Alabama Athletics: 2013 Spring Sports Preview

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

With the college football postseason underway, we close the books on a fantastic season. Now, the other Alabama sporting teams are starting to warm up for their seasons beginning in January and February, while some will continue their seasons into the Spring semester. Alabama won three national championships in non-football sports last year. This looks to be another busy spring sports season in Crimson Tide athletics, so let take a sneak peak:

Baseball

Alabama had a very disappointing season, finishing the season with only 21 wins and 34 losses, mainly due to a very sloppy pitching staff last year. In Mitch Gaspard’s third season with the Tide, look for a much more experienced pitching staff to make the SEC tourney this year. The season begins on February 15 against VMI in Tuscaloosa.

Basketball

Both seasons have already begun and have extremely similar storylines. Men’s Basketball started off 6-0 this season, highlighted by winning the 2K Sports Classic against Villanova. However, they have gone on a three-game losing streak, with games at Cincinnati, against Dayton and at VCU. They get Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX Wednesday before returning home on Saturday against Mercer.

Women’s Basketball has also started well with a 5-0 record, but they have since dropped three of the last four, including two straight at home. They get Virginia at home before traveling to Hawaii the next weekend for the Bank of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine Invitational. They will leave that and then enter conference play against Texas A&M.

Golf

Men’s and Women’s Golf season started off well in the Fall part of their season. Men’s Golf, runners-up in the national championship last year,  got third place in the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Georgia and third in Florida at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational. They also won the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Vestavia Hills, AL. They restart their season on February 17th at the Puerto Rico Classic.

Women’s Golf is following their 2011 NCAA National Championship season with a bang. They scored 2nd in the Fall Preview in Georgia and tied for first in the Longhorn Invitational in Texas. They start their season in Puerto Rico a week earlier than the Men, on February 10th.

Gymnastics

Last year, the Crimson Tide secured their second straight NCAA Championship and their sixth overall. Coach Sarah Patterson will be entering her 33rd year at the University of Alabama with a very experienced roster with ten upperclassmen. They open the season versus new conference foe Missouri in Columbia on January 11th.

Softball

Alabama takes the field for the first time as National Champions as they defeated Oklahoma in three games in the Women’s College World Series. They will return many players from last year and look to have a very successful season. They will start the season on the road at Cedar Falls, Iowa in the UNI Dome Tournement on February 8th.

Swimming & Diving

Both Men’s and Women’s teams have begun their season. They will resume on January 3rd when they travel to the University of Tennessee for the UT Diving Invite.

Tennis

Men’s Tennis has begun the season with a 54-57 singles record and a 27-24 record in Doubles. They get back to the season indoors on January 11th when they host the Crimson Tide Indoor Invitational in the recently remodeled Indoor Tennis Facility.

Women’s Tennis served up the season with a 52-35 record in Singles and a 20-11 Doubles record. Their next trip will be to Kona, Hawaii for the Hawaii Invitational on January 4th.

Track & Field

Track & Field will begin their indoor season on January 12 in Birmingham in the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener. They will also travel back to Birmingham to face Auburn and take trips to Indiana and Nebraska. Their outdoor season begins March 22nd in the newly remodeled Sam Bailey Track Stadium for the Alabama Relays.