Executive Sports Editor
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 11:31 p.m.
The first time University of Alabama assistant softball coach Alyson Habetz saw Leona Lafaele, she struck out three times at a recruiting showcase tournament.
Habetz pulled out her cell phone and called UA head coach Patrick Murphy.
“You have to see this kid,” she told him. “You’re going to love her.”
What Habetz saw in the 5-foot-8 recruit from Sacramento, Calif., was raw power, even though she was swinging and missing.
“I’m telling you, every time she swung the bat there were no excuse-me cuts,” Habetz said.