Alabama softball honored two seniors this past weekend, with infielder Brooke Ellestad and pitcher Catelyn Riley each getting their own Senior Day.
Instead of honoring all the seniors before one game, head coach Patrick Murphy instead opts to give each Crimson Tide senior their own day to honor them.
Ellestad was the first to be honored, on Friday before the UAB and Furman games. She transferred in the offseason from Louisiana, where she spent a season following her first two seasons at St. Thomas.
Serving the role of the Crimson Tide’s starting shortstop this season, Ellestad has played well, hitting .345 with two homers and a .870 OPS. She expressed gratitude for her decision to come to Tuscaloosa.
“It is the most ideal place to grow as a person and as a player,” Ellestad said. “I’m forever grateful for this opportunity.”
The festivities for Ellestad started off with the video screen showing her reading a “Dear Softball” letter she wrote, where she talked about what softball has meant to her life and gave thanks to her family.
“This day meant a lot to me — a lot more than just softball,” Ellestad said. “It’s all about the journey and celebrating the little things, and not taking this opportunity lightly.”
Ellestad’s father threw out the first pitch to his daughter behind the plate. She called it a “full-circle” moment due to all the rounds of batting practice her father used to throw to her back in her early childhood days.
To cap the celebration off, Ellestad hit a 2-RBI double in her first at-bat and finished the game 2/4 at the plate en route to a 15-1 win over UAB.
The next day, it was Riley’s time to be honored. She came in this offseason after spending three seasons at Ole Miss, totaling a 2.96 ERA across 267.1 innings.
Riley has primarily served as the Crimson Tide’s No. 2 starter this season. In 12 appearances, she has pitched 41.2 innings to the tune of a 2.35 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Like Ellestad, Riley read her “Dear Softball” letter and caught her father’s first pitch.
“To all my Alabama coaches, you are all amazing people and even more amazing staff to play for,” Riley said. “You truly have put me back together and made me feel like myself again.”
Riley was the starting pitcher for the matchup against Southern Illinois University and didn’t disappoint, starting off with five no-hit innings. She ultimately struggled in the sixth and was pulled from the game, but not before she got a standing ovation.
“It means the world to me, because they’ve welcomed me with open arms,” Riley said. “They have genuinely loved me as a person — also as an athlete, but mainly as a person.”
It was a happy weekend overall for the two seniors, as Alabama went 5-0 to cap off the celebrations. The Crimson Tide will next play on Tuesday at Samford at 6 p.m. CT and can be watched on ESPN+.
