Alabama Softball Can 'Make Some Noise' in Regular Season Finale at Auburn

With the middle of the SEC standings bunched tightly within a few games of each other, the Crimson Tide has the opportunity to better its postseason positioning with a series win on the Plains.

Kenleigh Cahalan / Alabama Athletics

Despite all the changes in college football over the last few years, one thing has remained constant: Alabama and Auburn play in the last game of the regular season for both teams. For decades, it has produced epic rivalry matchups in the Iron Bowl during the final weekend of regular season play.

But it doesn't always work out that way in softball. In fact, depending on the conference rotation from year to year, sometimes Alabama and Auburn never play at all during the season. However, starting Thursday night, the Crimson Tide and Tigers meet for their final SEC series at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn with huge implications on the line for both teams as postseason looms.

"What a great opportunity for us to end the regular season down there and make some noise because the last game against Tennessee was one of the most well-pitched we’ve had all year," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said on Tuesday.

Alabama has lost six of its seven SEC series, but is coming off one of its best wins of the season against No. 3 Tennessee. After struggling in Game 3s the previous two weekends, Crimson Tide ace Kayla Beaver completely shut down the Tennessee offense in a 1-0 victory after facing the Lady Vol lineup for the second time that weekend.

Runs will likely be hard to come by this weekend as two of the worst offenses in the SEC face off. Alabama and Auburn rank in the bottom third of the conference in nearly every major offensive statistical category. They've scored less runs and have fewer hits than any other teams in the SEC. Only South Carolina has a lower team batting average and on-base percentage than Alabama and Auburn.

Along with Beaver, Alabama freshman pitcher Jocelyn Briski has had two of her best performances of the season her last two outings against Tennessee and Arkansas. She has only allowed one earned run or less in three of her four SEC starts and solidified her position as the no. 2 starter behind Beaver.

"She’s performed that spot," Murphy said about Briski. "She beat a really good Arkansas team up there. One wild pitch with two outs in the first inning was the only run they got, and then she put up six straight zeroes in the next six innings. She pitched really well against Tennessee. The first run was unearned, the next one was a home run ball. But if we could’ve scored two or three, it would’ve been a different game. So she has done really, really well in that spot. Basically almost every single game, except for the Texas A&M start, she’s given us a shot to win. And really all the pitchers are asked that–just give us an opportunity to win a game."

Even though she hasn't been as dominant as she was a year ago, the Tigers still have the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year in senior Maddie Penta. Because this is the home finale for Auburn, the Tigers have dubbed this "Maddie Penta Weekend."

Alabama had no answer for Penta in the Tigers' series win in Tuscaloosa last season. She only allowed two combined runs over the final two games of the series for Auburn to take home the rivalry series win in front of completely packed crowds at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama infielder Kenleigh Cahalan was one of the only Crimson Tide batters to have success against Penta last season, going 3-for-6 against the Auburn ace, and has been one of the Tide's best hitters over the last few weeks.

"I remember her having a really good changeup and fast/slow kind of mix," Cahalan said. "We’re just gonna scout her and go about it like we do every other weekend.”

Penta has had an up-and-down season with a 13-9 record in the circle, while getting little run support. It was encapsulated by what happened in Auburn's series loss at last-place Ole Miss last weekend. In the Game 1 win over the Rebels, Penta had 18 strikeouts over nine one-run innings. Murphy compared that effort from Penta to Alabama greats Alexis Osorio, Jackie Traina and Montana Fouts.

But in the series finale, Penta allowed four runs over three innings of relief work in Auburn's 7-2 loss. Her strikeout numbers are similar to a season ago, but she is on pace to allow more walks and hit-by-pitches and has thrown a career-high in wild pitches so far this season.

It will require plate discipline and adjustments at the plate from the Alabama offense that struggled against her a season ago. One thing that could play into Alabama's favor offensively is the home run ball. Overall, the Crimson Tide has just 37 home runs on the season, but Auburn's pitching staff has combined to allow 48 home runs this season with Penta and Shelby Lowe combining for 31 of the 48.

For comparison, Alabama's pitching staff has only allowed 18 all season with 11 combined from Beaver and Briski. Murphy said Auburn's park tends to play smaller, and historically, the Tide offense has had some massive home runs at Jane B. Moore Field. Last time Alabama played at Auburn in 2021, Bailey Hemphill and Bailey Dowling hit two home runs apiece as the Tide swept the Tigers.

And Alabama will need to sweep the Tigers this weekend if it wants to avoid finishing below .500 in SEC play for the first time ever. It would also help to solidify Alabama's position as a regional host for the NCAA Tournament and improve the Crimson Tide's SEC Tournament seeding. Cahalan said Alabama is going down to the Plains with a "determined mind."

No. 16 Alabama (32-14, 9-12 SEC) is currently ninth in the league standings while Auburn (25-17-1, 7-14 SEC) is in 12th place. After the top-four, the SEC standings are really bunched up with teams five through 11 just separated by three games.

"We can still finish anywhere from fifth to 12th, which is unbelievable with three games left," Murphy said. "I don’t ever remember it being that wide… The conference is as open as it’s ever been."

Because Auburn is hosting the SEC Tournament next week, the series will be played Thursday, Friday, Saturday and starting Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.