Former Alabama softball pitcher Montana Fouts was one of 36 athletes named to the 2026 USA Softball Women’s National Team athlete pool. This group will compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup Group Stage event as well as the 2026 USA Softball International Cup. These players will also be in consideration for the 2028 Olympic team.

Fouts was an all-American pitcher at Alabama from 2019 to 2023 and has represented Team USA on the international stage multiple times at the World Games in 2022 and the Pan American games in 2023. She currently plays in the AUSL for the Utah Talons.

Lexi Kilfoyl and Skylar Wallace both started their careers at Alabama before transferring to Oklahoma State and Florida respectively and were also named to the athlete pool. The WBSC World Cup group stage will be September 12-16 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Crimson Tide Roll Call: Friday, April 3, 2026

• Former Alabama basketball player and longtime assistant Antoine Pettway was recognized as the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year for his work at Kennesaw State this year. Pettway’s squad won the Conference USA tournament, earning a spot in the NCAA tournament.

• After her introduction as the new women’s basketball head coach earlier in the day, Pauline Love threw out the first pitch at the Alabama softball game on Thursday night.

• Former Alabama forward Brandon Miller has set a new franchise record for the Charlotte Hornets with 54 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer.

Alabama Crimson Tide Thursday results:

• Women’s tennis: LSU 4, Alabama 1

• Softball: Texas 9, Alabama 1

• Baseball: Alabama 10, Oklahoma 7

Alabama Crimson Tide Friday schedule:

• Track and field at Battle on the Bayou, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, All day

• Rowing at Rocky Top Invite, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

• Baseball at Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 1 p.m., SEC Network+

• Gymnastics at NCAA Regional vs. Utah, Denver and Oregon State, Corvallis, Oregon, 3 p.m., ESPN+

• Softball vs. Texas, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network

Countdown to Alabama Football’s A-Day Scrimmage

8 days

On this date in Alabama Crimson Tide history:

April 3, 1985: Former Alabama quarterback Bobby Skelton was hired by the NFL as a back judge. Skelton, a long-time SEC official, joined former teammate Bobby Boylston, captain of the 1960 Alabama team, as a member of Art McNally’s NFL officiating crews. As a player, Skelton was best remembered for leading Alabama’s 16-15 win over Georgia Tech in 1960. — Bryant Museum

Alabama Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

“I thought Nebraska was the most football-crazed state until I came to Alabama. — James Michener in 1975 when he was writing his book, “Sports in America.”

We’ll leave you with this…

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The Forest Service’s decision to move its headquarters back to the West is gathering some expressions of support, with the plan to shut down the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and relocate to Salt Lake as soon as next year.

But a lot of questions remain over how that will affect Region 1, the oldest of the Forest Service regions and a legacy in Western Montana for more than a century.

The transition to a “state model” will mean the closure of the regional office at Fort Missoula. However, the agency says an operations center will stay in Missoula, along with research functions, like the Fire Science Lab. Local offices for land management, recreation, and fire protection aren’t expected to see changes.

But the change has been on the minds of Missoula leaders since the proposal was first made last year. Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis told me previously that the city is concerned about losing some high-paying jobs.

“We value our Forest Service employees in the way that that organization and agency has contributed to the culture of Montana and in Missoula and in particular.”- Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis

Mayor Davis says it’s also going to be critical for the Forest Service to maintain a presence in Missoula to help with fire safety concerns in a warmer climate.

“Obviously, we’re very fortunate in Missoula to be living next to the largest contiguous wilderness in the Lower 48 states,” Davis observed. “And we all know that with increasing temperatures and increasing wildfire risk, wildfire management and wildfire science are essential to the health of our communities, and we rely on the Forest Service for that.”

Bye-bye to the “Border Road”