Alabama softball returned to the field Sunday to open its fall season with a doubleheader against Itawamba Community College.
The Crimson Tide swept the doubleheader, taking the first game 9-0 and winning the second game 15-0
There is still plenty of time until Alabama starts its 2025 season, but here are three takeaways from its performance to start the fall exhibition.
No Beaver, no problem
Last season, star senior pitcher Kayla Beaver led Alabama’s pitching unit.
Beaver started 30 of the team’s 59 games and made 10 more appearances in relief, including throwing a no-hitter in her Alabama debut.
While her presence this season will be missed, Alabama’s pitching staff seems to be in good hands. The pitching is now led by sophomore Jocelyn Briski, who started the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader and didn’t give up a single run.
Additionally, Alabama went to the transfer portal to strengthen the depth of the pitching rotations and got pitchers such as Emily Winstead from UNC Wilmington. The senior transfer helped lead UNC Wilmington to a Coastal Athletic Association championship and won the conference pitcher of the year as a true freshman.
In relief, she also shut out Itawamba.
Ole Miss transfer Catelyn Riley started the latter half of the doubleheader for the Crimson Tide. She pitched four innings and surrendered no runs.
Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy talked about the experience Winstead and Riley add to the roster.
“Emily and Catelyn have a lot of experience. They have six years of Division 1 softball between them, and Catelyn has been in the SEC, she’s been through a bunch of wars,” Murphy said.
The offense seems to have improved
Last season, a common theme was the inability to bring home runners in scoring position. During the 2024 season, Alabama ranked 170 out of 296 teams in runs per game, scoring just over 4 runs per game on average.
On Sunday, the Crimson Tide showed no such inability. In the second game, Alabama scored 11 runs in the first inning before Itawamba managed to get two Alabama batters out.
Mississippi State infielder transfer Salen Hawkins proved to be another great addition from the transfer portal. On Sunday, Hawkins recorded five RBIs between the two games.
“Whatever I can do to score a run, I’ll try to just hit the ball hard and hopefully it’ll land somewhere and I’ll get the runners in,” Hawkins said.
Riley has potential to be an impactful addition
Riley could be the biggest weapon of this year’s Alabama transfer class.
She was able to get the job done both on the mound and in the batter’s box. Along with her four scoreless innings, Riley recorded three RBIs on the day off a two-run home run to center field and an RBI double.
“I knew something was going to be at least a little bit close,” Riley said on her approach at the plate before she hit her 2-run home run. “It was right there and [I] just trusted my timing and it was right.”
In addition to Riley’s past SEC experience, Murphy feels that her ability to hit and pitch will pay dividends this season for Alabama.
“I think she’s going to be a hell of a story for us this year,” Murphy said. “With her arm and her bat, she hits as hard as anybody we’ve had.”
Alabama will continue its fall slate on Friday in a doubleheader against West Alabama.
