Softball Welcomes Oklahoma for NCAA Super Regional Round
5/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK
May 22-23 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Rhoads Stadium
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Oklahoma
Friday, May 22 - 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Saturday, May 23 - 4 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Saturday, May 23* - 7 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
* = if necessary
THE TIDE ON THE AIR
TV
Game One/Two: ESPN
Game Three (if necessary): ESPN2
PXP: Beth Mowins, Color: Jessica Mendoza / Michele Smith
RADIO
95.3 FM (953thebear.com)
*streaming audio also available on RadioPup app*
SCOUTING ALABAMA (45-12, 17-7 SEC)
- Alabama swept its opponents at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, outscoring Fairfield and Washington by a combined score of 28-1 over three games.
- This marks the 11th-straight NCAA Super Regional round Alabama has advanced to, playing in every season since the round was created in 2005. The Tide are the only team in the country to do so.
- Alabama slugged nine home runs in three games last weekend, the highest total over three games all season. Haylie McCleney accounted for four of the nine, as all four of her hits went over the fence.
- Alabama pitching combined to allow just one unearned run on five hits over 18.0 innings pitched last weekend.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA (48-7, 14-2 Big 12)
- Despite being ranked fifth and sixth in the national polls, Oklahoma slid to a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners won its fourth straight Big 12 title this season, leading the league with a 14-2 conference record. The lone conference losses came against Baylor and Kansas.
- Senior infielder Lauren Chamberlain broke the NCAA career home run record this season on April 30 with her 91st career homer against North Texas. This breaks Stacey Nuveman's long-standing record of 90, which was set 13 years ago. Despite the home run prowess, Chamberlain is actually second on the team with 20 home runs, trailing Shelby Pendly with 24.
- Freshman Paige Parker is a top three finalist for Freshman of the Year and leads the pitching staff with a 27-5 record and 1.49 ERA. She has struck out 211 batters over 197.0 innings pitched.
ALL-TIME VS. OKLAHOMA (7-3)
Last Meeting: May 29, 2014 - W, 6-2 - Oklahoma City, Okla. *WCWS*
First Meeting: Feb. 15, 1997 - L, 0-12 (6) - Arlington, Texas
Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: N/A
Current Streak: Alabama 3
NCAA TOURNAMENT VS. OKLAHOMA (3-2)
May 24, 2003 - L, 3-6 - Oklahoma City, Okla. *WCWS*
June 4, 2012 - L, 1-4 - Oklahoma City, Okla. *WCWS*
June 5, 2012 - W, 8-6 - Oklahoma City, Okla. *WCWS*
June 6, 2012 - W, 5-4 - Oklahoma City, Okla. *WCWS*
May 29, 2014 - W, 6-2 - Oklahoma City, Okla. *WCWS*
TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL ROUNDUP
Alabama turned in a dominant performance at last weekend's NCAA Regional round, defeating Fairfield once and Washington twice.
- The Tide outscored its opponents 28-1 over three games, owning the largest run differential (+27) of any team that played three games last weekend. Michigan was the next highest of any team that played three games at +23. Georgia owned the highest overall run differential (+31) but did so over five games.
- The nine home runs are the most over a three-game stretch for Alabama since April of 2012. The four home runs hit in Sunday's win are the most since March 16, 2014 at Ole Miss and the most at home since April 25, 2012 vs. Troy.
- The five hits allowed by Alabama pitching over the weekend is the lowest total in a three-game series since March of 2011.
ALABAMA IN THE NCAA TOURANMENT
- Alabama is making its 17th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, qualifying every year since 1999.
- Alabama is one of just eight teams that own an active NCAA Tournament appearance streak of at least 17 years:
- Arizona: 29
- Oklahoma, Washington: 22
- Michigan: 20
- Alabama, UCLA, Louisiana-Lafayette, Notre Dame: 17
- Alabama has hosted an NCAA Regional round 11 straight years (2005-15), winning all of them.
- Alabama is the only school in the country to play in every Super Regional round since the round was created in 2005.
- This is the eighth Super Regional the Tide has hosted, as Alabama has only lost one Super Regional in Tuscaloosa (2010 vs. Hawaii).
RBI RECORD WITHIN REACH
With a scorching second half of the year, Alabama sophomore Marisa Runyon has put herself within reach of the single-season RBI record, originally set by Charlotte Morgan in 2008. Runyon passed Morgan's third-place total during the NCAA Regional weekend.
Alabama Single Season RBI Record
79 - Charlotte Morgan (2008)
77 - Kaila Hunt (2012)
75 - Marisa Runyon (2015)
74 - Charlotte Morgan (2010)
OSORIO TOP THREE FINALIST FOR NFCA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Alabama freshman pitcher Alexis Osorio has been named one of three finalists for the NFCA Freshman of the Year award, along with Oklahoma pitcher Paige Parker and Oregon infielder Jenna Lilley. The winner of the award will be announced on May 27 in Oklahoma City, Okla., just prior to the start of the Women's College World Series. Tennessee catcher Annie Aldrete and Auburn infielder Kasey Cooper shared the inaugural Freshman of the Year award last season.
- Osorio was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, Alabama's first since 2010
- In her six losses as a starter, she held the opponent to four or fewer runs in five of them and four of the losses were just one-run losses in which the opponent scored no more than three runs.
- She was the only pitcher to have an ERA below 2.00 in SEC-only games and was also the only one to surpass 100 strikeouts in SEC play.
- In NCAA Tournament play so far, she has allowed just one run, unearned, on two hits with 14 strikeouts over 12.0 innings pitched.
HOME RUNYON
Sophomore Marisa Runyon has enjoyed an incredibly productive second half of the season, as the March 25 game against Georgia Tech has sparked a fantastic string of 27 games:
- She has earned a hit in 18 of those 27 games and driven in at least one RBI in 18 of those 27 games.
- She has four multi-homer games over those 27 games after hitting just four home runs total in the 28 games prior. The four multi-homer games is a single season record at Alabama, beating Kelly Kretschman's previous record of three set in 1998.
- Runyon slugged three home runs in the May 2 win at Arkansas, becoming just the second player in program history to do so. The first was Jackie Traina on Feb. 11, 2011 against Western Michigan.
- She is now just four RBI away from tying Charlotte Morgan's single season record at Alabama
Marisa Runyon Splits Pre/Post March 25
Feb. 5 - March 21 (28 Games): 19-66 (.288), 11 R, 19 RBI, 4 HR
March 25 - Pres. (27 Games): 32-80 (.400), 23 R, 56 RBI, 14 HR
LAST TIME OUT: NCAA REGIONAL
- GAME ONE: ALABAMA 8, FAIRFIELD 0 (6 INNINGS) - Alabama opened NCAA Regional play on Thursday with an 8-0 shutout over Fairfield in six innings, advancing to play Washington on Saturday. Alabama was strong offensively from top-to-bottom, as everyone in the lineup reached base safely while eight of the nine starters would earn at least one base hit. Three of the Tide's eight runs were scored courtesy of the long ball, as Danae Hays hit a towering two-run shot in the third inning and Haylie McCleney slapped a solo homer in the fourth. Tide starter Sydney Littlejohn turned in a masterful performance in the circle as she held Fairfield to just two hits while not issuing a single walk and throwing 45 of her 62 pitches for strikes.
- GAME TWO: ALABAMA 9, WASHINGTON 0 (5 INNINGS) - After a shutout victory in Friday's regional opener, Alabama turned in an even more impressive shutout in Saturday's game against Washington, as the offense blasted three home runs while Alexis Osorio was just one hit away from throwing a perfect game to win 9-0 in five innings. Alabama scored in three of the four innings they came to bat, including four runs scored in both the second and fourth innings. After each hitting home runs in Friday's win, Danae Hays and Haylie McCleney sent the ball over the fence again in Saturday's win. Marisa Runyon drove in the Tide's first run of the game on a first inning RBI single and added four more RBIs on a fourth-inning grand slam. Alexis Osorio faced just 16 batters over 5.0 innings pitched, allowing just one single with no walks and eight strikeouts as no Washington runner made it to scoring position.
- GAME THREE: ALABAMA 11, WASHINGTON 1 - As it has all weekend, stellar pitching and red-hot hitting led Alabama to a convincing 11-1 win over Washington, punching the Crimson Tide's 11th straight ticket to the NCAA Super Regional round. The Tide bats were hot again on Sunday, blasting four home runs that accounted for seven of the 11 runs scored. Haylie McCleney hit two of the Tide's four home runs, marking her third straight game with a homer after hitting just three all season prior to this weekend. Chaunsey Bell hit Alabama's second homer of the day as part of a 3-3 performance with four RBI. Danae Hays earned her third straight multi-hit game, going 2-4 with three runs scored. Alexis Osorio notched her second win of the weekend, throwing a complete game with just one run and two hits allowed.
NEXT TIME OUT: WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Next weekend, the eight winners from the Super Regional round will advance to the 2015 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. The double elimination tournament begins on Thursday, May 28. The field of eight will be narrowed down to two teams, who will play in a best-of-three series starting Monday, June 1 to decide a national champion.
