May 28, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Alabama softball team had four players earn 2008 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America honors on Wednesday afternoon the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced.

The Crimson Tide led the nation with three first-team selections as Brittany Rogers, Charlotte Morgan and Kelley Montalvo were honored. Freshman pitcher Kelsi Dunne also garnered third-team honors. It marked the most first-team All-America selections in school history and tied the 2001 team with four total All-Americans.

"To have four players earn All-America honors playing in one of the toughest leagues in the country is a special honor for them and this program," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. "We have never had three first-team All-Americans on one team but Brittany, Charlotte and Kelley are all very deserving."

Rogers, now a three-time All-American, garnered first-team honors for the first time after being selected to the third team as a freshman and the second team as a sophomore. The Dacula, Ga., native leads the country in stolen bases (58) and runs scored (77) while hitting .459 from her leadoff spot. She boasts a.507 on-base percentage and an impressive .541 slugging percentage.

Morgan, the Moreno Valley, Calif., native was also a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year with a .425 batting average, 18 doubles, 18 home runs and 75 RBI at the plate while boasting a 17-2 record in the circle with a 1.29 ERA. It is Morgan's first All-America honors after earning second-team All-South Region as a freshman in 2007. Morgan's 75 RBI are a school record and the second-highest total in SEC history.

Montalvo, a Miami, Fla., native was an at-large selection at third base in 2008 after hitting .384 with 10 home runs, 14 doubles and 53 RBI while posting a .519 on-base percentage. She turned in an amazing season at the hot corner with a .982 fielding percentage, making just three errors in 62 games.

Dunne, a freshman from Port Orange, Fla., has compiled a 25-4 record in her rookie campaign with a 1.37 ERA and 254 strikeouts. Her 254 strikeouts rank as the fifth-highest total in school history while her 25 wins are an Alabama freshman record. Dunne is the fourth freshman at Alabama to earn All-America honors, joining Jackie McLain (2001), Ashley Courtney (2002) and Rogers (2006).

The Crimson Tide opens play in the 2008 NCAA Women's College World Series on Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m. from ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN HD.