May 26, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama begins play in its fifth NCAA Women's College World Series on Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m. at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City against Arizona State on ESPN HD.

Alabama enters the 2008 NCAA Women's College World Series as the No. 3 national seed. The Crimson Tide swept through the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and Super Regional to advance to their fifth Women's College World Series. Alabama went 5-0 in the regional and super regional, outscoring its opponents 35-4. The Tide is 56-6 on the season and winners of the SEC Western Division title with a 25-3 league record.

Arizona State Sun Devils (61-5) swept Northwestern in the NCAA Tempe Super Regional to advance to Oklahoma City. Alabama and Arizona State are joined by Arizona and UCLA in one WCWS bracket while Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas A&M and Virginia Tech are in the other bracket.

The Crimson Tide owns a 4-2 all-time record against Arizona State, including a 3-0 mark in NCAA Tournament play. UA won the 2000 NCAA Tempe Regional to advance to the WCWS with two wins over the Sun Devils and also beat ASU in the 2005 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Alabama has a 0-10 all-time record against Arizona and a 0-8 mark vs. UCLA.

Alabama is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Women's College World Series and its third trip in the last four years. The Tide advanced to the Women's College World Series on four previous occasions (2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006). The Crimson Tide has a 2-8 record in the WCWS at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. UA captured a win over DePaul in their first trip to OKC in 2000 and then beat the Blue Demons again in the 2005 WCWS.

2008 NCAA Women's College World Series
Alabama (56-6) vs. Arizona State (61-5)
Thursday-Saturday, May 29 - June 4, 2008
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, Okla.
Radio: WVUA 90.7 FM • Internet: www.RollTide.com

Alabama in the NCAA Tournament
Alabama earned its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid in 2008 and has a 56-6 overall record. In just its 12th year of existence, the Crimson Tide program has garnered 10 appearances in NCAA Regional play. The Tide has a 34-19 record in the NCAA Tournament (including regionals, super regionals and the WCWS). Alabama has won six NCAA Regional titles (2000, `03, `05, `06, `07 & `08) and three NCAA Super Regional championships (2005, `06 & `08). UA is playing in its fifth Women's College World Series, including its third in the past four years.

Tournament Dominance
No. 3 Alabama has been dominant as they swept through the first five games of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide has outscored their opponents by a 35-4 margin with the closet game coming in the finals of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional as Alabama knocked off Jacksonville State, 4-1.

The Tide dispatched Missouri in super regional play by scores of 6-1 and 7-1. Alabama is hitting .354 as a team in the NCAA Tournament and averaging seven runs and nine hits per game. UA has pounded out 19 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs for a .669 slugging percentage. The Tide has reached base at a .426 clip and swiped eight bases in 10 attempts while fielding .985.

In the circle, the staff boasts a 0.88 ERA with 36 strikeouts and just nine walks over 32 innings. Opponents are hitting just .212 with two extra-base hits. Kelsi Dunne is 3-0 in the tournament with a 1.15 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 18.1 innings with two complete games. Charlotte Morgan is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in 9.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and two walks.

Tide against the 2008 NCAA Tournament Field
The Crimson Tide played an impressive 16 teams in 2008 that qualified for the NCAA Tournament (including the NCAA Regional and Super Regional). Alabama played 36 games against those NCAA Tournament teams and posted a 30-6 (.833) record. The 36 games against NCAA teams represented 58.1 percent of Alabama's 2008 schedule. The Crimson Tide also faced five of the 16 No. 1 regional seeds with a 10-4 mark in those games. UA also played four super regional teams with a 6-3 record.

Rogers Red Hot
Alabama junior center fielder Brittany Rogers has been nothing short of amazing in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. She is hitting an amazing .722 (13 for 18) in three NCAA Regional games and two NCAA Super Regional games. During that time Rogers has collected four doubles, an inside-the-park home run and swiped five bases. She has a 1.111 slugging percentage and a .737 on-base percentage. Rogers also passed Missouri's Rhea Taylor for the NCAA stolen base lead with No. 58 in the super regional against Taylor's Tigers. For the year, Rogers is hitting .459 with 94 hits, 77 runs scored, 12 doubles, a triple, home run and 21 RBI. She is reaching base at a .507 clip while still slugging .541.

Crimson Tide Garner No. 3 National Seed
Alabama was awarded the No. 3 national seed for the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide was second in the most recent RPI released by the NCAA on May 4. The Crimson Tide is 11-5 against top-25 competition, including non-conference games away from home against Northwestern, DePaul and Washington.

Winning Characteristics
Patience and selectiveness at the plate has been a winning combination for Alabama in 2008. The Crimson Tide has drawn 250 walks as a team while striking out just 249 times. The Tide's top three home run hitters have proven to be the most patient on the team. Charlotte Morgan, Kelley Montalvo and Dani Woods all have at least seven more walks than strikeouts. Montalvo leads the way with 24 more walks than Ks with 35 base on balls and just 11 strikeouts. Woods has a team-best 41 walks and 23 strikeouts for a plus-18 ratio. Morgan has 36 extra-base hits on the season and has seven more walks (22) than strikeouts (15).

On-Base Plus Slugging a Telling Stat
OPS or on-base percentage plus slugging percentage has become a popular way of better using statistics to identify a players true productivity at the plate. The following is a quick look at Alabama's top hitters according to OPS among players with at least 100 at bats.

Player OB% Slug% OPS Charlotte Morgan 498 .827 1.325
Kelley Montalvo .519 .686 1.205
Dani Woods .478 .585 1.063
Lauren Parker .390 .664 1.054
Brittany Rogers .507 .541 1.048
Kellie Eubanks .417 .524 .941
Jordan Praytor .426 .503 .929
Ashley Holcombe .403 .516 .919
Whitney Larsen .366 .530 .896

Keys to Winning
The Crimson Tide have been clutch at the plate this season and no statistics better illustrate that point than their .358 average with runners in scoring position and their two-out 156 RBI

Lauren Parker and Brittany Rogers are leading the Tide at the plate with runners in scoring position. Charlotte Morgan is hitting .468 (37 for 79) and Rogers is hitting .532 (33 for 62) while Lauren Parker (.447), Dani Woods (.386) and Kelley Montalvo (.372) and are close behind.

With two outs in an inning the Tide have produced 40.3 percent of their RBI this season (156 of 387). Morgan has paced the Tide with a .500 (32 for 64) average with 29 two-out RBI. Rogers is hitting .510 (26 for 51) while Kellie Eubanks has an impressive 25 two-out RBI.

Scouting the Bracket
#6 Arizona State (61-5) is Alabama's opening round opponent in the Women's College World Series on Thursday. The Crimson Tide owns a 4-2 edge in the all-time series with the last meeting a UA win on May 21, 2005, in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. It is the first time the two teams will meet in the WCWS. ASU is one of the top hitting teams in the country with a .332 average and the top slugging percentage in the country at .563, Alabama is second nationally at .562. The Sun Devils lead the country with 95 home runs and rank second to Alabama in scoring at 6.91 runs per game. In the circle, Katie Burkhart anchors the staff with a 0.80 ERA and 459 strikeouts in 280.1 innings of work. She averages 11.46 Ks per seven innings with a .133 opponent batting average.

#2 UCLA (50-7) knocked off Georgia in two games in the super regional to advance to its 26th Women's College World Series. The Bruins have claimed 11 national titles. UCLA is 8-0 all time against the Crimson Tide, including a pair of 4-1 wins in the WCWS in 2000 and 2006. The Bruins are hitting .314 as a team with 36 home runs and a .390 on-base percentage. Ashley Herrera leads the way with a .390 average while GiOn DiSalvatore is hitting .380 with a team-best 45 RBI. Amanda Kamekona leads the team with 14 home runs. In the circle, the UCLA staff is anchored by senior All-American Anjelica Selden, who has a 28-3 record with a 0.98 ERA and 308 strikeouts in 214.2 innings this season. The Bruins have a 1.08-team ERA with 512 strikeouts and just 70 walks. Opponents are hitting .154.

#7 Arizona (39-16) advanced to the WCWS by winning games one and three of the NCAA Tucson Super Regional against Oklahoma. The Wildcats are making their 20th appearance in Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series. The Wildcats have won eight national championships. Arizona owns a 10-0 lead in the all-time series against Alabama, including a 3-2 win in the opening game of the 2003 WCWS. The Tide and Wildcats last met on the diamond on March 18, 2006, with Arizona posting a 2-0 win. The Wildcats boast a .312 batting average with 88 home runs and a .560 slugging percentage. Arizona ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 6.42 runs per game. In the circle, the Cats have an impressive 1.67-team ERA led by ace Taryne Mowatt, who is 27-12 on the season. She has 30 complete games with nine shutouts and 375 strikeouts in 252.2 innings with a .176 opponent batting average.

RBI Machine
Alabama's first baseman and pitcher Charlotte Morgan has been an RBI machine as a sophomore. Her 75 runs batted in is an Alabama single-season record and the second most in Southeastern Conference history behind Tennessee's Kristi Durant, who had 77 in 2005.

Top of the Lineup One of the keys to Alabama's explosive offense throughout the past two seasons has been the production at the top of the lineup. That trend has continued in the 2008 season. In the Tide's 62 games, the first five batters in the UA lineup have been nothing short of phenomenal. In that span, the top five hitters have gone 348-for-914 (.381), scored 275 of the team's 435 runs (63.2 percent) and have driven in 256.

All-Star Candidates
Alabama's roster is filled with outstanding talent up and down the line up, but a few names have stepped to the forefront for All-America honors in 2008.

• Sophomore first baseman/pitcher Charlotte Morgan is one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. The native of Moreno Valley, Calif., is hitting .425 with 18 home runs, 18 doubles and a school-record 75 RBI, which ranks third nationally. She is also 17-2 in the circle with a 1.29 ERA, while boasting a 10-1 record in SEC play with a 1.00 ERA that ranked second in the league.

• Freshman hurler Kelsi Dunne was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-South Region honors. She has a 25-4 overall record and a 1.37 ERA. She was second in the league with 114 Ks in conference games and has 254 in 38 total appearances this season that ranks fifth all time at Alabama. Her 25 wins is a UA freshman record.

• Center fielder Brittany Rogers leads the nation in stolen bases with 58, including a SEC-best 25 in league play. She is hitting .459 and leading the nation in runs scored with 77. Rogers on-base percentage is .507 while slugging .541.

• Kelley Montalvo is one of the best defensive players in the country with a staggering .982 fielding percentage at third base in 166 chances at the hot corner. She is hitting .386 with 14 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs while driving in 53 runs. Montalvo is reaching base at an astounding .519 clip with a .686 slugging percentage.

• Catcher Ashley Holcombe has been amazing behind the dish with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in league play. She is also hitting .297 overall with seven home runs and 25 RBI. There have been just 20 stolen base attempts on the strong-armed backstop this season while throwing out six and picking off a school record seven. Missouri, who ranked second nationally in stolen bases entering the super regional, didn't even attempt a stolen base on Holcombe.

Morgan 1 of 10 Finalists for USA Softball POY
Charlotte Morgan is among 10 finalists for the 2008 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award presented by the Amateur Softball Association. Morgan, a sophomore from Moreno Valley, Calif., is a dual threat for the Tide with a .425 batting average and a SEC-best 75 RBI that ranks third nationally and is the most in school history. She also boasts a 17-2 record in the circle with a 1.29 ERA and a .218 opponent batting average. Brittany Rogers, a junior from Dacula, Ga., was among the 25 finalists before the list was trimmed prior to the conference tournament. Rogers is hitting .459 and leads the nation in stolen bases with 58.

Five Garner All-South Region Honors
Five members of the 2008 Alabama Softball team were named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region team last week. Sophomore Charlotte Morgan, junior Brittany Rogers and freshman Kelsi Dunne were selected to the first team. The trio is now eligible for first-team All-America honors, which will be announced May 28 prior to the start of the Women's College World Series. Junior Kelley Montalvo and junior Ashley Holcombe were named to the second-team.

Tide Earn Seven All-Conference Selections
A school-record seven Alabama players earned All-SEC recognition for their play in 2008. Pitcher Kelsi Dunne was named the SEC Freshman of the Year as well as a first-team all-conference pick. Charlotte Morgan, Brittany Rogers and Kelley Montalvo also joined Dunne on the first team. Senior outfielders Jordan Praytor and Dani Woods along with junior catcher Ashley Holcombe garnered second-team honors. Praytor was also selected as the SEC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Dunne SEC Pitcher of the Year; Praytor SEC Scholar-Athlete
Kelsi Dunne became the fifth Alabama player to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors. The Port Orange, Fla. native has a 25-4 record in her rookie campaign with a 1.37 ERA and 254 strikeouts, which ranks as the fifth-best single-season total in school history. Dunne owns wins over No. 1 Florida, then-No. 4 Tennessee, then-No. 10 LSU, No. 11 Northwestern, then-No. 15 Mississippi State and NCAA Iowa City Regional champions Missouri.

Jordan Praytor, a senior from Vancouver, Wash., was named the SEC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Praytor boasts a 3.75 grade-point average while majoring in biology and Spanish. She is a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and named ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-District 4. Praytor was a second-team All-SEC performer on the diamond with a .302 average with five home runs, 18 extra-base hits and 36 RBI.

Tide Net Four ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Honors
Sophomore first baseman/pitcher Charlotte Morgan led a group of four Alabama softball players on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 4 team. Morgan garnered first team honors with a 3.75 grade-point average in exercise sports science. Jordan Praytor, Ashley Holcombe and Chrissy Owens were selected to the second team for their academic and athletic accomplishments. Praytor has a 3.75 gpa in biology and Spanish while Holcombe carries a 3.57 gpa in marketing and Owens has a 3.29 gpa in marketing.

Three Crimson Tide Earn SEC All-Defensive Recognition
Center fielder Brittany Rogers, catcher Ashley Holcombe and third baseman Kelley Montalvo were named to the SEC All-Defensive team in 2008. Montalvo has made just two errors in 166 chances at third base for a .982 fielding percentage. Holcombe did not make an error in SEC play and allowed just six stolen bases all year. Rogers made nearly every play possible in center field with just two errors while tracking down balls from gap-to-gap and going up and over the fence to bring back home runs.

Rogers Breaks Stolen Base Record
Brittany Rogers set an impressive school record just midway through her junior season at the Capstone. Rogers swiped her 134 career base on Sunday, April 20, against South Carolina. In the process, she passed Kelly Kretschman's school record of 133. Kretschman had held every Alabama career offensive record in her four-year career that spanned from 1998-2001. Rogers now has 144 steals in 165 career attempts. Rogers also has the top two single season stolen base marks in school history with 48 in 2007 and 58 and counting in 2008.

Slick-Fielding Tide
Good defense is many times the key component to winning softball and the Crimson Tide is among the best defensive teams in the country in 2008. Alabama boasts a .976 fielding percentage in 62 games this season. UA has not made an error in 34 of 62 games this season, including an error-free NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. The Tide's fielding numbers were even better in SEC play with a .984 fielding percentage over 28 games. UA made just 12 errors in 730 chances during conference action, including 18 error-free games.

NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional Recap
Alabama swept Missouri in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional. The Tide beat the Tigers 6-1 in the opener and then finished them off 7-1 in game two. Kelsi Dunne earned the complete-game win in the opener and Charlotte Morgan captured the win in game two. Morgan also provided the offense in the final game, blasting a two-strike, two-out grand slam in the third inning. Brittany Rogers was spectacular at the top of the order, going 3 for 4 in game one and 2 for 4 in game two. She also swiped three bases and played great defense in center field.

NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Recap
Alabama rolled through the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional to claim its sixth NCAA Regional title last weekend. The Crimson Tide opened with a 8-0 mercy-rule win against Chattanooga on Thursday, May 15 and then posted back-to-back victories over Jacksonville State, 10-1 (5) and 4-1, to advance to their fourth straight NCAA Super Regional. Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning of the championship game vs. Jacksonville State, the Tide used back-to-back-to-back home runs from the 7-8-9 hitters to earn the win. It was the first time in school history that Alabama hit back-to-back-to-back home runs. The Crimson Tide hit an impressive .392 in the regional with a .824 slugging percentage and a .447 on-base percentage. Brittany Rogers was everywhere for the Tide with an amazing .800 (8 for 10) batting average, five runs scored, an .818 on-base percentage, a 1.500 slugging percentage and an inside-the-park home run. In the circle Kelsi Dunne and Charlotte Morgan combined for a 0.78 ERA. Morgan was 1-0 and did not surrender a run in 5.1 innings vs. Chattanooga while Dunne captured two wins and struck out 16 in 11 innings vs. Jacksonville State.

Terror from the Leadoff Spot
Crimson Tide All-American Brittany Rogers has proven that she belongs in not only any discussion of the best leadoff hitters in the nation, but best players period. Rogers, a second-team All-American in 2007, is having one of the best seasons of any player across the country. Rogers is hitting .459 (94-of-205) through 62 games, leading the team and among the best in the SEC. She averages 1.52 hits per game and also leads the Tide and the country with 77 runs scored and 58 stolen bases. Rogers hit .800 (8 for 10) in the regional with four doubles, a home run and a .818 on-base percentage. She has hit safely in a season-high 15 straight games.

Dunne Sets Rookie Record
Kelsi Dunne set the Alabama record for victories by a freshman with her 25th win on Saturday in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional. She passed Penny Cope who posted a 24-10 record in 1998.

Shutout Trio
Kelsi Dunne, Chrissy Owens and Charlotte Morgan have been shutting down opponents this season. Dunne has held the opponent scoreless 10 times this season, which ranks as tied for the sixth-most shutouts in school history. That includes wins over No. 4 Tennessee. No. 4 Florida, No. 15 Mississippi State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina and State again in the SEC Tournament. Owens came within a strike of recording the second perfect-game in school history on April 2 at Samford and then shut down South Carolina for the 24th complete-game shutout of her career on April 20. Morgan has four shutouts on the season, blanking Ole Miss, LSU, Arkansas and South Carolina. The trio has combined for 18 shutouts this season.

Two No-Nos for Rookie Dunne
It only took five starts, but Tide true freshman pitcher Kelsi Dunne etched her name in the UA record books with a breakout pitching performance against Illinois on Feb. 22. The Port Orange, Fla., native returned to her home state and threw the 12th no-hitter in Crimson Tide history in a 6-0 win over the Illini. The performance was truly dominating, as Dunne allowed only two base runners in the historic win. Dunne followed that up with her second no-hitter of the season in a five-inning effort against Ole Miss on March 30. She struck out 11 and allowed just two base runners on a walk and a hit by pitch.

Rookie K Machine
Freshman pitcher Kelsi Dunne has demonstrated her ability to baffle hitters in her first 29 career starts. Dunne leads the team with 254 strikeouts in 193.2 innings pitched, an average of 9.18 K's per seven innings. She struck out 11 in her collegiate debut and has 10 shutouts and 17 complete games included in her 25-4 pitching record. Dunne owns a 1.37 ERA and has made 38 appearances this season. She fanned a season-high 15 in eight innings at Auburn on April 12 and has nine double-digit strikeout games.

Tide in the Rankings
Alabama's top-three ranking is backed up by its numbers in 2008. The Crimson Tide rank in the top eight in eight categories in the NCAA's ninth rankings of the season that were released on May 20. The Crimson Tide leads the nation in stolen bases with 2.56 per game (159 of 181) and scoring (7.02). UA is second in slugging percentage (.562) while ranking third in winning percentage (.903). Alabama is fourth in doubles (1.84 or 114) and batting average (.332) while ranking eighth in home runs (1.23) and seventh in fielding percentage (.975).

Individually, Brittany Rogers leads the nation in stolen bases, averaging .94 per game (58 for 64). Rogers is the top run scorer nationally at 1.24 per game. She also ranks eighth in batting average (.459). Charlotte Morgan ranks third in RBI (1.23) per game for a total of 75 and 18th in home runs (.29) per game. Chrissy Owens is tied for 10th nationally in saves with five while Dani Woods ranks 15th in walks per game with .73.

Grand Slams
The Alabama offense has demonstrated its ability to put up runs in bunches this season, and nothing puts runs on the board faster than a grand slam. So far this season, Tide hitters have blasted seven home runs with the bases loaded. The previous school record for grand slams was set in 2006, when Alabama hit five as a team. Dani Woods, Charlotte Morgan - two, Kellie Eubanks, Whitney Larsen, Jordan Praytor and Kelley Montalvo have each hit one grand slam in 2008. Morgan now has three career grand slams to sit in second place all-time behind Christy Kyle (1997-2000), who hit four over her career with the Tide.

Run Production
Last year's Crimson Tide team was an offensive juggernaut, setting a variety of all-time Alabama and SEC offensive records. The 2008 team has been even more impressive through 62 games, lighting up scoreboards regularly. Alabama is averaging 7.02 runs per game in 2008 and has scored more than 10 runs in 12 games. The Tide set the school and SEC record last season by averaging 7.12 runs per contest.

SEC Chart Toppers
The University of Alabama has played outstanding softball this season and it has shown in the SEC team statistics. The Tide paced the league in 12 offensive categories in conference games only, including; average (.332), slugging percentage (.598), on-base percentage (.433), runs (195), hits (238), home runs (43), doubles (54), stolen bases (68), total bases (429), walks (105), hit by pitches (27) and RBI (177).

Praytor is Lowe's Senior CLASS Finalist
Alabama's senior Jordan Praytor is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award is given to the nation's best college softball player who also excels in the classroom and makes an impact in their community. The award, presented to NCAA Division I student-athletes each year in eight sports, focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. Go to www.seniorclassaward.com to vote for Praytor.

Praytor Selected in NPF Draft
University of Alabama senior utility player Jordan Praytor was recently selected by the New England Riptide of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Softball League in its annual Senior Draft. Praytor, a two-time All-Southeastern Conference selection (2006-07) and a 2008 Preseason All-American by ESPN.com, was taken with the 22nd selection overall in the fourth round of the draft.

UA's Kretschman Named to USA Olympic Team
Alabama great Kelly Kretschman (1998-2001) was named to the 2008 USA Olympic Softball Team the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced on Friday, March 28. Kretschman was a four-time All-American for Tide and owns every career offensive record at Alabama. She helped Team USA capture the Gold Medal in dominating fashion in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and was an alternate on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team.

Streak Halted at 26 Games
Alabama had won 26 straight games before dropping a 1-0 decision in eight innings to DePaul in Chicago on April 29. The Crimson Tide had not lost since March 12 when they split a doubleheader with No. 3 Florida. The 26-game winning streak was the second longest in school history behind a 27-game streak in 2001. The Crimson Tide beat No. 11 Northwestern 6-5 in eight innings on April 29 to break a tie with the 2007 team that won 25 consecutive games.

Sold Out
The success of the UA softball program under head coach Patrick Murphy can be seen by simply looking around the Alabama Softball Complex. As the wins have, the Crimson Tide fan base has grown steadily. From a handful of supporters in the early days of the Murphy era, Alabama has come to be among the nation's leaders in attendance on a perennial basis. On January 28, the UA ticket office sold its 1,595th and final season ticket for the 2008 season, giving the Tide an unprecedented season-long sellout in Tuscaloosa. It is unknown whether this feat has been equaled at any other softball program nationally.

In 2008, Alabama is once again setting attendance records. The Tide is average a school-record 1,934 per game and has sold 59,909 tickets this season. The Tide has seen 15 crowds of 2,000 or more in 2008 with a new school record of 2,461 coming in at doubleheader vs. LSU on April 5. In 2007, the Tide ranked third in the nation in average attendance, bringing in an average of 1,436 fans per game at home.

Strength of Schedule
After a disappointing seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, Murphy and his staff have assembled one of the most challenging schedules in Alabama softball history. The Tide will square off against no fewer than nine teams ranked in the two national softball preseason polls. Alabama faces Northwestern (7/6), DePaul (10/8), Washington (11/14) and Georgia Tech (17/18) in non-conference action. The Tide meets Tennessee (6/11), LSU (9/7) and Florida (13/13) in SEC action this season. Alabama went 11-9 against ranked teams in 2007.