Alabama Athletics
Live Updates: No. 16 Alabama Softball vs. No. 14 LSU (Game 1)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama is gearing up for its final home SEC series of the year at Rhoads Stadium.
This weekend, the No. 14 LSU Tigers (37-11, 10-8 SEC) are in town for a three-game series against the No. 16 Crimson Tide (34-15, 10-8 SEC.)
The two teams are tied for fifth place in the SEC standings. LSU is coming off a three-game sweep over Mississippi State, and Alabama lost the series at home against Auburn last weekend.
Montana Fouts is back in the circle for the Crimson Tide Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Starting lineup:
Follow along for score updates and analysis on the live blog:
Scouting Alabama
Game notes courtesy of Alabama Athletics
- Alabama is back at home this weekend, hosting LSU for three games at Rhoads Stadium starting Friday, April 28
- Saturday's game will air live on ESPN2 with Sunday's finale on ESPN
- This weekend is the Crimson Tide's final SEC home series of the regular season, heading to Ole Miss the following weekend before starting postseason play at the SEC Softball Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark.
- Last time out, Alabama won its series opener against Auburn, 6-1, before dropping the next two games, 5-1 and 3-1, as the Tigers took the series
- Kenleigh Cahalan leads the team with 49 hits, with Ally Shipman close behind with 48 as the pair also owns a combined 29 doubles
- Bailey Dowling (41) and Ashley Prange (40) are also in the 40+ hit club on the team, with Prange leading the team in home runs and RBIs (12, 37) and Dowling second in both categories (7, 36)
- The Alabama pitching staff has a 1.92 ERA with 332.1 innings pitched, led by Montana Fouts at 18-8 with a 1.54 ERA and NCAA-leading 262 strikeouts in 172.1 innings pitched
- Murphy is in his 25th season as head coach at Alabama with a 1,227-348 (.779) record
- Alabama returns 11 players from last year's team, including All-SEC honorees Montana Fouts, Ashley Prange, Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling, while also welcoming five freshmen and three transfers
Inside the Series
· Overall vs. LSU: 41-45
o In Tuscaloosa: 21-13 | In Baton Rouge: 12-25 | At Neutral Sites: 8-7
· Current Streak: Alabama +1
· Last Meeting: March 13, 2022 - Baton Rouge, La. - W, 2-1
- Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: Feb. 21, 2021 - W, 13-5 (5)
Last Time Out: vs. Auburn
- Alabama won the series opener vs. Auburn, 6-1, before falling in games two, 5-1, and three, 3-1, to drop the weekend series
- The Crimson Tide has won game one in five of its six SEC series this season
- Ally Shipman was 3-for-3 in the series opener, her second-straight three-hit game and her ninth multi-hit game of the season
- Montana Fouts moved into second all-time at Alabama in career strikeouts over the weekend, now owning 1,120 as she passed Stephanie VanBrakle's (2003-06) career mark of 1,113
- Kenleigh Cahalan was 4-for-9 (.444) over the weekend, earning a hit in every game including a 2-for-3 day on Sunday
