Jocelyn Briski Wins SEC Softball Pitcher of Year, Patrick Murphy Coach of Year

Jocelyn Briski's status was uncertain opening weekend as she worked her way back from an offseason knee injury. Not only did she pitch that weekend, the Alabama junior pitcher went on to have her best season yet.

That fantastic season was recognized and awarded by the league's coaches as Briski was named the 2026 SEC Softball Pitcher of the Year on Friday. This is the eighth time in program history that an Alabama pitcher has earned this honor, more than any other program in the SEC.

The SEC awards are determined from conference only stats. In SEC play, Briski went 14-2 with a 2.07 ERA and three saves. She led the league in strikeouts with 111 while only walking 17 batters. The junior also led the SEC with a WHIP of 0.91 in conference play, and she shut out three conference opponents.

After beating Arkansas in the SEC tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, Briski is now 21-2 overall on the season with a 1.38 ERA. Even with the preseason injury, Briski has carried the majority of the load for the pitching staff with 136.2 innings pitched this season.

Coming into the 2026 season, Briski really worked on improving her mental game after being displeased with her sophomore campaign in which she went 17-13 with a 2.99 ERA. Her hard work paid off and is now being rewarded with this individual honor.

The awards for Alabama don't stop with Briski. Head coach Patrick Murphy was named the SEC Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career (2006, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019.) The Crimson Tide came up one game short of winning the SEC regular season championship but finished in second place after getting picked ninth in the preseason poll.

The Crimson Tide went 47-6 (19-5 SEC) in the regular season, tying the highest conference win total since 2014. Alabama won seven of its eight conference series with four sweeps and only lost one game in non-conference play.

Briski and infielder Brooke Wells were named to the All-SEC First Team, and catcher Marlie Giles and designated player Alexis Pupillo earned All-SEC Second Team accolades.

The individual honors are nice, but Alabama still has a lot to play for as a team. The Crimson Tide will take on Florida later on Friday for a spot in the 2026 SEC Tournament finals and with the opportunity to lock up the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

Past Alabama SEC Softball Pitchers of the Year

Stephanie VanBrakle- 2006
Kelsi Dunne- 2010
Kelsi Dunne- 2011
Jackie Traina- 2012
Jackie Traina- 2014
Sarah Cornell- 2019
Montana Fouts- 2021

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