Alabama softball moved up two spots to No. 18 in the latest official NCAA Ratings Percetage Index rankings after splitting two games with Florida over the weekend. The NCAA RPI – a key component in seedings teams for the NCAA Tournament – is released each Monday.
The top 16 seeds host regionals, and Alabama has hosted for 13 consecutive years. Breaking into the top 16 of the RPI would enhance UA’s chances of hosting again.
All 13 softball-playing SEC teams (Vanderbilt does not field a team in the sport) are ranked in the top 32 in the RPI, with 12 in the top 25. Georgia is fifth, followed by Florida (No. 7), South Carolina (No. 9), Tennessee (No. 10), Texas A&M (No. 12), LSU (No. 13), Auburn (No. 14), Mississippi State (19th), Kentucky (20th), Arkansas (21st) and Missouri (23rd). Ole Miss is 32nd in the RPI, which is calculated from a formula that considers a team’s record, its opponents’ record and its opponents’ opponents records.
Alabama has several players who rank highly in individual offensive statistics in conference play through Sunday’s victory over the Florida Gators.
Shortstop Sydney Booker leads the league in slugging percentage at .875 in SEC-only games. She is tied for third in home runs with four and ranks eighth in on-base percentage at .484.
Freshman Kaylee Tow is fifth in batting average in conference games at .382, with fellow outfielder Merrish Schroder tied for ninth at .357. Tow is seventh in on-base percentage at .488. First baseman/catcher Bailey Hemphill is tied for third in walks with 10 and ninth in on-base percentage at .475.
