The No. 4 University of Alabama Crimson Tide softball team will play the Georgia State Panthers at home on Wednesday, and the Alabama players want revenge.
Last year, the Tide lost to the Panthers 5-1 in another midweek game sandwiched between two Southeastern Conference weekends. It was the Tide’s first non-conference loss since 2010.
Several players agree Alabama took the Panthers lightly last year when they should not have, and this contributed to the Tide’s loss.
“Last year we didn’t play up to our level,” senior Kayla Braud said. “We weren’t as focused as we should have been, and I think we learned a valuable lesson that day.”
Senior Jackey Branham said it is always tough to play a midweek game against a non-conference opponent when the team is looking ahead to SEC games the next weekend. This weekend the Tide will play Auburn, but Branham said they will focus on Georgia State on Wednesday. She said the team knows it has to take the Panthers seriously. After all, last year this opponent showed it has the ability to defeat the Tide.
“[Georgia State players] know that they’re capable of beating us, and we can’t take them lightly like we did last year,” Branham said. “We were looking ahead at the next SEC series, and we weren’t focused at the task at hand.”
Branham said the Panthers maintain morale throughout the game, which makes them a difficult competitor. The players are loud and motivated every inning. Branham said many teams get down when Alabama pulls ahead on the scoreboard, but not Georgia State. The Panther team is a tough team, Branham said, which will make this a good game.
“They’re never out of the game,” Branham said. “They’re always cheering, and they’re always loud.”
The Tide hopes to improve its 26-3 record with this game after losing its first three conference games.
Braud said the team has some improvements to make in certain areas. It has had to come from behind too often this season, the senior said, and needs to score and be aggressive at the plate early in the game to ensnare opponents at the game’s outset. Braud said the team also needs to focus on sharpening areas of defense, but overall the team has progressed through the season.
“I think our team has been on the incline and has been getting better every single day,” Braud said. “We’re going to work hard this week and make some adjustments from this weekend [against the University of South Carolina].”
The Tide will host the Panthers at Rhoads Stadium Wednesday. The first pitch will be thrown at 6 p.m.
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