Softball Set to Open Season at Troy Subway Invitational
2/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 6, 2014
THIS WEEK
The sixth-ranked Alabama softball team opens its 2014 season at the Troy Subway Invitational, hosted by Troy University. The Crimson Tide will play five games over three days, beginning on Friday, Feb. 7 with a 2:30 p.m. matchup against Kennesaw State followed by a 7:30 p.m. game against North Florida. The next day, Alabama opens action against Northwestern State at 2:30 p.m. and wraps up Saturday against Middle Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. Tournament action will culminate on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2:30 p.m. as Alabama takes on the homestanding Troy Trojans.
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
Fans can listen to all home and away games this season on Alabama Softball's new flasgship station, FM 95.3 The Bear. A free online live stream will also be available at http://953thebear.com/listen-live/ or through the mobile radioPup app. Friday and Saturday's games will also be carried on select Crimson Tide Sports Network affiliate stations.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Kennesaw State (2013 Record: 34-20, 16-10 A-Sun) - The Owls will be under new direction in 2014, as Wes Holly, Jr., takes over as head coach after spending the past three seasons as their assistant head coach. He inherits a team that returns seven starters from last year's squad that earned 34 wins and placed fifth in the Atlantic Sun. Fifth-year outfielder Sara Sikes ranked second on the team last season with a .312 batting average, while junior outfielder Natalie Rhodes led the team with three doubles. On the mound, the pitching staff is led by senior Amanda Henderson, who earned an 18-4 record and 2.00 ERA over 168.1 innings last season.
North Florida (2013 Record: 42-15, 18-6 A-Sun) - The Ospreys are coming off a very succesful 2013 season, winning the Atlantic Sun regular season championship to earn the team's first appearance in the conference tournament. The team's ace, junior Kaylie Wallace, enters 2014 as the Preseason A-Sun Pitcher of the Year. Last season, she led the conference with a 24-7 record and 1.63 ERA. Seven position starters return as well, including senior outfielder Danica Mandarano, who hit .345 with 57 hits last season.
Northwestern State (2013 Record: 40-15, 18-7 Southland) -The Lady Demons are coming off their best season in over ten years, winning the 2013 Southland Conference tournament to earn a postseason bid. This season, they landed six players on the preseason All-Southland team, including senior Brianna Rodriguez who led the team with 20 doubles and 45 RBI.
Middle Tennessee (2013 Record: 7-47, 1-21 Sun Belt) - The Blue Raiders struggled last season, earning just seven wins under first-year head coach Jeff Breeden. Heading into year two, a balanced mix of nine experienced returnees and six talented newcomers wil look to get the team back on track. Junior Laura Dukes is the team's main offensive weapon, having hit .281 last season with seven home runs and 14 RBI.
Troy (2013 Record: 21-32, 7-14 Sun Belt) - The Trojans will have a new look in 2014, adding 12 new faces to the lineup with seven freshmen and five transfers. The new look will extend the the Troy Softball Complex, as they recently completed a $3 million renovation. Senior Kacie McAllister is the team's main returning offensive weapon after hitting .313 with 26 RBI last season. The pitching staff will look to improve after posting a 4.70 team ERA in 2013.
SERIES HISTORY
Kennesaw State - This will be the first-ever meeting between the Tide and the Owls. Kennesaw State is entering its eighth season in Division-I, having made the jump from Division-II to the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2006. The program was a Division-II powerhouse, with nine D-II Women's College World Series appearances, including back-to-back titles in 1995 and 1996. Alabama is 13-2 all-time against Atlantic Sun opponents.
North Florida - This will be the Tide's first-ever matchup against the North Florida Ospreys. The program started as a Division-II program in 1992 before moving to Division-I and the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2006. The Ospreys have yet to qualify for the Division-I NCAA Tournament after qualifying eight times for the Division-II tournament, including seven-consecutive appearances from 1999-05. Alabama is 13-2 all-time against Atlantic Sun opponents.
Northwestern State - Alabama has won all four of its games against the Northwestern State Demons. The most recent matchup between the two was a 12-2 Alabama victory in the opening game of the 2009 season at the South Alabama Invitational in Mobile, Ala. That day, Amanda Locke, a current assistant coach at Northwestern State, went the full 7.0 innings in the circle for Alabama with only one earned run while the offense was led by Charlotte Morgan's five-RBI performance including a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Middle Tennessee - Alabama is 5-0 all-time against the Blue Raiders, though the teams have not met since the 2008 season. The Tide won that last meeting, 7-1, on Feb. 16, 2008 thanks to 5.0 shutout innings by Chrissy Owens in the circle and a 2-3 performance at the plate by Charlotte Morgan, including three RBI. Kelley Montalvo, a current assistant coach at Middle Tennessee, went 1-3 with an RBI triple.
Troy - Alabama is a perfect 16-0 against its in-state foe in the all-time series. The Tide and the Trojans last squared off in a midweek matchup at Rhoads Stadium on April 25, 2012. Alabama shut out Troy 12-0, earning the five-inning run rule victory behind a one-hit performance by Leslie Jury in the circle and a great day at the plate by Amanda Locke, who went 2-3 with two home runs and three RBI.
BAMA OWNS OPENING DAY
Since 2005, Alabama owns a 15-1 record in opening day games and has outscored its opponents 124-12. During that stretch, the Tide's only loss on opening day came in the front end of a doubleheader against Missouri to open the 2010 season. Prior to that, Alabama's next most-recent opening day loss was to 12th-ranked Stanford at the start of the 2004 season.
HUNTING FOR THE CAREER HOME RUN RECORD
Senior infielder Kaila Hunt has been a consistent source of power in the Alabama lineup over the past three seasons, and now she has a chance to etch her name at the top of the Tide record books. Heading into the 2014 season, she has 46 career home runs, only 15 shy of breaking Kelly Kretschman's (1998-01) career record of 60. The Evans, Ga., native is averaging just over 15 home runs per season, blasting a career-best 21 in the Tide's championship 2012 season. Besides Kretschman, the only Tide players to surpass 50 career home runs are Charlotte Morgan (58, 2007-10) and Amanda Locke (54, 2008-12).
RETURNING STARPOWER
Alabama and Arizona State are the only two Division-I programs in the country that return three NFCA All-Americans from last season. The Tide welcomes back seniors Jackie Traina and Kaila Hunt as well as sophomore Haylie McCleney. Hunt earned a second-straight spot on the second team, joined by first-timer McCleney in her freshman season. Traina earned her third-straight All-America nod, settling on the third team.
DUAL THREAT
Kaila Hunt's achievements on and off the field are a very rare achievement at Alabama. Last season, Hunt became only the sixth athlete in program history to earn NFCA All-American and CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in the same season. Former Tide standout Kayla Braud earned the same achievement last season, marking the first time in program history that two players earned both awards in the same season.
Patrick Murphy APPROACHING 800 WINS AT ALABAMA
Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy is approaching yet another milestone in his storied career at the helm of the Crimson Tide. With a 789-213 (.787) record over 15 seasons, he is only 11 wins shy of his 800th at Alabama. Entering the 2014 season, only 13 active Division-I head coaches own at least 800 wins at their current school:
- Mike Candrea, Arizona (1,343 - 26 seasons)
- Carol Hutchins, Michigan (1,302 - 29 seasons)
- Eugene Lenti, DePaul (1,170 - 32 seasons)
- Diane Ninemire, Cal (1,155 - 26 seasons)
- Margo Jonker, Central Michigan (1,166 - 34 seasons)
- Patty Gasso, Oklahoma (928 - 19 seasons)
- Melinda Fischer, Illinois State (909 - 28 seasons)
- Bill Edwards, Hofstra (894 - 24 seasons)
- Sandy Montgomery, SIUE (884 - 25 seasons)
- Lana Richmond, SEMO (873 - 30 seasons)
- Karen Mullins, UConn (849 - 30 seasons)
- Bob Coolen, Hawaii (843 - 22 seasons)
- Mike Rappl, Canisius (813 - 34 seasons)
Nebraska's Rhonda Revelle will likely be the 14th member of the 800-club, as she owns 799 wins heading into her 22nd season with the Cornhuskers. Compared to those 14 other coaches, Murphy has a higher average wins-per-season (52.60) than any of them. Arizona's Mike Candrea is the only other coach averaging over 50 wins per season (51.65).
FAMILIAR FOES
Alabama fans will see two familiar faces in the opposing dugout this weekend, as former Tide standouts Kelley Montalvo and Amanda Locke are now assistant coaches at Middle Tennessee State and Northwestern State, respectively. Montalvo was one of the best defensive players in Alabama history, holding down the hot corner from 2006-09. She earned First Team All-America honors her junior season, setting career highs in batting average (.373), hits (63) and RBI (54). Locke wrapped up a stellar career with an All-American senior season in 2012, hitting .315 with 18 home runs to go along with 58.1 innings in the circle as she helped lead the Tide to its first-ever national championship. She is one of only three players in Alabama history with more than 50 career home runs.
NEXT TIME OUT: HILLENBRAND INVITATIONAL
Next weekend, Alabama will head west for the Hillenbrand Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona in Tuscon, Ariz. There, the Tide will play five games in three days beginning on Friday, Feb. 14. Opponents include Grand Canyon, Tennessee State, Arizona, Georgia Tech and New Mexico.
