Despite what has been a down season, the Alabama Softball team finds itself two games away from another trip to the WCWS. The team ended the regular season under .500 in SEC play and had only one game in the SEC Tournament.
Although he has put together a Hall of Fame career, coach Patrick Murphy has been under more fire than normal from the fanbase as the continued lack of runs scored hurt the team all season, and it was much harder to hide without Montana Fouts on the mound. Despite the disappointing regular season, Alabama was still able to host a regional and they took full advantage of playing in the friendly confines of Rhoads Stadium, going 3-0 on the weekend and moving onto the Super Regionals against Tennessee.
If this Alabama team is able to get back to Oklahoma City, it may be the most impressive run during Murphy's tenure as the coach in Tuscaloosa. The fanbase has been far more critical of him lately with many critiquing his coaching decisions and the lack of runs that has once again plagued the Crimson Tide this season. Scoring runs and timely hitting has been quite a struggle for this team, and, with how the regular season went, getting past the Regional round didn't seem likely. This team answered the bell this weekend though, winning three straight games including a 12-run Sunday to claim another Regional Championship.
Now the Tide will travel to Knoxville to play Tennessee with a trip to Oklahoma City on the line. The Vols have been one of the best teams all season, as they won the SEC regular season title and dominated their regional as expected. It will be fun watching these two arch rivals go head to head with a National Championship opportunity on the line.
The Vols took two of the three during the regular season, but with much more on the line it should be an exciting Super Regionals. Alabama has handled the pressures of the Super Regionals well over the years, but this might be their toughest one yet. With all the pressure on Tennessee, I like Alabama's chances and it will be interesting to see if Coach Murphy can quiet the naysayers with another trip to the WCWS.