Softball Preview: The Pitchers
2/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 8, 2010
Easily the brightest spot of the 2010 team is the pitching staff, which doesn't lose a single player, but does gain one in strong-armed freshman hurler Lauren Sewell of Pembroke Pines, Fla.
"We love the way our pitchers are spread out," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. "We have a senior, a junior, a sophomore and a freshman all on our staff. If we could have it anyway we wanted it, this would be it. Just to have a pitcher in every class."
The group of diverse pitchers is led by Alabama ace Kelsi Dunne who is now a true veteran in the circle. Last season, Dunne sported a 1.63 ERA going 28-5 on the year, striking out 258 batters in only 215 1/3 innings en route to earning first-team All-American honors.
"Kelsi is probably throwing 65-to-66, which is the fastest she's ever thrown and she looks really good," said Murphy.
On top of her contributions to the team at the plate and defensively at first base, Charlotte Morgan provides the Tide with solid performances in the circle as well. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native went 18-6 last season with a 1.80 ERA.
Between Dunne and Morgan, the duo tossed five no-hitters in 2009 and have combined for seven over the course of their careers. Morgan fired her first no-no on the road against Georgia Tech last season and Dunne threw four, including back-to-back no-hitters against Jacksonville State in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
The Tide will look for additional support from the newcomer Sewell and Amanda Locke, who went 8-0 last year as a freshman and struck out 42 batters in just under 50 innings pitched.
Sewell was named an All-State pitcher in high school, as well as being named to the NFCA All-South Region team and third-team high school All-American by the NFCA. Sewell fanned 747 batters in 406 career innings and a No. 1 national ranking in 2008.
No. 2 Alabama opens its 2010 campaign against No. 9 Missouri with a three-game series. The two teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 13 and close out the series with a single contest on Feb. 14. Both days will start at 1:00 p.m. at the Alabama Softball Complex.
