No. 2 Softball Welcomes Mississippi Valley State Thursday
3/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 11, 2009
ALABAMA (18-2)
TV: None
Radio: 90.7 (Play by Play - Brent Magnuson)
Internet Radio: thecapstone.ua.edu
Live Stats: rolltide.com
Video Streaming: Tide TV (rolltide.com)
TUSCALOOSA , Ala. - The No. 2 ranked Alabama softball team will play Mississippi Valley State in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 12 with first pitch slated for 4:00 p.m. at the UA Softball Complex. This will be the Crimson Tide's last non-conference game before starting Southeastern Conference play this weekend.
Last Time Out
Alabama traveled to Birmingham on Tuesday to conclude its two-game series against instate rival UAB. The Tide defeated the Blazers 6-3 to earn the season sweep. Alabama was led by seniors Brittany Rogers, Kelley Montalvo and Lauren Parker at the plate with Amanda Locke earning the win in the circle and Charlotte Morgan providing late-game relief. Montalvo hit her fourth home run of the season while Rogers and Montalvo collected three hits apiece.
Who to Watch
All-American seniors Brittany Rogers and Lauren Parker turned in 3-for-4 efforts at the plate against UAB with Rogers scoring one run and Parker adding two more. Fellow All-American senior Kelley Montalvo was 2-for-3 against the Blazers and drove in two runs when she blasted her fourth home run of the year in the fifth inning Tuesday night. In her last six at bats Jennifer Fenton is 3-for-6 with four RBI. Fenton went 2-for-2 with three RBI in the Tide's contest against Baylor on Sunday. In Tuesday's game against UAB Fenton saw four appearances at the plate with one hit, one run scored and one RBI. Amanda Locke picked up the win against UAB and struck out five batters in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Sophomore Kelsi Dunne was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after her two-win performance over the weekend where she earned shutout victories over No. 1 Washington and No. 24 Baylor.
Scouting the Competition
Mississippi Valley State: The Devilettes bring with them to Tuscaloosa an 8-1 record on the year and are riding an eight game winning streak following the season opening loss at Samford. MVSU recently opened up South Western Athletic Conference play with wins over Prairie View A&M, Grambling State and Texas Southern. In that three game stretch of SWAC play the Devilettes outscored their opponents 28-2. They are batting .343 as a team and holding the opposition to only a .162 clip. MVSU's pitchers combine for an ERA of 1.60 while shelling opponents for a 6.78 ERA. The Devilettes are led at the plate by Rashundra Brass and Megan Hays. Brass paces the team with a .500 batting average and has driven in six runs off 11 hits to go along with her two home runs. Brass also boasts a team-high .818 slugging percentage and has stolen five bases in five tries. Hays is hitting .414 on the year and has knocked in a team-high seven runs off 12 hits, also a team-high. In the circle MVSU is led by Lisa Jansen and Brittany Franklin. In four appearances and three starts for the Devilettes, Jansen sports a 3-1 record and a mere 0.33 ERA. Jansen has struck out 27 batters over 21 innings pitched and is holding batters to a .061 average. Franklin has made three appearances and two starts this season to bring her record to 1-0. Over 12 innings pitched Franklin has struck out eight and amassed an ERA of 3.50 on the year. Three other pitchers, Nikki Stouder, Tiana Parks and Lauren Derting, have each won a game for the Devilettes. Mississippi Valley State went 25-25 overall in 2008 to accompany their 11-2 SWAC record.
Series History
Alabama will square off against Mississippi Valley State for the first time this season but the two share some history. The Crimson Tide and the Devilettes last faced one another at the 2006 NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa where UA defeated MVSU 8-0 in five innings. The Tide holds a perfect 4-0 all-time record over the Devilettes.
Dunne Named SEC Pitcher of the Week
Alabama sophomore softball pitcher Kelsi Dunne (Port Orange, Fla.) was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the week as announced by the conference office today. The honor is the third for the second year hurler. Dunne was 2-0 with two complete game shutouts on the week. The right-hander did not allow a run and struck out 23 while only walking two in 18 1/3 innings. Dunne also tallied her first save of the season to start the week against UAB. The 6-0 hurler took the ball in the highly anticipated contest against No. 1 Washington and did not disappoint as she went the distance, striking out eight and only allowing two hits en route to the 6-0 complete game shutout. Against No. 24 Baylor Dunne again went the distance, striking out 11 in her second straight complete game shutout of the Easton Challenge. Dunne struck out four and allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings of relief to record her first save of the season in a win against UAB.
Easton Challenge All-Tournament Team
Three members of the Crimson Tide were named to the Easton Challenge All-Tournament Team. Kelsi Dunne earned the nod after going 2-0 with wins over No. 1 Washington and No. 24 Baylor. Brittany Rogers paced Alabama at the plate with a .429 batting average and five stolen bases. Whitney Larsen batted .364 with a team-leading two home runs and seven RBI.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Alabama seniors Brittany Rogers and Ashley Holcombe were named Lowe's Senior CLASS Award candidates. The Alabama duo is among 30 candidates. UA is the only program with two candidates on the 30 name list. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition.
Home Cooking
Alabama has historically been dominate in front of the home fans and this season is no different. The Crimson Tide sports an 8-1 record at the UA Softball Complex and has out-scored its opponents 64-9 in games played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is batting .344 and sports a 1.00 ERA. Opponents are batting .218 and post a 6.86 ERA. Freshman Jennifer Fenton has enjoyed the home surroundings as she leads the team at the plate with a .500 average. Fellow freshman Amanda Locke follows with a .421 average at home and a team leading three home runs. Sophomore Whitney Larsen leads the team at home with 10 RBI and adds two home runs and a .364 average. Sophomore Kelsi Dunne is a perfect 4-0 in the circle with a 0.00 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings pitched.
Last Five Games
In the last five games Alabama has posted a 4-1 record with four of the five games coming against ranked opponents. As a team the Crimson Tide is batting .307 and posts a 2.00 ERA. Opponents are hitting .252 and are pitching at a 4.67 clip. Individually All-American Brittany Rogers is hitting .500 with six stolen bases. In the circle Kelsi Dunne is 2-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA and has fanned 19 and only walked two.
Attendance Record
Over the weekend Alabama shattered its previous attendance record. With the new editions to the UA Softball Complex the Crimson Tide broke the old record of 2461 set on April 10, 2008 against LSU by drawing 2661 spectators on Friday against No. 1 Washington. UA bettered that on Saturday by having 3012 spectators take in game two between the number ones.
SEC Rankings
The Alabama pitching staff ranks second in the conference with a 1.08 ERA. At the plate UA checks in the top three in on base percentage at third with a .43o mark. The Crimson Tide pace the conference with 60 stolen bases and 68 attempts. Behind the defense of Ashley Holcombe Alabama leads the SEC in pickoffs with seven. Alabama pitchers have only allowed 84 hits which ranks second on the circuit. Individually Kelley Montalvo ranks second in walks with 22 while Brittany Rogers ranks second in stolen bases with 16. Kelsi Dunne leads the conference in ERA with a 0.38 mark and her .148 opponents batting average ranks second.
Next Time Out
Alabama will open SEC play against Mississippi State for a three game set. UA will open conference play with a twin bill against MSU on Saturday, March 14 with the first game slated for a 1:00 p.m. start time. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will close out the series on Sunday, March 15.
