Liberty Set to Take On No. 6/8 Alabama
3/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Lady Flames continue their 2010 spring break trip on Tuesday, when they face No. 6/8 Alabama in a doubleheader in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Opening pitch for game one is scheduled for 3 p.m.
The games will mark the 14th and 15th times Liberty has faced a top-10 team in program history.
The last time the Lady Flames beat a top-10 squad was in 2007, when Liberty upset No. 6 Michigan, 2-0, in the Women4Women Softball Invitational in Louisville, Ky., on March 24.
Current Liberty assistant coach Jessica Moore doubled in that game to put two runners in scoring position, then crossed the plate when Ashley Williams drove in two runs with another double.
That win marked the third-highest ranked opponent a Liberty athletics team has defeated in department history, and the third nationally-ranked opponent the 2007 Lady Flames upset. Earlier wins over No. 10/14 Baylor and No. 23 Hawaii were other highlights of that season.
The last time the Lady Flames faced a nationally-ranked team was last season, when they squared off against No. 18 Texas A&M on March 14, 2009, as part of the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. The Aggies edged the Lady Flames, 1-0.
Alabama is currently ranked No. 6 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll and No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA top 23 Poll.
The Crimson Tide finished the 2009 season ranked third in the nation behind national champion Washington and runner-up Florida.
Alabama is 14-5 on the season, posting wins over No. 4 Michigan, No. 9 Missouri and No. 14 Ohio State. The team is led by Kayla Braud, who is batting .453 with 24 hits and seven RBIs, while Cassie Reilly-Bocci is batting .435 with 20 hits and 10 RBIs.
Pitcher Kelsi Dunne (6-3) has tallied 95 strikeouts in 56 innings of work, while Lauren Sewell (4-0) boasts a team-best 1.03 ERA.
At 7-3, the Lady Flames are tied for the second-best start since the 1994 season, when Liberty began Division I competition, and third-best in program history. Liberty's 2007 squad started at 7-3, while the 1996 team started 16-2. At the Division II level, the 1982 Lady Flames started 11-3.
The Lady Flames are coming off of a 4-1 appearance at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic in Woodstock, Ga., where they shut out Dartmouth, 11-0, and Rhode Island, 8-0, in five inning games. Liberty also defeated Kennesaw State and Akron before falling to No. 23 Kentucky in the final game on Sunday, 7-0.
That performance was good for a fourth-place finish out of 22 teams, and shortstop Kelly Strickland was named to the Buzz Classic All-Tournament Team.
Strickland currently leads the team with a .400 batting average (which also ties for third in the Big South), 12 hits and three home runs, while Danielle Howard, who is batting .370 on the year, has recorded 10 hits, including a team-best four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Freshman pitcher Katrina Johnson (1-1) picked up her first collegiate win at the Buzz Classic, with an 8-0 shutout over Rhode Island. Junior hurler Tiffani Smith leads the pitching staff with 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of work to post a 3-1 record.
Tomorrow's matchup will mark the first meeting between Liberty and Alabama.
The games will mark the 14th and 15th times Liberty has faced a top-10 team in program history.
The last time the Lady Flames beat a top-10 squad was in 2007, when Liberty upset No. 6 Michigan, 2-0, in the Women4Women Softball Invitational in Louisville, Ky., on March 24.
Current Liberty assistant coach Jessica Moore doubled in that game to put two runners in scoring position, then crossed the plate when Ashley Williams drove in two runs with another double.
That win marked the third-highest ranked opponent a Liberty athletics team has defeated in department history, and the third nationally-ranked opponent the 2007 Lady Flames upset. Earlier wins over No. 10/14 Baylor and No. 23 Hawaii were other highlights of that season.
The last time the Lady Flames faced a nationally-ranked team was last season, when they squared off against No. 18 Texas A&M on March 14, 2009, as part of the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. The Aggies edged the Lady Flames, 1-0.
Alabama is currently ranked No. 6 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll and No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA top 23 Poll.
The Crimson Tide finished the 2009 season ranked third in the nation behind national champion Washington and runner-up Florida.
Alabama is 14-5 on the season, posting wins over No. 4 Michigan, No. 9 Missouri and No. 14 Ohio State. The team is led by Kayla Braud, who is batting .453 with 24 hits and seven RBIs, while Cassie Reilly-Bocci is batting .435 with 20 hits and 10 RBIs.
Pitcher Kelsi Dunne (6-3) has tallied 95 strikeouts in 56 innings of work, while Lauren Sewell (4-0) boasts a team-best 1.03 ERA.
At 7-3, the Lady Flames are tied for the second-best start since the 1994 season, when Liberty began Division I competition, and third-best in program history. Liberty's 2007 squad started at 7-3, while the 1996 team started 16-2. At the Division II level, the 1982 Lady Flames started 11-3.
The Lady Flames are coming off of a 4-1 appearance at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic in Woodstock, Ga., where they shut out Dartmouth, 11-0, and Rhode Island, 8-0, in five inning games. Liberty also defeated Kennesaw State and Akron before falling to No. 23 Kentucky in the final game on Sunday, 7-0.
That performance was good for a fourth-place finish out of 22 teams, and shortstop Kelly Strickland was named to the Buzz Classic All-Tournament Team.
Strickland currently leads the team with a .400 batting average (which also ties for third in the Big South), 12 hits and three home runs, while Danielle Howard, who is batting .370 on the year, has recorded 10 hits, including a team-best four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Freshman pitcher Katrina Johnson (1-1) picked up her first collegiate win at the Buzz Classic, with an 8-0 shutout over Rhode Island. Junior hurler Tiffani Smith leads the pitching staff with 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of work to post a 3-1 record.
Tomorrow's matchup will mark the first meeting between Liberty and Alabama.
Liberty Softball Show with Dot Richardson, Alexia Carrasquillo and Camden Anders.
Wednesday, May 06
Lady Flames Softball Podcast: CUSA Tournament Preview + Dot Richardson and Maci Strickland Join!
Tuesday, May 05
Aubry Norris: A Bigger Purpose
Monday, May 04
Alexia Carrasquillo: Following God's Plan
Wednesday, April 29