{"id":55471,"date":"2025-01-29T12:29:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T12:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/2025-alabama-crimson-tide-softball-preview-many-new-faces\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T12:29:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T12:29:08","slug":"2025-alabama-crimson-tide-softball-preview-many-new-faces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=55471","title":{"rendered":"2025 Alabama Crimson Tide Softball Preview: Many New Faces"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Team29 and fans.<\/figcaption>@AlabamaSB<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n

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Alabama softball\u2019s 29th incarnation will be one like none other. This team will have only seven returning players who played for the Crimson Tide as a freshman. Of the 21 player roster, nine will be donning the crimson and white for the first time. Four are true freshmen. Five are transferring in from other schools. Only one of the five Bama seniors originally signed with the Tide in infielder Kali Heivilin<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

LAST SEASON<\/h3>\n

Team28 finished in an unfamiliar ninth place in the SEC at 39-20. Excluding 2020, the win total was second lowest since coach Patrick Murphy<\/strong> took over in 1999. For the first time ever in program history, the Tide finished with a losing conference record at 10-14. <\/p>\n

Following the graduation of All-World pitcher Montana Fouts<\/strong> in 2023, there was much trepidation regarding the pitching staff for 2024. However, Murphy plucked an absolute gem of a pitcher in Kayla Beaver<\/strong> out of Central Arkansas. Fellow righty Jocelyn Briski<\/strong> took some lumps as a true freshman but showed great promise in the circle.<\/p>\n

The offense was… well… a bit tepid… and a whole lotta frustrating. Among SEC teams, only South Carolina had a lower team batting average then the Crimson Tide (.251). Bama was 11th in the league in homers with 42, led by Marlie Giles<\/strong> with a whopping <\/em>total of 7. IF Kenleigh Cahalan<\/strong> topped the team in runs (55, 16 more than the next closest Tide player), doubles, triples and RBI. Unfortunately, she now resides in Gainesville, FL. OF Jenna Johnson<\/strong> was the second most productive player but she is out of eligibility.<\/p>\n

Despite the offensive liabilities, the Crimson Tide still won their weak-ass Regional and then upset Tennessee two games to one in the Super Regional – mostly due to the phenomenal pitching of Beaver. Alabama\u2019s high-wire act got them back to their 15th Women\u2019s College World Series, but they were knocked out after three games.<\/p>\n

Two Tide players were named Second Team All-SEC last year – Beaver (graduated) and Calahan (transfer out) – and they are both gone. Beaver kept the Alabama streak of having an NFCA All-American dating back to 1998, the second year of the Tide program. That might be a tough task to duplicate this spring.<\/p>\n

PRESEASON<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
RK<\/b><\/td>\nUSA SOFTBALL<\/b><\/td>\nD1 SOFTBALL<\/b><\/td>\nSOFTBALL AMER<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nTexas (15)<\/td>\nFlorida<\/td>\nFlorida<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nFlorida (4)<\/td>\nTexas<\/td>\nTexas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nOklahoma (6)<\/td>\nOklahoma<\/td>\nOklahoma<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nOklahoma State<\/td>\nUCLA<\/td>\nOklahoma State<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nTennessee<\/td>\nOklahoma State<\/td>\nUCLA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nUCLA<\/td>\nTennessee<\/td>\nTennessee<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nTexas A&M<\/td>\nDuke<\/td>\nTexas A&M<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nDuke<\/td>\nFlorida State<\/td>\nDuke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nLSU<\/td>\nTexas A&M<\/td>\nTexas Tech<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nTexas Tech<\/td>\nArkansas<\/td>\nFlorida State<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\nALABAMA<\/span><\/td>\nLSU<\/td>\nALABAMA<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\nFlorida State<\/td>\nArizona<\/td>\nLSU<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/td>\nArkansas<\/td>\nTexas Tech<\/td>\nArkansas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/td>\nGeorgia<\/td>\nNebraska<\/td>\nArizona<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/td>\nMissouri<\/td>\nGeorgia<\/td>\nMissouri<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16<\/td>\nNebraska<\/td>\nVirginia Tech<\/td>\nBaylor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/td>\nArizona<\/td>\nALABAMA<\/span><\/td>\nGeorgia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18<\/td>\nVirginia Tech<\/td>\nOregon<\/td>\nNorthwestern<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19<\/td>\nBaylor<\/td>\nNorthwestern<\/td>\nCal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20<\/td>\nNorthwestern<\/td>\nMichigan<\/td>\nLiberty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21<\/td>\nCalifornia<\/td>\nBaylor<\/td>\nNebraska<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22<\/td>\nMichigan<\/td>\nStanford<\/td>\nVirginia Tech<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23<\/td>\nStanford<\/td>\nBoston U.<\/td>\nMichigan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24<\/td>\nOregon<\/td>\nLiberty<\/td>\nVirginia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25<\/td>\nMississippi State<\/td>\nPenn State<\/td>\nPenn State<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Alabama is ranked No. 11 in the USA Softball<\/em> and SoftballAmerica <\/em>polls and No. 17 by D1 Softball<\/em>. More surprisingly is who is NOT at the top. The pollsters are hedging their bets that the Sooners cannot make it five National Championships in a row. Instead, Texas and Florida hold the top two spots with the Gators picked as top banana twice and the \u2018Horns once. Oklahoma sits at No. 3 in all. <\/p>\n

This time last season, season tickets had been sold out. As of post, Brickyard (General Admission) tix are available<\/a> at $99.00 a pop.<\/p>\n

COACHES<\/h3>\n

For better of for worst, there will be some continuity in the coaching staff. Of course, Patrick Murphy<\/strong> is back as head coach for his 27th season. Also returning are former Tide All-American and SEC Network personality Kayla Braud<\/a>, pitching coach Lance McMahon<\/strong>, and Adam Arbour<\/strong> who does lord knows what.<\/p>\n

As it seems with everything around the UA program, Murphy is super-secretive and rarely feeds information to the public. It is unclear what roles Braud and Arbour are serving outside of the former standing in the first base coach\u2019s box and clapping her hands just like her predecessor. It almost seems like Murphy likes to control everything instead of delegating some duties.<\/p>\n

Ryan Iamurri<\/strong> is back again in her off-field position of Coordinator of Player Management.<\/p>\n

PLAYERS<\/h3>\n

GONE (deep breath<\/em>)<\/h4>\n
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The personnel losses after the 2023 season were pretty devastating (Fouts, Prange, Shipman, et al). While this last round of off-season departures do not cut as deep, there are some profound losses in senior leadership. <\/p>\n