Tuesday, April 11
Birmingham, Ala.
6 p.m. CT
Alabama
at
Samford
Alabama Softball Heads to Birmingham for Tuesday Game at Samford
4/10/2023 2:00:00 PM | Softball
First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs is at 6 p.m. CT at Samford Softball Stadium
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball begins a six-game road swing with a quick trip to Birmingham on Tuesday, facing Samford at 6 p.m. CT. It will be the second meeting between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs this season, with Alabama winning the first contest, 3-2, on Feb. 22 in Tuscaloosa.
This Week: #16/14 Alabama at Samford
- Tuesday, April 11 – 6 p.m. CT
- Birmingham, Ala. – Samford Softball Stadium
- Video: ESPN+ (Streaming)
- Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network at 97.5 FM in Tuscaloosa | nick975.com | Varsity App
Scouting Alabama
- Alabama begins a six-game road swing with a quick trip to Birmingham on Tuesday, taking on Samford at 6 p.m. CT
- This is the second meeting this season between the in-state foes, with the Crimson Tide defeating the Bulldogs, 3-2, on Feb. 22 in Tuscaloosa
- Alabama is coming off a series win vs. South Carolina, earning a 2-1 win in nine innings in game one before Montana Fouts threw a no-hitter in game two to clinch the weekend series
- The no-hitter was the second this season for Fouts and the fourth of her career
- Kenleigh Cahalan and Ally Shipman lead the team with 41 and 38 hits, respectively, including a combined 25 doubles
- Ashley Prange is third on the team with 36 hits while leading the squad with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs
- The Alabama pitching staff has a 1.97 ERA with 270.1 innings pitched, led by Montana Fouts at 15-6 with a 1.45 ERA and NCAA-leading 223 strikeouts in 139.2 innings pitched
- Murphy is in his 25th season as head coach at Alabama with a 1,221-345 (.780) record
- Alabama returns 11 players from last year's team, including All-SEC honorees Montana Fouts, Ashley Prange, Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling, while also welcoming five freshmen and three transfers
Inside the Series
- Overall vs. Samford: 25-2
- In Tuscaloosa: 19-0 | In Birmingham: 6-2 | At Neutral Sites: 0-0
- Current Streak: Alabama +25
- Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 2023 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W, 3-2
- Last Meeting in Birmingham: April 25, 2017 - W, 8-1
Last Time Out: vs. South Carolina
- Alabama took two of its three games last weekend against South Carolina, winning its second straight SEC series
- Game one went 9.0 innings, the Tide's fourth extra-inning win of the season, with Kenleigh Cahalan hitting the walk-off RBI single
- Montana Fouts threw her second no-hitter of the season and the fourth of her career in the game two victory
- Fouts went 2-0 with two complete-game victories in the series, allowing just one unearned run over 16.0 innings pitched while striking out 25
- Ashley Prange, Jenna Johnson and Cahalan led the team with three hits each over the series, including Prange's team-leading 12th home run of the season
Fouts Throws Fourth Career No-Hitter
- Saturday's no-hitter was the fourth of Montana Fouts' career, making her the fifth UA pitcher to throw four or more no-hitters, either solo or combined
- Kelsi Dunne holds the UA record with 10 no-hitters (nine solo, one combined), followed by Alexis Osorio with seven (four solo, three combined), Stephanie VanBrakle with five (all solo) and Fouts (three solo, one combined) tied with Madi Moore (all combined) with four
- It was the 13th seven-inning no hitter in program history and the 13th in conference play
- Fouts is one of just four UA pitchers to throw multiple solo no-hitters in a season, with Sydney Littlejohn doing so in 2015, Stephanie VanBrakle in 2006 and 2004 and Kelsi Dunne in 2008, 2009 and 2011
Multiple Solo No-Hitters in the Same Season
- Stephanie VanBrakle - 3 - 2006
- Kelsi Dunne - 3 - 2009
- Kelsi Dunne - 3 - 2011
- Stephanie VanBrakle - 2 - 2004
- Kelsi Dunne - 2 - 2008
- Sydney Littlejohn - 2 - 2015
- Montana Fouts - 2 - 2023
Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top 10)
Overall
- Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 1st - 223
- Doubles - Ally Shipman - 2nd - 13
- Wins - Montana Fouts - T2nd - 15
- Doubles - Kenleigh Cahalan - 3rd - 12
- Opposing Batting Avg. - Jaala Torrence - 5th - .138
- Home Runs - Ashley Prange - 6th - 12
- Walks - Kenleigh Cahalan - T8th - 26
- Opposing Batting Avg. - Montana Fouts - 8th - .154
- Total Bases - Ashley Prange - 8th - 76
- Runs Scored - Ashley Prange - 10th - 32
- Runs Batted In - Ashley Prange - 10th - 34
- Earned Run Avg. - Montana Fouts - 10th - 1.45
SEC Only
- Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 1st - 80
- Opposing Batting Avg. - Jaala Torrence - 2nd - .094
- ERA - Montana Fouts - 3rd - 1.09
- Walks - Bailey Dowling - T9th - 6
- Opposing Batting Average - Montana Fouts - 5th - .149
- Slugging Pct. - Ashley Prange - 9th - .647
Extra Innings
- The game one win over South Carolina was Alabama's fifth extra-inning game this season, holding a 4-1 record in those contests
- The four extra-inning wins are tied for the second-most in a season in program history, only trailing a staggering 14-0 extra inning record in 2000
- The four extra-inning wins are the most since 2017, with the last time before that as 2009
- Overall, the Tide is 70-41 (.631) in extra-inning games
Most Extra-Inning Games in a Season (Record)
- 14 - 2000 (14-0)
- 9 - 1999 (3-6)
- 7 - 2001 (4-3)
- 6 - 2017 (4-2)
- 5 - 2023 (4-1), 2019 (3-2), 2009 (4-1), 2007 (3-2), 2006 (3-2), 2004 (3-2)
Moving Up the Career Shutout Rankings
- Montana Fouts' no-hitter last weekend against South Carolina was her 31st career shutout, moving her within seven of second place Kelsi Dunne and eight of Shelly Laird's career record
Alabama Career Shutout Leaders
- 39 - Shelley Laird (1999-02)
- 38 - Kelsi Dunne (2008-11)
- 31 - Montana Fouts (2019-pres.)
- 28 - Alexis Osorio (2015-18)
Fouts Surpasses the 1000 Strikeout Mark
- With two strikeouts in the March 14 win over North Alabama, Montana Fouts became the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts
- She is now just 32 shy of second-place Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06)
Alabama Career Strikeout Leaders
- 1,219 - Kelsi Dunne (2008-11)
- 1,113 - Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06)
- 1,081 - Montana Fouts (2019-pres.)
- 1,063 - Alexis Osorio (2015-18)
- 1,045 - Shelley Laird (1999-2002)
Fouts Career Record Watch
- With 90 career wins, Montana Fouts is fifth all-time at Alabama, with Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06) as the next milestone in fourth place with 97 wins
- Fouts also has 109 career starts, passing Alexis Osorio (2015-18) with 108 with fourth place VanBrakle as the next-highest on the list with 125
- Fouts has three saves this season, giving her 14 for her career which is two shy of tying Shelley Laird (1999-2002) and Osorio for second all-time at Alabama
Up Next: at Mississippi State (Starkville, Miss.)
- Friday, April 14 - 4 p.m. CT
- Saturday, April 15 - 1:30 p.m. CT
- Sunday, April 16 - 1 p.m. CT - SEC Network
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
RHP
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