Rebuilding or Eroding: A Final Analysis For Alabama Crimson Tide Softball Team29

Have you ever been on a cruise? If you ever had and had a great experiences, you may go on another. With each one you go on, there are always expectations that the next one is as good as the last one. However, if the food is bland or unappealing, it can ruin a trip. If you get an inattentive staff or poor service, it can significantly detract from the overall experience. The same goes for other factors such as a subpar cabin, lack of amenities, overcrowding, or maybe getting stuck next to jerks or whatnot. If you go on a cruise, do you expect these things to be at an acceptable level? Or are you just happy to be on a big boat? Gee, the food sucks, the staff is awful, and my room is a dump, but hey, I am on a boat!

The answer to these questions might explain what kind of Alabama softball fan you are. Do you expect excellence? Or are you just happy the team made the NCAA tournament and won some games?

The 29th season of Alabama softball came to its conclusion on Saturday in Oklahoma, but not in Oklahoma City. It ended about 20 miles down the road from the site of the Women’s College World Series. The best the Tide could do this season was drive by Don E. Porter ASA Hall of Fame Stadium on the way to the airport.

As eight teams commence with the WCWS starting today, Thursday, Alabama softball packs up the bats and gloves and says farewell to the seniors – and one promising freshman (insert sad face emoticon here).

FOR THE RECORD

• While actually finishing with a slightly better overall record this season (40-21) than last (39-20) and with a better SEC record (12-12 versus 10-14 last season), this Alabama team finished a program worse tied for tenth place in the conference. Team28 was 9th place. Previous to that, a T-7th place finish in 2018 was the low point. Some of the Lollipop Rainbow Unicorn Brigade will point to the fact of Oklahoma and Texas joining the league. Even without them, is 8th place an acceptable benchmark? Consider the fact that teams like Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Mississippi State are looking like stronger programs than Alabama right now. Imagine saying that about football.
• Since 2000, Bama’s overall winning percentage on a season has been lower only once. In 2018, the 36–20 record came out to .643. Last season was slightly better (.661) than this season (.656).
• Bama was 25-7 in games played in Tuscaloosa which is about par for the course for them. However, they certainly benefited from the THREE home invitational tournaments they threw in T-town filled mostly with cupcakes.
• The crimson and white had a record of 15-16 away from the friendly confines of Rhoads Stadium (true away + neutral sites). rolltide.com only goes back to 2006 with these numbers. Not counting the shortened/canceled season of 2020, this year’s campaign is the only one in which the Tide had a losing record on the road.
• The Tide scored three runs or less in 25 of 63 games, four or more in the rest – an improvement over last season. Alabama averaged 5.67 runs scored per game, which ranks 66th in the nation, 11th best among SEC teams. [Remember this is ALL games.]
• Team ERA was 3.13 which is 59th nationally and ninth in the conference. It was 1.94 last season, 2.05 in 2023, 2.28 in 2022, 1.75 before that… rolltide.com has changed their format and made it REALLY tedious to look up past stats. We will have to assume this 3.13 is the highest staff ERA Alabama has had since at least Jocelyn Briski has been alive.
• Nationally, the Tide wrapped the season with the 38th best batting average of .314 but 46th in the more important on-base percentage of .397. For reference, Oklahoma is at .454.
• Team29 was run-ruled five times (Arizona, Mississippi State, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma). Some years ago, it would be absurd to even put that thought in your head. Even worse, the unthinkable happened when the Tide was run-ruled at home by Mississippi State in March. On the other side, Bama run-ruled twelve opponents, but only two against Power teams, VaTech and SC – the latter series of which the Tide lost.
• The Tide suffered only two shutout losses: a 5 inning 8-0 run rule loss to LSU and the first Super Regional defeat to Oklahoma 3-0. Bama shutout six, the best being a 2-0 win over last place Mizzou.
• As it turns out, Alabama’s out-of-conference W-L results against Power teams were not that great. The only non-SEC teams they beat that made the postseason were Ohio State, Washington and Virginia Tech. None of those advanced to Supers. The Tide fell to Arizona (away) and FSU (home). And then there was the disastrous trip to Clearwater in which they dropped four of five games to UCLA, Oklahoma State, San Diego State and Liberty. UA also split two games with fringe power team ULL in Tuscaloosa.
• In the first round of the SEC Tournament in Athens, GA, Bama beat Auburn, which is always a good thing. They then lost to SC for the third time in four meetings this spring.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Audrey Vandagriff. Wow, what a phenomenal season for the true freshman this season. The Alabama outfielder had a .392 BA, .493 OB%, 69 hits, 51 runs scored, 6 homers, 33 RBI, and 50 stolen bases. She was one of three finalists for the NFCA Freshman of the Year Award won by Taylor Shumaker on Thursday night. ‘Griff also played well in the field, recording only one error (occurring in her seventh collegiate game).

The MVP of this season was the shoulda-been-named-team-captain and only four-year Tide player on the roster, Kali Heivilin. She hit .380 and slugged 15 round-trippers while knocking in 47 runs. She was second on the team to only Vandagriff in BA, hits (62) and runs (37). Her slugging percentage was a solid .755. And one thing you can say about the senior is that many of her hits came in big moments. There were few times when she hit a homer like she did in the season finale that did not affect the final outcome.

After a slow start to the season, the defense came around and proved to be a strong suit – often winning the Tide games with some real web gems. Around the horn, Brooke Ellestad, Salen Hawkins, and Kali Heivilin were stellar in the field down the stretch. Even Abby Duchscherer made some solid plays over at first base. The Tide turned 32 double plays. Among Power teams, only Utah and ULL had more (and calling those two Power teams might be a reach). Overall, the fielding percentage was not good (.966, 105th in the nation), though that could have been due to mistakes from earlier in the season while this team learned to play together. Additionally, the pitchers and some of the younger players had some issues this season that dropped that number.

ACCOLADES

• Thanks to Vandagriff, Alabama is keeping their streak of NFCA All-Americans alive. She was also honored by the Southeastern Conference as First Team All-SEC, while Heivilin made the Second Team. Softball America also recognized Vandagriff as Second Team All-American and their All-Freshman Team. D1Softball named ‘Griff First Team All-Am and All-Frosh.
• Academic All-District honorees: Marlie Giles, Alea Johnson, Catelyn Riley, Emily Winstead, and Abby Duchscherer (who has graduated in three years).
• For some reason in the first half of this year’s campaign, Patrick Murphy had OF Lauren Johnson riding the pine. By the end of these season, she had the third highest batting average at .344, and it could have been higher had Murphy not asked her to bunt so much. Despite starting only 30 games, the sophomore hit seven doubles and was fifth on the team in RBI with 26. Imagine the season she might have had if Murphy had heard our protests sooner.
• Bama made their 26th straight NCAA Tournament appearance which is a nice achievement, but Alabama fans expect more. It was also their 19th Super Regional appearance (overall, non-consecutive).
• While perhaps less talented than past teams, this year’s rendition seemed to have great camaraderie with a lack of clubhouse drama.
• Alabama had no midweek losses. [Hey, I’m trying here]

SEC (12-12)

Alabama played eight 3-game conference series.

• Swept: Mizzou
• Got swept: none
• Lost 2 of 3: vs Mississippi State, at Florida, at Texas A&M, at LSU, at South Carolina. At Oklahoma counting the Super.
• Won 2 of 3: vs Oklahoma, vs Georgia.

POST SEASON (3-2)

Bama was once again controversially given a top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year it was a program low 15. In the Tuscaloosa Regional, Alabama defeated one of the worst teams in the entire NCAAT field in Jackson State 8-0 in five innings. They then took down the ACC’s third place team, Virginia Tech, in a pair of one-run games.

The Super Regional did not go very well as the Tide was dominated by Oklahoma in two games and eliminated.

COACHING

Like many new changes in college softball, it seems Patrick Murphy has not been the quickest to adapt to the Transfer Portal lunacy. While Catelyn Riley was an okay number two pitcher to bring in, Jocelyn Briskihas yet to develop into a pure No. 1. The lack of an ace on this team probably kept them from getting to OKC. Kayla Beaver from Central Arkansas in 2024 was an anomaly. Thinking he was going to win the lottery a second time with Emily Winstead from UNC-Wilmington was foolish. Brooke Ellestad and Salen Hawkins filled the needs of the left side of the infield, but seemed to take them awhile to acclimate.

As mentioned before, Murphy loves to find that diamond-in-the rough instead of trying to woo the top players. How in the bleep he let Bri Ellis end up at Arkansas is beyond me. Time to adapt.

On the season, Murphy’s Gut® made significantly less number of calls this season. Although he had his moments, it was a more scarce occasion when he made some head-scratching pinch-hitting moves. He was slow to move Vandagriff up to the top of the order and even slower to put Lauren Johnson in the everyday lineup (we the fans here on RBR were a little quicker on those draws). Such moves probably could have made a difference in Clearwater.

It was a learning scale knowing how to manage the pitching staff. He probably had a little too much faith in certain pitchers, and not enough in others.

The offensive stats were improved from last year but mostly from newcomers Vandagriff, Ellestad, and Hawkins. Funny that they didn’t have a year to develop relationships with Adam Arbour. Only Heivelin made a huge jump. Duchscherer improved but still has room for growth. LoJo’s numbers are up, but you can’t produce numbers if you aren’t playing. Preuitt stats improved, but she had nowhere to go but up from last year’s .198 BA season. Marlie Giles and Riley Valentine were rather meh. Overall, it was a mixed bag.

RBR AWARDS

• MVP: (TIE) VANDAGRIFF and HEIVILIN
• BEST HITTER NOT NAMED ABOVE: L. JOHNSON
• BEST PITCHER: (TIE) JOCELYN BRISKI and CATELYN RILEY
• BEST DEFENDER: VANDAGRIFF
• ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: VANDAGRIFF
• NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: HAWKINS
• MOST IMPROVED: HEIVILIN
• GREEN LIGHT GIRL: VANDAGRIFF, 50 steals, an Alabama freshman record.
• PARTICIPATION AWARD: LARISSA PREUITT, played in 63 games (two more than next closest)
• MOST CONSISTENT COMMENTER: DARTHSABAN for the “Fire Murph” campaign.

WRAP IT UP!

Offense was improved and defense was excellent by the end of the season. However, this team had no ace pitcher. It was the difference between a trip to the WCWS and getting swept out of a Super Regional. Murphy needs to get out of his comfort zone and pursue a big time pitcher.

Barring more Transfer Portal announcements, the entire outfield, both catchers, three pitchers, and two starting infielders (Hawkins and Duke) return. Heivilin and Ellestad are out of eligibility, and fellow infielder Kennedy Marceaux is in the Transfer Portal.

Of incoming freshman, Alabama adds a catcher from Northport, a speedy leadoff-type infielder from Phenix City, 2024 Alabama Miss Softball and pitcher from Daphne, an IF from Jasper, a pitcher from Michigan, and a Florida outfielder equivalent to a 5-star. Is it enough to fill the holes in Tuscaloosa? Better safe than sorry says check the Transfer Portal.

* If you want to add a minus or plus to your grade, tell us about it in the Comments section.

[Be on the lookout for an upcoming interesting Softball post from Erik Evans.]

#RollTide #Team29