Softball Heads to Jacksonville State Tuesday for Rescheduled Matchup

Tuesday, April 2

Jacksonville, Ala.

6 p.m. CT

Alabama

Jacksonville State

Abby Duchscherer (10) and Kali Heivilin (22) high five on defense vs. Kentucky (March 30, 2024)

Softball Heads to Jacksonville State Tuesday for Rescheduled Matchup

4/1/2024 1:26:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats Live Audio (97.5 FM)Live Video (ESPN+)

The game was originally scheduled on Feb. 28 but was postponed due to weather

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After rain postponed the originally scheduled matchup on Feb. 28, Alabama will head to Jacksonville State this Tuesday, April 2 to face the Gamecocks at 6 p.m. CT.

This Week: Alabama (26-8) at Jacksonville State (14-21)

Tuesday, April 2 – 6 p.m. CT
Jacksonville, Ala. – Jana McGinnis Field
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network at 97.5 FM in Tuscaloosa | nick975.com | Varsity App

Scouting Alabama

Alabama takes a midweek road trip to Jacksonville, Ala., to face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. CT
The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 28 but was postponed due to inclement weather
The Crimson Tide heads into the week at 26-8 overall and 3-6 in SEC play following a series road loss at Kentucky last weekend
Tide pitching is third in the SEC in hits allowed (156), earned runs allowed (57) and strikeouts (229) and fourth in ERA (1.80), opposing batting average (156) earned runs allowed (57) and strikeouts
Kenleigh Cahalan leads the SEC with 88 assists on defense and Kali Heivilin is tied for sixth with 64
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. Jacksonville State: 17-0
- In Tuscaloosa: 11-0 | In Jacksonville: 2-0 | At Neutral Sites: 4-0
Current Streak: Alabama +17
Last Meeting: March 2, 2016 - W, 10-3 - Jacksonville, Ala.

Last Time Out: at Kentucky

Alabama fell two games to one in last weekend's road series at Kentucky, dropping the first game, 6-3, before evening things up with a 9-4 win in game two and dropping a hard-fought game three in extra innings, 4-3
The nine runs scored, 11 hits and three home runs in game two are the most in an SEC game this season for the Tide
Game three marked the second extra-inning game this season for Alabama, both of which came following a game-tying hit from Kenleigh Cahalan in the seventh inning
Cahalan was 4-for-10 (.400) on the weekend, including a season-best three in game two
Kristen White had a hit in all three games, giving her one in four of the last five games
Jenna Johnson led the team with five RBIs, hitting home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in her career since doing so in both games of a doubleheader at LSU on March 12, 2022
Marlie Giles also homered in consecutive games last weekend, the second time she has done so this season after Feb. 24 against North Alabama and Feb. 25 at UAB

Way Back Way Gone

Alabama hit six home runs over the Kentucky series, its most in an SEC series so far this season
Marlie Giles and Jenna Johnson hit two each, pushing Giles into a tie for the team lead this season alongside Abby Duchscherer with six
Each of Giles last three homers have led off an inning
Johnson's two weekend home runs push her season total to five, already tying her previous single-season best from 2022
The back-to-back home runs from Giles and Emma Broadfoot in the sixth inning of game one vs. the Wildcats marked the first time Tide players have hit back-to-back homers since KB Sides and Bailey Hemphill vs. Texas in the NCAA Super Regional round on May 25, 2019

Tide Trends

Alabama is 22-2 this season when scoring first and 13-0 when scoring in the first inning
The Crimson Tide is 26-0 when tied or leading after 4.0 innings
Over the last 12 games, Kenleigh Cahalan is hitting 13-for-35 (.371) with three runs scored, 10 RBIs, four doubles, two triples and a home run
Jenna Johnson has a hit in six of her last eight games, driving in nine RBIs with four of her seven hits as home runs
Kendal Clark has reached base safely in five straight games, with four hits and four walks over that stretch
In SEC play, Kristen White is hitting 6-for-14 (.429)
Kayla Beaver owns a 1.26 ERA vs. ranked teams this season, allowing just eight earned runs over 44.1 innings with 32 strikeouts

Turning Two

Alabama has turned 15 double plays this season, which is four shy of cracking the single-season top 10
The Tide turned 19 double plays in 2022, its most since hitting the same mark in 2018
Alabama hasn't reached 20 or more double plays in a season since 2007

Kayla Beaver Ranked No. 6 in Latest Softball America Player Position Rankings

Softball America released its updated player position rankings this week, with Kayla Beaver at No. 6 on its pitchers list
Beaver is 11-3 with three saves over 20 appearances this season, including eight complete games and four solo shutouts while striking out 102 batters over 97.1 innings pitched

Alabama in the SEC Rankings (Top 5)

Team

Batters Struck Out - 3rd - 229
Hits Allowed - 3rd - 156
Earned Runs Allowed - 3rd - 57
ERA - 4th - 1.80
Opposing Batting Avg. - 4th - .194
Runs Allowed - 4th - 79
Home Runs Allowed - 4th - 13

Individual

Games Started - Kayla Beaver - T3rd - 16
Hit by Pitch - Jenna Johnson - T4th - 10

Alabama in SEC Play

Alabama is 505-203 (.713) all-time in SEC play, including a 470-182 (.721) 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 723-139 (.839) all-time record at home, including a 687-123 (.848) mark under Head Coach Patrick Murphy (1999-pres.) and a 668-119 (.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