Softball Heads to Fayetteville to Face Arkansas
4/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 23, 2010
| Games 46-48 | No. 5 Alabama (36-9, 15-4 SEC) at Arkansas (25-21, 8-11 SEC) | |
| Date | Saturday, April 24 1:00 p.m. CDT (DH) Sunday, April 25 12:30 p.m. CDT |
| Location | Fayetteville, Ark. | Bogle Park (1,200) |
| Tickets | General Admission | Click Here to Purchase |
| Television | Cox Sports (Blair Cartwright and Nicki Collen) |
| Radio | None |
| Live Stats | | | |
| Internet | RazorVision (Premium Service) | Live Interactive Game Blog |
| Game Notes | Alabama Notes  | Arkansas Notes |
| All-Time Series | Alabama leads, 38-7 |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama softball team (36-9, 15-4 SEC) will head to Fayetteville, Ark., to face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks (25-21, 8-11 SEC) in a three-game Southeastern Conference weekend series. The two teams will begin the three-game set in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 24 with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m. at the new Bogle Park. The first game will be televised on Cox Sports with Blair Cartwright and Nicki Collen calling the action. Game three is set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Alabama softball team earned its 12th straight win by downing in-state foe Troy by the score of 12-2 in five innings on Tuesday. Senior Alex Blewitt and Charlotte Morgan did most of the damage, with Blewitt knocking two homers out of the park in the same inning and Morgan leaving the yard for a grand slam. The duo combined to drive in eight of the 12 runs with each recording a four-RBI night. Amanda Locke earned the win (4-2), tossing four innings and allowing two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
WHO TO WATCH
Over the last three conference series Alabama sophomore Jennifer Fenton has been the table-setter for the Crimson Tide. Fenton is batting .438 (7 for 16) with a home run and seven RBI. The fleet-footed outfielder has swiped three bags over the eight-game span and has added six runs and a double. Against Troy in the last time out for Fenton she batted 2 for 2 and scored two runs while stealing her 25th base on the season. In the circle junior Kelsi Dunne is a perfect 6-0 with a 0.91 ERA. The All-American has struck out 50 in 30 2/3 innings and has held opposing batters to a .109 clip at the plate.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks enter the weekend with a 25-21 overall record and an 8-11 SEC mark. Arkansas tallied a 6-1 win over Memphis on Wednesday to snap a nine-game losing streak. After starting the conference season 8-2, the Razorbacks have dropped nine-straight league contests, earning its last circuit win at Georgia on April 2. Arkansas is hitting .254 and has scored 199 runs compared to a .272 batting average and 191 runs of its opponents. Leading the way offensively for the Hogs is Jessica Bachkora and her .380 batting average. Bachkora has added a team-best 13 long-balls and 16 doubles. Sandra Smith is hitting .324 and has added nine home runs and a team-leading 43 RBI. In the circle, Arkansas is pitching at a 3.22 clip and has struck out 241 in 311 innings. Opponents sport a 3.80 ERA and have fanned 269 in 309 2/3 innings. Hope McLemore leads the team with 28 appearances and 20 starts and posts a 2.76 ERA and a 12-9 record. McLemore has struck out 126 in 129 1/3 innings and has 10 complete games and three shutouts to her credit. Layne McGuirt is 8-8 with a 2.91 ERA and has struck out 70 in 93 2/3 innings.
SERIES HISTORY VS. ARKANSAS
The two programs have met 45 times with Alabama holding a 38-7 advantage. The two teams last met at the SEC Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn., where the Tide earned an 8-0 victory in five innings. In Tuscaloosa last season Alabama swept Arkansas and out-scored the Hogs 25-2 over the three-game series. The last time the Tide fell to the Razorbacks was in the first game of a three-game series in 2002 by the score of 2-0. Alabama has won 23 in a row over Arkansas. Last season in the four games senior Charlotte Morgan batted .800 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBI. Morgan was also a perfect 3-0 in the circle with an unblemished 0.00 ERA.
WINS IN APRIL
The month of April has been very generous to the Crimson Tide over the last four seasons and this year is no different. As the weather has heated up so has Alabama as it currently sports a perfect 12-0 record this month. The last four seasons, including the 12-0 mark in 2010, the Tide is 60-3 in April since 2007. Alabama went 16-2 last year with a 10-game winning streak in the month and went 16-1 with a 16-game win streak in 2008. In the 2007 the Tide posted a perfect 16-0 record in April.
TIDE SITS ATOP INITIAL NCAA RPI RANKING
Some may have questioned head coach Patrick Murphy's tough scheduling leading into a year with seven new starters, the skipper's decision to schedule the nation's toughest schedule seems to be paying off as Alabama comes in at No. 1 in the first RPI ranking of the year. Alabama has seven wins against teams that are currently ranking in the top 15 of the RPI and claims victories over the number two and three ranked teams (Michigan and Florida) in the RPI and are scheduled to play the fifth ranked team, Georgia Tech, later this month in Tuscaloosa. 19 of Alabama's 31 wins this season come against teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI. Ten of Alabama's last 14 remaining regular season games are against teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI.
OVER THE 12 GAME WINNING STREAK
The Alabama softball team is currently on a 12-game winning streak as it enters the weekend against Arkansas. The win streak spans over all of April thus far. Over the 12 games the Crimson Tide is batting .332 and sports a 1.29 ERA while opponents are hitting at a .137 clip and have been pounded for a 9.01 ERA. Jennifer Fenton leads the team over the 12 games with a .455 (10 for 22) average and has added a walk-off home run and seven RBI. Fenton has swiped five bags and scored nine runs. Kayla Braud is batting .429 (15 for 35) with a team-leading 15 runs and is a perfect 12 for 12 in stolen bases. In the circle Kelsi Dunne is 8-0 with a 1.03 ERA. Dunne has struck out 68 in 40 2/3 innings and has held her opponents to a .119 batting average.
MORGAN BREAKS SEC RBI RECORD
Alabama senior Charlotte Morgan moved into sole possession of the SEC career RBI record. The All-American earned the record-breaking 242nd RBI by taking a pitch in the knee with the bases loaded against Mississippi on Sunday. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native enters the weekend with 246 career RBI. Morgan broke the record held previously by Tonya Callahan of Tennessee. Morgan is also in the hunt for the SEC home run record as she currently sits in third with 55 homers, trailing Francesca Enea (58) of Florida and former Alabama great Kelly Kretschman (60).
BRAUD NAMED TOP 25 FINALISTS FOR USA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced that Alabama freshman Kayla Braud (Eugene, Ore.) was named to the Top 25 Finalists for the 2010 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, which will be announced at the opening of the NCAA 2010 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. This award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. Braud enters the weekend leading the team with a .485 average, 63 hits, 52 runs and ranks second on the squad with 25 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
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 1.59 and checks in at No. 7 in slugging percentage with a .565 mark while ranking 11th in scoring with 6.91 runs per game. Freshman Kayla Braud ranks sixth in the nation with her .480 batting average and eighth in runs per game (1.16) while Cassie Reilly-Boccia checks in at No. 4 in walks per game (1.00) and 20th in on-base-percentage with a .539 clip. Senior Charlotte Morgan ranks 11th in RBI per game with 1.18, 14th in walks (0.86) and 23rd in home runs (13). Junior pitcher Kelsi Dunne ranks eighth in the country with an 11.6 Ks per seven innings and her 233 strikeouts rank 19th in the country. (As of April 18)
ALABAMA IN THE SEC
In conference play the Alabama bats have come alive as they rank atop the league in eight offensive categories including: batting average (.322), slugging percentage (.600), on base percentage (.463), runs (149), RBI (131), home runs (33), walks (112), and stolen bases (37). In the circle Alabama paces the conference in strikeouts (158), batter struck out looking (54) and opposing batting average (.191).
Individually, Kayla Braud ranks second in the league in batting average (.500) and leads the league in runs (26). Senior Charlotte Morgan paces the conference with 29 RBI and seven home runs and also leads in slugging percentage (1.000), walks (23) and on base percentage (.614). Cassie Reilly-Boccia is tied with her teammate in walks with 23. In the circle Kelsi Dunne leads the league with 107 strikeouts, 34 looking, and also leads the conference with a .152 opponent batting average.
MURPHY MOST FOLLOWED SOFTBALL COACH IN THE NATION
In today's high speed world of social networking college coaches try to keep up with technology and the latest fad. With this in mind Alabama skipper Patrick Murphy jumped right into the Twitter craze joining the instant information giant with a profile last June. Since the coach joined the site at last year's Women's College World Series his "tweeting" has gained popularity on a national level. This past week Murphy surpassed Florida's Tim Walton to become the nation's most followed softball coach on Twitter and his followership continues to grow each day, currently standing near the 1,050 mark. Murphy's twitter page can be found at www.twitter.com/UACoachMurphy.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Alabama softball team will return home for a midweek contest against highly ranked Georgia Tech. The two teams will meet on Wednesday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. The Tide will then host the Tennessee Lady Vols in a weekend series. Two of the three games will be broadcasted by the ESPN family of networks, including a primetime showing of the second game on Saturday, May 1 on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. The series will start at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday with the final game slated for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
