Freshman Catcher Abby Doerr Finally Cleared to join Alabama softball

Early enrollee will join the Crimson Tide immediately for the 2020 season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Coming off its unexpected showing in the Joanne Graf Classic in Tallahassee, Fla., the University of Alabama got some good news on Monday morning. 

Freshman Abby Doerr finally had her paperwork issues resolved and was cleared by the NCAA. She's immediately eligible for the 2020 season. 

“We are so excited to welcome Abby to the Crimson Tide family,” Crimson Tide coach Patrick Murphy said in a release. “She comes from a great athletic family, with her mom as a collegiate catcher and her dad a collegiate football player.”

Doerr signed her national letter of intent in November and enrolled at the University of Alabama for the spring semester. 

During three seasons at Marist High School in Eugene, Ore., Doerr was named the 2019 4A Player of the Year and the Sky-Em Conference Player of the Year while also earning first team all-state honors. 

In 2018, she was named the Oregon Sports Award Softball Player of the Year and Mid-Western League Player of the Year. She also earned first team all-state and all mid-western league accolades. 

Doerr was ranked 41st in her class on the Extra Inning Elite 100 list.

“Abby is one of the best hitting catchers in this class," Murphy said. "She’s a power-hitting lefty with a great arm as well. She was coached by her mother [Melissa], a former NCAA Division-I catcher, as well as former Alabama All-American Kayla Braud.”

Catcher was considered a big need for the Crimson Tide. Senior Bailey Hemphill handled the catching duties during the opening weekend. Last season she set single-season school records with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs, the former tying the SEC record and the latter leading the NCAA. 

Hemphill also led the team with a .375 batting average and 72 hits in 2019.

Coming off a 1-3 start to the season, the Crimson Tide heads to the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational this weekend where it'll face Liberty, Washington, USF, UCLA and Oklahoma State.