No. 14 Alabama Continues Conference Play in Athens Against Fifth-Ranked Georgia

Friday, March 15

Athens, Ga.

5 p.m. CT

Alabama

Georgia

No. 14 Alabama Continues Conference Play in Athens Against Fifth-Ranked Georgia

3/14/2024 10:52:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats Live Audio (97.5 FM)Friday Video (SECN+)Saturday Video (SEC Network)Sunday Video (SEC Network)

Games two and three between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will air live on the SEC Network

ATHENS, Ga. – No. 14 Alabama (21-3, 1-2 SEC) faces its second conference foe of the season, traveling to face fifth-ranked Georgia (21-3, 0-0 SEC) this weekend for a three-game series in Athens. Games two and three of the three-game series will air live on the SEC Network.

This Week: #14/15 Alabama (21-3, 1-2 SEC) at #5/5 Georgia (15-5)

Athens, Ga. – Jack Turner Softball Stadium
- Friday, March 15 – 5 p.m. CT
- Saturday, March 16 – 11 a.m. CT
- Sunday, March 17 – 11 a.m. CT
TV: SEC Network+ streaming (Friday), SEC Network (Saturday/Sunday)
Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network at 97.5 FM in Tuscaloosa | nick975.com

Scouting Alabama

Alabama faces its second conference foe this weekend, traveling to Athens to face fifth-ranked Georgia
Games two and three of the weekend series will air live on the SEC Network with Matt Schumacker and Amanda Scarborough on the call
The Crimson Tide heads into the weekend at 21-3 overall after a 4-1 Wednesday night road win over No. 16 Florida State
Alabama is in the midst of a 10-game stretch that includes nine ranked matchups: two against Arizona (March 1-2), three against Florida (March 9-11), one at Florida State (March 13) and three at Georgia (March 15-17)
Tide pitching leads the SEC in ERA (0.80) and earned runs allowed (18) and is second in opposing batting average (.161), hits allowed (88), runs allowed (33) and home runs allowed (5)
The Tide is ranked as high as No. 14 in this week's national polls
Alabama returns 15 letterwinners from last year's Women's College World Series squad, including 2023 All-SEC honoree Larissa Preuitt, 2023 NFCA All-Region Kenleigh Cahalan, 2023 All-SEC and SEC All-Tournament Team Jenna Johnson and 2022 All-SEC and All-Region Bailey Dowling
Seven newcomers are on the Tide roster in 2024, including freshmen Lauren Johnson (Franklin, Tenn.) and Jocelyn Briski (Phoenix, Ariz.) and transfers Kayla Beaver (Central Arkansas), Kendal Clark (DMACC), Alea Johnson (LSU), Kinley Pate (Samford) and Riley Valentine (Texas A&M)

Inside the Series

Overall vs. Georgia: 51-21
- In Tuscaloosa: 27-8 | In Athens: 20-11 | At Neutral Sites: 4-2
Current Streak: Alabama +2
Last Meeting: April 4, 2022 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W, 9-0 (6)
Last Meeting in Athens: May 2, 2021 - W, 6-3

Last Time Out: vs. Florida State

Alabama earned its fourth ranked win of the season Wednesday night in Tallahassee, taking down 16th-ranked Florida State, 4-1
The win was the Crimson Tide's first in Tallahassee in three attempts, previously playing twice to open the 2020 season
Alabama is now 19-0 when scoring first and 13-0 when scoring in the first inning
Abby Duchscherer and Kali Heivilin each hit home runs in the win, their sixth and third of the season, respectively
Duchscherer, Bailey Dowling and Kristen White each had two hits in the win
Alea Johnson earned the win in relief, throwing 3.1 shutout innings as she has only given up one earned run in 28.2 innings pitched this year

Kayla Beaver and Abby Duchscherer earn National Recognition from Softball America and D1 Softball

Softball America released its updated player position rankings last week, with Kayla Beaver at No. 3 on its pitchers list
Beaver is 8-1 with three saves over 13 appearances this season, including six complete games and three solo shutouts while striking out 74 batters over 65.2 innings pitched
Abby Duchscherer came in at No. 5 for first base on both Softball America and D1 Softball's lates position power rankings
Duchscherer is batting .380 on the season with a team-leading 27 hits, four doubles, six home runs and 24 RBIs

Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top 5)

Team

ERA - 1st - 0.80
Earned Runs Allowed - 1st - 18
Opposing Batting Avg. - 2nd - .161
Hits Allowed - 2nd - 88
Runs Allowed - 2nd - 33
Home Runs Allowed - 2nd - 5
Batters Struck Out- 3rd - 172
Double Plays Turned - T3rd - 11
Hit By Pitch - T3rd - 24
Walks Allowed - 5th - 41

Individual

ERA - 1st - Alea Johnson - 0.24
Saves - 1st - Kayla Beaver - 3
ERA - 2nd - Kayla Beaver - 0.53
Hit By Pitch - T3rd - Jenna Johnson - 7
On Base Pct. - 4th - Marlie Giles - .571
ERA - 5th - Jaala Torrence - 0.72
Opposing Batting Avg. - 5th - Kayla Beaver - .138

Alabama in SEC Play

Alabama is 503-199 (.717) all-time in SEC play, including a 468-178 (.724) 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

Sweet Home Alabama

Alabama sports a 720-138 (.839) all-time record at home, including a 684-122 (.849) mark under Head Coach Patrick Murphy (1999-pres.) and a 665-118 (.849) record at Rhoads Stadium, the Tide's home field since 2000
Since Rhoads Stadium opened in 2000, Alabama has won at least 25 home games in 20 of its 24 previous years there

Alabama Softball Scheduled for 16 TV Games

The Crimson Tide is slated to appear 16 times on the ESPN family of networks throughout the 2024 regular season
Over half of the Crimson Tide's league slate will be nationally televised, including the entirety of the Texas A&M (April 13-15) and Auburn (May 2-4) series
A non-conference matchup on the road at Florida State on Wednesday, March 13 will also be aired on the ACC Network
All home games and every SEC road game will also be streamed online through the SEC Network Plus digital platform, available at WatchESPN.com or on the ESPN app
Additionally, the entirety of the 2024 SEC Softball Tournament will also be aired live on the ESPN family of networks

Alabama 2024 TV Schedule