Patrick Murphy: Montana Fouts pitched before game vs. LIU, status vs Middle Tennessee State still unclear

Friday night, Alabama kicked off the Tuscaloosa Regional of the NCAA Tournament with a victory over LIU. The Crimson Tide is still without Montana Fouts, though, as she deals with a knee injury.

Head coach Patrick Murphy had a fairly promising update after the game.

Fouts pitched in the batting cages before the victory over LIU. However, he’s still not sure if she’ll be able to go against Middle Tennessee State in the Regional Semifinal Saturday afternoon, according to Tide Illustrated’s Tony Tsoukalas.

Patrick Murphy said Montana Fouts pitched in the batting cages before tonight's game. Murphy said he is still unsure if Fouts will be available tomorrow against Middle Tennessee State.

— Tony Tsoukalas (@Tony_Tsoukalas) May 20, 2023

Fouts suffered the injury in the SEC Tournament when she planted on a pitch against Arkansas. She hasn’t thrown since, and Murphy said earlier this week Fouts is dealing with a hyperextended knee and is still considered day-to-day.

Fouts saw an orthopedic doctor earlier this week to find out what exactly happened, and Murphy sounded happy with the prognosis.

“We went over to [a doctor] on Monday morning, which you probably knew, and he is, I don’t want to call him a miracle worker, but he is one of the best people I’ve ever met in sports,” Murphy said. “She’s also seeing a very highly acclaimed PT in Birmingham, who works with a lot of his clients, [the doctor’s] clients, and it’s a lot better than I thought. It’s still day-to-day.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everybody’s thoughts and prayers and concerns, the outpouring of people that have asked about her. It’s been unbelievable.”

Fouts, a fifth-year senior and the 2021 NFCA Pitcher of the Year, has once again been one of the top pitchers in college softball this season. She leads the nation in strikeouts with 311, including nine through 6.2 innings against Arkansas. For her career, she has more than 1,000 strikeouts to her name, becoming the fifth Alabama pitcher to eclipse that mark.

Fouts is also one of the highest-profile college softball players in the nation. She has an On3 NIL Valuation of $136K, which ranks No. 1 in the On3 College Softball NIL Rankings.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.

Alabama defeated LIU 5-0 Friday night to advance in the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Crimson Tide will take on Middle Tennessee State Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Jaala Torrence got the start in the circle and threw a gem, striking out five and allowing four hits as part of a seven-inning shutout.