Patrick Murphy Officiates Former Alabama Softball National Champion’s Wedding

It wouldn’t be the first time Patrick Murphy was witness to Amanda Locke receiving a ring.

Former Crimson Tide National Champion Locke married her wife, Allison, over the weekend, and gave her dear mentor a vital role in the ceremony. Murphy had the honor of leading the couple to matrimony.

“Congrats to Amanda Locke and Allison… another beautiful #Bamau wedding!,” Murphy wrote on Instagram.

Murphy and Locke have kept a close relationship since she helped lead Alabama to its lone softball national title as a senior in 2012. Though a utility player, Locke saw time as a hitter and pitcher, and was named to the NFCA All-American Second Team for her efforts during the championship season.

That year, she went 5-1 in the circle with a 3.36 ERA across six starts and 13 relief appearances. She batted .315 with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 116 total bases, which ranked second in single-season history.

During the championship series against Oklahoma, Locke totaled four RBIs, driving in a three-run double during Game 2. Her RBI single in Alabama’s 5-4 victory in the finale is what sealed the program’s first and lone national title. Her outstanding performance earned her Women’s College World Series (WCWS) All-Tournament honors.

Women in red and white softball uniforms jump onto each other on the field in celebration. — Alabama Softball won its only title in 2012. | Tuscaloosa News

Heading into his 27th season at the helm, Murphy is certainly showcasing that healthy athlete-to-coach relationships are possible in Division I sports. Several other team members from the 2012 year were in attendance at the wedding, and fans kept note of the bonds Murphy has displayed.

“Patrick Murphy, I bet you have been to so many weddings,” one fan commented on his Instagram post. “Sign of an amazing coach!”

In 2025, when the Crimson Tide was powering toward the postseason, Locke was right there in the stands to root on Murphy and his crew.

Locke has made significant impacts on college softball, too, since departing from Alabama. Formally the head softball coach at Birmingham-Southern College, she also previously served as the associate head coach at Northwestern State, served as Texas Tech’s primary pitching coach, and spent a summer coaching in the National Pro Fastpitch League (NPF) in 2018.

Under her direction at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders' ERA improved from 5.77 in 2016 to 4.72 in 2017, then to 3.78 in her last season. The 2018 staff put up the most strikeouts (233) since 2014.

In 2019, the Northwestern State Lady Demons won 30 games for the first time since 2015 under Locke’s aid. There, she built a strong offense, and the team ranked third in the conference with 202 RBIs.

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