{"id":73890,"date":"2025-02-07T15:17:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T15:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/first-pitch-2025-alabama-crimson-tide-softball-opens-in-arizona\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T15:17:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T15:17:58","slug":"first-pitch-2025-alabama-crimson-tide-softball-opens-in-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=73890","title":{"rendered":"First Pitch: 2025 Alabama Crimson Tide Softball Opens in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"


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<\/p>\n\"NCAA<\/p>\n

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Kristen White.<\/figcaption>Brett Rojo-Imagn Images<\/cite><\/p>\n

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Alabama softball comes into this season with a lot of question marks as coach Patrick Murphy<\/strong> attempts to rebuild. With so many new faces on the team, they will need to figure things out pretty quick as big challenges face them in the opening weekend.<\/p>\n

SEC<\/h3>\n

Of the four preseason polls, Alabama was positioned No. 11 in three of them. The SEC coaches do not exactly agree with that ranking. The league\u2019s 15 head coaches released their annual preseason poll and picked the Tide to finish 10th in the conference. In addition, Bama placed only one player, pitcher Jocelyn Briski<\/strong>, on the 24 player Preseason All-SEC Softball Team.<\/a><\/p>\n

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  1. Texas (7)<\/li>\n
  2. Florida (6)<\/li>\n
  3. Oklahoma (2)<\/li>\n
  4. Tennessee<\/li>\n
  5. Texas A&M<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. LSU<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Arkansas<\/li>\n
  8. Georgia<\/li>\n
  9. Missouri<\/li>\n
  10. Alabama<\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. Kentucky<\/li>\n
  12. Mississippi State<\/li>\n
  13. Auburn<\/li>\n
  14. Ole Miss<\/a><\/li>\n
  15. South Carolina<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    TICKETS<\/h3>\n

    Season tickets and single game tickets are still available<\/a>. I can\u2019t exactly recall what season tix were priced last year, but this year they are $99 plus a $20 \u201cOrder Charge\u201d. I could be wrong but that number seems like a big increase and it\u2019s not surprising that they have not sold out by now.<\/p>\n

    CANDREA CLASSIC<\/h3>\n

    The Crimson Tide is back in Arizona for the tournament named after the legendary Wildcats coach Mike Candrea<\/strong> who was forced out<\/s> retired in 2021. It\u2019s homecoming for three Tide players as pitcher Jocelyn Briski<\/strong>, catcher Riley Valentine<\/strong>, and newbie infielder Salen Hawkins<\/strong> are all from Phoenix. The games take place 100+ miles down the road in Tuscon, but the entire team took the scenic route through the neighborhood of high school teammates Briski and Hawkins to the former\u2019s house for dinner<\/a> on Thursday evening. (Valentine who went to a different high school.) At least it\u2019s not a midweek trip to Appalachia in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    SCHEDULE<\/h3>\n

    One of the sad things about the PAC-12 implosion is the demolition of the history of the sport of softball in the conference. Bama will face two former PAC powerhouse teams that are not even in the same league anymore. Washington now plays in the Big Ten, while Arizona is in the Big 12. UCLA and Oregon are also in the B1G, but the opportunities for them to face Arizona are few and far between.<\/p>\n