Alabama
Kentucky
Alabama Softball Travels to Kentucky for Three-Game SEC Series
3/29/2018 10:22:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK: #16 ALABAMA (22-8, 3-3 SEC) at #19 KENTUCKY (19-9, 2-6 SEC)
Lexington, Ky. – John Cropp Stadium
- Friday, March 30 – 5 p.m. CT
- Saturday, March 31 – 4 p.m. CT *ESPN2*
- Sunday, April 1 – Noon CT
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 22-8 overall and 3-3 in SEC play heading into this weekend after earning a series victory over Ole Miss last weekend in Tuscaloosa.
- The Tide is ranked No. 16 in both the USA Today/NFCA poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Alabama also moved up five spots to No. 20 in the NCAA RPI. Twelve SEC teams are ranked or receiving votes in at least one national poll and all 13 are in the top 35 in the RPI.
- The offense is led by sophomore Elissa Brown, who is 23-for-66 (.348) at the plate with 18 runs scored and is 18-for-18 in stolen bases, which ranks fifth in the SEC. Freshman Kaylee Tow has a team-leading 28 hits, sporting a .346 batting average. Thirteen of her 28 hits have gone for extra bases, including six home runs. Sophomore slugger Bailey Hemphill leads the team in home runs (7) and walks (21), owning a .475 on-base percentage and a 12-game reached base streak.
- Senior Alexis Osorio has struck out 101 batters over 61.0 innings pitched, an average of 1.67 per inning. She leads the pitching staff with a 1.61 ERA, seven complete games and four shutouts. Junior Courtney Gettins is close behind with a 1.68 ERA, holding opponents to just 17 earned runs over a team-leading 70.2 innings pitched and 10 wins.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA WINS WEEKEND SERIES VS. OLE MISS
- GAME ONE: ALABAMA 13, OLE MISS 1 (5 INN.): The 13 runs scored ties a season high for Alabama and the run total is the most scored by the Crimson Tide in an SEC game since scoring 16 vs. Missouri on March 28, 2016. Ole Miss took the first lead of the game in the top of the first but a solo home run by sophomore Bailey Hemphill in the bottom-half of the inning tied it before a four-run third and eight-run fourth put the game away. Sophomore Elissa Brown set the tone at the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
- GAME TWO: OLE MISS 10, ALABAMA 3: Alabama fell behind early after Ole Miss put five runs on the board in the first inning. The Rebels would go on to lead 9-0 before the Tide rallied to score one in the bottom of the fourth and two in the fifth to avoid the run-rule loss. Ole Miss added another run in the sixth inning to take the score to 10-3, which proved final. Celebrating her senior day, Demi Turner went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored while junior Reagan Dykes and senior Sydney Booker also had multi-hit performances, batting behind her in the seventh and eighth spots, respectively.
- GAME THREE: ALABAMA 3, OLE MISS 2: Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Bailey Hemphill provided the late-game heroics for Alabama softball in Sunday's rubber match against Ole Miss, hitting a walk-off two-run single to earn the 3-2 win and claim the weekend series. Alabama fell behind early as Ole Miss scored two runs over the first two innings. A solo home run from freshman Kaylee Tow in the third cut the deficit in half and the score remained 2-1 until the seventh inning. The Crimson Tide loaded the bases and Hemphill provided the key hit, part of a 2-for-3 day at the plate from the Lafayette, La., native. Junior Courtney Gettins gutted out a complete-game victory in the circle, allowing just two runs on six hits along with four strikeouts.
WEEK SEVEN STANDOUTS
- Senior Sydney Booker went 6-for-10 (.600) at the plate over four starts last week, driving in a team-leading six RBIs. Four of her six hits were for extra-bases, including her first home run of the season Friday against Ole Miss. She hit two triples in Tuesday's win over UAB, becoming the fourth player in program history and the first since 2005 to do so.
- With senior Alexis Osorio out due to a concussion, junior Courtney Gettins led the pitching staff with a 3-0 week in the circle, boasting a 1.58 ERA with just five runs, four earned, allowed over 17.2 innings pitched. She earned the win in relief Tuesday against UAB before pitching complete-game victories over Ole Miss in games one and three of the weekend series. On the season, she leads the team with 10 wins and 70.2 innings pitched.
- Sophomore Elissa Brown was 6-for-13 (.462) last week, bolstered by a 3-for-4 game Friday against Ole Miss. Her first hit in game one against the Rebels was a bunt single that ended up with her rounding all the bases and coming home on an errant throw. She followed that with an RBI triple in the fourth inning, later coming home to score.
BAILEY ON BASE
Sophomore Bailey Hemphill leads the team with a 12-game reached base streak, hitting 13-for-33 (.394) over that stretch with five home runs, 12 RBIs and 10 walks. Overall, she has reached base safely in 25 of the 29 games she has played in so far this season, leading the team with 21 walks and a .475 on-base percentage. In her Crimson Tide career, she has reached base safely in 80 of the 92 games she has played in.
TIDE RANKED NO. 16 FOLLOWING SERIES WIN OVER OLE MISS
Alabama softball heads into its third weekend of conference play ranked No. 16 in both the USA Today/NFCA poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
Despite a 3-1 week, including a series win over Ole Miss, Alabama dropped down one spot in the NFCA poll but remained in the same spot as last week in the USA Softball poll. The Crimson Tide is now 22-8 overall this season and 3-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
Twelve SEC teams are either ranked in the top 25 or are receiving votes this week. Ranked SEC teams include Florida (4/5), Georgia (6/6), Tennessee (7/10), South Carolina (9/8), Auburn (10/13), Texas A&M (12/12), LSU (13/14), Alabama (16/16), Kentucky (19/19), Mississippi State (20/18) and Arkansas (23/RV). Ole Miss is receiving votes outside the top 25 in the both polls.
11 NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES REMAIN FOR ALABAMA
Alabama softball is slated to appear 11 more times across ESPN's family of networks during the regular season, playing in at least one televised contest in each of the remaining series.
All Crimson Tide home games and select road contests will also be available to stream online via the SEC Network+ digital platform. Links to watch online will be posted on the softball schedule page at RollTide.com and on Alabama Softball social media platforms.
Remaining Alabama Softball Televised Games
- Saturday, March 31 at Kentucky – 4 p.m. CT – ESPN2
- Saturday, April 7 vs. Florida – Noon CT – ESPN2
- Sunday, April 8 vs. Florida – 2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
- Monday, April 9 vs. Florida – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network
- Saturday, April 14 at Arkansas – 11 a.m. CT – ESPNU
- Wednesday, April 18 vs. Southern Miss – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network
- Sunday, April 22 vs. Tennessee – 2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
- Monday, April 23 vs. Tennessee – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network
- Saturday, April 28 at Georgia – 5 p.m. CT – SEC Network
- Friday, May 4 vs. Texas A&M – 7 p.m. CT – SEC Network
- Saturday, May 5 vs. Texas A&M – Noon CT – SEC Network
UP NEXT
Alabama returns home for a marquee three-game series against Florida at Rhoads Stadium. All three games of the weekend series will be televised, starting on Saturday, April 7 at Noon CT on ESPN2. Game two is set for a 2 p.m. CT start on Sunday, April 8 on ESPN2 with the finale to follow Monday, April 9 at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
