Softball Continues its SEC Slate at Ole Miss
3/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 13, 2014
THIS WEEK
This week, No. 10/9 Alabama (21-4, 3-0 SEC) heads to Oxford, Miss., for a three-game series against the Ole Miss Rebels (16-10, 1-2 SEC). Game one is set for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch on Friday, March 14, with game two on Saturday, March 15 at 2 p.m. and game three on Sunday, March 16 at 1 p.m.
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
RADIO*
Friday, March 14 - 95.3 FM (Local Only)
Saturday, March 15 - 95.3 FM (Local Only)
Sunday, March 16 - 95.3 FM (Local Only)
* = stations may be changed based on Alabama men's basketball at the SEC Tournament
SCOUTING OLE MISS
Ole Miss (16-10, 1-2 SEC) - The Rebels are 16-10 so far this season, most recently splitting a Wednesday doubleheader at Louisiana-Monroe. Last weekend, Ole Miss traveled to Gainesville and handed the top-ranked Gators their first loss of the season, but could not win the series as Florida bounced back to win Saturday and Sunday. Senior pitcher Carly Hummel was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after throwing a perfect game against Utah State and then giving up just two runs over 13.0 innings against Florida, including Friday's 2-0 win. Hummel owns a team-leading 6-3 record and a 1.67 ERA with 64 strikeouts over 58.2 innings pitched. The offense is led by senior outfielder RT Cantillo, who is hitting .507 over 23 starts with 38 hits and a .553 on-base percentage. Junior Allison Brown (.378/.440/.561) and senior Londen Ladner (.292/.378/.528) have been the main run producers, combining for 37 RBI and seven home runs.
SERIES HISTORY
Alabama has dominated the all-time series against Ole Miss, winning 51 out of 53 meetings. The Rebels' last win over the Tide was on April 2, 2005, as Alabama has won all 26 meetings since. The last time the two teams met in Oxford was in the final weekend of the 2011 regular season, where Alabama beat Ole Miss 8-0, 18-1 and 10-1.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA SHUTS OUT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE, 12-0
Alabama softball earned a convincing win in its midweek matchup against Mississippi Valley State, shutting out the Devilettes, 12-0, Tuesday night at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama earned eight hits, with Kaila Hunt going 3-3 to extend her current reached-base streak to 19 games. Chandler Dare drove in a team-leading three RBI, including a two-run triple in the second inning. Leslie Jury (9-2) went the distance in the circle, throwing her sixth shutout of the season with a season-high nine strikeouts. Mississippi Valley State (2-18) earned one hit in the first inning and drew three walks, which accounted for their entire offensive effort. Starter Tenna Patterson (1-7) lasted three innings in the circle, allowing eight runs, six earned, in the loss.
FRESHMEN PHENOMS
Against South Carolina and Mississippi Valley State, Alabama's four freshmen all contributed and made the most of their opportunities. Against the Devilettes on Tuesday, Chandler Dare and Marisa Runyon each hit their first career triple, with Dare driving in three runs and Runyon driving in a pair. Peyton Grantham got the start at third base on Saturday and helped get the scoring started for Alabama, hitting a two-run single to left field in the first inning. Over the weekend against the Gamecocks, Sydney Littlejohn threw 5.0 hitless shutout innings, earning the win in relief on Saturday and earning a save on Sunday, entering in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, nobody out and the potential go-ahead run at the plate.
WEEKEND SWEEP PROPELS SOFTBALL TO TOP 10 RANKING
Thanks to a three-game sweep over South Carolina last weekend, Alabama has regained a spot in the Top 10 this week in both the latest USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball weekly polls, released Tuesday. Alabama moved up one spot in the latest USA Today/NFCA poll, returning to the No. 10 spot after two-straight weeks at No. 11. Despite suffering its first loss of the season to Ole Miss last Friday, Florida remains in the top spot for the fourth-straight week, claiming 27 of 32 possible first-place votes. Another loss last weekend dropped Tennessee to the No. 4 spot, as UCLA jumped the Lady Vols to join PAC-12 foe Oregon in the top three. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, the Crimson Tide jumped two spots from No. 11 last week to No. 9 this week. Alabama jumped ahead of Florida State and Kentucky, who sit at No. 10 and 11 this week, respectively. The Gators remain a near-unanimous top pick, earning 14 of 20 possible first-place votes, with No. 2 Tennessee earning two and No. 3 UCLA earning the remaining four. This week, eight SEC teams are ranked in both polls: Florida (1/1), Tennessee (4/2), Kentucky (9/11), Alabama (10/9), Texas A&M (13/15), Georgia (15/17), Missouri (16/18) and Auburn (24/23). LSU is ranked No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll but dropped from the USA Today/NFCA top-25 and is receiving votes, as are Mississippi State and Arkansas in both polls.
MCCLENEY MEETS THE NCAA MARK
With 252 career at-bats, Alabama sophomore Haylie McCleney now meets the minimum qualifications to be included in the NCAA Record Book for career averages. With a career average of .484, she would rank third in NCAA history, only trailing Stacy Cowen (.530, 1991-92, Manhattan) and Kelly Knight (.489, 1993-95, Deleware State) in the all-time rankings. At her current pace, she is set to finish her career with around 360 hits, which would rank eighth in NCAA history. Her season average of .537 this year would rank eighth in the all-time NCAA single season rankings.
FICHTNER CATCHING FIRE
Senior catcher Molly Fichtner has emerged as one of the strongest offensive weapons in the Tide lineup, hitting .409 this season with six doubles and 19 RBI. An offseason hand injury relegated her to irregular pinch-hitting duty over the first two weeks of the season, though she showed signs of promise in her very first at-bat, blasting a home run against Northwestern State at the Troy Subway Invitational. Over the last three weeks, she has made 13 starts and has earned in a hit in all but two of those games. In those starts, she has 17 RBI on 17 hits, including six doubles, as well as eight walks and just one strikeout. She has been solid behind the plate as well with 37 putouts and just one error on a catcher's interference call.
NEXT TIME OUT: VS. GEORGIA STATE, AT FLORIDA
On Wednesday, March 19, Alabama welcomes Georgia State (11-9) to Tusacaloosa, Ala., for a midweek matchup. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT at Rhoads Stadium. The following weekend, Alabama travels to Gainesville, Fla., for a weekend series against the top-ranked Florida Gators (26-1, 2-1 SEC). Game one will start at 5:05 p.m. CT on Friday, March 21, with game two at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday and game three at 12:05 p.m. on Sunday.
