Alabama
Florida
Alabama Softball Travels to Face Top-Seeded Florida in NCAA Super Regional Play Thursday
5/23/2017 3:32:00 PM | Softball
2017 NCAA Super Regional
No. 16 Alabama (45-16) vs. No. 1 Florida (53-7)
Gainesville, Fla. - Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
- Thursday, May 25 - 7 p.m. ETÂ (ESPN)
- Friday, May 26 - 7 p.m. ETÂ (ESPN)
- Saturday, May 27 - 5 p.m. ETÂ (ESPN) *if necessary*
Following the Tide
- Video: ESPN
- Radio: 93.3 FM (praise933.com)
- Live Stats: rolltide.com
- Twitter: @AlabamaSB
Scouting No. 16 Alabama (45-16, 12-11 SEC)
- Alabama went 3-0 at last weekend's NCAA regional in Tuscaloosa to claim its 13th-straight regional title and its 15th overall. The wins also improve the Tide's NCAA regional winning streak to 34-straight games.
- This weekend marks Alabama's 13th-straight appearance in the NCAA super regional round. The Tide is the only program to play in every round since its inception in 2005.
- Juniors Alexis Osorio and Demi Turner earned NFCA All-South Region honors last week, the second career regional accolade for both.
- The Tide placed three on the Southeastern Conference's postseason awards list, with Alexis Osorio earning second team All-SEC honors while Bailey Hemphill and Elissa Brown were both named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Osorio and Hemphill were also selected to the SEC All-Tournament team.
- Crimson Tide pitchers have shut out opponents 26 times this season, which is tied for the single-season school record originally set in 2009.
- Alexis Osorio leads the SEC and is sixth nationally with 318 strikeouts. Her 2.73 hits allowed per seven innings leads the nation and her 11.7 strikeouts per seven innings is second in the SEC and fifth nationally.
The Opponent
Florida Gators
- Conference: SEC
- 2017 Record: 53-7
- Head Coach: Tim Walton (12th Season)
- Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 14/5
- Newcomers: 4
Florida Stat Leaders
- Batting Avg. - Kayli Kvistad - .389
- Hits - Amanda Lorenz - 64
- Home Runs - Amanda Lorenz - 10
- Wins - Kelly Barnhill - 23
- ERA - Kelly Barnhill - 0.35
- Strikeouts - Kelly Barnhill - 310
All-Time vs. The Opponent
35-31 vs. Florida
- Current Streak: Alabama 1
- First Meeting: April 12, 1997 - L, 1-4 - Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- Last Meeting: April 3, 2016 - W, 3-0 - Gainesville, Fla.
- Last Meeting in NCAA Tournament: June 3, 2014 - L, 3-6 - Oklahoma City (WCWS)
Last Time Out: Alabama wins 13th-Consecutive NCAA Regional Round
Alabama 5, Albany 1
Alabama fell behind early after a second-inning RBI single by Albany but a solo home run by Reagan Dykes in the bottom half quickly tied it up and the Tide tacked on one more in the third and three in the fifth to bring the score to 5-1, which ultimately proved final. Dykes' home run was part of a 2-3 day for the sophomore and Bailey Hemphill also added her own long ball, a two-run shot in the fifth inning for her ninth home run of the year. Madi Moore pitched 2.1 innings to start the game but Sydney Littlejohn earned the win in relief, needing just 58 pitches over 4.2 shutout innings allowing just two baserunners.
Alabama 1, Minnesota 0 (9 Innings)
Alabama and Minnesota were locked in a hard-fought pitcher's duel as Alexis Osorio and Sara Groenewegen were both stellar in the circle. The Tide were held hitless until the third inning and the Golden Gophers only had four base runners in regulation before tallying its first hit in the top of the eighth. Ultimately, Osorio would get the win, allowing just two hits over 9.0 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts. Demi Turner, making her first start since April 1, accounted for two of Alabama's four hits batting ninth while Reagan Dykes earned the game-winning RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning.
Alabama 1, Minnesota 0
Alabama posted a second-straight 1-0 shutout over Minnesota on Sunday to win the NCAA Softball Tuscaloosa Regional, the Tide's 13th-straight regional title and 15th overall. Senior Sydney Littlejohn gave the Tide 5.1 shutout innings in the start and junior Alexis Osorio shut the door, throwing 1.2 innings with no base runners allowed for her fourth save of the season. Alabama's lone run came on an RBI double by Marisa Runyon in the first inning and the Golden Gophers couldn't capitalize on its scoring opportunities in the subsequent innings, leaving five runners on base.
Tide History at NCAA Super Regionals
- Alabama is the only school to play in all 13 Super Regional rounds since its inception in 2005. The Tide is 19-8 (.704) all-time in Super Regional play, winning nine of its 12 series.
- Alabama has outscored its opponents 130-78 in Super Regional play, with the Tide averaging 4.8 runs per game to the opponents' 2.9.
- 16 of Alabama's 27 Super Regional games have been decided by two or fewer runs, with the Tide holding a 9-7 record in such games. Eight of Alabama's last 10 Super Regional games have been decided by two or fewer runs, with the Tide winning six of those games.
- This year marks just the fourth time Alabama will be on the road for Super Regionals. The Tide defeated Texas A&M on the road in 2005 in two games before falling in two games to Washington (2007) and Tennessee (2013) in subsequent road series.
- Only three of Alabama's 12 Super Regional series have stretched to three games, all of which came in Tuscaloosa. Alabama lost a heartbreaking three-game series at home against Hawaii in 2010 but has since bounced back with three-game wins against Stanford (2011) and Oklahoma (2015).
Alabama vs. Florida
- Alabama is 35-31 (.530) all-time against Florida, including a 14-10 (.583) mark in Tuscaloosa, 18-13 (.581) in Gainesville and 3-8 (.273) in neutral site contests.
- Florida's 3-2 win over Alabama last season marks the only time that the Gators have scored more than one run against either Osorio or Littlejohn in their careers. Florida has faced them in seven games, either starting or in relief.
- The Tide has won each of its last two regular-season series in Gainesville, taking two from the Gators in 2014 and 2016. Each time, Florida was ranked No. 1 and an Alabama pitcher earned national pitcher of the week honors, Jaclyn Traina in 2014 and Sydney Littlejohn in 2016.
- Alabama and Florida have met five times in the NCAA Tournament, all at the Women's College World Series, with the Gators winning all five. The last such meeting between the teams was at the 2014 Women's College World Series with Florida defeating Alabama in two games in the championship series.
Zeroes in the Run Column
Two 1-0 shutouts over Minnesota secured a NCAA Regional title for Alabama and also gave the Tide 26 shutouts this season, which ties the single-season school record. Sydney Littlejohn's seven combined shutouts this season is tied for the most in a single season, matching Jaclyn Traina's freshman total from 2011, and Alexis Osorio is just behind with six. Only six pitchers have pitched six or more combined shutouts in a season and it has never been done by two different pitchers in the same year until this season.
Most Shutouts in a Single Season at Alabama
- 26 - 2017, 2009
- 25 - 2001
- 24 - 2006
- 23 - 2008, 2007
- 22 - 2011, 2005
Late Season Streaks
- Bailey Hemphill has hit safely in six-straight games, including three at the SEC Tournament and three at NCAA Regionals. Over those six games, she leads the team with seven hits, a .412 batting average, three home runs and six RBIs. She has reached base safely in 16 of her last 18 games. In total, she has reached base safely in 53 of her 60 games played, including 22-straight games to start the season, the second-longest such streak for a freshman in program history.
- Marisa Runyon has reached base safely in eight-straight games, earning seven hits and driving in seven RBIs during that stretch. Two of her seven hits over that stretch were game-winners, including a two-run double vs. Auburn (May 7) and an RBI double against Minnesota (May 21).
- Demi Turner carried a 14-game reached base streak before being injured in the Missouri game on April 1. In her first plate appearance since the injury on May 19 vs. Albany, she drew a walk to increase it to 15 games. She then added three hits in two games against Minnesota to stretch it to 17-straight, a season-high for the junior. She has reached base in 36 of the 40 games in which she has a plate appearance, including a team-leading 12 multi-hit games.
- The 4-1 loss to Ole Miss on May 13 was just the eighth time this season that Tide pitchers allowed an opponent to score more than three runs. Alabama pitching has posted 26 shutouts this season, tying the Alabama single-season record originally set in 2009. The team ERA of 1.51 currently ranks third in Alabama single-season history and its .165 opponent batting average is currently the best in program history.
Tide Trends
- Alabama is 38-3 this season when scoring first and is 24-1 when it scores in the first inning. So far this season, the Tide is outscoring its opponents 47-11 in the first inning.
- The Tide has scored 53 runs in the third inning this season, more than any other inning. The 99 combined runs in the third and fourth innings account for around 38 percent of Alabama's run output.
- When the offense hits at least one home run, Alabama is 24-1. When the opponent hits two or more home runs, Alabama is 2-5.
- Eight of Alabama's 16 losses have come via shutout, while the Tide has shut out its opponents in 26 of its 45 wins. The 26 shutouts is tied for the single-season record.
- When scoring three or more runs, Alabama is 37-2. When scoring two or fewer runs, Alabama is 8-14.
- Alabama is undefeated in midweek games at 13-0, including eight Wednesday wins and six Tuesday wins. Alabama is 11-3 on Friday, 11-8 on Saturday and 9-5 on Sunday.
Up Next
The winner of the Gainesville Super Regional will advance to the Women's College World Series, which begins on Thursday, June 1 in at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
