Alabama
Georgia
Alabama Softball Faces Road Test at Sixth-Ranked Georgia
4/26/2018 8:52:00 AM | Softball
#18/17 ALABAMA (28-15, 8-10 SEC) at #6/8 GEORGIAÂ (40-7, 13-5 SEC)
Athens, Ga. – Jack Turner Stadium
- Friday, April 27 – 5 p.m. CTÂ
- Saturday, April 28 – 5 p.m. CT *SEC NETWORK*
- Sunday, April 29 – 1 p.m. CTÂ
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 28-15 overall and 8-10 in SEC play after winning one of its three games last weekend against Tennessee in Tuscaloosa.
- The Crimson Tide heads into this weekend ranked No. 17 in the NCAA RPI and ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 18 in the USA Today/NFCA poll.
- Freshman Kaylee Tow leads the offense in batting average (.361), runs scored (30), hits (43), home runs (10), on-base percentage (.479) and slugging percentage (.706). Sophomore Bailey Hemphill leads the team with 31 RBIs and 28 walks and is just behind Tow with eight home runs, hitting 31-for-100 (.310) on the season. A stellar month at the plate has propelled sophomore Gabby Callaway up to a .327 batting average, second on the team, with five multi-hit games in her last 12 contests. Sophomore Elissa Brown is fourth on the team with a .308 batting average and leads the Tide with 23 stolen bases. Seven of those stolen bases have come in conference play, which is third in the SEC.
- Senior Alexis Osorio is 11-7 with a team-leading 2.08 ERA and 173 strikeouts over 118.0 innings pitched. She threw her 14th complete game and sixth shutout of the season Monday against Tennessee, both of which lead the team. Junior Courtney Gettins also has 11 wins this season, boasting a 2.31 ERA over 18 appearances and 94.0 innings pitched.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA FALLS IN SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER, RALLIES TO WIN SERIES FINALE AGAINST TENNESSEE
- GAME ONE: TENNESSEE 1, ALABAMA 0: In a low-scoring pitcher's duel, a third-inning RBI double from Tennessee's Meghan Gregg made the difference for the Lady Vols in the one-run victory. Senior Alexis Osorio took the loss in the circle for the Crimson Tide, striking out 14 in the complete-game effort.
- GAME TWO: TENNESSEE 13, ALABAMA 3: The Tide held an early 2-1 lead after RBI singles from sophomore Gabby Callaway and senior Demi Turner but the Lady Vols quickly surged ahead, out-scoring Alabama 12-1 down the stretch to claim the weekend series with a 13-3 victory in game two.
- GAME THREE: ALABAMA 4, TENNESSEE 0: The Tide avoided the weekend sweep with its 12th shutout of the season, blanking the Lady Vols 4-0 Monday night at Rhoads Stadium. Osorio posted her sixth shutout of the season and 27th of her career, moving to third place on Alabama's career shutouts list. The heart of Alabama's batting order provided three of the four RBIs, with singles from juniors Caroline Hardy and Merris Schroder and a triple from senior Sydney Booker. A sacrifice fly by Callaway in the sixth inning tallied the fourth and final run of the day.
OSORIO THROWS 1,000th CAREER STRIKEOUT
With her 14th and final strikeout in game one against Tennessee, senior Alexis Osorio became the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts. She is the first Tide pitcher to reach the milestone since Kelsi Dunne (2008-11). She moved to fourth all-time at Alabama following the road series at Arkansas, passing three-time All-American Jaclyn Traina (2011-14), and is now 38 away from tying Shelley Laird's (1999-2002) third-place total.
Alabama Career Strikeout Leaders
- Kelsi Dunne (2008-11): 1,219
- Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06): 1,113
- Shelley Laird (1999-2002): 1,045
- Alexis Osorio (2015-pres.): 1,007
- Jaclyn Traina (2011-14): 976
OSORIO MOVES TO THIRD IN CAREER SHUTOUTS AT UA
The complete-game shutout in game three against Tennessee was the sixth this season for senior Alexis Osorio and the 27th of her career, giving her sole possession of third place in the Crimson Tide record book. With the shutout, she passed former All-American and current Tide pitching coach Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06).
Alabama Career Shutout Leaders
- Shelley Laird (1999-02): 39
- Kelsi Dunne (2008-11): 38
- Alexis Osorio (2015-pres.): 27
- Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06): 26
- Chrissy Owens (2005-08): 24
ALABAMA ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO LEAD NATION
Game one of last Saturday's doubleheader between Alabama and Tennessee was the first sellout this season at Rhoads Stadium, as an NCAA-best 3,940 fans packed the stands. Each of the remaining two games saw crowds of 3,000-plus as the Tide is averaging 3,019 fans per game so far this season. Eight of the nine SEC games this year at Rhoads Stadium have pushed past the 3,000 mark, with the lone outlier at 2,929.
ALABAMA BATS AMONG SEC LEADERS
Through six conference series, the Alabama offense is among the top-five league leaders in numerous categories in SEC-only play.
- Home Runs - T2nd - 16
- Hits - T3rd - 120
- Total Bases - 3rd - 188
- Batting Average - 4th - .257
- Slugging Percentage - 4th - .403
- Stolen Bases - 4th - 15
- Runs Scored - 5th - 69
- On Base Percentage - 5th - .341
- Walks - T5th - 52
TOW TEARING IT UP IN SEC PLAY
Freshman Kaylee Tow has led the Crimson Tide at the plate in SEC play and is among the top-10 league-wide in a number of offensive categories. In six of the eight categories, she is the highest ranked freshman.
Kaylee Tow in SEC-Only Games
* = leader among freshmen
- *Home Runs - T4th - 5
- Total Bases - 4th - 35
- Slugging Percentage - 5th - .648
- *On Base Percentage - 6th - .470
- *Batting Average - 9th - .352
- Walks - T9th - 11
TOW AMONG FRESHMAN HOME RUN LEADERS AT UA
Freshman Kaylee Tow hit two home runs game three at Arkansas, increasing her team-leading total to 10. This is the most home runs hit for a Crimson Tide freshman since Reagan Dykes in 2016 and is tied for the fifth-most from any UA freshman.
Most Home Runs as a Freshman
- 25 - Kelly Kretschman (1998)
- 13 - Jaclyn Traina (2011)
- 12 - Reagan Dykes (2016), Stephanie VanBrakle (2003)
- 11 - Charlotte Morgan (2007)
- 10 - Kaylee Tow (2018), Kaila Hunt (2011), Courtney Conley (2010)
THREE NATIONALLY-TELEVISED GAMES REMAIN FOR ALABAMA
Alabama softball is slated to appear three more times across ESPN's family of networks during the regular season, playing in at least one televised contest in each of the remaining two 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, 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 to Tuscaloosa for its final regular-season series, hosting No. 11/12 Texas A&M (37-12, 10-8 SEC) starting Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m. CT live on the SEC Network. Game two between the Tide and Aggies will also air on the SEC Network, set for a Noon CT start on Saturday, May 5 before the series wraps up on Sunday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m. CT.
