Alabama Softball Completes 2006 Signing Class
11/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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The University of Alabama softball team announced the signing of three more players for the 2006 season, giving the class a total of seven athletes.
Ashley Holcombe of Fayetteville, Georgia, Kelley Montalvo of Miami, Florida and Blair Potter of Columbus, Georgia all signed national letters of intent to play for head coach Patrick Murphy and the Tide beginning in 2006.
Holcombe, a senior at Fayette County High School, is a three-time all-state performer and was also named the team’s best defender in 2002 and the team MVP in 2003. She also helped lead her Georgia Elite Gold team to a fifth place finish at the 18-u Gold Nationals tournament.
“Ashley is a rarity in softball – a great receiver who can also hit for power and average,” said Murphy. “She is very competitive and a great leader behind the plate. We thought she was the best catcher in the south last summer. Ashley comes from a very competitive summer program and will step right in and compete. She was considered one of the top two or three prospects from Georgia this year.”
Montalvo, a senior at Pace High School, was named a First Team All-Dade performer as well as the Player of the Year in 2003-04.
“Kelley will become a crowd favorite in no time. She has a great love and passion for the game and will earn the respect of our fans very quickly,” commented Murphy. “We are really lucky she will be wearing an Alabama uniform. She has tremendous power and quickness and is able to play seven positions on the field. Kelley comes from the same area in Florida which brought us Jackie Wilkins, Dominique Accetturo, Michelle Menningmann and Chrissy Owens.”
Potter made history when she signed with the Crimson Tide becoming the first left-handed pitcher in Alabama softball history. A transfer from Wallace-Dothan Community College, Potter also becomes the first junior college signee since 1997 for Alabama. She currently holds the Wallace-Dothan strikeout record and was named to the all-tournament team at the NJCAA National Championships.
“Blair will become the program’s first left-handed pitcher,” said Murphy. “She pitched against us in the fall and was terrific against a very good lineup. We see great things ahead of her. Just being left-handed will be a big benefit for us. I know Coach (Vann) Stuedeman (Alabama’s pitching coach) is every excited to get to work with a lefty.
“A lot of the credit for our great class of recruits has to go to Aly (Habetz) and Vann (Steudeman),” added Murphy. “They were out representing Alabama all summer while I was working with Team Canada. They did a terrific job in solidifying this class.”
Holcombe, Montalvo and Potter push the Tide’s number of signees to seven. They join Kellie Eubanks, Allison Moore, Brittany Rogers and Jessica Smith in completing the Tide’s rookie class of 2006.
