Alabama Softball can win an SEC Championship this weekend in Baton Rouge. The Crimson Tide needs two wins to become the sole champion.
All the eyes of the SEC Softball world will be in Baton Rouge this weekend. Alabama Softball and LSU currently sit at the top of the SEC standings. The series will determine the SEC Regular Season champion. Ole Miss is also in contention to take the title, although the more likely scenario would involve them as co-champions with LSU or Alabama.
Coming off a somewhat surprising series loss to Kentucky at home, Alabama Softball now looks to LSU to close out the regular season. A series win and Alabama will lock up the regular season championship, along with the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. Are they capable of handling the Tigers on the road?
Playing the Scenarios
Let’s start with the worst-case scenarios. The only way LSU would take the regular season championship outright is a series sweep. If the Tigers took at least two of the three, they would be named SEC Co-Champions with Alabama, unless Ole Miss sweeps Georgia. If that happens, the Rebels would win it outright.
For Alabama, they need to at least win the series to take an outright SEC regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. The question is: Can they do it?
LSU may be Alabama’s biggest opponent yet. Ranked 5/7 in the polls, LSU is led in the batting lineup by Amanda Sanchez with a .411 batting average. Their home run hitters are Shelbi Sunseri and Shemiah Sanchez, combining for 31 out-of-the-park hits. Sunseri is also in their pitching rotation, with at 2.02 ERA and a 12-5 record. You can expect to see Shelby Wickersham and Meribeth Gorsuch in the circle for the Tigers, with a combined 21-4 record.
While that all seems like a challenge for the Tide, there are some statistics that favor Alabama. When it comes down to wins and losses, Alabama plays just as well on the road as at home. Alabama did sweep the Florida Gators a couple of weekends ago, who were ranked 6/9 at the time. They continue to find ways to make contact with the ball, with Bailey Hemphill leading the way with a .372 batting average.
Can Alabama Take The Series?
LSU is a tough opponent on the road. LSU has already announced that all three games are a sellout. The environment will be a ruckus that Alabama will have to tune out. LSU has a lot to play for and in an environment such as that, it definitely favors them.
However, Alabama has proven they come into their games with a business-like attitude no matter where they play. They are there to do their job and make sure they put themselves in a situation to win games. While it hasn’t always worked out that way, Alabama does have a tenacity that can’t be overlooked. Even when they are down on the scoreboard, they always seem to get the bats down to give them a chance.
The key for Alabama will be the pitching rotation. Between Montana Fouts, Krystal Goodman and Sarah Cornell, they will have their hands full with a dynamic batting lineup. This will also be the second straight week they will be facing a .400+ batter, which has proved deadly in the last series.
Alabama has the potential to win the SEC Championship outright this weekend.
A sweep by the Tide would be a surprising result, but that could bolster their already-great NCAA resume heading into the postseason. As long as Alabama stays focused as they have all season, they will take that No.1 seed in the SEC Tournament.