TUSCALOOSA, Ala.| Alabama State opens postseason play Friday night at Rhoads Stadium in the Tuscaloosa Regional, facing eighth-seeded and host Alabama in the final game of the day.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPNU.
Alabama State (24-23) enters the tournament after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship Saturday at the Barbara Williams Complex with an 8-4 victory over Texas Southern. The Lady Hornets rode the arm of
Justine Jean (12-12, 5.27 ERA) in the championship game, as the Tournament MVP won a pair of games in the tournament and recorded a save.
Jean leads Alabama State in several categories in the circle this season including wins, appearances (28), games started (25), complete games (17), innings pitched (147.0) and strikeouts (80).
Charlene Castro (4-2, 2.51 ERA) leads the team in earned run average this season, splitting time between designated player and the circle.
Vanessa Bradford (8-9, 4.48 ERA) is second on the team in innings pitched at 86.1 and has recorded 54 strikeouts.
Alexis Sydnor, the SWAC Newcomer of the Year, leads Alabama State with a .387 batting average with 53 hits – including 12 extra-base hits – while scoring a team-high 34 runs. Meanwhile, Bradford is hitting .350 with 21 hits and 14 runs batted in; while
Alexis Massie finished the regular season and tournament play at .330 with 33 hits (with five doubles) and 17 runs batted in.
Kristin Gunter (.329),
Amira James (.327) and Castro (.310) are each over .300 for the season for Alabama State. Gunter and Castro lead the team with 12 doubles, while James leads the team with nine home runs.
The two teams have met just one time in school history, with the Crimson Tide winning 10-0 back in 2004.
Meanwhile, Alabama (52-7) is a national seed for the 16th time in 17 years as they have qualified for NCAA regional play each year since 1999. The Crimson Tide is 56-9 (.862) all-time in regional play, and have the longest active winning streak in regional play dating back to 2007 (37 consecutive games).
The game will follow the opening game of the tournament, Arizona State-Lipscomb, in Tuscaloosa.
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