Happy Friday, everyone. The softball team opened up its series at South Carolina yesterday with a resounding victory.
Salen Hawkins ignited the Crimson Tide with a single, and after a misplayed hit by the Gamecocks, Marlie Giles hit a ball to left field, allowing Hawkins to score. Larissa Preuitt then doubled, and after the Gamecocks made a pitching change, Audrey Vandagriff greeted the pitcher with a two-run double. The hits kept coming – Lauren Johnson added an RBI double, Kali Heivilin followed with a run-scoring single, and after a walk and another Hawkins single, Abby Duchscherer brought in two more.
The highlight of the game came when Giles stepped up again and crushed a three-run homer, capping the monster inning. The Gamecocks managed a run in the bottom of the second, but the Crimson Tide’s offense kept the pressure on. A bases-loaded walk and hit-by-pitch in the fourth added two more runs, pushing the score to 13-1.
They have improved as the season has gone on. We’ll soon see if it will be enough to compete for a trip back to Oklahoma City.
The baseball team also has a pivotal series this weekend, at Vanderbilt. The ‘Dores aren’t quite the juggernaut that they have been in some recent years, but this is still a very difficult trip.
In a Friday-Sunday set, right-handers Tyler Fay and Riley Quick will take the ball on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Southpaw Zane Adams, a sophomore who went seven innings last weekend against Missouri, will round the series out on Sunday afternoon.
Fay (0-0, 4.50 ERA) was previously a reliever before being entrusted with starting duties to kick off the series against LSU at Alex Box Stadium on April 17. In three 2025 starts, he has proven he can handle the job of getting the ball first on a weekend. He usually handles traffic well and can settle in if the seas are rough early, which they were last week against Missouri in a five-run first inning (he ended up throwing just 55 pitches total through his first five innings).
Que Robinson shared his admiration for Patrick Surtain II.
“I’ve still got a picture to this day of me and (Surtain),” Robinson said. “And it’s not even a picture I posted either. This is a picture just for me to have and probably gonna frame when he gets his (Hall of Fame) gold jacket.
“It’s how he came in and worked every day. That’s somebody I wanted to model my game after, just being that guy we can rely on. I think usually the guys that make it in the league are guys that literally fall in love with the constant state of improvement. You’d be a fool not to try to imitate that.”
Last, as you know, President Donald Trump joined Nick Saban to speak at Alabama’s commencement ceremony. Here are a couple of snippets.
“The president is really nice to everybody and he’s got this very big, good-looking auspicious box on his desk that has a red button on top,” Saban said. “One of the players said, ‘Is that what you launch the missiles with?’ He said, ‘Well, push it and find out.’ The player said, ‘No I don’t want to do that.’ He says, ”No, go ahead. Go ahead. Push it, see what happens, find out.’”
Linebacker Rashaan Evans mustered the courage to do it. He decided to push the red button.
“Some lady came in with a Coke on a tray,” Saban said, laughing.
“Everywhere you look you can see the fierce spirit of this school, but no where more clearly than in your world-class athletics,” Trump said. “There’s nothing like it. Probably there’s no school like it.”
Trump took a moment to highlight the graduating football players, too.
“There’s something truly special about the players, coaches and the fans that pack the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium and proudly sing Dixieland Delight,” Trump said. “We like that. Alabama has changed college football forever and inscribed into the history books the names of Bear Bryant, Joe Namath, four Heisman Trophy winners and of course, the great Nick Saban. This place is truly where legends are made.
Y’all behave, aight?
That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.
Roll Tide.
