide. Alabama has played Michigan the most out of their five opponents and has a losing record of 3-4 against the Wolverines. The Tide sports winning records of 3-1 against Southern Illinois, 2-0 against Houston and 1-0 against Virginia Tech. Alabama is 1-1 against UMass. The last time Alabama faced one of the five teams it will play this weekend was in February 2006 when the Tide defeated Michigan 3-2 in nine innings.
Streaking Dunne
Alabama sophomore right hander Kelsi Dunne started off the 2009 campaign in impressive fashion. Dunne did not allow a run for 34.1 innings to start the season. That streak included 49 strikeouts and only 14 hits. The streak was broken on a three-run home run against Oklahoma. Those runs are the only given up by Dunne this season.
Hit Parade
Alabama has been dominating its opponents at the plate this season as the Crimson Tide has out-hit the opposition in 10 of the 12 games. Alabama has amassed double-digit hit performances in five games and recorded a season high 16 hits in the opener against Northwestern State. Opponents have tallied over five hits just three times and have give up a high of seven hits against UCLA.
Alabama Ranked No. 1
For the third consecutive week the Alabama softball team checked in at No. 1. Alabama earned the nod in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 with 10 first place votes. Florida checked in at No. 2 with six first place votes while Washington received 11 votes. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll Alabama received two first place votes but checked in tied for third in the poll. Florida garnered one first place vote and got the nod at No. 2 while Washington earned the top spot with 16 first place votes. Alabama has been ranked number one at some point in each of the last three seasons.
SEC Rankings
Alabama checks into the week ranked second in the SEC in batting average with a .345 batting average and also in ERA with a 0.84 ledger in the circle. The Tide also ranks second as a team in on base percentage (.447) and hit by pitches (12). UA leads the conference in stolen bases with 40 and in attempts with 45. The Tide also clearly out-distances the next conference team in pickoffs thanks in large part to catcher Ashley Holcombe and her six from behind the dish. Individually Whitney Larsen ranks seventh in batting with a .441 average. Amanda Locke and Kelsi Dunne check in at No. 3 and No. 4 in ERA with marks of 0.54 and 0.56, respectively. Dunne also ranks fourth in strikeouts with 57.
Nice Start
Alabama has been accustomed to coming out of the gates strong and the 2009 campaign is no different. The Crimson Tide has started the season with 10 or more straight wins every season since 2004. UA started 2009 with 10 straight before losing to UCLA. Alabama won 17 straight last year and in 2007 the Tide came out of the gates with 25 consecutive wins.
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.
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.
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 11 RBI in 13 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 home to host the Easton Classic. The Crimson Tide will welcome the No. 1 ranked Washington Huskies , Baylor and Georgia to the Alabama Softball Complex. Baylor will play UW to start play on Friday, March 6 at 1:00 p.m. Alabama will open play against Washington at 6:00 p.m.
