The No. 3 Lady Vols (24-1, 6-0 SEC) will return to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium this weekend for a series against No. 13 Alabama (23-8, 1-2 SEC).
Tennessee will look to maintain its undefeated conference record this season after series sweeps of Ole Miss and LSU. The Lady Vols also put their 19-game winning streak on the line, as they have an unblemished record since their lone loss of the season, which came at the hands of Cal State Fullerton in Mexico.
The Crimson Tide have struggled early in the season. They lost their opening SEC series of the season against Arkansas last weekend in a final game which went ten innings. Although Alabama does have out-of-conference wins over quality opposition such as Duke, Florida State and Texas, the Tide have not started their season well.
The star player for the Crimson Tide is graduate pitcher Montana Fouts. She has pitched 99 innings this season, more than double any other Alabama pitcher this season. Fouts has a 1.56 earned run average on the season and a WHIP of 0.72. Tennessee last faced Fouts at the 2021 SEC tournament, where she allowed three runs in six and two-thirds innings of work in a winning effort for Alabama. Fouts pitched all ten innings in the series-ending loss against Arkansas, throwing 173 pitches and only allowing two runs.
Alabama’s other pitchers also boast impressive statistics. The team as a whole has a 1.88 earned run average with a WHIP of 0.87. In their 31 games, the Crimson Tide have shut out their opponents ten times. Opponents bat at a .184 clip against them.
The leading batter for Alabama is Bailey Dowling. In her 28 games played, she maintains a .342 batting average with three home runs. She has also plated 21 runners across the season. Ashley Prange is the most dangerous power hitter with nine home runs on the year and a slugging percentage of .641. As a team, the Tide have 30 home runs in 31 games and bat at a .299 clip.
One matchup that could determine the outcome of the series is stolen bases. Alabama has 44 stolen bases on 49 attempts, good for a success rate of 90%. The Lady Vol success rate is slightly lower at 89%, but Tennessee has stolen six more bases. Tennessee catcher Giulia Koutsoyanopulos has caught four baserunners on seven attempts, while Alabama catchers have caught five runners on eight attempts. Baserunning could prove the difference in a series between two strong teams.
Especially against Fouts, Tennessee hitters will need to maintain a strong performance, beginning from the start of the lineup. Both Mackenzie Donihoo and Kiki Milloy are in batting slumps, going 0 for 20 in Baton Rouge. The two star batters will need to pick up their performance if they wish to see victory against the Crimson Tide.
