No. 1 Softball Prepares for the Easton Challenge
3/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2009
ALABAMA (14-1)
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)
Tickets: General Admission available (Right Field Free)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 1/4 ranked Alabama softball team will continue its homestand and host one of the most anticipated tournaments of the regular season. Alabama will welcome No. 3/1 Washington, No. RV/24 Baylor and No. 11/12 Georgia for the Easton Challenge. The Crimson Tide will begin play on Friday, March 6 against the Huskies at 6:00 p.m. The first game of the challenge will be between the Lady Bears and the Huskies at 1:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
Alabama returned to action and earned an 8-1 win over instate rival UAB on Wednesday night. Freshman Jennifer Fenton hit her first career home run and fellow freshman Amanda Locke earned the win in the circle. Freshman Jazlyn Lunceford banged out two hits and drove in two in the midweek win. Sophomore Kelsi Dunne came in relief to earn her first save on the season. Senior Kelley Montalvo stole two bases to increase her season total to a team-leading 12 on the year.
Who to Watch
Alabama senior Kelley Montalvo has been justifying her ASA Player of the Year nomination. In her last seven games Montalvo leads the team in batting average (.357), runs (6), RBI (8) and slugging percentage (.857). On the season, the Miami, Fla. native leads the team in stolen bases as well with 12.
Easton Challenge
Alabama will welcome three teams to Tuscaloosa for the Easton Challenge as games will be played from Friday, March 6 - Sunday, March 8. Washington will head to the tournament sporting a No. 1 ranking and Baylor and Georgia will also head to the Capstone. Washington and Baylor will play a total of five games each while Alabama and Georgia will play four apiece. A total of nine games will be played at the UA Softball Complex. The Huskies are just the second team in the Pac-10 to play in Tuscaloosa and Baylor is just the third Big XII team to face UA on its home turf.
Scouting the Competition
Washington: In their first trip east all season the Huskies come to Alabama with a perfect 14-0 record and the nation's No. 3/1 ranking. Washington picked up their most recent victories with a win over Seattle and two wins over Portland as hosts of the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. Prior to that, Washington swept five games at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., four games at the Campbell Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif. and five games at the Red Dessert Classic in St. George Utah. As a team the Huskies are hitting .316 and keeping the opponents in check with a .138 batting average. Washington's pitchers combine for a mere 0.66 ERA and have racked up a 5.41 ERA against the opposition. The Huskies are led at the plate by Ashlyn Watson and Ashley Charters. Watson leads the team with a .441 batting average and also paces the team in home runs (4), RBI (13) and slugging percentage (.853). Charters has driven in 12 runs off a team-high 18 hits and adds three home runs while hitting at a .419 clip. In the circle Washington is led by Danielle Lawrie and Felecia Harris. Lawrie has started nine games with a record of 9-0 and an ERA of 0.22 to accompany her 107 strikeouts over 64.1 innings pitched. Charters sports a 5-0 record and an ERA of 1.68 having only given up nine runs in 25.0 innings pitched. Washington returns 13 letterwinners to a team that finished 30-25-1 last season before losing to Houston in the Houston Regional.
Baylor: The Bears come to the Easton Challenge with 17-3 record and are riding a 12 game winning streak after recently picking up five wins as hosts of the QTI Invitational in Waco, TX. Baylor earned two wins over Louisiana-Monroe, two wins over Rutgers and one win over Louisiana Tech at the QTI. The Bears defeated Centenary College 2-1 on Wednesday night in Shreveport, La. Baylor is batting .328 as a team and holding the opposition to just a .198 batting average. The Bear's pitchers have combined for an ERA of 2.04 while amassing an ERA of 4.33 against opponents. Baylor is led at the plate by Alex Colyer and Brette Reagan. Colyer is leading the team with a .443 batting average and has knocked in 5 runs on a team-high 27 hits. Reagan sports a .356 batting average and paces the team in slugging percentage (.695), RBI (20) and home runs (5). In the circle the Bears are led by Whitney Canion and Shaina Brock. Canion has started 12 games with a record of 10-2 and a 1.03 ERA. Over 81.1 innings pitched Canion has struck out 117 batters and is holding the opposition to a .169 batting average. Brock has tallied four wins and one loss over 30.1 innings pitched and is only giving up a .237 batting average to go along with her 3.69 ERA. Baylor is ranked No. 24 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and is receiving votes in the USA Today/NCFA Division I Top 25. Baylor returns 12 letterwinners to a team that went 27-22 last season.
Georgia: The Bulldogs bring with them to Tuscaloosa an impressive 12-1 record and the nation's No. 11/12 ranking. Georgia was scheduled to participate in last weekend's Leadoff Classic before having their games canceled due to inclement weather. Prior to that, however, UGA reeled off ten straight wins after suffering their only loss of the season against Oregon State at the Cathedral City Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. Their most recent victories came with a five-game sweep of the Georgia Softball Classic, which featured wins over Ball State, Tennessee State, Marshall, IUPUI and UNC-Greensboro. As a team the Bulldogs are batting .417 and holding the opposition to only a .194 batting average. UGA's pitchers have combined for an ERA of 1.46 and have shelled opponents for 10.39 ERA. Georgia is led at the plate by Alisa Goler and Megan Wiggins. Goler leads the team in batting average (.615), hits (24), home runs (9), RBI (36) slugging percentage (1.462) and on-base percentage (.673). Wiggins is hitting .475 on the year while adding five home runs, 23 RBI and a slugging percentage at a 1.025 clip. The Bulldogs are led in the circle by Christie Hamilton and Sarah McCloud. Hamilton brings a 5-0 record after six starts and has struck out 35 batters in 32.2 innings pitched. Hamilton is holding opponents to a .147 batting average and sports a 0.43 ERA. With six appearances and five starts on the year, McCloud has tallied a 5-1 record and 1.50 ERA over 23.1 innings pitched. Georgia returns 11 letterwinners to a squad that went 46-24 in 2008 before having their season ended by UCLA in the Los Angeles, Calif. Super Regional.
Series History
Alabama will play a total of four games as hosts of the Easton SEC/Pac-10/Big 12 Challenge in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will square off against Washington twice, followed by two contests against Baylor. This will be the fourth meeting between the Tide and the Huskies, with Washington holding a 3-0 record versus Alabama. In their most recent contest the Tide traveled to Seattle last March to participate in the Husky Classic where they were handed a 6-3 loss by Washington. Saturday's meeting with Baylor will only be the second all time between the Crimson Tide and the Bears. Alabama holds a 1-0 record over Baylor. Their last contest took place in February of 1997 where the two teams met on neutral ground in Lafayette, Louisiana with Alabama taking the 3-2 victory.
New Seating
Alabama will sport a new look in right field at the UA Softball Complex. Tier seating that will welcome fans to bring lawn chairs to enjoy the games will officially open this weekend for the Easton Challenge. Another new look to the complex is on the first base side where temporary bleachers have been set to accommodate even more fans. The right field line will eventually turn into a standing room only area with a drink rail. The new features at the ball park will add room for approximately 400 spectators and the right field area will be free of charge for the 2009 season.
Home Cooking
Alabama has taken a liking to its home arrangements as the Tide has yet to fall at the UA Softball Complex. The Crimson Tide is hitting at a .402 clip while the arms sport a 0.30 ERA. Opponents have been held to a .179 batting average and have been tagged for an 8.47 ERA. UA has out-scored its opposition 34-2 at home and are averaging 8.5 runs per contest. Freshman Jazlyn Lunceford leads the team at the plate with a .714 average while junior Charlotte Morgan follows with a .667 clip. Lunceford also paces the team in RBI at home with six while in the circle Kelsi Dunne sports a perfect 0.00 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. Dunne is a perfect 2-0 with a save and has only allowed 4-0 hits.
Hit Parade
Alabama has been dominating its opponents at the plate this season as the Crimson Tide has out-hit the opposition in 11 of the 14 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 four times while UA has banged out five or more hits in all but one game.
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 14 first place votes. Florida checked in at No. 2 with four first place votes while Washington received nine votes. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll Alabama received one first place votes but checked in ranked fourth in the poll. Washington was tabbed No. 1 with 19 first place votes. Florida and UCLA followed the Huskies, respectively.
SEC Rankings
Alabama checks into the week ranked second in the SEC in ERA with a 0.80 ledger in the circle. The Tide ranks third as a team in on base percentage (.448) and hit by pitches (13). UA also ranks third in the conference in stolen bases with 45 and in attempts with 50. 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 Kelsi Dunne ranks third in the SEC in ERA with a 0.56 mark and leads the league in opposing batting average, holding opponents to a .127 clip.
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.
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 play the road portion of its instate home and home series against UAB as the Crimson Tide will head to Birmingham to play the Blazers on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. Alabama will then welcome Mississippi Valley State on Thursday, March 12 in Tuscaloosa for a single contest before SEC play opens against Mississippi State on Saturday, March 14.
