Alabama Softball Hosts Missouri for SEC Series

March 25, 2016

THIS WEEKEND

#6/8 Alabama (27-5, 1-2 SEC) vs. #16/15 Missouri (23-4, 2-1 SEC)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Rhoads Stadium

*SCHEDULE CHANGE: Due to projected inclement weather, the teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m. CT. Game three will be on Monday, March 28 at 6 p.m. CT

Saturday, March 26 (DH) - 2 p.m. CT
Monday, March 28 - 6 p.m. CT *SEC Network*

FOLLOWING THE TIDE

Video:
- Saturday (DH) - SEC Network+ (Online Only)
- Monday - SEC Network
- PXP: Cara Capuano, Analyst: Cheri Kempf
Radio: 95.3 FM / 953thebear.com
Live Stats: rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaSB

SCOUTING ALABAMA (27-5, 1-2 SEC)

Alabama went 4-1 last week at the Easton Tournament in Fullerton, Calif., before returning home for an 8-0 victory over Alcorn State on Tuesday.
Tuesday's win marked the 13th run-rule victory for Alabama this season and the 11th shutout.
Alabama is ranked No. 6 in this week's NFCA poll and eighth in the USA Softball poll. In total, 10 SEC schools are ranked in the top 25, five of which are in the top 10.
Alabama leads the SEC in both doubles (56) and triples (13). Auburn is the only other team with at least 10 doubles and triples.
All three of Alabama's pitchers have at least eight wins each. Alabama and Florida are the only Division I softball teams that have three pitchers with at least eight wins. Alabama's 45 walks allowed ranks second in the SEC and its 217 strikeouts ranks third, giving the team a 4.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which also ranks third.
The Alabama has only committed two errors in its last 11 games. The Tide is ranked fifth in the SEC with a .974 fielding percentage and has the second fewest errors (20).
Alabama has five wins over ranked opponents this season, defeating James Madison, Tennessee, LSU and Arizona twice.

THE OPPONENT

#16/15 Missouri Tigers (23-4, 2-1 SEC)

2015 Record: 41-17 (14-10 SEC)
2015 Finish: NCAA Super Regionals
Head Coach: Ehren Earleywine (10th Season)
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/3
Newcomers: 9

Opponent Stat Leaders

Batting Avg. - Sami Fagan - .481
Hits - Sami Fagan - 38
Home Runs - Fagan / Rathburn - 9
Wins - Paige Lowary - 12
ERA - Danielle Bumgartner - 1.62
Strikeouts - Paige Lowary - 65

ALL-TIME VS. THE OPPONENT

9-6 vs. Missouri

Current Streak: Alabama 2
First Meeting: May 21, 1999 - L, 0-1 - Los Angeles, Calif. (NCAA Regional)
Last Meeting: May 3, 2014 - W, 2-0 - Columbia, Mo.
Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: April 7, 2013 - W, 14-6 (6)

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA SHUTS OUT ALCORN STATE, 8-0

Alabama softball earned its 13th run-rule victory of the season Tuesday night at Rhoads Stadium, defeating Alcorn State 8-0 in five innings. Four of Alabama's eight runs came on a pair of home runs by Reagan Dykes, pushing her team-leading season total to seven. Haylie McCleney and Chandler Dare posted multi-hit performances while Merris Schroder drove in a season-high two RBIs. Alcorn State knocked in three hits but went scoreless against Tide starter Madi Moore, who pitched her fourth shutout of the season to remain undefeated.

FRESH START

Freshman Reagan Dykes hit two home runs on Tuesday against Alcorn State, pushing her season total to seven, which leads the team. She is the 11th freshman in program history to hit at least seven home runs in their debut season:

Most Home Runs as a Freshman

25 - Kelly Kretschman (1998)
13 - Jaclyn Traina (2013)
12 - Stephanie VanBrakle (2003)
11 - Charlotte Morgan (2007)
10 - Courtney Conley (2010), Kaila Hunt (2011)
9 - Kim Rohret (1998), Whitney Larsen (2008), Amanda Locke (2009 *redshirt*)
7 - Jackie McClain (2001), Reagan Dykes (2016)

NINE AND COUNTING

Freshman Madi Moore's win on Tuesday over Alcorn State stretched her undefeated record to 9-0. That ties her with Erin Wright for the second most consecutive wins to start a career at Alabama, surpassing teammate Sydney Littlejohn who started 8-0 as a freshman in 2014.

Most Consecutive Wins to Start Career

12 - Jaclyn Traina (2011)
9 - Erin Wright (2001), Madi Moore (2016)
8 - Melissa Bautista (2000), Sydney Littlejohn (2014)
7 - Lauren Sewell (2010), Leslie Jury (2011)

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Chandler Dare went 2-3 in the win over Alcorn State, pushing her current hitting streak to a season-long five games. Dare moved to play second base following the injury to Demi Turner in game two vs. LSU and has started there in six of the seven games since. Over that stretch, she is hitting .476 (10-21) with five runs scored and four RBIs.
Haylie McCleney went 2-2 out of the leadoff position Tuesday against Alcorn State, marking her team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the season. McCleney started the season with a .231 average in week one before suffering a concussion, forcing her to sit out week two in Atlanta. Since then, she has raised her season average to .478 (33-69), which leads the team.
Alexis Osorio threw a pair of complete games over the weekend with a total of 24 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched. She started the weekend with a win over Cal State Fullerton, posting 11 strikeouts with just one run allowed on three hits. She was a hard-luck loser in the weekend finale against #13 Oklahoma, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning before ultimately giving up a walk-off home run. In the loss, she threw 13 strikeouts, including a streak off 11 straight.

UP NEXT

#6/8 Alabama at #1/1 Florida
Gainesville, Fla. - Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium

Friday, April 1 at Florida - 5 p.m. CT
Saturday, April 2 at Florida - 2:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
Sunday, April 3 at Florida - 12 p.m. CT

University of Alabama Athletics