The University of Alabama’s incoming softball freshman class is piling up accolades. Two of the Crimson Tide’s 2017 rookies earned high school All-America honors, and all four signees rank among the country’s top 100 prospects in the country. Top recruit Bailey Hemphill of Lafayette, La., was recently tabbed as the top prep catcher in the country by Diamond Sports and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The class is rated fifth-best in the country by flosoftball.com. The signees include Hemphill, rated No. 1 at her position and No. 3 overall, 22nd-ranked speed merchant Elissa Brown of Eclectic, 71st-ranked left-handed power hitter Gabrielle Calloway from the San Diego area and 86th-ranked Claire Jenkins, a right-handed batter with some pop from Cullman.
Hemphill garnered high school first-team All-America honors from the NFCA and Maxpreps.com, with Jenkins also being honored on the first team. Brown was named All-America by Maxpreps in the medium-sized school category.
"One of the best things about all four is work ethic," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. "They’re very, very hard-working. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see what they do."
Hemphill, a power hitter at 5-foot-10, didn’t see many pitches as a senior, with 50 walks (mostly intentional), a number that nearly matched her number of total at-bats. She hit 12 home runs – nearly one for every four at-bats – while batting .560 to win Miss Softball honors in Louisiana. Her 145 career walks is second all-time in the nation and she hit 54 career home runs with only eight strikeouts in 245 at-bats.
"I think she’s a pure softball player," Muprhy said. "She’s going to be one of the best hitters we’ve ever had. The way she gets the barrel on the ball for a kid her age, it’s just amazing."
Hemphill was shocked to be named the top high school catcher in the nation.
"I didn’t even know I was being considered," she said, "or that I was considered one of the top catchers. It’s a huge honor to be noticed, but to win it is crazy."
Hemphill will have to compete at her position at UA: Reagan Dykes garnered Freshman All-SEC honors last season at catcher.
"I just want to go in and compete and try to help the team any way I can," Hemphill said. "If that’s catching games, I’m all for it. If that’s sitting on the bench, I’m all for it, too."
Murphy says either sitting isn’t likely.
"I think we’re going to absolutely need both bats in the lineup," he said.
Alabama’s future recruiting also looks good. Two of UA’s committed prospects who will be freshmen in the 2018 season also garnered All-America honors this year after their high school junior seasons: Kendall Beth Sides, an outfielder from Sumiton Christian who was recognized by MaxPreps, and Kaylee Tow, an outfielder from Madisonville, Ky., who was named to the first team by the NFCA.
That class is ranked sixth nationally by flosoftball.com. Sides is ranked as the No. 32 prospect in her class by flosoftball.com. First baseman Kyra Lockhart of New Jersey is ranked fourth overall and middle infielder Maddie Morgan of Washington state is ranked 49th. Also committed in the class is pitcher Preston Madison of Kansas.
Another Alabama commit, pitcher Montana Fouts from Grayson, Ky., who just finished her sophomore season in high school, was also named first-team All-America by Maxpreps. Fouts is ranked eighth in her recruiting class, with shortstop Skyler Wallace of Georgia ranked seventh overall. Kloyee Anderson, a utility player from North Carolina, is also committed in that class, as is Kayla Davis of Hueytown.
