Softball Welcomes UAB to Tuscaloosa
3/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 23, 2010
| Game 30 | No. 5/7 Alabama (22-7, 6-2 SEC) vs. UAB (17-8, 3-3 C-USA) | |
| Date | Wednesday, March 24 6:00 p.m. CDT |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Alabama Softball Complex (3,395) |
| Tickets | Limited General Admission Available |
| Television | WVUA-TV (Brent Magnuson and Gary Harris) |
| Radio | WVUA-FM (90.7) (Chad Haynie and Allen Faul) | |
| Internet | | TideTV |
| Game Notes | Alabama Notes  | UAB Notes |
| All-Time Series | Alabama leads, 8-0 |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 5/7 Alabama softball team (22-7, 6-2 SEC) will play host to the UAB Blazers (17-8, 3-3 C-USA) at the Alabama Softball Complex on Wednesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. The game will be televised locally by WVUA-TV on a tape delay that will be aired Saturday at noon. The meeting will be the second this season between the two squads as the Tide handed the Blazers a 7-3 defeat in their stadium opener.
LAST TIME OUT
Alabama earned a series sweep over South Carolina in its first SEC home series of the season. The Crimson Tide took both games of Saturday's doubleheader by scores of 8-0 and 8-2, respectively. The big story of the weekend came from the record-breaking game on Sunday in which Alabama took down the Gamecocks, 21-1. The Tide had six home runs in the single game, including the career first for Jackey Branham and Kayla Braud, with Braud's coming by way of a grand slam. Branham was the first part of what ended up being back-to-back pinch hit home runs, when fellow Missouri native Courtney Conley followed her freshman teammate with a four-bagger of her own.
WHO TO WATCH
Alabama senior All-American Charlotte Morgan has begun to heat up. Over the course of the last seven games Morgan is batting .588 (10-for-17) with five home runs and 15 RBI. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native has also smacked three doubles, scored nine runs and sports a 1.647 slugging percentage. Over the weekend against South Carolina Morgan drove in five runs and hit a home run, solidifying her claim as the SEC Player of the Week.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The UAB softball team enters Tuscaloosa with a 17-8 overall record and a 3-3 C-USA mark. The Blazers are coming off a successful weekend series in Huntington, W.V., taking two of three from Marshall. UAB won the first two contests 4-3 and 8-3, before dropping the third game to the Thundering Herd, 3-2. Overall Martina Landrum paces the Blazers with a .422 batting average and 54 total bases, including two triples and three home runs. UAB is led in the circle by Alisha Smith with a 2.21 ERA and 91 strikeouts. The junior from Springville, Ala., pitched all seven innings against Alabama earlier in the season, giving up seven runs, five earned, on eight hits and seven walks.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UAB
The Blazers are no stranger to the Alabama softball team, as the two squared off twice in a home-and-home series last season. The Tide won both matchups in 2009, winning 8-1 in the game played in Tuscaloosa and 6-3 in the matchup in Birmingham. In this year's home-and-home, Alabama took the first game in Birmingham by a score of 7-3. Junior Kelsi Dunne picked up a career-high 17 strikeouts in that game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CONFERENCE USA
Alabama is 22-5 all-time against Conference USA opponents, including a 1-1 mark this season with a win over UAB in Birmingham and a loss to UCF in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Crimson Tide outscored its Conference USA opponents by a combined 29-6 last season.
MORGAN NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alabama senior Charlotte Morgan was named the SEC Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office Monday. Over her career Morgan has consistently started to heat up with the start of conference play and this season was no different. The two-time All-American batted .600 (9-for-15), scored eight runs, drilled four home runs, added three doubles and drove in 11. Morgan slugged 1.600 as seven of her nine hits went for extra bases.
TIDE IN THE SEC
Alabama has been off to a hot start in conference play and it has shown in the statistical rankings. During SEC play the Tide leads the league in eight offensive categories, including batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.726), on base percentage (.459), runs (69), RBI (60), home runs (21), total bases (151) and walks (39). In the circle the Tide ranks third in ERA (65), second in opposing batting average (.213) and paces the league in strikeouts with 65.
Individually Charlotte Morgan leads the league in slugging percentage (1.238), RBI (15), home runs (5) and total bases (26). Kelsi Dunne leads the league in strikeouts (41) and strikeouts looking (12). Overall Cassie Reilly-Boccia leads the conference in on base percentage (.596) and walks (29).
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
The Crimson Tide put on an offensive clinic in the series finale against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday. Alabama erupted for 21 runs on the strength of six home runs and a 14-run inning. The 21 runs ties a school record and the six home runs and 14-run inning also equals a program milestone. The 21 runs are the most since Alabama downed McNeese State on Feb. 13, 2008. The six home runs equals the mark against Kentucky in Lexington on March 22, 2008.
MURPHY EARNS 600TH WIN AT THE CAPSTONE
Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy earned his 600th career win as head coach of the Crimson Tide softball team in the second game of a doubleheader against South Carolina on Saturday, March 20 with an 8-2 victory over the Gamecocks. Murphy earned the 600th victory of his career in a 2-1 win over Kentucky on May 8, 2009 in the SEC Tournament semifinals last season. However that mark included the 28 victories Murphy earned as interim head coach of the Northwest Missouri State Bobcats in 1995. Murphy is the first softball coach in the SEC to reach 600 wins at an SEC school since the conference began participation in the sport in 1997. The Alabama skipper is the winningest active coach in the SEC. Including this season, no current coach in the SEC has more wins over the last 10 seasons than Murphy.
ALABAMA GOING FOR WIN 300 AT SOFTBALL COMPLEX
The Crimson Tide is nearing win number 300 at the Alabama Softball Complex, currently standing at 299 wins. Alabama went an impressive 31-1 in 2009 inside the friendly confines of the Alabama Softball Complex. The lone loss last season came to eventual national champion Washington. The Tide is currently on a 26-game winning streak at home against SEC opponents. Alabama's last home loss to an SEC foe came on March 12, 2008, against Florida.
DUNNE IN RELIEF
A first-team All-American in 2009, Alabama junior Kelsi Dunne is accustomed to getting the start and getting the job done. In a few cases this season the right-hander has been called upon out of the bullpen to give the Tide a lift in the circle and she has done exactly that. In relief Dunne is a perfect 3-0 with one save. She has pitched 13 2/3 innings and has allowed just two hits and sports a perfect ERA while striking out 26 and only walking two. Dunne has not allowed a hit in three different outings out of the pen and has been perfect on two occasions.
NEXT TIME OUT
Alabama will remain at home and will host its second conference home series of the season when the Florida Gators come to town this weekend. Game one of the three game series will be Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Game two of the Saturday doubleheader will not be televised. Game three on Sunday, starting at 1:30 p.m. will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Both game one and game three will also be simulcast online at ESPN360.com.
