Softball Set to Open NCAA Super Regionals Friday
5/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 21, 2009
Super Regional Central | Alabama Super Regional Notes 
ALABAMA (50-9, 21-6 SEC)
TV: ESPN Network
Radio: 90.7 (Play by Play - James Hardy)
Internet Radio: thecapstone.ua.edu
Live Stats: Rolltide.com
Video Streaming: ESPN 360
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 3 ranked Alabama softball team (50-9, 21-6 SEC) welcomes in-state opponent Jacksonville State (43-14, 19-2 OVC) to Tuscaloosa as hosts of the NCAA Softball Tuscaloosa Super Regional after breezing through regional action over the weekend. The three-game series will begin Friday, May 22 with the first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m. CT, before continuing Saturday starting at 11 a.m. CT. If a third game is necessary it will follow Saturday's game one. All three games will be broadcasted by ESPN.
Last Time Out
The Crimson Tide put a dominating performance as hosts of the NCAA Softball Tuscaloosa Regional where they outscored their opponents 29-4 in three games played. In their opening round matchup on Friday, May 15 Alabama took down Southwestern Athletic Conference winner Mississippi Valley State by a score of 12-3 to secure the game one win. The Tide used eight first-inning runs and four more in the fourth to earn the five inning, run-rule victory. Lauren Parker opened the fourth inning with her second home run of the season and finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Cassandra Reilly-Boccia also turned in an impressive game one performance by hitting 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored. Charlotte Morgan started the contest, pitched two innings and gave up no hits while Amanda Locke tossed three innings of relief, gave up two hits and struck out six to earn the win and move to 8-0 on year. In their second game of the regional on Saturday, May 16 Alabama earned its second run-rule victory by drowning Texas 10-1 in a game that was divided by a 3:17 rain delay. The Tide led 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning when the rain set in with Texas runners on first and second with one out. The wait had no effect on Kelsi Dunne as she retired the next two batters after the delay on a fly out and a strikeout. In their next turn at the plate Alabama put the game away with a six-run sixth inning led by Ashley Holcombe's three run home run over the left field fence. Holcombe finished the contest with four RBI and two hits. Parker batted 3-for-5 with three runs while Reilly-Boccia was 2-for-2 with two runs and a RBI. Dunne scattered five hits and allowed only one run while striking out eight to earn the win and improve to 25-3 on the season. In Sunday's championship game Alabama earned its seventh regional title and fifth in a row by once again defeating the Longhorns, this time shutting them out 7-0. In a strong defensive showing, the Crimson Tide turned an NCAA record five double plays, four of which came by the way of 5-4-3, to diminish any hopes that Texas had of scoring. Morgan put Alabama on the board in the bottom of the first inning with a two run home run off the light pole in left-center and the Crimson Tide never looked back. Reilly-Boccia connected on her first home run of the postseason when she cleared the center field wall in the bottom of the fourth. Brittany Rogers led Alabama at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort while Kelley Montalvo batted 2-for-2 with a run and Kellie Eubanks hit 2-for-3 with two RBI. Reilly-Boccia added two runs while Morgan drove in two and earned the complete game-win after scattering seven hits. The southpaw fanned two and walked none to improve to 17-6 on the season and advance the Tide to NCCA Super Regional play.
Who to Watch
During NCCA regional play last weekend in one game against Mississippi Valley State and two against Texas the Crimson Tide's offense put on a show, hitting a combined .392 and scoring 29 runs off 31 hits to go along with an impressive .658 team slugging percentage. Cassandra Reilly-Boccia hit 5-for-6 with six runs, four RBI and a home run to record a .833 batting average in her collegiate postseason debut. The freshman also racked up a 1.500 slugging percentage. With the rookie leading the way at the plate the seniors on the team also showed why Alabama has been consistently been among the nation's best. Ashley Holcombe drove in six runs off three hits and hit two home runs to tally a 1.000 slugging percentage. The infield's left side duo of Kellie Eubanks and Kelley Montalvo both hit 3-for-8 to total batting averages of .375 with Eubanks driving in two runs and scoring one and Motalvo driving in one run and scoring two. Leadoff hitter Brittany Rogers batted 4-for-10 with a .500 on-base percentage to accompany her two stolen bases and three runs. Lauren Parker collected five hits in 12 at-bats and scored five runs in addition to swiping three bases. Over Alabama's last 18 games, in which they sport a record of 17-1, Charlotte Morgan has driven in 18 runs off 21 hits and sports team-best .488 batting average and a .837 slugging percentage. The two-way threat has also made eight starts in the circle in that span for an 8-0 record and a 0.57 ERA. Over the same stretch of games, senior catcher Ashley Holcombe has hit 21-for-46 and paces the squad with 30 RBI, six home runs and a .891 slugging percentage.
Scouting the Competition
The Gamecocks will make the two hour journey cross-state to Tuscaloosa for the third time in two years, after playing a total of eight games last season at the Alabama Softball Complex appearing in both the Hampton Inn Bama Bash and the 2008 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Jacksonville State, the Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions, defeated the Tennessee Lady Vols twice on Sunday with scores of 6-1 and 2-1 to win the NCAA Knoxville Regional. The team sports a 41-14 overall record, including a 19-2 conference mark. The Gamecocks are lead offensively by OVC Player of the Year Nikki Prier. Prier who's .387 batting lead the Gamecocks in most offensive categories including runs batted in (50), home runs (12), doubles (20), total bases (125), slugging percentage (.723) and on base percentage (.463). Her marks at batting average, RBI, doubles and total bases all lead the Ohio Valley Conference. Junior outfielder Chrissy O'Neal, a first team All-OVC selection, led her team and conference in hits (68) and runs scored (49). The Gamecocks are led in the circle by two All-OVC pitchers with OVC Pitcher of the year Karla Pittman and second team All-OVC sophomore Ashley Eliasson. Pittman, who's 1.27 earned run average leads both the Gamecocks and the entire Ohio Valley Conference, has collected a record of 17-3 only allowing 27 earned runs in 148.1 innings pitched, picking up 105 strikeouts along the way. Pittman's counterpart Eliasson has just as impressive resume statistically speaking going 18-7 thus far with a 1.47 ERA, only allowing 31 earned runs in 147.2 innings pitched while picking up 134 strikeouts.
Series History
Jacksonville State is no stranger to the Crimson Tide. In fact the two teams have faced off four times in the last two seasons, including two games at the 2008 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Alabama and Jacksonville State met earlier this year in Mobile at the South Alabama Kickoff Classic, a meeting the Tide took in a quick 9-0 run-rule victory in five innings. Alabama has a number of players that have shined throughout their careers against the Gamecocks including Brittany Rogers who has a career batting average of .750 against JSU, going 9-for-12 with four runs and four stolen bases in four games. Kelley Montalvo is 5-for-11 with five runs and five RBI in her career against Jacksonville State. Sophomore pitcher Kelsi Dunne has started three games against the Gamecocks picking up the win in every attempt. Dunne has shut down the Gamecocks from the circle striking out 28 batters and only allowing two earned runs (a 0.88 ERA) in her career against Jacksonville State. Dunne picked up her first win of the season this year against Jacksonville State with a complete game, two hit shutout of the Gamecocks, striking out 12 in just five innings. Alabama holds a perfect 11-0 all-time record against Jacksonville State.
Alabama Turns NCAA Record Five Double Plays
Alabama set the NCAA record with five double plays against Texas on May 17 in the championship game of the Tuscaloosa Regional. Tide shortstop Kellie Eubanks snagged a line drive off the bat of Desiree Williams in the sixth inning and quickly flipped to Lauren Parker at second base to force UT's Brittany Barnhill. Parker was involved in all five double plays turned as the first four all went 5-4-3. The previous record was four set on four different occasions.
Crimson Tide Garner No. 4 National Seed
Alabama was awarded the No. 4 national seed for the 2009 NCAA Division I Tournament. The Crimson Tide was second in the most recent RPI released by the NCAA on May 5. Alabama is 13-6 against top 25 teams this season and 7-4 against top 10 teams. The Tide has earned wins over No. 1 Florida and No. 1 Washington.
Alabama against the 2009 NCAA Tournament Field
The Tide played an impressive 19 teams in 2009 that were selected for the NCAA Tournament. Alabama played 41 games against those NCAA Tournament teams and posted a 34-7 (.830) record. The 41 games against tournament teams represented 69 percent of Alabama's 2009 schedule. The Crimson Tide also faced seven of the teams that received the No. 1-16 national seeds, holding a 10-5 (.670) record against those teams.
Alabama in the NCAA Tournament
Alabama earned its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid in 2009. Since the inception of the Super Regional format in 2005, the Crimson Tide has participated in the event every season and has won three of the four Super Regionals they have competed in (2005, `06 & `08). This will be the third Super Regional hosted at the Alabama Softball Complex. The Tide has a 39-21 record in the NCAA Tournament (including regionals, super regionals and the WCWS) and hoist an impressive seven NCAA Regional titles (2000, `03, `05, `06, `07, `08 & `09) in just 13 years of existence. UA made its fifth appearance in the Women's College World Series this past season, including its third trip in the past four years.
Tide Flawless in Regional Play
Alabama's perfect 3-0 record in the 2009 Tuscaloosa Regional isn't the first time the Crimson Tide has swept their way through an NCAA Regional, in fact it is the sixth time Alabama has accomplished the impressive feat (2000, '03, '05, '06, '08 & '09).
Crimson Tide on the World Wide Leader
This weekend's Tuscaloosa Super Regional games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, with game one being simulcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU and game two (and three if necessary) being broadcast on ESPN. This will be the first appearance of the season for Alabama on ESPN. The Tide was 3-2 last season in games played that were broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2. All games played at the Tuscaloosa Super Regional will also be available for free online at ESPN360.com.
Six Named to NFCA All-Region Team
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has announced the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Region teams, honoring student-athletes from 10 NFCA regions. A total of 264 players from 121 different institutions comprise the regional teams. Alabama had a school record six players named to the South Region team. The honorees included: pitcher Kelsi Dunne, catcher Ashley Holcombe, third baseman Kelley Montalvo, outfielder Brittany Rogers, utility player Charlotte Morgan and utility/non-pitcher Cassandra Reilly-Boccia.
Three Named to SEC All-Tournament Team
Alabama had three players named to the SEC All-Tournament team. Seniors Ashley Holcombe and Lauren Parker garnered the honors along with junior Charlotte Morgan. Holcombe led all Crimson Tide hitters with a .500 average, adding a home run and three RBI. Parker closely followed with a .444 mark and paced UA with four hits. Morgan batted .429, hit a home run and drove in four. The Southpaw also went 2-0 in the circle with a perfect 0.00 ERA.
Morgan Named SEC Player of the Year
Alabama junior Charlotte Morgan was named the SEC Player of the Year. Morgan, who was named to the first team for the second consecutive season becomes the first member of the Crimson Tide softball program to be named the SEC Player of the Year. The Moreno Valley, Calif. native led the league in hitting (.447) and RBI (34), and helped guide Alabama to a 21-6 SEC record and the Western Division title. Morgan was also a threat in the circle. The pitcher/utility player made eight starts and recorded a 6-4 record in 62 innings pitched with 63 strikeouts while only walking 10. At the plate, the USA Player of the Year candidate recorded 34 RBI on 34 hits in 76 at bats during league play.
Locke Named SEC Freshman of the Year
Alabama freshman Amanda Locke was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. This marks a SEC best sixth Freshman of the Year honor for the Crimson Tide and second straight. Locke, a utility/pitcher, who was also named to the all freshman team, hit .321, with 14 RBI and a team-leading five home runs in conference play. The Mesquite, Texas native also made four SEC pitching appearances and in 4.2 innings did not allow a run. Locke joins teammates Brittany Rogers (2006) and Kelsi Dunne (2008) as newcomer award recipients.
Seven Earn All Conference Accolades
Alabama had seven players garner accolades from the SEC. On the first team from the Crimson Tide were Brittany Rogers, Charlotte Morgan, Kelsi Dunne and Kelley Montalvo. Rogers is just the third player in Alabama history to be named to the first team in all four seasons. Montalvo and Morgan earn the honor for the second straight season while Dunne is on the first team for a career first. Amanda Locke and Cassandra Reilly-Boccia were named to the All-Freshman team while Ashley Holcombe joins, Rogers and Montalvo on the All-Defensive team.
Morgan in Final 10 for USA Player of the Year
The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, has selected its 10 Finalists for the 8th Annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award and Alabama junior Charlotte Morgan is on the list for the second consecutive season. This award, which is considered the most prestigious honors in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
Strength of Schedule
Alabama posted the toughest schedule in America according to warrennolan.com, ahead of Arizona and Washington. The Crimson Tide played 37 games against 2008 NCAA tournament participants and posted a 30-7 record. Alabama is 12-7 against top 25 teams this season and 6-5 against top 10 teams. Alabama has earned wins over No. 1 Florida and No. 1 Washington. Against teams that made the 2009 field the Crimson Tide sports a 34-7 overall record.
SEC Stats
Among teams in the Southeastern Conference in all games played, Alabama ranks first in hit by pitch (68), steal attempts (195), stolen bases (169), runners picked off (11) and intentional walks allowed (2). The Tide is second in the conference in runs scored (386), walks (230), on-base percentage (.430), RBI (334), sacrifice flies (17), ERA (1.61), earned runs allowed (86), wins (50), home runs allowed (20) and is tied for second in fielding double plays (22). Alabama checks in at third in the league in batting average (.318), total bases (726), slugging percentage (.498), hits (.464), total plate appearances (1808), home runs (58), batters struck out (389), batters struck out looking (93), runs allowed (107), opposing batting average (.203), hits allowed (273), walks allowed (123) and doubles allowed (34). Individually in the SEC, sophomore hurler Kelsi Dunne is third in ERA (1.44), batters struck out (226), wins (25) and starts (31). Center fielder Brittany Rogers' 1.000 fielding percentage has her tied for first in the conference and she is second steal attempts (55) and stolen bases (46). Charlotte Morgan's eight sacrifice flies are first in the league and as a pitcher she is tied for first in walks allowed (20). Kelley Montalvo has 48 walks which plant her at first in that category and the third baseman has fielded 11 double plays which are tied for second. Senior catcher Ashley Holcombe paces the league with 10 runners picked off and Amanda Locke is tied for second in fielding double plays (11).
NCAA Stats
As a team among all NCAA Division-I squads, Alabama ranks first in stolen bases per game (2.86), second in win/loss percentage (.847), fifth in runs per game (6.67) and twelfth in batting average (.318) and fielding percentage (.974). The Tide checks in at fourteenth in ERA (1.61), fifteenth in slugging percentage (.498) and twentieth in home runs per game (.98). Individually, Charlotte Morgan's eight sacrifice flies lead the nation and her 1.02 RBI per game are good enough for eighteenth overall. Kelley Montalvo is ninth in walks (48) and tied for fourteenth in sacrifice flies (14). Brittany Rogers' 46 stolen bases are fourth best in the country. Lauren Parker's .049 strikeout average makes her the twenty-second toughest player in Division-I softball to fan. Kelsi Dunne checks in at twenty-fifth in wins with 25 victories on the year.
Dozier Named to the SEC Community Service Team
Alabama sophomore infielder Catherine Dozer was named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service team, as announced by the conference office Tuesday. The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 20 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to her community in superior service efforts. Dozier participated in more than 70 hours worth of community service as she has worked at the Lakeshore Foundation for various events including teaching wheelchair-bound children to play sports and the mini-slam Kids Camp. She also participated in the Together We CAN Drive,
Alabama No-hitters
Alabama has had three no-hitters this season on the strength of two no-no's in just the past two weeks Sophomore Kelsi Dunne has two this season, both by the way of seven inning gems. Her no-hitters were against Auburn on April 26 and against Kentucky on April 14. Dunne now has four on her career which places her one no-hitter behind Stephanie VanBrakle and her five no-hitters. Charlotte Morgan tossed her first career no-hitter against Georgia Tech on April 22.
Attendance Record
Alabama broke the all-time NCAA attendance record of 55,746 set in 1999 by Fresno State. The Crimson Tide sports a 2009 total attendance to date of 62,435 in 27 home games played for an average to date of 2,312. In 2008 the Tide led the country with 51,024 in 27 home games played for an average of 1,890. The single game record was also shattered this season when the Tide welcomed 3122 fans to the game against Auburn on April 25.
Murphy Earns Win No. 600
Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy earned his 600th victory of his career by earning a 2-1 win over Kentucky on May 8 in the SEC Tournament semifinals. Murphy has become just the second coach among the current SEC coaches to accomplish the feat in just 12 seasons at the helm. The only other coach to do so in 12 seasons is Lu Harris-Champer of Georgia, who tallied the majority of her wins at Nicholls State and Southern Miss. Murphy spent one season as the interim head coach at Northwest Missouri State where he guided the Bearcats to 28 wins. Since those 28 wins the Iowa native has guided Alabama to 568 wins in just over 10 years. Including this season no current coach in the SEC has more wins over the last 10 seasons than Murphy. Over the last 10 seasons Murphy has compiled 536 wins. Ralph Weekly at Tennessee has compiled 511 wins and Harris-Champer has 507 wins.
Morgan Becomes First with Three 50 RBI Seasons
Alabama junior Charlotte Morgan has become the first Crimson Tide player to drive in 50 or more runs in three seasons. Morgan sports 52 RBI this season and drove in an SEC record 79 last year. As a freshman the Moreno Valley, Calif. native drove in 56. Kelly Kretschman had two seasons of 50 or more RBI. The former Team USA member drove in 64 in 1998 and 58 in 2000. No other Alabama player has had two or more seasons on 50 or more RBI. Morgan became the first player to do so when she drove in three in the opening round of the SEC Tournament against Arkansas. Morgan now sits in second place all-time in the UA career annals with 187 RBI, trailing the 191 of Kretschman.
Morgan and Rogers Named to CoSIDA All-District Team
Alabama had a pair of players named to the 2009 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Softball team as announced by CoSIDA Thursday. Junior Charlotte Morgan was named to the District 4 first team while Brittany Rogers garnered second team recognition. The honor is the second for Morgan and is a career first for Rogers.
Tide in the RPI
The NCAA released its RPI rankings through games of May 5. Alabama checks in at No. 2 while Florida ranks No. 1. The SEC has three schools in the top 10 and six in the top 25. Alabama is three spots ahead of Georgia at No .5 and Tennessee follows at No. 13. LSU ranks 17th overall and Kentucky follows at No. 21. Auburn and Mississippi are just out of the top 25 at 30 and 35, respectively.
Bama Walks
Alabama has had no problems getting on base this season and in addition to all the hits, it is the walks that have propelled the Tide to one of the best on base teams in the nation. Alabama has walked 230 times and sports a .430 on base percentage. Four Tide players sport more walks than strikeouts. Kelley Montalvo, who ranks ninth in the country with 48 free passes has struck out just 14 times and holds a .493 on base percentage. With just three more walks Montalvo would break the single season walk record of 51 held by Kelly Kretschman from the 2000 season. Cassandra Reilly-Boccia has walked 36 times and struck out 23 while Kellie Eubanks has walked 28 times and been punched out 23 times. Charlotte Morgan has been issued a free pass 25 times and struck out 13 times to sport a .508 on base percentage.
Holcombe Joins Rogers at Team USA Training Camp
University of Alabama catcher Ashley Holcombe has been selected to participate in the 2009 USA Softball National Team Selection Camp. The senior from Fayetteville, Ga. joins teammate Brittany Rogers to the Olympic Training Center this summer. The selection camp will take place June 8-12 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. The 2009 National Team will be selected from participants at this camp. Over the summer, USA Softball will compete in the Canada Cup (July 3-12 - Surrey, B.C., Canada), World Cup IV (July 13-20 - Oklahoma City, Okla.), Japan Cup (July 28-Aug. 3 - Sendai City, Japan) and the Pan Am Games Qualifier (July 29-August 10 - Maracay, Venezuela).
Dunne Sweeps National Player of the Week Honors
Alabama sophomore pitcher Kelsi Dunne was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week and the USA Softball Player of the Week as announced by both organizations on April 7. The honors are a career first for the right-hander and the awards also mark the first of the season for a member of the Crimson Tide. Dunne collected all three wins against then No. 6 Georgia last weekend. In 13 innings in the circle, she gave up one earned run, struck out 11 and allowed eight hits, holding the Bulldogs to a .190 team batting average. For the week, Dunne posted a 0.54 ERA. The Port Orange, Fla., native allowed a single run in the first game against Georgia, then came back and earned the win by pitching an inning in relief in an extra-inning thriller in the nightcap. In Sunday's series finale, Dunne struck out 10 en route to the shutout.
Three Named USA Softball POY 25 Finalists
The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, has selected its 25 Finalists for the 8th Annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. Alabama is represented by three players, senior Brittany Rogers, junior Charlotte Morgan and sophomore Kelsi Dunne. Rogers and Morgan were on the final list of 25 last season. This award, which is considered the most prestigious honors in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. Kelley Montalvo was on the initial watch list of 50 players.
Rogers 300-200-100
Alabama senior Brittany Rogers is only the second player in school history to bang out 300 hits, score 200 runs and swipe 100 bases. The All-American joins former Tide standout Kelly Kretschman to do so. Rogers sports 337 hits, 252 runs and 192 stolen bases. If Rogers is able to reach 200 stolen bases she would be the first 300-200-200 player in school history. Kretschman paces the Alabama record books with 368 hits and 288 runs scored. Rogers is the all-time leader in stolen bases. With the feat Rogers is one of only four players in the modern era to do so in SEC history.
Rogers Named Lowe's Finalist
Alabama senior outfielder Brittany Rogers was named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Rogers is one of 10 senior student-athletes that have been selected as a finalist for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the Softball division. Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the third annual winner, who will receive the award during the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. The finalists were chosen from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. It is the second straight season that Alabama has had a finalist for the award. Jordan Praytor was part of the final 10 last season.
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.
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.
