Live Updates: No. 14 Alabama Softball at Ole Miss (Game 1)

Somehow it is already time for the final series of the regular season.

And there's a lot on the line for Alabama softball.

If the 14th-ranked Crimson Tide wants any shot at a top-four seed and double bye in the SEC Tournament, Alabama (36-16, 12-9 SEC) will have to sweep the series at Ole Miss (28-23, 7-14 SEC) this weekend beginning with the series opener Friday night.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.

Starting lineups:

Follow along for live updates, including score updates, on the live blog throughout the game.

Scouting Alabama

Game notes courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Alabama finishes the regular season this weekend on the road with a three-game series at Ole Miss
Saturday's game will air live on SEC Network with Friday and Sunday's games streaming on SEC Network Plus
With the top four seeds earning a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament, the Crimson Tide is ranked fifth in the SEC standings heading into the final weekend, only a game behind both Auburn and Arkansas
Last weekend, Alabama took two of three games against 13th-ranked LSU behind a pair of complete-game shutouts from Montana Fouts, helping her earn SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week accolades
Kenleigh Cahalan leads the team with 50 hits, with Ally Shipman close behind with 48 as the pair also owns a combined 29 doubles
Bailey Dowling (43) and Ashley Prange (41) are also in the 40+ hit club on the team, with Prange leading the team in home runs and RBIs (13, 39) and Dowling second in both categories (8, 37)
The Alabama pitching staff has a 1.92 ERA with 353.1 innings pitched, led by Montana Fouts at 20-8 with a 1.43 ERA and NCAA-leading 277 strikeouts in 186.1 innings pitched
Murphy is in his 25th season as head coach at Alabama with a 1,229-349 (.779) record
Alabama returns 11 players from last year's team, including All-SEC honorees Montana Fouts, Ashley Prange, Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling, while also welcoming five freshmen and three transfers

Inside the Series

· Overall vs. Ole Miss: 63-6

o In Tuscaloosa: 33-2 | In Oxford: 29-3 | At Neutral Sites: 1-1

· Current Streak: Alabama +4

· Last Meeting: May 8, 2021 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W, 6-1

Last Meeting in Oxford: May 1, 2017 - L, 4-5

Last Time Out: vs. LSU

Alabama took two of three games from LSU last weekend in Tuscaloosa, splitting the first two games before winning Sunday's rubber match to clinch the series
Since losing the first three-game series between the two teams in Tuscaloosa (2004), the Crimson Tide has since won the next five straight at home against the Tigers (2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2023)
Both wins for Alabama were shutouts, giving the Tide 17 shutout victories this season including eight in SEC play
Montana Fouts went 2-0 with two complete-game shutouts, allowing just seven hits, all singles, with two walks and 15 strikeouts
Kenleigh Cahalan, Bailey Dowling and Ashley Prange each hit a home run over the weekend