Bama’s Allison Moore will transfer to Troy

TUSCALOOSA | Allison Moore is leaving the University of Alabama softball team and transferring to Troy for her senior season.

The Hillcrest High School graduate, a member of The Tuscaloosa News’ Super 10 all-star team and a Gatorade Player of the Year selection in high school, hopes to play for the Trojans as a hitter and pitcher. She has been granted a release from Alabama and will be eligible to play next season.

“I hope to play,” she said. “I guess it all depends on health and everything. I’m working on it in the summer.”

Moore struggled with a back injury last season at Alabama as a junior. She pitched just 141⁄3 innings, going 1-0 with a 3.42 earned-run average. She batted .154 with two doubles in 18 at-bats.

“It’s better,” she said of her back. “I’ve been doing everything I’m supposed to do to recover. It’s been a lot of work but it’s going to pay off.”

Moore said lack of playing time wasn’t her only reason for transferring.

“I just feel like it will be a good opportunity for me,” she said. “I felt like it was the right thing to do. I felt like I needed to pick up and move.

“At Troy all the doors opened at the right time. It’s a very pretty campus, a great school. They’ve been pretty good (in softball) for the last few years, very successful.”

Moore was 3-0 as a junior, pitching 31 innings, and pitched just two innings as a freshman. In Alabama’s pitching rotation last season she was behind freshman Kelsi Dunne, sophomore Charlotte Morgan and senior Chrissy Owens. While Owens has completed her eligibility, Amanda Locke will enter the rotation as a redshirt freshman next season.

“She worked really hard for three years,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said of Moore. “I know as a pitcher you want to pitch. I asked her what she really wanted out of her last year and she said she really wanted to play. Both of us were sad, but there will be an opportunity for her somewhere.

“She’s a very good pitcher but the circumstances here were she just didn’t get to pitch that much.”

Moore is majoring in exercise physiology.

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.