Crimson Tide Softball Ready for Big Season
By Kevin Ross
The Crimson Tide softball team is primed for a big season, and the start of the 2012 campaign cannot come soon enough for the team. The 2011 season ended on a sour note, with a loss to the rival Florida Gators in the College World Series, followed by the bizarre situation where coach Patrick Murphy accepted the LSU job only to return to the Capstone a few days later. Hopefully Murphy’s Urban Meyer moment was nothing more than temporary insanity and won’t be a source of distraction for the team.
The Tide begins the season with a No. 2 ranking, and all the pieces to mount a serious run at a national championship. Alabama returns 15 of 17 members from last year, including 2 All-Americans. The time is now for Tide softball.
The 2009 Alabama football season provides a good blueprint for the upcoming Tide softball season. As with the 2008 football season, the 2011 softball season ended with a bitter loss to the hated SEC rival Florida Gators. The football team dedicated the following season to righting that wrong, steamrolling through the regular season en route to a highly anticipated rematch. We all know how that turned out, and Alabama football has been on a roll ever since.
Tide fans certainly hope that the softball players have been training hard all offseason, fueled by that same orange and blue rage that drove Coach Saban and his team. The Gator softball team is ranked No. 4 in the preseason, so it is easy to imagine a scenario where the two teams were to meet in the College World Series again. If this were to happen, and the Tide were finally able to vanquish the Gators, then it would seem that much like Texas was in 2009, the opponent they faced in the finals would be just a minor obstacle on the way to a title.
The Tide has several team leaders returning, including Kayla Braud, Jazlyn Lunceford and Jackie Traina. The roster is loaded with juniors and seniors who have all seen many big games, so the team should not be faced with any situation it cannot handle. Alabama fans have turned Tuscaloosa into arguably the best home field advantage in college softball, which will come in handy when Florida visits at the tail end of the season.
Pitching is one area of possible concern for the Tide since they will be faced with the task of replacing All-American Kelsi Dunne. Alabama relied heavily on Dunne last season, perhaps a bit too heavily. Sophomore Jackie Traina gained valuable experience last season and will split time in the rotation with junior Lauren Sewell and freshman Leslie Jury. Offensively, the Tide should be able to score runs in bunches, since they are able to pepper defenses with bunts and base hits, as well as play long ball with sluggers like Lunceford. A potent offense could be Alabama’s best asset in the early weeks of the season as the team adjusts to life without Kelsi Dunne.
The Tide begins the season this weekend at the Mardi Gras tournament in Mobile with opening games against Memphis. A strong showing could be the catalyst for a special Alabama softball season. Roll Tide.