Softball to Open SEC Play Hosting Ole Miss
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK - #4/5 Alabama vs. Ole Miss
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Rhoads Stadium
Friday, March 6 - 5 p.m. CT*
Saturday, March 7 - 2 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 8 - 1:30 p.m. CT
*Fridays game was originally scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start but was moved up due to projected bad weather*
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
TV (Online Only): SEC Network + (WatchESPN.com)
Play-by-play: Gary Harris, Color: Lauren Sewell
RADIO:
Friday/Sunday: 95.3 FM (953thebear.com)
Saturday: 99.1 FM (tide991.com)
SCOUTING ALABAMA (15-4)
- Alabama is coming off a series win last weekend against No. 5 Louisiana, splitting two games in a Saturday doubleheader before winning Sunday's rubber match.
- The schedule has been very aggressive early, featuring six games against ranked opponents and five of those coming against Top 5 teams. In all of last season, including the NCAA Tournament, the Tide only played six games against Top 5 opponents.
- Junior Haylie McCleney leads the team and ranks fourth in the SEC with a .518 batting average. Only seven players in the conference are hitting above .500.
- Sophomore Sydney Littlejohn leads the pitching staff with an undefeated 7-0 record and a 1.03 ERA. Freshman Alexis Osorio leads the group with 53 strikeouts while senior Leslie Jury has made the most appearances with nine.
SCOUTING OLE MISS (13-5)
- Ole Miss is under new direction in 2015 as former McNeese State head coach Mike Smith is at the helm for the Rebels. In his three seasons at McNeese, Smith went 112-51 and set a school record for wins in a season with 40 in 2014.
- Eight freshman are listed on the 2015 roster, representing the largest class among the Ole Miss players.
- Weather has hurt the Rebels early in the season, as they have already had five games canceled, including the entire Red and Blue Classic in Oxford.
- Sophomore Miranda Strother has started every game and leads the offense with a .518 average, 29 hits and 14 RBI.
- Sophomore Emily Gaitan has thrown 60.0 of the team's 120.0 innings in the circle so far thsi season, compiling an 8-1 record and 1.40 ERA with 54 strikeouts.
ALL-TIME VS. OLE MISS (54-2)
Last Meeting: March 16, 2014 - W, 9-2 - Oxford, Miss.
First Meeting: April 5, 1997 - W, 9-5 (8) - Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: March 18, 2012 - W, 12-1 (5) - Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Current Streak: Alabama 23
LAST WEEK: EASTON CRIMSON CLASSIC
- Alabama 5, Louisiana 1: Alabama starter Sydney Littlejohn took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning as the Tide put together a well-rounded performance to win game one, 5-1, and hand Louisiana its first loss of the season. Alabama brought the big bats to back up Littlejohn's performance in the circle, scoring five runs on seven hits including home runs by Marisa Runyon and Danae Hays.
- Louisiana 2, Alabama 1: Alabama couldn't carry over its offensive success from game one into game two, as the Cajuns edged out the Tide, 2-1. Alabama starter Alexis Osorio was tagged with the complete game loss, though she only allowed two runs off four hits while striking out 12, just one shy of her season high. Jadyn Spencer had a 2-3 day from the plate while Chandler Dare drove in the Tide's lone run on a sacrifice fly.
- Alabama 3, Louisiana 2: After a late rally fell short in Saturday's second game, Alabama redeemed itself in Sunday's rubber match, overcoming a game-tying homer in the top of the seventh to win in walk-off fashion in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Haylie McCleney. The junior outfielder battled through a 10 pitch at-bat before sending a line drive into right field, allowing pinch runner Andrea Hawkins to tag up and score from third base on the sacrifice fly. Tide starter Leslie Jury pitched a strong 5.0 innings in the start, allowing just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts, but was pulled in the top of the sixth with a pair of runners on. Sydney Littlejohn (7-0) was looking for a save but ultimately ended up earning the win, allowing just the one run in the seventh inning before the comeback in the bottom half.
Patrick Murphy APPROACHING CAREER WIN #900
Alabama Head Coach Patrick Murphy is just 15 wins shy of career win No. 900, owning an 885-250 (.780) record. He went 28-20 as the interim head coach at Northwest Missouri State in 1995 and has since earned an 857-230 record in 16-plus seasons at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Since taking over as the head coach at Alabama in 1999, he has made 16-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and nine Women's College World Series appearances, including a national championship in 2012. Alabama has won five SEC regular season titles and five SEC Tournament titles as well.
SATURDAY IS Leslie Jury SENIOR DAY
Alabama senior Leslie Jury will be celebrating her senior day on Saturday:
- Leslie Jury: Senior - RHP - Anderson, S.C.
- She owns a career 2.71 ERA and a 48-19 record, starting 63 games.
- Ranked 10th in Tide history with 381.2 career innings pitched.
SOFTBALL ENTERS SEC PLAY RANKED NO. 4/5 NATIONALLY
For the second straight week, Alabama softball is ranked No. 4 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and fifth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, released Tuesday.
Florida remains the unanimous No. 1 team in both polls with Oregon and Michigan rounding out the top three, though in different positions in each poll. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, Oklahoma dropped from fourth into a fifth-place tie with Alabama, while LSU jumped all the way from No. 7 to No. 4. The Tigers remain one spot behind the Tide in the USA Today/NFCA poll however, coming in at No. 5.
All nine SEC teams that have been ranked all season remain in the top 25 this week, including five in the top 10: Florida (1/1), Alabama (4/5), LSU (5/4), Georgia (8/8), Kentucky (10/9), Tennessee (11/16), Auburn (14/18), Texas A&M (20/21) and Missouri (21/20). South Carolina and Mississippi State are also receiving votes in both polls.
BUCKING THE SENIOR DAY TREND
If added pressure on a player's senior day has produced some less-than-stellar efforts in the past, this year's group has bucked the trend so far:
- Chaunsey Bell's senior day was on Saturday, Feb. 21 as the Tide faced Michigan and James Madison. Bell drove in the Tide's lone run vs. the Wolverines and then drove in another run in the win against the Dukes on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly.
- Danielle Richard's senior day was Sunday, Feb. 22 as Alabama closed its weekend with a win over Lipscomb. Richard only went 1-1 but drove in a career-high four RBI, knocking in a two-run single and a pair of sacrifice flies.
- Danae Hays only had one hit between the two games on her senior day vs. Louisiana, but the lone hit was a big one. Leading off the sixth inning in game one with a 4-1 lead, Hays tagged on some insurance for the Tide with a solo home run into left-center to make it 5-1, which proved final. The home run was her second of the season, both of which have come at Rhoads Stadium.
NEXT TIME OUT: UAB / GEORGIA
Next week, Alabama will host the UAB Blazers (15-5) on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. CT for a midweek tilt before heading to Athens, Ga., for a weekend series against the No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs (19-2). Games two and three of the weekend series will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
