Alabama Softball Hosts LSU for Final Home Series of the Regular Season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball will host its final regular season home series this weekend, welcoming LSU for three games at Rhoads Stadium starting Friday, April 28 at 6 p.m. CT. Saturday's game will be live on ESPN2 with Sunday's finale on ESPN.

This Week: #16/16 Alabama (34-15, 10-8 SEC) vs. #13/14 LSU (37-11, 10-8 SEC)

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads Stadium
Friday, April 28 – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network+ (streaming)
Saturday, April 29 – 1 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Sunday, April 30 – 11:30 a.m. CT - ESPN
Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network at 97.5 FM in Tuscaloosa | nick975.com | Varsity App

Scouting Alabama

Alabama is back at home this weekend, hosting LSU for three games at Rhoads Stadium starting Friday, April 28
Saturday's game will air live on ESPN2 with Sunday's finale on ESPN
This weekend is the Crimson Tide's final SEC home series of the regular season, heading to Ole Miss the following weekend before starting postseason play at the SEC Softball Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark.
Last time out, Alabama won its series opener against Auburn, 6-1, before dropping the next two games, 5-1 and 3-1, as the Tigers took the series
Kenleigh Cahalan leads the team with 49 hits, with Ally Shipman close behind with 48 as the pair also owns a combined 29 doubles
Bailey Dowling (41) and Ashley Prange (40) are also in the 40+ hit club on the team, with Prange leading the team in home runs and RBIs (12, 37) and Dowling second in both categories (7, 36)
The Alabama pitching staff has a 1.92 ERA with 332.1 innings pitched, led by Montana Fouts at 18-8 with a 1.54 ERA and NCAA-leading 262 strikeouts in 172.1 innings pitched
Murphy is in his 25th season as head coach at Alabama with a 1,227-348 (.779) 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. LSU: 41-45
- In Tuscaloosa: 21-13 | In Baton Rouge: 12-25 | At Neutral Sites: 8-7
Current Streak: Alabama +1
Last Meeting: March 13, 2022 - Baton Rouge, La. - W, 2-1
Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: Feb. 21, 2021 - W, 13-5 (5)

Last Time Out: vs. Auburn

Alabama won the series opener vs. Auburn, 6-1, before falling in games two, 5-1, and three, 3-1, to drop the weekend series
The Crimson Tide has won game one in five of its six SEC series this season
Ally Shipman was 3-for-3 in the series opener, her second-straight three-hit game and her ninth multi-hit game of the season
Montana Fouts moved into second all-time at Alabama in career strikeouts over the weekend, now owning 1,120 as she passed Stephanie VanBrakle's (2003-06) career mark of 1,113
Kenleigh Cahalan was 4-for-9 (.444) over the weekend, earning a hit in every game including a 2-for-3 day on Sunday

Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top 10)

Overall

Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 1st - 262
Doubles - Ally Shipman - T1st - 15
Wins - Montana Fouts - T2nd - 18
Doubles - Kenleigh Cahalan - 3rd - 14
Opposing Batting Avg. - Jaala Torrence - 4th - .136
Home Runs - Ashley Prange - T8th - 12
Opposing Batting Avg. - Montana Fouts - 8th - .163
Walks - Kenleigh Cahalan - T9th - 29

SEC Only

Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 1st - 112
Opposing Batting Avg. - Jaala Torrence - 2nd - .116
Wins- Montana Fouts - T1st - 8
ERA - Montana Fouts - 4th - 1.31
Opposing Batting Average - Montana Fouts - 5th - .167
ERA - Alex Salter - 6th - 2.07

Fouts Moves to Second in Career Strikeouts at Alabama

In game three against Auburn, Fouts passed Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06) to move to second all-time, now less than 100 shy of record-holder Kelsi Dunne (2008-11)
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

Alabama Career Strikeout Leaders

1,219 - Kelsi Dunne (2008-11)
1,120 - Montana Fouts (2019-pres.)
1,113 - Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06)
1,063 - Alexis Osorio (2015-18)
1,045 - Shelley Laird (1999-2002)

Fouts Approaching Single-Season Strikeout top 10

Montana Fouts heads into the LSU series with 262 strikeouts this season, just 13 shy of tying her season total from last year which is tied for 10th all-time at Alabama
300 strikeouts this season would make Fouts the third Tide pitcher with multiple 300 strikeout seasons, joining Kelsi Dunne and Stephanie VanBrakle
Fouts single-season best of 349 from 2021, the year she won NFCA Pitcher of the Year, ranks third all-time at Alabama

Alabama Single-Season Strikeouts Top 10

1st - 361- Jackie Traina - 2012
2nd - 355 - Kelsi Dunne - 2010
3rd - 349 - Montana Fouts - 2021
4th - 345 - Stephanie VanBrakle - 2006
5th - 341 - Stephanie VanBrakle - 2005
6th - 334 - Alexis Osorio - 2017
7th - 331 - Kelsi Dunne - 2011
8th - 310 - Shelley Laird -2000
9th - 282 - Shelley Laird - 2002
T10th - 275 - Kelsi Dunne - 2008
T10th - 275 - Montana Fouts - 2022
12th - 262 - Montana Fouts - 2023

Moving Up the Career Shutout Rankings

Montana Fouts' game three win at Mississippi State was her 32nd career shutout, moving her within six of second place Kelsi Dunne and seven of Shelly Laird's career record

Alabama Career Shutout Leaders

39 - Shelley Laird (1999-02)
38 - Kelsi Dunne (2008-11)
32 - Montana Fouts (2019-pres.)
28 - Alexis Osorio (2015-18)

Fouts Career Record Watch

With 93 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 113 career starts, with fourth place VanBrakle as the next-highest on the list with 125
Fouts has four saves this season, giving her 15 for her career which is one shy of tying Shelley Laird (1999-2002) and Osorio for second all-time at Alabama

Up Next: at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)

Friday, May 5 - 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 6 - 1 p.m. CT - SEC Network
Sunday, May 7 - 1 p.m. CT

University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama Softball Hosts LSU for Final Home Series of the Regular Season

This Week: #16/16 Alabama (34-15, 10-8 SEC) vs. #13/14 LSU (37-11, 10-8 SEC)

Scouting Alabama

Inside the Series

Last Time Out: vs. Auburn

Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top 10)

Fouts Moves to Second in Career Strikeouts at Alabama

Fouts Approaching Single-Season Strikeout top 10

Moving Up the Career Shutout Rankings

Fouts Career Record Watch

Up Next: at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)

Players Mentioned

Kenleigh Cahalan

Bailey Dowling

Montana Fouts

Ashley Prange

Alex Salter

Ally Shipman

Jaala Torrence

Related Videos