Why Beth Torina is Really Familiar with Alabama Despite Not Facing Tide This Season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama has one of the best pitching staffs in the nation with a team ERA of 1.52, and Crimson Tide haed coach is quick to credit pitching coach Lance McMahon for the work he's done in making that happen.

McMahon helped ace Jocelyn Briski turn a disappointing sophomore season into a junior season worthy of winning SEC Pitcher of the Year. He helped develop freshman Vic Moten into one of the top freshman pitchers in the country. Alabama's pitching success is a big reason why the Crimson Tide (52-7) is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament and hosting No. 16 LSU (40-17) in super regionals this weekend.

It is also why LSU head coach Beth Torina has had her eye on the Crimson Tide all season despite no regular season meeting between the Tide and Tigers.

"Lance McMahon the pitching coach was one of our GAs, so I kind of always try to keep up with our people," Torina said. "Also a ton of respect for what he does, so I would look at him and what he did as kind of a template if we had similar opponents or common opponents. I’ve seen almost as much of their season as anybody in the SEC just because I follow him, pull for him— of course not this weekend— but every other weekend. Just respect what he does, so I like seeing how he got hitters out and how he handled people so I can use that as a template. I had a good pulse on it.”

McMahon is now in his fifth season as the Alabama pitching coach, but he got his coaching career started under Torina at LSU as a graduate assistant. After serving as a student manager at Missouri while in college, McMahon got his first assistant job at LSU. During his time at LSU from 2014 to 2016, the Tigers made two Women's College World Series appearances.

Will her familiarity with McMahon give LSU an edge this weekend? Torina doesn't think so.

"Probably not," Torina said. "He’s done an incredible job. He’s really made himself an incredible coach. I think we’re all just so proud of him and what he’s accomplished. He earned this job and is just five stars in his time here [at Alabama.] He hasn’t been with us for quite a long time. He’s learned a lot of different things between now and then. We’ll take any advantage we can get, so if we want to put that in our heads that we know Lance, we’re going to take it.”

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