Friday, April 22
College Station, Texas
6 p.m. CT
Alabama
at
Texas A&M
Photo by: Kent Gidley
Alabama Softball Travels to Take on Texas A&M Starting Friday
4/21/2022 9:15:00 AM | Softball
Game Notes (PDF)Live StatsListen (97.5 FM)Friday Video (Streaming)Saturday Video (SEC Network)Sunday Video (Streaming)
Game two between the Crimson Tide and Aggies will air live on the SEC Network
This Week: #2/2 Alabama at Texas A&M (College Station, Texas)
- Friday, April 22 – 6 p.m. CT
- Saturday, April 23 – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network
- Sunday, April 24 – 12 p.m. CT
- Radio: 97.5 FM | Varsity App | nick975.com
Scouting Alabama
- Alabama continues conference play this weekend with its final SEC road series of the season at Texas A&M
- The Crimson Tide is 38-6 overall and 13-5 in conference play, most recently posting a series sweep at home against Mississippi State before taking both games of a midweek doubleheader against UNA and Alcorn State
- Alabama has won five of its six SEC series this season, including two sweeps
- The Tide leads the league in SEC play with 140 hits, with Kaylee Tow and Ashley Prange both inside the top five individual rankings with 19 each
- Montana Fouts leads the SEC with 105 strikeouts in conference play, more than the next two leading pitchers combined
- Head Coach Patrick Murphy is in his 24th season as head coach at Alabama with a 1,187-326 (.785) record
- Alabama returns 11 players from last year's team that made the Women's College World Series semifinals, including a pair of All-Americans in Montana Fouts and Kaylee Tow
- The Tide welcomes nine newcomers, including three transfers and six freshmen
Last Time Out: vs. UNA/Alcorn State
- Alabama softball won both games of its Tuesday doubleheader at Rhoads Stadium, posting wins over North Alabama and Alcorn State
- The Crimson Tide defeated the Lions, 6-1, before posting a 4-0 shutout over the Lady Braves
- Kali Heivilin hit her first career home run in game two against Alcorn State, the 14th Alabama player to hit a home run this season
- Megan Bloodworth's home run in game one was her seventh of the year, now just one shy of the team lead held by Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling
- Bloodworth had four RBIs against UNA, her second-highest total of the season and her fourth multi-RBI game of the year
- Ashley Prange extended her reached-base streak to a career-high 19 games, while Barnhart moved hers to 10
Fouts Collects Third Pitcher of the Week Award
- Alabama senior Montana Fouts was named the SEC Softball Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season following a 3-0 weekend against Mississippi State
- Fouts earned the win in all three games last weekend against the Bulldogs, allowing just one run over 14.1 innings pitched
- She struck out 23 batters as opposed to six hits and four walks. Games one and three were a pair of complete-game victories, posting double-digit strikeouts in each
- The weekly award is the Fouts' third of the season, previously winning back-to-back awards on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28, and the 12th of her career with four Freshman of the Week honors in 2019 and seven prior Pitcher of the Week awards during her four-year career
- It is the fourth Pitcher of the Week this year for the Crimson Tide with Lexi Kilfoyl also winning on April 5
- Alabama pitchers have now won a combined 49 SEC Pitcher of the Week awards all-time
Fouts Named Top 25 Finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year
- Alabama senior pitcher Montana Fouts was named one of 25 finalists for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, announced Wednesday
- This year marks Fouts' third appearance as a Top 25 finalist, previously doing so in 2019 and 2021
- This season she is 19-3 with a 2.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts, which leads the SEC and is 13th nationally
- She has been named SEC Pitcher of the Week three times this season, the only pitcher in the league this year to win multiple honors
- The list of 25 will be narrowed to a Top 10 on May 4 with the Top 3 coming May 18 and the Player of the Year award winner announced in Oklahoma City prior to the start of the Women's College World Series
Starting Early
- Alabama is outscoring its opponents 48-7 in the first inning, the largest scoring margin of any inning
- The Tide is 29-4 when scoring first this season and 15-2 when scoring in the first inning
- Alabama batters are 60-for-187 (.321) in the first inning, which only trails the 67 hits and .358 average earned in the fifth inning
- Ally Shipman has tallied 13 of her 48 hits and 10 of her 35 runs in the first inning
- Ashley Prange has driven in seven of her 21 RBIs and scored 10 of her 35 runs in the opening frame
Two Outs, So What?
- Alabama is batting 109-for-367 (.297) with two outs this season and is even better in conference play at 54-for-168 (.321)
- In SEC play, 36 of the team's 87 RBIs have come with two out
- Ally Shipman has seen the most at-bats with two out this season, going 18-for-50 (.360) with 11 RBIs
- Bailey Dowling leads the team with 12 two-out RBIs, hitting 15-for-36 (.417) with three doubles, a triple and three home runs
Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top Five)
*Games played through April 20*
Team - Overall
- 1st - Earned Run Avg. - 2.12
- 1st - Fewest Hits Allowed - 213
- 1st - Fewest Runs Allowed - 103
- 1st - Fewest Earned Runs Allowed - 88
- 1st - Fewest Doubles Allowed - 20
- 1st - Fewest Home Runs Allowed - 19
- 2nd - Batters Struck Out - 355
- 2nd - Opposing Batting Avg. - .201
- 2nd - Fielding Pct. - .981
- 3rd - On Base Pct. - .406
- 3rd - Walks - 167
- 5th - Fewest Walks Allowed - 105
Individual - Overall
- 1st - Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 203
- 3rd - Doubles - Ashley Prange - 11
- 5th - RBIs - Ally Shipman - 45
Team - SEC Only
- 1st - Hits - 140
- 1st - Total Bases - 236
- 1st - Batters Struck Out - 155
- 1st - Opposing Batting Avg. - .230
- 1st - Fewest Home Runs Allowed - 11
- 2nd - Earned Run Avg. - 3.61
- 2nd - Runs Scored - 94
- 3rd - Batting Avg. - .289
- 3rd - Doubles - 26
- 3rd - RBIs - 87
- 4th - On Base Pct. - .380
- 4th - Walks - 60
- 4th - Stolen Bases - 12
- 4th - Fielding Pct. - .977
- 5th - Home Runs - 22
- 5th - Fewest Hits Allowed - 108
Individual - SEC Only
- 1st - Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 105
- T2nd - Doubles - Ashley Prange - 6
- 2nd - Walks - Ashley Prange - 12
- T2nd - Home Runs - Bailey Dowling
- 3rd - Total Bases - Bailey Dowling - 38
- T4th - Hits - Kaylee Tow - 19
- T4th - Hits - Ashley Prange - 19
- T4th - Opposing Batting Avg. - Lexi Kilfoyl - .200
- 5th - Total Bases - Bailey Dowling - 38
Career Record Watch
- Kaylee Tow's double against Florida on April 11 was the 45th of her career, moving her past Dani Woods (2005-08) for sole possession of ninth place on the Alabama career records list and one away from tying eighth-place Christy Kyle (1997-2000)
- Tow is sixth all-time with 150 career walks, which puts her one away from fifth-place Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06)
- Montana Fouts' game three shutout over Mississippi State was the 24th of her career, tying her with Chrissy Owens (2005-08) in fifth place and just two shy from Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06)
Alabama in SEC Play
- Alabama is 485-184 (.725) all-time in SEC play, including a 450-163 (.734) mark under Head Coach Patrick Murphy
- The Crimson Tide has won six SEC regular season titles (2006, '10, '11, '12, '14 and '19) and six SEC Tournament titles (1998, 2003, '05, '10, '12 and '21)
- Alabama has never had a losing record in conference play, winning 20 or more conference games 11 times
- The Tide is the only team to win the SEC Tournament on its home field, doing so in 2012 and 2021
Up Next: at Western Kentucky (Bowling Green Ky.)
- Wednesday, April 27 - 4 p.m. CT
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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IF
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