Alabama – As they make their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the Tide will be looking to get to its fourth consecutive College World Series.  Like many top teams, Alabama set itself up with a strong schedule, but that did not manage to hinder them for continuing their success, winning 30 of their first 31 games, including the first 17.  In that 31-game stretch the Tide defeated NCAA teams Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia and Oregon, all teams that earned national seeds.  The team compiled an overall 22-8 record against NCAA teams they faced.

The Tide’s offense has been balanced this year, with seven of 10 regulars hitting over .300.  Kayla Braud sets the table for Alabama, leading the team in hitting with a .437 average, .522 on-base percentage, all while also swiping 50 bases.  Jackie Traina is hitting .358 and has hit a team-high 13 homers, while driving in 44 runners.  Whitney Larsen is second on the team in round-trippers with 12, but leads the team in RBI with 51.

In what is seeing to be a trend amongst many teams, ‘Bama utilizes a two pitcher rotation.  It’s ace is Kelsi Dunne and she has yet to disappoint the fans.  She has a 24-3 record and a nice ERA at 1.17.  Her partner in the circle is Traina.  Traina has also put up some impressive stats, with a 17-5 record and a 1.38 ERA.  The two have combined to strike out 439 batters while walking 101.

Chattanooga – The Lady Mocs won their eleventh Southern Conference Tournament title Saturday, earning the conference’s automatic bid for the eighth time in 12 years.  The Lady Mocs stayed close against some of the top opponents they played, such as Indiana and Georgia, losing by two to the Hoosiers and by a single run to Georgia.  They also defeated NCAA-bound Fordham 1-0.

The Lady Mocs boast a lineup in which their top 10 players all bat over .300.  Vivian Morimoto leads all players with a .422 average.  Michelle Fuzzard, who is hitting .412, is second on the team in home runs with 14, leads the team with 75 RBI and leads the team in doubles with 14, is tied for the team high in hits (68) with Lyndsey Stiles, who has only been caught trying to steal once in 34 tries.  Tiffany Baker leads the squad with 15 dingers and is second in RBI with 61.

Fuzzard leads the pitchers with a 17-6 record, but also gives up three earned runs per game.  Nikki Waters has compiled a nice 13-3 record, with a 2.27 ERA and 91 strikeouts.  Kandice Irwin has appeared in 35 games, starting three, and compiling a 12-3 record.  She also has seven saves.  The most impressive part is that although she has only pitched in 99 innings, she has 102 K’s and only nine walks on the season.

Memphis – The Tigers earned their first ever tournament berth after going 35-12.  Memphis is one of five Conference USA teams to earn an invite.  They come into the postseason on a bit of a hot streak, winning 14 of their past 16 games.  They played 11 teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, including Stanford and Texas A&M, each of whom earned one of the 16 national seeds.  The Tigers went 7-11 against them.  But one of those seven was a win against the Cardinal.

Memphis is led by two big hitters, Heather Mott and Jessica Phillips.  Phillips leads the squad with 15 bombs and 44 RBI, while Mott has 10 homers and 29 RBI.  Mott also leads the team with nine doubles.  Maddie McKinley has 29 RBI, six doubles, three triples and a team-high 13 steals.

Carly Hummel is the team’s ace.  This is seen by her 20-6 record and 1.32 ERA.  She has a sweet 185 strikeouts so far and opponents are hitting .139 against her.  She’s also only given up seven home runs.

Jackson State – The Lady Tigers softball team defeated the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 6-2 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game. With the win Jackson State wins its first conference championship in softball.

Wendi Reed has put up some very impressive numbers this season and has been a terror on the base paths.  She has stolen 55 bases in her 59 attempts.  She also leads the team with eight home runs, while being second in RBI with 29.

The Tigers have ridden their two horses for pretty much the entire season.  Both Breea Jamerson and LeEthel Guillory have 13-9 records.  Guillory leads the team in ERA (2.89) and strikeouts (123).