Softball Opens Fall Play This Weekend
9/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sept. 30, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama softball team will get the fall exhibition season underway with its first ever road contests on the Fall Brawl schedule. The Crimson Tide will play two games at Western Kentucky, opening the season against Murray State on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 11 a.m. The Tide will then play the host Hilltoppers at 1 p.m.
Alabama enters the new season on the heels of a third place finish at the 2011 Women's College World Series. The Crimson Tide finished 53-11 overall and won its second straight Southeastern Conference regular season title.
UA returns All-Americans Kayla Braud and Jackie Traina. Braud paced the team in the spring with a .436 average, 71 runs, 89 hits and 58 stolen bases. Traina will be relied upon more in the circle with the departure of All-American Kelsi Dunne. Traina finished 19-5 with a 1.70 ERA and added 13 home runs in her rookie campaign.
Traina will be joined in the circle by Under Armour High School All-American Leslie Jury and junior Lauren Sewell.
Murray State finished 24-28 last spring with a 13-15 mark in the OVC. WKU will host Alabama after compiling a 30-29 overall record and a 9-15 mark in Sun Belt play.
The Tide will quickly return home for a doubleheader on Sunday. Alabama will host Columbus State at 2 p.m., and then host Wallace State at 4 p.m.
