Softball Heads to the Plains to Face Auburn
4/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 1, 2010
| Games 34-36 | No. 8/6 Alabama (24-9, 7-4 SEC) at Auburn (20-12, 5-6 SEC) | |
| Date | Friday, April 2 6:00 p.m. CDT Saturday, April 3 1:00 p.m. CDT (DH) |
| Location | Auburn, Ala. | Jane B. Moore Field (1,500) |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Television | CSS (Sat. Gm 1 Live) | CSS (Sat. Gm 2 Tape Delay Sun. at 4:00 p.m.) (Bernie Guenther and Cheri Kempf) |
| Radio | WVUA-FM 90.7 (Lake Koelling and Chad Haynie) | |
| Live Stats | | | |
| Streaming Video | Auburn All-Access (Friday) | ESPN360.com (Sat. Gm 1 & Gm 2) |
| Game Notes | Alabama Notes  | Auburn Notes |
| All-Time Series | Alabama leads, 33-13 |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 8/6 ranked Alabama softball team (24-9, 7-4 SEC) will continue its Southeastern Conference schedule this time on the road against rival Auburn (20-12, 5-6 SEC). The three-game series will begin on Friday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. with a doubleheader slated to begin on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Both games on Saturday will be televised on CSS with the first game scheduled to be live and the second slated to air on April 4 at 3:00 p.m. Bernie Guenther and Cheri Kempf will call the action from Jane B. Moore Field.
LAST TIME OUT
The Alabama softball team hosted Florida in a three-game series in Tuscaloosa but dropped two of the three games to the Gators despite leading in every contest. The Tide opened the three-game set with a convincing 10-4 win but fell 7-5 and 11-9 to drop the series. Freshman Kayla Braud led the charge against the Gators by batting .700 (7-for-10) over the series with a double, triple and a home run. The rookie also tied for the team lead with five RBI. Senior Charlotte Morgan batted .600 (3-for-5) with a double and five RBI.
WHO TO WATCH
Alabama sophomore Jazlyn Lunceford has return to form in her last five games, hitting .412 (10-for-17) with three home runs and 10 RBI. The .412 clip comes after Lunceford was in the midst of a 2-for-27 slump. Over the last five games her three home runs leads the team and her 10 RBI are tied with Charlotte Morgan for the team lead. Overall her six home runs are tied for second on the squad and her 21 RBI rank fourth on the team.
SCOUTING AUBURN
The Tigers enter the weekend series with a 20-12 overall record and a 5-6 conference mark. Auburn is coming off a 3-1 win over Troy on Wednesday night on the strength of Anna Thompson's 12 strikeouts. The Tigers have earned SEC series victories over Kentucky and South Carolina thus far and were swept by Florida and LSU. Auburn sports a .249 average on the season while opponents are hitting at a .205 clip. Leading the Tiger offensive attack is Amber Harrison and Kelley Smiley as the only two Auburn batters above the .300 mark. Harrison leads the team with a .337 average and has chipped in two home runs and a team-leading 25 RBI. Smiley follows with a .301 average and has added five RBI. In the circle Auburn is pitching at a 1.90 ERA while opponents sport a 2.39 team ERA. Thompson paces the Tigers with a 1.06 ERA and a 10-5 record while striking out 199 and only walking 30 in 112 2/3 innings pitched. Her 199 Ks leads the conference and her 1.09 ERA ranks fifth.
SERIES HISTORY VS. AUBURN
The two in-state conference rivals will be meeting for the 47th time as Alabama holds a 33-13 all-time advantage. The two teams met in Tuscaloosa last season for a three-game weekend series with Alabama earning the sweep. During the three game set Alabama All-American hurler Kelsi Dunne fired a seven-inning no-hitter and was one walk away from perfection. Dunne struck out 14 in the 6-0 win. The last time the Tide fell to the Tigers was by the score of 4-2 on April 25, 2006 in Auburn. Alabama currently sports a 10-game winning streak against its rival.
BRAUD NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Alabama freshman Kayla Braud was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. Over the course of the three weeks of conference play the rookie has earned the honor in two of those weeks. Braud batted .727 (8-for-11) with eight runs, a home run and six RBI last week. The newcomer smacked a double, a triple and also swiped two bags in the four games. In Alabama's final two games against Florida Braud had back-to-back three-hit games and drove in five runs and scored four times in the two-game span. The Eugene, Ore., native now owns a .505 batting average on the season with a .588 clip in SEC play, which currently leads the conference. She also sports a nine-game hitting streak entering the weekend.
MORGAN NAMED LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS FINALIST
Alabama All-American Charlotte Morgan was named one of 10 NCAA student-athletes who excel both on and off the field and were tabbed as finalists for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the softball division. 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 - community, classroom, character and competition. The 10 finalists will be placed on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award softball ballot for a nationwide vote beginning Monday and concluding May 17. Alabama has now had a finalist in three straight seasons as Ashley Holcombe and Brittany Rogers garnered the recognition last season and Jordan Praytor was a finalist in 2008. Rogers was also a finalist in her senior campaign.
WHERE ALABAMA STACKS UP NATIONALLY
The Alabama softball team ranks sixth in the country in home runs per game with 1.61 and checks in at No. 8 in slugging percentage with a .563 mark. Freshman Kayla Braud ranks fifth in the nation with her .505 batting average while Cassie Reilly-Boccia checks in at No. 5 in walks per game (1.05) and eighth in on-base-percentage with a .584 clip. Junior pitcher Kelsi Dunne ranks sixth in the country with an 11.6 Ks per seven innings. (As of March 28)
ALABAMA IN THE SEC
With the start of conference play the Alabama bats have come alive as it ranks atop the league in 11 offensive categories including: batting average (.340), slugging percentage (.670), on base percentage (.456), runs (93), hits (99), RBI (81), home runs (24), walks (56) and stolen bases (20). In the circle Alabama paces the conference in strikeouts (92) and batter struck out looking (35).
Individually, Kayla Braud leads the league in batting average (.588), runs (17), triples (2), total bases (34) and hits (20). Senior Charlotte Morgan paces the conference with 20 RBI and five home runs and checks in at second in slugging percentage (1.154) and on base percentage (.650). Cassie Reilly-Boccia leads the circuit in walks with 16 while Morgan closely follows in third with 13. In the circle Kelsi Dunne is tied for the league lead in punchouts with 57 and ranks second with a .185 opposing batting average.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Alabama softball team will return home for a crucial SEC Western Division matchup against LSU. The two teams will meet in a mid-week twin-bill on Wednesday, April 7 with first pitch of the first game slated for 5:00 p.m. at the Alabama Softball Complex.
