Friday, May 19
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
6 p.m. CT
Alabama
vs
LIU
No. 5 Seed Alabama Opens Regional Play in Tuscaloosa Friday
5/17/2023 9:46:00 AM | Softball
Tuscaloosa Regional Central PageGame Notes (PDF)Live StatsLive Audio (97.5 FM)Central Arkansas vs. Middle Tennessee VideoAlabama vs. LIU Video
The Crimson Tide welcomes Central Arkansas, Middle Tennessee and LIU to Rhoads Stadium
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – For the 18th-straight season, Alabama will host NCAA Regionals at Rhoads Stadium. The Crimson Tide are the No. 5 seed in this year's tournament, welcoming Central Arkansas, Middle Tennessee and LIU to Tuscaloosa this weekend.
This Week: NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional
- Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads Stadium
- Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network at 97.5 FM in Tuscaloosa | nick975.com | Varsity App
- Video: ESPN+ (streaming) *Saturday/Sunday channel designations TBD*
NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Schedule (All Times Central)
- Friday, May 19
- 3:30 p.m. – Central Arkansas vs. Middle Tennessee – ESPN+
- 6 p.m. – Alabama vs. LIU – ESPN+
- Saturday, May 20
- 12 p.m. – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
- 2:30 p.m. – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
- 5 p.m. – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser
- Sunday, May 21
- 1 p.m. – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner
- (if necessary) 3:30 p.m. – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser
Scouting Alabama
- Alabama is the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, hosting the Tuscaloosa Regional this weekend welcoming Central Arkansas, Middle Tennessee State and LIU.
- The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional will advance to Super Regionals next weekend and face the winner of the Evanston Regional featuring No. 12 Northwestern, Kentucky, Miami (OH) and Eastern Illinois
- Alabama is coming off a semifinal appearance at last weekend's SEC Tournament, earning wins over Missouri and tournament host Arkansas before falling to Tennessee
- Ashley Prange and Jenna Johnson were named to the SEC All-Tournament team, with Johnson going 4-for-11 (.364) while Prange was 4-for-7 (.571) with five runs scored, five walks, five RBIs and three home runs
- The Tide placed four on the All-SEC teams announced last Thursday, with Montana Fouts and Prange earning First Team accolades and Johnson and Larissa Preuitt on the Second Team
- Kenleigh Cahalan leads the team with 53 hits, with Ally Shipman close behind with 52 as the pair also owns a combined 30 doubles
- Ashley Prange (50) and Bailey Dowling (49) are next on the team in hits, with the pair leading the team in RBIs (45,43) and home runs (16,8)
- The Alabama pitching staff has a 2.00 ERA with 394.2 innings pitched, led by Montana Fouts at 23-9 with a 1.44 ERA and NCAA-leading 311 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched
- Murphy is in his 25th season as head coach at Alabama with a 1,231-350 (.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 vs. the Opponents
- Overall vs. Central Arkansas: 0-0 *First Meeting*
- Overall vs. Middle Tennessee: 10-0
- In Tuscaloosa: 6-0 | In Murfreesboro: 0-0 | At Neutral Sites: 4-0 | at NCAA Tournament: 1-0
- Current Streak: Alabama +10
- Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2021 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W, 9-1 (6)
- Last Meeting at NCAA Tournament: May. 18, 2018 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W, 8-0 (6)
- Overall vs. LIU: 3-0
- In Tuscaloosa: 2-0 | In Brookville: 0-0 | At Neutral Sites: 1-0
- Current Streak: Alabama +3
- Last Meeting: Feb. 17, 2006 - Boca Raton, Fla. - W, 5-1
- Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: March. 11, 2000 - W, 4-0
Alabama at NCAA Regionals
- Alabama has played in every NCAA Tournament since 1999, Patrick Murphy's first year as head coach
- This year marks the 20th time the Crimson Tide has hosted the NCAA Regional round, including an active streak of 18 straight started in 2005 (no tournament in 2020)
- In those 18 consecutive years as a Regional host seed, Alabama has been a top-eight seed 13 times, including each of the last four tournaments
- The Tide owns a 65-11 (.855) record in NCAA Regional play
- Since the introduction of the current postseason format in 2005, the Tide has advanced to Super Regionals in 16 of its previous 17 opportunities
Last Time Out: SEC Tournament (Fayetteville, Ark.)
- Alabama went 2-1 at last weekend's SEC Tournament, earning wins over Missouri and Arkansas before falling to Tennessee in the semifinals
- The Crimson Tide fought through a five-hour rain delay prior to Wednesday's opening game against the Tigers and went nine innings on Thursday's win over the host Razorbacks
- Montana Fouts threw her 300th strikeout of the season in the win over Missouri, becoming the third player in program history with two 300 strikeout seasons
- Ashley Prange led the offense with a 4-for-7 (.571) week including three home runs, five walks, five runs scored and five RBIs
- Jenna Johnson and Larissa Preuitt were a combined 7-for-21 (.333) with five runs scored at the top of the order while Bailey Dowling was 4-for-10 (.400) with three RBIs, including the go-ahead two run double in the ninth inning against Arkansas
- Alabama is now 46-28 (.622) all-time at the SEC Tournament, including a 42-25 (.627) mark under head coach Patrick Murphy
- Prange and Johnson were named to the SEC All-Tournament team, giving Alabama 44 honorees over its program's history
Alabama Places Four on 2023 All-SEC Teams
- The Southeastern Conference released its 2023 All-SEC Softball teams last week, with Montana Fouts and Ashley Prange earning First Team honors while Jenna Johnson and Larissa Preuitt were name to the Second Team
- The honor is the fourth of Fouts' career, all First Team accolades, and the second First Team award for Prange in as many seasons with the Crimson Tide
- The recognition is the first for Johnson or Preuitt
- At least four Crimson Tide players have earned All-SEC honors in each of the last five years and seven of the last nine
- In total, Alabama has earned 117 All-SEC accolades in program history
Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top 10)
Overall
- Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 1st - 311
- Doubles - Ally Shipman - T1st - 15
- Doubles - Kenleigh Cahalan - T1st - 15
- Wins - Montana Fouts - 2nd - 23
- Opposing Batting Avg. - Jaala Torrence - 5th - .155
- Opposing Batting Avg. - Montana Fouts - 6th - .165
- Earned Run Avg. - Montana Fouts - 9th - 1.44
- Home Runs - Ashley Prange - T6th - 16
- Walks - Ashley Prange - T10th - 33
SEC Only
- Batters Struck Out - Montana Fouts - 1st - 142
- Wins-Â Montana Fouts - T1st - 12
- ERA - Montana Fouts - 4th - 1.18
- Opposing Batting Average - Montana Fouts - 4th - .159
- ERA - Alex Salter - 6th - 1.85
- Opposing Batting Avg. - Jaala Torrence - 6th - .179
- Stolen Bases - Larissa Preuitt - T6th - 7
- Batting Avg. - Larissa Preuitt - 9th - .339
- Walks - Ashley Prange - T8th - 15
Fouts Breaks into Single-Season Strikeout Top 10...Again
- Following the SEC Tournament, Montana Fouts owns an NCAA-leading 311 strikeouts this season, which already beats her season total from last year (262) and ranks eighth all-time at Alabama
- Fouts is the third pitcher in UA history with multiple 300 strikeout seasons, joining Kelsi Dunne and Stephanie VanBrakle
- She is one of four UA pitchers to have multiple seasons within the top 10, with her personal best of 349 from 2021 ranking third
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 - 311 - Montana Fouts - 2023
- 9th - 310 - Shelley Laird -2000
- 10th - 282 - Shelley Laird - 2002
Alabama Perfect Games
- Fouts' perfect game against Ole Miss was the fourth of her career and the ninth in program history
- She previously contributed to a combined perfect game at Alabama State (Feb. 12, 2021) before throwing solo perfect games against UCLA at the 2021 Women's College World Series (June 5, 2021) and earlier this season against Longwood (March 5, 2023)
- It was the fourth Alabama perfect game thrown in conference play, two of which have come against Ole Miss
Alabama Perfect Games
- Stephanie VanBrakle at Kentucky - April 1, 2006
- Sydney Littlejohn vs. Eastern Kentucky - Feb. 6, 2015
- Sydney Littlejohn vs. Ole Miss - March 8, 2015
- Alexis Osorio at Coastal Carolina - Feb. 10, 2017
- Montana Fouts/Sarah Cornell at Alabama State - Feb. 12, 2021
- Montana Fouts vs. UCLA - June 4, 2021 (WCWS)
- Lexi Kilfoyl vs. Georgia - April 4, 2022
- Montana Fouts vs. Longwood - March 5, 2023
- Montana Fouts at Ole Miss - May 5, 2023
Fouts Ties Single-Season Solo No-Hitter Mark
- Friday's perfect game was Fouts' third no-hitter of the season, along with her previous perfect game against Longwood (March 5) and a no-hitter against South Carolina (April 8)
- That ties the Alabama single-season record for solo no-hitters in a season, joining Stephanie VanBrakle (2006) and Kelsi Dunne (2009, 2011) as the only Tide pitchers to do so
Multiple Solo No-Hitters in the Same Season
- Stephanie VanBrakle - 3 - 2006
- Kelsi Dunne - 3 - 2009
- Kelsi Dunne - 3 - 2011
- Montana Fouts - 3 - 2023
Moving Up the Career Shutout Rankings
- Montana Fouts' perfect game against Ole Miss improved her career shutout total to 35, moving her within three of second place Kelsi Dunne and four of Shelly Laird's career record
Alabama Career Shutout Leaders
- 39 - Shelley Laird (1999-02)
- 38 - Kelsi Dunne (2008-11)
- 35 - Montana Fouts (2019-pres.)
- 28 - Alexis Osorio (2015-18)
Fouts Continues to Climb in UA Career Strikeouts
- Montana Fouts continues to inch closer to Alabama strikeout record-holder Kelsi Dunne (2008-11), sitting 50 shy in second place with 1,169
- 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)
- 1,169 - Montana Fouts (2019-pres.)
- 1,113 - Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06)
- 1,063 - Alexis Osorio (2015-18)
- 1,045 - Shelley Laird (1999-2002)
Fouts Career Record Watch
- With 98 career wins, Montana Fouts passed Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06) for third all-time at Alabama, now two shy of becoming the fourth pitcher in program history with 100 career wins
- Fouts also has 119 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: 2023 NCAA Super Regionals
- The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional faces the winner of the Evanston Regional between No. 12 Northwestern, Kentucky, Miami (OH) and Eastern Illinois
Players Mentioned
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C
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RHP
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