The Week That Was For Alabama Softball: Week 2
Things got better this past week for Team 24, but the trip to the Tampa area to play in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational began with a bang and ended with a whimper.
After three straight wins to open the tournament, including an 8-0 whitewashing of top-ranked Washington, the No. 9 Crimson Tide lost its final two games and headed back to Tuscaloosa with a record of 4-5.
Crimson Tide coach Patrick Murphy had formerly suspended third baseman Maddie Morgan and recently-cleared freshman catcher Abby Doerr at his disposal, and both played big roles in their debuts.
In just her second collegiate at bat, Doerr crushed a two-run home run in a win over Liberty. Morgan contributed a clutch rally-extending hit in the Washington victory.
Having Doerr available lets Murphy use senior Bailey Hemphill at her natural position, first base, or as the designated player. Hemphill hit a tape-measure home run, her first of the year, against Washington.
With Morgan back at third, freshman Savannah Woodard returned to second where she spent much of the fall. Graduate transfer Alexis Mack has moved from second to left field, her natural position and is apparently going to bat leadoff the bulk of the season.
Mack already has five stolen bases in six tries to go with a .348 average and .500 OBP. Those are attributes Murphy loves at the top of his order.
Center field is now by committee until the return of injured senior Elissa Brown (broken hand). One of the top defensive plays of the weekend was made by freshman Jenna Johnson during Friday morning’s win over USF when she broke back on the deep fly, leapt, and made the catch while crashing through the plastic temporary outfield fence.
The 3-2 mark in Clearwater was certainly better than opening weekend's 1-3 disaster, and the pitching was good enough for the Crimson Tide to win all but Friday afternoon’s UCLA 7-0 Bruins win.
The most troubling aspect for Murphy and pitching coach Stephanie VanBrakle-Prothro has been surprising sophomore slump of star right-handed pitcher Montana Fouts.
Fouts has not been her normal self in the young season, as evidenced by a cumulative stat line of 0-2 in four starts with an ERA of 4.88 to go with 15 walks and 13 strikeouts in 14.1 innings of work.
Those numbers don’t remotely resemble Fouts’ SEC Freshman of the Year season when she posted 21 wins with an ERA of 1.39 to go with 193 strikeouts and but 56 walks in 181.2 innings.
Are the problems fixable? Certainly, and one can safely assume Murphy and VanBrakle-Prothro are working feverishly to help Fouts return to her freshman form.
The team's hope is that it will happen when Team 24 plays at home for the first time this weekend in the Easton Bama Bash.
- Feb. 21 vs. Wichita State – 4 p.m. CT
- Feb. 21 vs. Penn State – 6 p.m.
- Feb. 22 vs. Louisville – 1:30 p.m.
- Feb. 22 vs. Penn State – 4 p.m.
- Feb. 23 vs. Louisville – 1:30 p.m.
