Alabama Crimson Tide wins another conference title
By Dakota Cox
The Alabama Crimson Tide now have four conference titles this year
This has been one of the best years in the history of the Alabama Crimson Tide. It began with Alabama winning a national title in football, but the entire athletics program now has four conference titles on the year. Not only did the football program and basketball team win conference championships, but Alabama softball and gymnastics took home some hardware in the SEC.
The most recent title came from the softball team. With this win, Alabama now has more conference championships than any other team in the SEC. To get there, Alabama had to come back against Tennessee and beat Florida in the championship.
Alabama was led by ace pitcher Montana Fouts. Fouts broke the record for strikeouts in the conference tournament over the course of three total games. With three straight starts in three days, Fouts set the standard for the rest of Alabama softball.
However, she needed some run support, and she definitely got it. She was not the only Alabama softball player to break a record. Bailey Hemphill broke the career record for home runs after hitting three bombs in the tournament. The one that set the record helped the Alabama Crimson Tide take the lead against Tennessee in the semifinal.
This tournament run was a total team effort. It took excellent pitching by Fouts and quality fielding behind her. The bats were alive, but baserunning carried just as much weight. Even if one player made a mistake, someone was ready to step up when called upon. From Taylor Clark’s first home run of the season to Hemphill’s record-breaking homer, every play mattered.
Alabama won the SEC Tournament at home for the second time ever, and they hope to carry this momentum into the actual postseason. Alabama now waits to see who they will face in the NCAA Softball Tournament on their way to the Women’s College World Series.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have seen plenty of success this year, and this title simply adds another accomplishment to the resume.