Alabama Softball 2020 and Whats Ahead

It has been nearly two months since the NCAA canceled sporting events due to the coronavirus pandemic, which cut short Alabama softball’s campaign towards its second national championship.

(photo credits: Kelsey Mullins)

Alabama headed into the 2020 season ranked number one according to the USA Softball poll. However, the Crimson Tide could not find its groove in the latter half of the season as it collected a 14-8 record and struggled to close out and win games in the seventh inning. Despite its early-season struggles, coach Patrick Murphy wanted his squad to enter conference play with a fresh mindset. The team rallied from their struggles and won its SEC series against Arkansas, which included two mercy-rule wins. The series win looked to be the turning point for the Crimson Tide, but those would be the last games of the 2020 season.

Through the midst of the team’s slow start, junior K.B. Sides and sophomore Skylar Wallace did not miss a beat and made notable improvements from the 2019 season. Sides was named to Softball America’s All-American list for her effort at the plate, holding a team-leading 20 RBIs and a .483 batting average, which was .179 higher than her average the previous season. Wallace had the third-highest batting average on the team, .387, and began to make the shortstop position her new home.

(photo credits: Joe Will Field)

Alabama softball announced on May 4, through social media platforms that all seven seniors will return to Tuscaloosa for the 2021 season, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA. The well-balanced nature of the senior class can prove to be very potent in the 2021 season.

Senior Elissa Brown and graduate transfer, Alexis Mack, will provide the speed at the top of the lineup and can cause havoc on the basepaths. Brown collected 49 stolen bases in the 2019 season and one stolen base in 2020 due to a hand injury that did not allow her to play after the first weekend of the season. Mack was second on the team in batting average, .418, and led the team with 12 stolen bases.

Senior Bailey Hemphill will look to supply the power as she holds the program records for single-season home run, 26, and RBIs, 84. The 84 RBIs she collected in 2019 led the nation. Seniors Taylor Clark and Claire Jenkins also have the ability to hit the long ball. Clark blasted two home-runs in the shortened-season, while Jenkins hit 13 in the 2019 season.

The New York native and 2019 SEC Pitcher of the Year, senior Sarah Cornell, will get to strike out opponents one last time in Rhoads Stadium. Senior Krystal Goodman will provide pitching depth.

(via Alabama Softball's Twitter)

Despite the return of all seven seniors, rising sophomores Karla Hice and Mary Greg Anderson will not be on the roster for the 2021 season. Hice medically retired this offseason due to a shoulder injury and Anderson entered the transfer portal.

Alabama will bring a recruiting class into Tuscaloosa that has three players in the top 25 according to the Extra Inning Elite 100 rankings. The recruiting class is highlighted by Illinois native, Bailey Dowling. Dowling is an infielder who is ranked number two in her class, according to Softball America, and is known for her power. Dowling holds the high school home run record in Illinois with 65 and played with the United States Junior Women’s National Team in the summer of 2019. Alex Salter, ranked 11th, and Jaala Torrence, ranked 23rd, are the other two players ranked in the top 25.

It is unknown if and/or when college softball will return this season, but when it does, Alabama looks to have one of the most loaded rosters in the nation.