Alabama Softball Hosts Northwestern for NCAA Super Regionals Starting Friday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 5 seed Alabama will host No. 12 seed Northwestern this weekend at Rhoads Stadium for NCAA Super Regionals, with the winner of the best-of-three series earning a spot at the 2023 Women's College World Series. Game one is set for a 7 p.m. CT first pitch on Friday, May 26 on ESPN2.

This Week: NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads Stadium
Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network at 97.5 FM in Tuscaloosa | nick975.com | Varsity App
Video: ESPN2 (Friday), ESPN (Saturday) *Potential Sunday time and channel TBD*

No. 5 Alabama (43-19) vs. No. 12 Northwestern (41-11) - All Times Central

Friday, May 26 – 7 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Saturday, May 27 – 8 p.m. CT – ESPN
(if necessary) Sunday, May 28 - TBD

Scouting Alabama

No. 5 seed Alabama will host No. 12 Northwestern this weekend for the NCAA Super Regional round at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, which begins Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2
It is a best-of-three series, with game two on Saturday, May 27 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN and, if necessary, a game three on Sunday, May 28 (time and TV TBD)
The winner of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional will advance to the 2023 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., which begins on Thursday, June 1
This year marks the Crimson Tide's 17th appearance in the Super Regional round since the current postseason format's introduction in 2005, hosting in 12 of those 17 years
Forced into a winner-take-all game seven at last weekend's Tuscaloosa Regional, Alabama defeated Middle Tennessee, 1-0, behind a seventh-inning home run from Ally Shipman and a complete-game shutout from Jaala Torrence
Shipman's four-hit weekend at Regionals moved her into the team lead with 56 this season, with her 15 doubles tied for the team lead with Kenleigh Cahalan
Dowling leads the team with 48 RBIs, with Ashley Prange close behind at 45 along with a team-leading 16 home runs
The Alabama pitching staff has a 2.00 ERA with 422.2 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

Alabama at NCAA Super Regionals

This year marks Alabama's 17th Super Regional appearance, with the Crimson Tide playing in 17 of the 18 Super Regional rounds since the current postseason format was adopted in 2015
Alabama has served as the host in 12 of those 17 Super Regional appearances, previously winning 10 of the 11 at Rhoads Stadium
Seven of the 11 Super Regionals in Tuscaloosa were won by Alabama in two games
The Tide overcame a game-one loss to defeat Stanford (2011) and Oklahoma (2015) and lost game two to Texas (2019) before claiming game three
Alabama's lone Super Regional loss at home came in 2010 against Hawai'i, winning game one before falling in games two and three

Last Time Out: NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional

Alabama won last weekend's Tuscaloosa Regional, claiming its first two games against LIU (5-0) and Middle Tennessee (12-5) before the Blue Raiders won game six (4-1) to force a winner-take-all game seven, which the Crimson Tide won courtesy a seventh inning go-ahead home run from Ally Shipman
Alabama now owns a 68-12 all-time record in Regional play
Shipman's game seven home run was part of a 4-for-10 (.400) weekend, scoring three times and driving in four RBIs
Kali Heivilin had a pair of home runs over the weekend, tying Bailey Dowling for a team-leading five RBIs
Jaala Torrence went 3-0 in the circle, throwing 18.2 shutout innings with 17 strikeouts and just three walks

Alabama Places Four on All-South Region Team

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced its 2023 All-Region teams last week, as Montana Fouts was named to the All-South Region First Team, Ally Shipman and Ashley Prange to the Second Team and Kenleigh Cahalan to the Third Team
The All-South Region honor is the fourth of Fouts' career, all of which have been First Team accolades
Shipman and Prange both took home All-South Region honors last year in their first season with the Crimson Tide, while this is the first career accolade for Cahalan, an early-enrollee freshman this season
Alabama has placed at least two on the annual list every year since the program's inaugural 1997 season and has earned a total of 118 awards over that time

Prange Power

Ashley Prange's home run against Tennessee at the SEC Tournament was her team-leading 16th of the season, moving her into Alabama's single-season top 10
The 16 home runs are the most for a Crimson Tide player since Bailey Hemphill broke the single-season record with 26 in 2019

Alabama Single-Season Home Runs Top 10

1st - 26- Bailey Hemphill - 2019
2nd - 25 - Kelly Kretschman - 1998
3rd - 21 - Kaila Hunt - 2012
T4th - 19 - Marisa Runyon - 2015
T4th - 19 - Charlotte Morgan - 2008
6th - 18 - Amanda Locke - 2012
T7th - 17 - Ginger Jones - 2000
T7th - 17 - Charlotte Morgan - 2010
T7th - 17 - Amanda Locke - 2010
T10th - 16 - Ashley Prange - 2023
T10th - 16- Leona Lafaele - 2016

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 Women's College World Series (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

The winner of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional will advance to the 2023 Women's College World Series, which kicks off on Thursday, June 1 in Oklahoma City, Okla.