Alabama
Florida
Alabama Softball Welcomes Florida for SEC Home Series
4/6/2018 9:17:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK: #15 ALABAMA (24-9, 5-4 SEC) vs. #4 FLORIDA (32-5, 7-2 SEC)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads Stadium
- Saturday, April 7 – Noon CT *ESPN2*
- Sunday, April 8 – 2 p.m. CT *ESPN2*
- Monday, April 9 – 6 p.m. CT *SEC NETWORK*
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
- Saturday: Mini Bat giveaway, Alexis Osorio senior day
- Sunday: Power of Pink (pink t-shirts and shakers)
- Monday: Monday Night Softball t-shirt giveaway, free admission for UA faculty and staff
SCOUTING ALABAMA
- Alabama is 24-9 overall and 5-4 in SEC play heading into this weekend after earning a series victory over Kentucky last weekend in Lexington.
- The Tide is ranked No. 15 in both the USA Today/NFCA poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and remains at No. 20 in the NCAA RPI rankings. Twelve SEC teams are ranked or receiving votes in the national polls and all 13 are in the top 35 in the RPI.
- Alabama scored a combined 24 runs over the three-game series at Kentucky, its highest total in an SEC series since tallying 28 against Missouri on March 26-28, 2016 in Tuscaloosa. It is the most runs scored by the Tide in an SEC road series since posting 24 at Arkansas May 1-3, 2015.
- Freshman Kaylee Tow leads the offense in batting average (.385), runs scored (25), hits (35), on-base percentage (.491) and slugging percentage (.725). Her seven home runs is tied for the team lead with sophomore Bailey Hemphill, who is 28-for-86 (.326) at the plate with a team-leading 22 walks, reaching base safely in 28 of her 32 games this season including a streak of 15-straight. Elissa Brown is second on the team with a .329 batting average and leads the team with 19 stolen bases.
- Senior Alexis Osorio leads the pitching staff with a 1.59 ERA over 75.0 innings, striking out 120 batters for an average of 1.60 per inning. Junior Courtney Gettins leads the bullpen with 10 wins, owning a 2.07 ERA over 14 appearances and 74.1 innings pitched.
LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA TAKES TWO VS. KENTUCKY
- GAME ONE: ALABAMA 9, KENTUCKY 0: The Alabama offense was on full display in game one against Kentucky, scoring nine runs on nine hits, including three home runs. Two of those long balls came off the bat of senior Sydney Booker, part of a 3-for-4 day at the plate for the Crimson Tide shortstop. The Tide also had multi-hit efforts from freshman Kaylee Tow, sophomore Gabby Callaway and junior Merris Schroder, with the trio accounting for four of the Tide's nine runs scored. Senior Alexis Osorio had more than enough run support in her return to the circle, shutting out the Wildcats in the complete-game effort with just one hit allowed and 10 strikeouts.
- GAME TWO: KENTUCKY 6, ALABAMA 11: In game two, Kentucky took an early 4-1 lead before a five-run third gave Alabama the 6-4 advantage. The Wildcats scored three in the bottom half to pull ahead 7-6, eventually adding four more down the stretch to bring the score to 11-6, which proved final. A trio of errors proved costly for the Tide, as four of the 11 runs allowed were unearned. Freshman Kaylee Tow posted a second-straight multi-hit game, going 3-for-3 with a run scored.
- GAME THREE: ALABAMA 9, KENTUCKY 3: Alabama started the game with nine unanswered runs over the first two innings before Kentucky chipped away at the lead with a three-run third. A sixth-inning sacrifice fly increased the Tide's lead back to six, which ultimately proved final. Seven of the Crimson Tide's nine offensive starters earned at least one hit, with six of the 10 hits going for extra bases. Freshman Kaylee Tow was 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run and three RBIs, marking her fourth-straight multi-hit game. Sophomore Gabby Callaway also tallied a pair of hits, a double and a three-run home run. Senior Alexis Osorio earned her second complete-game win of the weekend in the circle, striking out nine.
ALABAMA BATS AMONG SEC LEADERS
Nearing the halfway mark of conference play, the Alabama offense is among the league leaders in numerous categories in SEC-only play.
- Batting Average - 2nd - .300
- Runs Scored - 2nd - 47
- Doubles - T2nd - 12
- Total Bases - 2nd - 114
- Slugging Percentage - 2nd - .469
- Hits - T3rd - 73
- On-Base Percentage - 3rd - .379
- Home Runs - T3rd - 9
- Runs Batted In - T4th - 42
KAYLEE TOW NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Returning to her home state of Kentucky last weekend, Tow was red-hot over the three-game series against the Wildcats. She was 7-for-10 (.700) from the plate, earning at least two hits in each game including a season-high three in the second game of the series. She now has four-straight multi-hit games, pushing her season total to a team-leading 11. She also drew a pair of walks over the weekend, reaching base safely in nine of her 12 plate appearances for a .750 on-base percentage. On Sunday, she drove in three of the Crimson Tide's nine runs with a two-run single and her team-leading seventh home run of the season.
Tow leads the team with a .385 batting average, 35 hits and seven home runs. In conference play, she is also pacing the team with a .414 clip and 12 hits, both of which are the highest marks for any freshman in the SEC.
The award is the first conference honor for Tow and the first Freshman of the Week accolade for the Tide this season. Alabama has earned 19 Freshman of the Week awards since its introduction in 2007, with Bailey Hemphill last winning it on Feb. 13, 2017.
BOOKER JOINS MULTI-HOME RUN CLUB AT ALABAMA
Senior Sydney Booker showed off her power in a 3-for-4 day at the plate Saturday against Kentucky, blasting a pair of home runs. It was her first career game with multiple home runs and the first for any Tide player since Leona Lafaele did so at Texas A&M on April 15, 2016.
In program history, 32 different players have posted multi-HR games 55 times. Twenty-two of those 55 games have come as the visiting team, including four times in Lexington. Charlotte Morgan (2007-10) did so twice on the road against the Wildcats in 2008 and 2010 and Jaclyn Traina (2011-14) did once as a sophomore in 2012 before Booker became the fourth last weekend.
BAILEY ON BASE
Sophomore Bailey Hemphill leads the team with a 15-game reached base streak, hitting 15-for-43 (.349) over that stretch with five home runs, 14 RBIs and 11 walks. Overall, she has reached base safely in 28 of the 32 games she has played in so far this season, leading the team with 22 walks and a .450 on-base percentage. In her Crimson Tide career, she has reached base safely in 83 of the 95 games she has played in.
OSORIO MOVES UP CAREER SHUTOUT RANKINGS
The complete-game shutout in game one at Kentucky was the fifth this season for senior Alexis Osorio and the 26th of her career, moving her into a third-place tie in the Crimson Tide record books with former All-American and current pitching coach Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06).
Alabama Career Shutout Leaders
- Shelley Laird (1999-02): 39
- Kelsi Dunne (2008-11): 38
- Alexis Osorio (2015-pres.): 26
- Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06): 26
- Chrissy Owens (2005-08): 24
OSORIO APPROACHING 1,000 CAREER STRIKEOUTS
Senior Alexis Osorio is approaching a rare milestone at Alabama, as she is just 46 strikeouts away from the 1,000th of her career. She would be just the fourth player in program history to hit the 1,000 strikeout mark and the first since Kelsi Dunne (2008-11). Currently she sits fifth all-time at Alabama, just 23 away from passing Jaclyn Traina (2011-14).
Alabama Career Strikeout Leaders
- Kelsi Dunne (2008-11): 1,219
- Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06): 1,113
- Shelley Laird (1999-2002): 1,045
- Jaclyn Traina (2011-14): 976
- Alexis Osorio (2015-pres.): 954
HOME SWEET HOME
Alabama returns to Rhoads Stadium this weekend, the home of the Crimson Tide since 2000. It has proven a sizeable home field advantage for Alabama over the years, as the Tide is 518-84 (.860) all-time at Rhoads Stadium, including an 11-2 mark this year. Alabama has hosted 15 NCAA Regional rounds at the park, including a streak of 13-straight Regional titles in Tuscaloosa, along with series wins in eight of the nine Super Regional rounds it has hosted.
TEN NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES REMAIN FOR ALABAMA
Alabama softball is slated to appear 10 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 ALABAMAÂ SOFTBALLÂ TELEVISED GAMES
- 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 begins the second half of its SEC slate with a three-game road series at Arkansas, beginning Friday, April 13 at 6 p.m. CT. The Tide and Razorbacks have a quick turnaround, playing game two on Saturday, April 14 at 11 a.m. CT live on ESPNU before closing out the weekend on Sunday, April 15 at 1 p.m. CT.
