The Alabama softball team claimed the No. 1 spot in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll after a 13-0 start to the season. The Crimson Tide will defend its No. 1 position this weekend hosting the Easton Alabama Invite.
“It’s just a tribute to the kids past and present because you don’t get to that point without a good foundation,” head coach Patrick Murphy said. “The alums and the people that have been here before have paved the way for this team to be No. 1 and obviously they’ve done the work on the field this year. So, it’s a great compliment to the kids on the team. I think it’s a sign of respect, but as all of us know, the ranking that means the most is the last one.”
This is the Tide’s fifth time in six years to reach the top spot in polls. Junior Jackey Branham said the No. 1 spot is nothing new to the upperclassmen.
“We’ve got to take pride in it, but we don’t need to let us get too hyped up about it,” Branham said. “We’ve got to stay humble and keep working hard.
“I also take pride in it and we have to be confident that you’re the team that everyone wants to beat. So you have to bring your best every game to make sure that doesn’t happen, which is kind of cool that you’re going to get everybody’s best game.”
Alabama’s had no problem on offense, scoring a total of 101 runs in just 13 games. Defensively, the Tide has played three errorless games, with 18 total errors on the season. Murphy attributes most of the errors to early-season nerves and said practice will focus on improving the defense.
“This week we’re cleaning up the little gimmes that we’ve been giving away to teams on our defense,” Murphy said. “Eliminate some walks, eliminate wild pitches, pass balls. Eliminate silly errors we’ve been making in the infield. Making the right decision when we throw to whatever base we’re throwing to and just tightening it all up.”
Sophomore Ryan Iamurri said that getting their defense to perfection is this year’s goal.
“Our hitting has been pretty on queue so we just want to perfect the defense,” Iamurri said. “Zero errors and zero unearned runs. We want to make them earn everything they get. That’s our goal this year is to have a smothering defense where to score on us is virtually impossible.”
One area Murphy wants to see improvement in is the Tide’s ability to focus in the present and forgo what happened earlier in the game.
“I think we could do a better job of separating offense from defense and defense from offense and just let it go once they’re done with the at-bat,” Murphy said. “Once they get out on the field it’s all defense and when they come in the dugout its all offense.”
Alabama will face Maryland, Massachusetts and Alabama-Birmingham in this weekend’s tournament. All three are strong programs, but with former Tide players Charlotte Morgan and Kelly Kretschman on Maryland’s coaching staff, Murphy expects the Terps to play extra hard.
“That’s a huge thing for both of them,” Murphy said. “I know they’re going to want their team to play well.”
The Tide’s first game is Friday at 6: 30 p.m., hosting Maryland, with a doubleheader Saturday against Massachusetts at 1:30 p.m., Maryland at 4 p.m. and closing out against UAB Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
