HomeSportsCollege SportsAlabama AthleticsAlabama Softball Welcomes Louisiana for Top-20 Out-of-Conference MatchupAlabama Softball Welcomes Louisiana for Top-20 Out-of-Conference MatchupFri, April 23, 2021 by RadioAlabama Sports Digital Team This Week: No. 5/ No. 5 Alabama (34-7) vs. No. 13/ No. 18 Louisiana (35-7)Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads StadiumSaturday, April 24 – 1:30 p.m. CTSunday, April 25 – 1:30 p.m. CTScouting AlabamaNo. 5 Alabama is 34-7 overall and 12-6 in SEC play after earning a 6-3 win over Southern Miss on WednesdayThe Crimson Tide concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend against No. 13 Louisiana (April 24-25) before finishing SEC play against Georgia (April 30-May 2) and Ole Miss (May 6-8)Alabama pitching leads the SEC with 346 strikeouts and is third with a 1.66 ERAIn SEC play, the Tide leads the league in hits (134), runs batted in (82), batters struck out (146) and runners caught stealing (5)The Crimson Tide is ranked as high as No. 5 in this week’s national pollsAlabama returned 17 players from last season, including all seven 2020 seniors, while UA added five freshmenInside the Series vs. LouisianaOverall: Series tied 6-6In Tuscaloosa: 4-1 | In Lafayette: 1-4 | At Neutral Sites: 1-1Current Streak: Louisiana +2Last Meeting: Feb. 19, 2017 – Lafayette, La. – L, 0-7Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: March 1, 2015 – W, 3-2Last Time Out: Alabama vs. Southern MissAlabama edged Southern Miss, 6-3, Wednesday night at Rhoads StadiumSix different players earned a hit in the win, including multi-hit efforts from Elissa Brown and Kaylee TowIt was the 13th multi-hit game for both Brown and Tow this season, which is tied for the team leadAbby Doerr and Savannah Woodard each drove in a pair of runs, tallying their second and third multi-RBI games of the season, respectivelyBailey Hemphill drew two walks to improve her career total to 211, just one shy of Auburn’s Kasey Cooper at third in SEC historyKrystal Goodman allowed just one run on three hits over 6.0 innings pitched to earn the win, striking out sixAlabama Out of ConferenceThis weekend marks Alabama’s final non-conference games of the regular season, with the Crimson Tide sporting a 22-1 mark outside of SEC play this seasonThe out-of-conference slate includes four ranked games, including two this weekend against No. 13 Louisiana and two wins against then-No. 8 LSU on Feb. 20-21Seven of the games so far were won via the run ruleThe Tide is hitting .329 (187-for-569) in out-of-conference play this season, outscoring its opponents 148-30Alabama pitching sports a 1.13 out-of-conference ERA with 200 strikeouts and just 24 walksHemphill Two Shy of UA Career Home Run RecordSenior Bailey Hemphill’s 58 career home runs is tied with Kaila Hunt (2011-14) and Charlotte Morgan (2007-10) at second in the UA career rankings, two shy of Kelly Kretschman’s (1998-2001) career record of 60She is the fifth player in program history to reach the 50 home run mark, the first since HuntHemphill tied the UA single-season record in 2019 with 26 home runsWith her second home run in game one against Auburn on March 12, Hemphill became the third player in program history to surpass the 200 career RBI mark, joining Charlotte Morgan (2007-10) and Kaila Hunt (2011-14) in the prestigious clubNow with 221 career RBIs, Hemphill passed Hunt’s total of 215 and continues to close in on Morgan’s school-record total of 264Alabama League Play LeadersTeam Rankings (Top 3)Hits – 1st – 134Runs Batted In – 1st – 82Batters Struck Out – 1st – 146Runners Caught Stealing – 1st – 5Runs Scored – 2nd – 90Batting Average – 3rd – .275Doubles – 3rd – 19Walks – 3rd – 59Total Bases – 3rd – 192Stolen Bases – 3rd – 14Earned Run Average – 3rd – 2.31Individual Rankings (Top 3)On Base Percentage – Bailey Hemphill – 1st – .642Runs Batted In – Bailey Hemphill – 1st – 23Batters Struck Out – Montana Fouts – 1st – 92Runners Caught Stealing – Bailey Hemphill – 1st – 5Runs Scored – Alexis Mack – 2nd – 16Walks – Bailey Hemphill – 2nd – 18Home Runs – Bailey Hemphill – 2nd – 6Batting Average – Bailey Hemphill – 3rd – .455Total Bases – Bailey Hemphill – 3rd – 42Slugging Percentage – Bailey Hemphill – 3rd – .955Pitching PowerThe Alabama bullpen owns a 1.66 team ERA with just 64 earned runs allowed over 270.1 innings pitchedTide pitchers have struck out 346 batters as opposed to just 79 walksOpponents are only hitting 36-for-232 (.155) with runners in scoring position, striking out 84 timesAlabama leads the SEC in strikeouts (346) and is third in ERA (1.66)In SEC play, Alabama has struck out a league-leading 146 batters, over 30 more than the next-highest teamMontana Fouts and Lexi Kilfoyl are both ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in strikeouts with 181 (2nd) and 95 (9th), respectivelyAlabama ranks seventh nationally in shutouts (13) and eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.40)Fouts’ 181 strikeouts ranks eighth nationallyPassing It DownAlabama is 127-for-393 (.325) with runners in scoring position this season, including 22 doubles, 15 home runs, 60 walks and 185 RBIsConversely, opponents are batting just 36-for-232 (.155) with runners in scoring position and 47 RBIsAlabama Leaders with Runners in Scoring PositionElissa Brown – 11-for-23 (.478), 9 RBIs, 4 BBBailey Hemphill – 19-for-46 (.413), 32 RBIs, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 BBAlexis Mack – 16-for-40 (.400), 15 RBIs, 2 2B, 3B, 6 BBKaylee Tow – 20-for-51 (.392), 31 RBIs, 6 2B, 3 HR, 11 BBBailey Hemphill Sets Alabama Career Walks RecordDrawing her second walk of the day in the fourth inning of game one against Texas A&M, Bailey Hemphill improved her career total to 200, passing former Alabama record-holder Haylie McCleney to become the program’s all-time walks leaderHemphill is just the fourth player in SEC history to draw 200 career walksSEC Career Walks LeadersAmanda Lorenz (Florida) – 236 – 2016-19Devon Wallace (Arkansas) – 235 – 2012-15Kasey Cooper (Auburn) – 212 – 2014-17Bailey Hemphill (Alabama) – 211 – 2017-pres.Up Next – Alabama at Georgia (Athens, Ga.)Friday, April 30 – 5 p.m. CTSaturday, May 1 – 12 p.m. CT (ESPN2)Sunday, May 2 – 1 p.m. CTSHARE NOWShare This Page