Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from the weekend of May 18th and 19th.
Alabama softball sweeps Tuscaloosa Regional, advances to Super Regional
For an NCAA record 19th time, Alabama softball is heading to the Super Regionals. For all the flack Patrick Murphy has taken for the Tide's softball program not being what it once was, he's once again led them to a Regional win.
The Tide's pitching dominated the Regional in Tuscaloosa as Alabama swept through it. Emily Winstead and Alea Johnson combined to pitch five shutout innings in the Tide's 8-0 opening win over Jackson State. Kali Heivilin, Salen Hawkins, and Brooke Ellestead drove in two runs apiece to pace the offensive effort.
Virginia Tech was considered perhaps the best non Regional host in the field. Alabama faced off with the Hokies twice - in game two and in the championship game on Sunday. In the first meeting, Jocelyn Briski went the distance, tossing seven innings and giving up three runs. She allowed two runs in the first inning and then held a potent-Hokies offense to just one run the rest of the way.
Heivilin hit a two-run homer in the third inning that gave Alabama the lead for good as the Tide won 4-3.
On Sunday, Alabama did all of its offensive damage in the fifth inning. Audrey Vandagriff drew a bases loaded walk, and then Lauren Johnson drove in two runs with a single to put Alabama up 3-0. Catelyn Riley threw six shutout innings, but ran into trouble in the 7th. She allowed a two-run home run by Virginia Tech's Rachel Castine with one out in the 7th. Murphy replaced her with Briski, who shut the door on the Hokies to give Alabama a 3-2 win.
With the win, Alabama will advance to play No. 2 Oklahoma in the Super Regionals. The Sooners have won four consecutive National Championships in softball and will present a tremendous challenge for the Tide. Alabama did take two out of three in the regular season from Oklahoma, but Patty Gasso's squad usually has another gear in the postseason.
Justin Lebron named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award
Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron was named one of the 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, it was announced on Sunday. The award is the most prestigious award in college baseball.
Lebron led the SEC in the regular season with 69 RBI. He batted .313 and hit 18 home runs, adding 17 doubles and a triple.
Lebron is one of the best players in the country and is a leading candidate to be the top collegiate player taken in the 2026 MLB Draft. He helped lead the Tide to a 40 win regular season.
Desmond Claude's Alabama visit has been rescheduled
With Alabama coaches on the road before a dead period starts for in-person evaluations, the scheduled visit with USC transfer Desmond Claude, which was to begin on Sunday night, was rescheduled, according to On3's Joe Tipton:
The plan - at least as of now - is to reschedule Claude's visit. He's still a player the staff is interested in, but they clearly prioritized what they were doing on the road over rushing back to Tuscaloosa to host Claude.
Nate Oats is still looking to fill two open roster spots.