🥎🥎 Alabama Softball Hosts Easton Crimson Classic This Weekend🥎 🥎

kyle h · Feb 26, 2021

Alabama Softball Hosts Easton Crimson Classic This Weekend
The Crimson Tide welcomes Memphis, North Carolina and Troy to Rhoads Stadium

game notes (pdf) | live stats | live audio (93.3 fm)

this week: EASTON CRIMSON CLASSIc (tuscaloosa, ala.)

Friday, Feb. 26 vs. Memphis (DH) – 4 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 27 vs. UNC (DH) – 11 a.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. Troy – 1 p.m. CT

SCOUTING ALABAMA

Third-ranked Alabama heads into the weekend with a 9-0 record, most recently defeating UAB Wednesday night, 7-1
Alabama outscored its opponents 32-11 at last weekend's Easton Bama Bash, including a lopsided 13-5 victory in the finale over LSU, matching the most runs by the Tide against Tigers in program history
Alabama continues to move up the national rankings, coming in as high as No. 3 across this week's Top 25
Kaylee Tow was named NFCA and SEC Player of the Week after hitting a scorching .786 over the weekend with a team-leading 11 hits, seven runs scored and nine RBIs
Alabama returns 17 players from last season, including all seven 2020 seniors, while adding five freshmen

INSIDE THE SERIES

· Overall vs. Memphis: 3-0

o In Tuscaloosa: 1-0 | In Memphis: 0-0 | At Neutral Sites: 2-0

· Current Streak: Alabama +3

· Last Meeting: Feb. 10, 2012 - Mobile, Ala. - W, 8-0 (5)

· Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: May 21, 2011 *NCAA Regional* - W, 7-1

· Overall vs. North Carolina: 9-1

o In Tuscaloosa: 5-0 | In Chapel Hill: 2-0 | At Neutral Sites: 2-1

· Current Streak: North Carolina +1

· Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2020 - Tallahassee, Fla. - L, 8-9

· Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: March 12, 2011 - W, 10-1 (5)

· Overall vs. Troy: 21-0

o In Tuscaloosa: 11-0 | In Troy: 8-0 | At Neutral Sites: 2-0

· Current Streak: Alabama +21

· Last Meeting: Feb. 10, 2019 - Troy, Ala. - W, 8-0 (6)

Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: Feb. 24, 2016 - W, 8-0 (6)

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA VS. UAB

Alabama defeated UAB, 7-1, in its first midweek contest of the season Wednesday night at Rhoads Stadium
The Crimson Tide started the scoring with a three-run home from from freshman Bailey Dowling in the bottom of the first, stretching its first-inning scoring streak to five straight games
Dowling and Claire Jenkins both reached base safely and have now done so in every game this season

KAYLEE TOW NAMED NFCA AND SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

A stellar weekend at the plate earned Kaylee Tow national and league recognition, as she was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week
Tow paced the Alabama offense in an undefeated weekend at the Easton Bama Bash, going 11-for-14 (.786) at the plate with a team-leading seven runs scored and nine RBIs
She had four multi-hit performances, including a season-best three hits on Friday against Liberty and in back-to-back games against eighth-ranked LSU
In the weekend finale against the Tigers, she scored three times and drove in a career-best five RBIs to help the Tide score 13 runs, its highest total in program history against LSU
She is the eighth NFCA Player of the Week in program history and just the third position player, joining Kelley Montalvo (March 11, 2008) and Charlotte Morgan (April 8, 2008)
The weekly conference award is the second of Tow's career, previously winning on Feb. 11, 2019, and marks the 48th SEC Player of the Week honor in program history

STARTING EARLY

Alabama has hit the ground running so far this year, scoring 22 of its 68 runs in the first inning, the most of any inning
The Tide is outscoring its opponents 22-1 in the first inning and 29-3 across the first two frames
Alabama has scored in the first inning in seven of its nine games played, including the last five straight
Tide batters have reached base safely in 24 out of 51 chances (.471) when leading off an inning, while opponents have only reached 10 times in 57 opportunities (.175)
KB Sides has seen the most opportunities to lead off an inning, batting 5-for-11 (.455)

TWO OUTS, SO WHAT?

The Tide offense has been a tough third out to say the least, hitting 29-for-79 (.367) with two outs
34 of the team's 56 RBIs this season have come with two outs
Bailey Dowling has seen the most at-bats with two out this season, going 8-for-14 (.571) with 12 RBIs, three doubles and three home runs
Kaylee Tow is close behind with a 5-for-11 (.455) two-out clip with six RBIs

ALABAMA MOVES UP IN NATIONAL RANKINGS

Alabama moved up in all four national rankings this week, coming in at No. 3 in the USA Softball and D1 Softball polls and No. 4 in the NFCA and Softball America rankings
This marks the team's highest ranking since being at No. 1 or 2 in every preseason poll last season

SHUTOUT STREAK

A one-out solo home run in the top of the third from Liberty on Feb. 19 went as the first run allowed this season for Alabama, ending the shutout streak at 26.1 innings
It was the second-longest shutout streak to start a season in program history, only trailing the 29.2 innings to start the 2011 campaign

Most Alabama Shutout Innings to Start a Season

29.2 (2011)
26.1 (2021)
23.0 (2018)
18.1 (2005)
13.1 (2017)

HEMPHILL CLOSING IN ON UA CAREER HOME RUN AND WALKS RECORDS, 200 RBIS

Senior Bailey Hemphill's 50 career home runs ranks fifth all-time and sits 10 behind Kelly Kretschman's (1998-2001) career record of 60
She is the fifth player in program history to reach the 50 home run mark, the first since Kaila Hunt (2011-14)
Hemphill hit nine home runs her freshman season, improved to 13 as a sophomore and tied the UA single-season record in 2019 with 26
Her power potential also leads to a lot of teams pitching carefully to the slugger, as she has drawn 184 career walks, which is 15 away from Haylie McCleney's (2013-16) record total of 199
Hemphill also owns 189 career RBIs, putting her within striking distance of becoming the third Alabama player with 200 RBIs
Charlotte Morgan (2007-10) owns the UA record with 264 career RBIs and Kaila Hunt (2011-14) is the only other player to surpass 200, finishing with 215

ELISSA RUNNING UP STOLEN BASE RANKINGS

With 120 career stolen bases, Elissa Brown passed Haylie McCleney (2013-16) to move into the UA top five
Above her, Kelly Kretschman and Jennifer Fenton are tied at third with 133, Kayla Braud sits in second with 182 and Brittany Rogers holds the record with 198
Brown is also sixth in career stolen base percentage at .896

HOME SWEET HOME

Alabama sports a 627-115 (.845) all-time record at home, including a 591-99 (.857) mark under head coach Patrick Murphy and a 572-95 (.858) 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 17 of its 20 years there

UP NEXT – ALABAMA VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE

Wednesday, March 3 – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 6 p.m. CT

BamaNavyCPO · Feb 26, 2021