Alabama Title Hopes Down To Wire
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Alabama’s softball team doesn’t have a crown yet, but the Crimson Tide is leading the Southeastern Conference going into the final weekend. And there is reason to be uneasy.
Alabama with a 15-6 SEC record is one game in front of LSU at 14-7 and 1 ½ in front of Ole Miss at 13-7. All three have a chance to win the regular season championship.
Most eyes will be on Baton Rouge where Alabama takes on the Tigers in games Friday through Sunday. Meanwhile, Ole Miss will be playing three games at Georgia on the same days.
Alabama and LSU play at 6 p.m. CDT Friday with ESPN2 televising the game. Saturday’s contest will be at 5 p.m. CDT on SEC Network. The Sunday game is at 1 p.m., also on SEC Network.
Ole Miss has only one path to the regular season championship, which is sweeping Georgia and LSU winning two of three games from Alabama.
If Alabama wins two or three games from LSU, Bama is outright champion. If Alabama wins one (and Ole Miss loses at least one at Georgia), the Tide and Tigers would tie for No. 1. If LSU sweeps Alabama, the Tigers get the crown.
No wonder it seems to Alabama Coach Patrick Murphy that championship season has already begun. In fact, he said, it seemed like it last weekend when Bama suffered two home losses to Kentucky in games that drew an average of about 4,000 each day.
As for losing two of three to the Wildcats, Murphy said, “They played hard. I don’t think anyone gave up. (Kentucky) beat us fair and square. They got the key hit. We need to flush it, get rid of it, and get ready to play Friday night.”
Motivation has been visible to Alabama players since the beginning of the season. In the locker room is a giant poster with the number ‘8” on it. That was where SEC coaches picked Bama to finish in this year’s SEC race.
Murphy said senior leadership from the two captains, catcher Reagan Dykes and pitcher Courtney Gettings, have “been key to the season.”
Now comes the final weekend with the regular season title on the line. The next week begins the SEC Championship Tournament. The Crimson Tide, ranked fourth in the nation in one poll and fifth in another, is almost certain to host an NCAA Tournament Regional and is on the cusp – as is LSU (ranked seventh/ninth in the polls) – for being home for a Super Regional.
Murphy pointed out that LSU lost its top two pitchers from last season, but has compensated well with its offense.
No kidding.
The Tigers lead the league in batting average (.324), slugging percentage (.547), on-base percentage (.430), hits (.427), RBI (309), and total bases (721).
But Alabama isn’t far behind on offense. Bama’s batting average (294) is eighth, slugging percentage (.506) sixth, on-base percentage (.411) second, runs scored (344) first, hits (402) fourth, RBI (306) second, home runs (71) first, and total bases (692) fourth.
Murphy’s concern is when the Tide’s hits (and big hits) come. Even though Bama is second in RBI, he feels that in Alabama losses there have been too many runners left on base.
The Tide coach said there had some “passiveness” in its hitting with runners on base, letting too many good pitches go and then having to go after tougher chances.
On the other side, Murphy points out that Alabama’s pitching “has held up well.” Three new pitchers have had the bulk of the work and all have been very good.
Freshman Montana Fouts is tops in the SEC among starting pitchers with a 1.07 earned run average and 13-3 record, followed by Krystal Goodman second with a 1.20 ERA and 9-0 record, and Sarah Cornell eighth in the league at 1.99 and 19-1.
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