Red-Hot Alabama Softball Takes Advantage of Off Day
EDMOND, Okla.— Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said a lot of people around the Alabama softball program didn't get to sleep until around 3 a.m. after the exhilarating performance from Montana Fouts against No. 2 UCLA.
So how does a team recover from the high of a perfect game? With a morning of light practice and an afternoon of rest.
Murphy was still glowing talking about his team's perfection against UCLA, which just so happened to be the program's first win against the Bruins.
"There's not very many [perfect games], but it literally means the team played perfect," Murphy said. "That's so cool. The defense had to be perfect, the pitcher had to be perfect, and then obviously you had to score runs."
One of the big advantages for a team that starts out 2-0 in the Women's College World Series is the day off on Saturday which is exactly where Alabama softball finds itself after wins over the Bruins on Friday and No. 11 Arizona on Thursday.
"We have a friend at Central Oklahoma , and she allowed us to come out and use their awesome facility," Murphy said. "It'll probably be about an hour and a half workout, pretty short, and then basically rest the rest of the day."
The Crimson Tide opened up practice with a light warmup followed by some batting practice with balls constantly flying out of the yard.
Keeping it fun, the practice ended with several members of the Alabama support and coaching staffs taking some swings and hitting more bombs over the fence.
Murphy said the players will have the afternoon off to catch up on sleep or spend time with family members before regathering as a team for dinner and scouting the potential teams Alabama will play.
One of those teams that Alabama could face, James Madison, has been the darling of the WCWS so far. The unseeded Dukes upset No. 1 Oklahoma on Thursday, and then continued the upset streak with a win over No. 5 Oklahoma State on Friday to join Alabama as the only other 2-0 team in Oklahoma City.
"It's a great story obviously for softball," Murphy said. "The coach is a great lady, and obviously they have a bunch of really talented kids. I definitely want to meet Miss Meeks, the third baseman, because we had a Meeks in Kelley Montalvo at 4’ 9”, and one of the best players we've ever had."
Lynsey Meeks, the third baseman for James Madison, has become a fan-favorite at the WCWS with her personality and dance moves whenever she reaches base.
Alabama would not match up with the Dukes potentially until the championship series because James Madison is on the other side of the bracket. The Crimson Tide will face either Arizona, Florida State or Oklahoma State on Sunday depending on how the elimination games go on Saturday. Alabama will only need to win one game on Sunday to advance to the championship series.
For now, Alabama can enjoy "elimination Saturday" stress free as they rest and recover from two dominating performances heading into the semifinals on Sunday.
