Softball 2025-expectations?

[TideATL70]

Thanks for the recap Basket Case. I still hope Briski evolves into the Ace but you’re right- Not sure Murph has ever used this deep a staff in his career. Good to see others step up in the circle though. With how strong the league has gotten, a series win over a top 25 State team would be a positive. Won’t get any easier!!!

 

[Krymsonman]

Mrs. Basket Case and I were at the first game yesterday. Got run-ruled, 9 - 1, in the SEC opener. Bad pitching (obviously), and hitting almost as bad. The one run was unearned, late in the game, and had no impact on anything. With one kinda-sorta exception, we never really threatened to score while the game was in doubt.

The exception was almost as frustrating. Left the bases loaded and got 0 runs. It was "kinda-sorta" because the lead runner should have been out. She hit a hard line drive to right field, but right at MSU's right fielder....who inexplicably got her feet tangled up and fell. Ball hit the wall on the fly and the batter had a double. Should have been an error but wasn't scored that way. If the fielder had made the play (as she should have), the bases wouldn't have been loaded later in the inning.

Had several hits, but they were scattered singles and never really amounted to scoring opportunities.

We didn't see the second game, which was back-and-forth ending with an Alabama win. We weren't there, so I can't offer any more. Clearly, however, it was better than the first.

The first game was ignominious start to the SEC schedule, and looked painfully like last year -- except our best pitcher is really a #2, not an ace. We don't have a true #1 pitcher, and it's clear that Murphy doesn't trust the group -- but there's nobody to turn to.

At least one pitcher and several hitters will blossom, or this will be a difficult season.

Thanks for the recap Basket. I love softball, but I'm still very unsure of what will happen for BAMA with the current version. Let's see if we can bounce back tomorrow and at least take the series.

 

[Krymsonman]

Well, I watched the game on ESPN1 today, and for the first time in history, Mississippi State wins a series in Tuscaloosa. (They had not won a series against BAMA since 2014).

BAMA jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a couple of timely hits. But then three errors in the bottom on the second gave State a 3-1 lead. First, State had bases loaded. We made the throw to the plate but the catcher was not touching the plate. (Was actually 6 inches or so off the plate so it wasn't close). On the next batter, a passed ball allowed a another run to score, then the throw back to the plate from the catcher was wild and allowed the 3rd run to score. We managed to tie it up in the 3rd, but then our offense went to sleep for the day. We had a couple of chances but couldn't muster up a hit. State took the lead in the top of the 6th on a base hit to left. The runner on second, who had walked, scored to give State a 4-3 lead. We remained quiet after that. I'm not trying to single Briski out, but when they took her out of the game, they put up a graphic that said, for the weekend she gave up 12 hits and had 10 walks. You can't do that when you have an offensively challenged team. Not a good start to the SEC season.

 

[81usaf92]

Lost the SEC season opener to MSU at home…. nothing to worry about situation is normal

 

[TideATL70]

Disappointing as we seem to be setting a lot of “first time ever” or “first time since” over the past few years. It seems like the bats are SOMEWHAT better and I love the increase in steals to manufacture runs but now pitching and defense is weak. 12 hits/10 free passes- you’re right Krymson- that adds up to a bad start to SEC play. Seminoles midweek and a trip to Aggieland next weekend- definitely doesn’t get easier.

 

[81usaf92]

We might win 1 or 2 SEC series but that is about it. We aren’t a team that anyone fears to play on the schedule anymore. Ever since we got booted vs Washington with Osorio and Auburn was bashing our brains in it’s been obvious that something needed to change but Montana for 2 years made us think we had more time to adapt, but her final two years proved that even she couldn’t will us through it.

Yeah there are some fans that will bark about the 2012 and 2014 seasons and the numerous OKC runs since 2014 even if most of them were 2 and BBQs but this is just another program in the SEC now. We aren’t getting better until some serious changes are made. Sure there is the potential that something clicks and we make a run this year, but at some point we need to answer the question “Are we just happy with being an average organization or do we want to be one of the best programs in the country again”

 

[81usaf92]

Disappointing as we seem to be setting a lot of “first time ever” or “first time since” over the past few years. It seems like the bats are SOMEWHAT better and I love the increase in steals to manufacture runs but now pitching and defense is weak. 12 hits/10 free passes- you’re right Krymson- that adds up to a bad start to SEC play. Seminoles midweek and a trip to Aggieland next weekend- definitely doesn’t get easier.

The problem is that barring some back room ESPN deals… we are looking at being a 3 or 4 seed in a regional this year. We play aTm, Missouri, LSU, South Carolina, and Georgia… and I’m leaving off Florida and Oklahoma because we are probably 0-6 in those games. So really you are hoping we can win a series or two against equal to better teams in pretty much every SEC series. Use to we never worried about teams not named Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, but now we are on equal footing with all of them.

 

[JDCrimson]

I dont think we will make a regional this year. I hate to be a downer but i think wheels come completely off this year.

The problem is that barring some back room ESPN deals… we are looking at being a 3 or 4 seed in a regional this year. We play aTm, Missouri, LSU, South Carolina, and Georgia… and I’m leaving off Florida and Oklahoma because we are probably 0-6 in those games. So really you are hoping we can win a series or two against equal to better teams in pretty much every SEC series. Use to we never worried about teams not named Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, but now we are on equal footing with all of them.

 

[Krymsonman]

Disappointing as we seem to be setting a lot of “first time ever” or “first time since” over the past few years. It seems like the bats are SOMEWHAT better and I love the increase in steals to manufacture runs but now pitching and defense is weak. 12 hits/10 free passes- you’re right Krymson- that adds up to a bad start to SEC play. Seminoles midweek and a trip to Aggieland next weekend- definitely doesn’t get easier.

I will say that we do have some really good team speed. If we can get on base, we can motor. And I agree, the bats are "a little" better than last year, but at crunch time we just couldn't put any significant bat on the ball. I hope it will get better, but you're right, going forward it sure won't get easier.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

We were at today's game. Krymsonman gives a good summary.

Our hitting is a bit better than last year, but that doesn't set the bar real high.

The top half of the third inning, when we were in the field, was the difference in the game. MSU had the bases loaded with 1 out. The batter hits a perfect (for us) ball to a closed-in infield...easy bounce but hit just sharply enough that the runner on third doesn't have forever to get to home. SS (or 3rd base, I'm not sure) makes a perfect throw home for the force. BUT THE CATCHER'S FOOT WASN'T CLOSE TO BEING ON HOME PLATE.

We had a good view, and I hate it, but it was absolutely the right call. An unforgiveable mental and physical error.

Next batter, there's a mixup near home plate. I'm not sure if it was a passed ball or a fair ball dribbler. In any event, the pitcher and catcher got their signals crossed, the ball gets loose, then there's a bad throw. Two runs score.

Three unearned runs on two errors, the first of which was a first-order abomination. A total loss of poise led to the second....I have no doubt the previous play was still in their minds.

Looking hard for a silver lining, we did have two instances of timely hitting, leading to 3 of our 4 runs. It's been a while since I've seen that.

Then missed opportunities. In the bottom of the 4th, it took two excellent fielding plays by MSU to keep us from scoring at least one, probably two. Credit MSU there. Bottom of the 5th we had runners on first and third with 1 out. No runs. Bottom of the 6th and 7th were pitiful at-bats with nothing remotely close to threatening anything.

If not for fouling our own nest in the top of the third, we win. Iffity, iffity, if. Woulda-coulda-shoulda.

The fact is, we did foul our own nest and lost as a result. As another poster has already said, we may be slightly better offensively than last year. But we're nowhere near good enough at the plate to yak up three unearned runs against a ranked SEC team and still win.

Today, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[Krymsonman]

We were at today's game. Krymsonman gives a good summary.

Our hitting is a bit better than last year, but that doesn't set the bar real high.

The top half of the third inning, when we were in the field, was the difference in the game. MSU had the bases loaded with 1 out. The batter hits a perfect (for us) ball to a closed-in infield...easy bounce but hit just sharply enough that the runner on third doesn't forever to get to home. SS (or 3rd base, I'm not sure) makes a perfect throw home for the force. BUT THE CATCHER'S FOOT WASN'T CLOSE TO BEING ON HOME PLATE.

We had a good view, and I hate it, but it was absolutely the right call. An unforgiveable mental and physical error.

Next batter, there's a mixup near home plate. I'm not sure if it was a passed ball or a fair ball dribbler. In any event, the pitcher and catcher got their signals crossed, the ball gets loose, then there's a bad throw. Two runs score.

Three unearned runs on two errors, the first of which was a first-order abomination. A total loss of poise led to the second....I have no doubt the previous play was still in their minds.

Looking hard for a silver lining, we did have two instances of timely hitting, leading to 3 of our 4 runs. It's been a while since I've seen that.

Then missed opportunities. In the bottom of the 4th, it took two excellent fielding plays by MSU to keep us from scoring at least one, probably two. Credit MSU there. Bottom of the 5th we had runners on first and third with 1 out. No runs. Bottom of the 6th and 7th were pitiful at-bats with nothing remotely close to threatening anything.

If not for fouling our own nest in the top of the third, we win. Iffity, iffity, if. Woulda-coulda-shoulda.

The fact is, we did foul our own nest and lost as a result. As another poster has already said, we may be slightly better offensively than last year. But we're nowhere near good enough at the plate to yak up three unearned runs against a ranked SEC team and still win.

Today, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Yeah, I summed it up, but the bad happened in the top of the third inning, not the bottom. One day I will take a weekend and travel to T-Town for a softball series. I would love to see it live, despite our iffiness right now.

 

[81usaf92]

I dont think we will make a regional this year. I hate to be a downer but i think wheels come completely off this year.

Well money sells in a non money sport. We had no business hosting a regional last year nor did we have any reason of hosting a super regional in Montana’s final year but ESPN made it so that we did because Alabama softball draws massive views. I seriously see a scenario in which we lose every SEC series and wind up as the #16 seed in the tournament.

I think our out of conference schedule and in conference schedule is too good for us to be left out unless we have 3-4 sweeps with no won series.

 

[81usaf92]

We went 1-7 vs the SEC in series last year but despite RPI and traditional metrics got the opportunity to host a regional and had a pitcher single handily will us to a Super Regional win. Now we are faced with the prospect of going 1-7 at best again, but we have nowhere the consistency at pitching.

For years we have heard “Murph will fix it” or “Murph deserves the opportunity to fix it”. But if you start Alabama softball at 2015 you realize that we have only won 2 games in OKC trips twice and one atleast one game 4 times. That is not a sign of an elite program and more of a sign of an average program. If you really want to be honest the baseball team making it to a super regional two years ago might have been far more impressive than anything that the softball team has done since 2015. Atleast everyone knows that there are 12 better programs in SEC baseball than Alabama but Alabama softball has far bigger advantages over 90% of the softball programs in the country.

I think even if some magic happens in the next months a change has to happen in the next 2-3 years or you are going to start seeing Alabama Baseball attendance numbers with the softball team.

 

[81usaf92]

We were at today's game. Krymsonman gives a good summary.

Our hitting is a bit better than last year, but that doesn't set the bar real high.

The top half of the third inning, when we were in the field, was the difference in the game. MSU had the bases loaded with 1 out. The batter hits a perfect (for us) ball to a closed-in infield...easy bounce but hit just sharply enough that the runner on third doesn't forever to get to home. SS (or 3rd base, I'm not sure) makes a perfect throw home for the force. BUT THE CATCHER'S FOOT WASN'T CLOSE TO BEING ON HOME PLATE.

We had a good view, and I hate it, but it was absolutely the right call. An unforgiveable mental and physical error.

Next batter, there's a mixup near home plate. I'm not sure if it was a passed ball or a fair ball dribbler. In any event, the pitcher and catcher got their signals crossed, the ball gets loose, then there's a bad throw. Two runs score.

Three unearned runs on two errors, the first of which was a first-order abomination. A total loss of poise led to the second....I have no doubt the previous play was still in their minds.

Looking hard for a silver lining, we did have two instances of timely hitting, leading to 3 of our 4 runs. It's been a while since I've seen that.

Then missed opportunities. In the bottom of the 4th, it took two excellent fielding plays by MSU to keep us from scoring at least one, probably two. Credit MSU there. Bottom of the 5th we had runners on first and third with 1 out. No runs. Bottom of the 6th and 7th were pitiful at-bats with nothing remotely close to threatening anything.

If not for fouling our own nest in the top of the third, we win. Iffity, iffity, if. Woulda-coulda-shoulda.

The fact is, we did foul our own nest and lost as a result. As another poster has already said, we may be slightly better offensively than last year. But we're nowhere near good enough at the plate to yak up three unearned runs against a ranked SEC team and still win.

Today, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

We have 41 errors so far in this season alone. Murphy prides himself on teams with great defense and dominant pitching.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

We have 41 errors so far in this season alone. Murphy prides himself on teams with great defense and dominant pitching.

Regarding defense: That's 41 errors through 30 games, or about 1.36 errors per game. It sounds like a lot, but I don't have much context. So I looked up the SEC stats to date at this link:

2025 Softball Stats (PDF) - Southeastern Conference

Sure enough, we're dead last in the conference in errors and next to last in fielding percentage.

The stats do bear out that we're better offensively than last year. Currently 4th in batting average. But timely hitting is still an issue....despite being 4th in BA, we're 7th in runs scored. Which would indicate a lot of runners left on base.

It took the search function in the link to find it, but I finally did…..we're dead last in the SEC in runners LOB. True, all these numbers are early in the conference schedule. But that's the case for all teams, so 30 games in the stats should be meaningful by now.

I've seen this movie for going on 3 years now.

Regarding pitching, we've been spoiled with a string of truly first-rate pitchers going back 15+ years to Shelley Laird and Stephanie Van Brakle. Not so this year. Our best pitcher is rightly a #2. We don't have a true ace pitcher. Murphy clearly doesn't trust the pitching staff, as indicated by multiple substitutions.

Our best chance to get better is in the field. We're just not good enough at the plate or in the circle to overcome trailing the league in fielding.

 

[81usaf92]

Regarding defense: That's 41 errors through 30 games, or about 1.36 errors per game. It sounds like a lot, but I don't have much context. So I looked up the SEC stats to date at this link:

2025 Softball Stats (PDF) - Southeastern Conference

Sure enough, we're dead last in the conference in errors and next to last in fielding percentage.

The stats do bear out that we're better offensively than last year. Currently 4th in batting average. But timely hitting is still an issue....despite being 4th in BA, we're 7th in runs scored. Which would indicate a lot of runners left on base.

It took the search function in the link to find it, but I finally did…..we're dead last in the SEC in runners LOB. True, all these numbers are early in the conference schedule. But that's the case for all teams, so 30 games in the stats should be meaningful by now.

I've seen this movie for going on 3 years now.

Regarding pitching, we've been spoiled with a string of truly first-rate pitchers going back 15+ years to Shelley Laird and Stephanie Van Brakle. Not so this year. Our best pitcher is rightly a #2. We don't have a true ace pitcher. Murphy clearly doesn't trust the pitching staff, as indicated by multiple substitutions.

Our best chance to get better is in the field. We're just not good enough at the plate or in the circle to overcome trailing the league in fielding.

The thing that gets lost in hitting stats is “batting avg with RISP” especially when you aren’t launching a billion balls over the fence. It’s why I never was sold on last year’s baseball team despite high individual batting averages at the top. At some point you need to make long innings to win games. Our softball team struggles to get runs. I think we got more confident and competent hitters than past years but they are still a very weak lineup compared to who we are chasing.

I think the fact that Stephanie took one of the worst HC jobs in the country after a crazy amount of drama happened and then takes a job at Florida when Walton calls kinda gives you some insight of what it’s like to coach under Murphy.

I think Murphy is a great guy, I get to talk to him about 2-3 times a year and he is one of the most approachable coaches in Tuscaloosa. However I think he is so married to his philosophy that he actively rejects any form of change to the system. I think he deserves the right to go out in his own way but I fear it might have devastating effects on the program by the time he does.

 

[JDCrimson]

Married to his philosophy because he literally could not coach it otherwise?

Sounds like we are playing like Vanderbilt in football in softball - triple option with old scrapyy QB.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

The thing that gets lost in hitting stats is “batting avg with RISP” especially when you aren’t launching a billion balls over the fence. It’s why I never was sold on last year’s baseball team despite high individual batting averages at the top. At some point you need to make long innings to win games. Our softball team struggles to get runs. I think we got more confident and competent hitters than past years but they are still a very weak lineup compared to who we are chasing.

I think the fact that Stephanie took one of the worst HC jobs in the country after a crazy amount of drama happened and then takes a job at Florida when Walton calls kinda gives you some insight of what it’s like to coach under Murphy.

I think Murphy is a great guy, I get to talk to him about 2-3 times a year and he is one of the most approachable coaches in Tuscaloosa. However I think he is so married to his philosophy that he actively rejects any form of change to the system. I think he deserves the right to go out in his own way but I fear it might have devastating effects on the program by the time he does.

I’m not at all convinced that we have a philosophy anymore. If it’s pitching, defense and just enough hitting to win (aka “small ball”) we’re not very good at it.

Versus SEC competition, pitching is mediocre at best. Fielding is dead last in the conference. Hitting is improved a bit over last year. But (1) that’s not setting the bar very high and (2) it’s nowhere near good enough to overcome the other issues.

I was aware of the drama of a couple of years ago. I wasn’t aware that Van Brakle Prothro was now at Florida.

In combination with all the other stuff — dugout drama, Kilfoyl, Wallace, Sides, Cahalan, and Van Brakle Prothro, I’m honestly not sure this is recoverable.

 

[81usaf92]

I’m not at all convinced that we have a philosophy anymore. If it’s pitching, defense and just enough hitting to win (aka “small ball”) we’re not very good at it.

Versus SEC competition, pitching is mediocre at best. Fielding is dead last in the conference. Hitting is improved a bit over last year. But (1) that’s not setting the bar very high and (2) it’s nowhere near good enough to overcome the other issues.

Well it would have been far more obvious last year if Beaver didn’t just dominate. Alot of our deficiencies has been covered up with dominant pitching by the likes of Osorio, Littlejohn, Montana, Beaver, and Kilfoyl. But now we finally have a less than dominant pitcher and we have a leaky infield. It’s too much to overcome all at once.

Murph’s philosophy is still very much the Arizona philosophy in that you have a great pitcher and dominant defense that plays small ball at the plate. The problem is that he isn’t getting near the talent that he used to and his development is severely lacking because of him picking a bunch of yes men that won’t question him like Steph and Habetz would.

I was aware of the drama of a couple of years ago. I wasn’t aware that Van Brakle Prothro was now at Florida.

Yes she joined this year, and Murph wasn’t too happy about it. Higher salary, Walton being a very hands off coach towards pitching by comparison, and a team built to make serious OKC runs is kinda hard to pass up.

In combination with all the other stuff — dugout drama, Kilfoyl, Wallace, Sides, Cahalan, and Van Brakle Prothro, I’m honestly not sure this is recoverable.

Well again he backed a player that wasn’t a huge contributor over a bunch of talented underclassmen just because she was in the clique that he liked. It was bound to have big consequences, but that’s about 3 years ago and he has had time to prepare a team to compete with Oklahoma and Texas’s arrival to the conference but this is what we have.

IDK where we go post Murphy, nor do I really know if GB is going to find someone better, but that maybe is a question that is probably better being answered sooner than later because it’s becoming obvious that we on the Everybody Else Bus after two decades of expecting to be in the national championship picture.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Well again he backed a player that wasn’t a huge contributor over a bunch of talented underclassmen just because she was in the clique that he liked. It was bound to have big consequences, but that’s about 3 years ago and he has had time to prepare a team to compete with Oklahoma and Texas’s arrival to the conference but this is what we have.

IDK where we go post Murphy, nor do I really know if GB is going to find someone better, but that maybe is a question that is probably better being answered sooner than later because it’s becoming obvious that we on the Everybody Else Bus after two decades of expecting to be in the national championship picture.

Regarding the dugout favorite, yeah, that was a massive blunder. And you're right that she wasn't that big a contributor. Even so, she continues to be a favorite to this day -- despite a lackluster playing career, and for reasons I can't understand, she's one of the pictures on the outfield wall.

This is the third year since all that hit the fan, but I think we're still feeling the repercussions. Several transfers out -- Wallace and Sides became SEC POY at their destinations, and Kilfoyl was the first draftee in the most recent pro draft. Both Wallace and Sides blossomed at the plate after leaving....Sides especially. And Cahalan is tearing it up at Florida. This is an established pattern.

I'm also hearing about some alienation of HS and elite travel ball coaches over favoritism and lack of development. At this point, it really seems like a self-perpetuating spiral that will be difficult to impossible to pull out of.

Murph deserves to call his own exit. With that comes the responsibility to know when it's time. The FSU / Bobby Bowden fiasco is highly instructive on this point.

As for where to go from here, that's one of my favorite questions. If you're advocating for a change, you better have specific candidates in mind who would realistically come. IOW, not "Anybody" and not the Oklahoma, Texas, Florida or UCLA coaches.

Holding myself to that, I'd look at the coaches at LSU, FSU, Arizona and Oklahoma State. Byrne has the best contacts in college sports, and an excellent track record of hiring. I'll trust him.