No. 5 Alabama softball has had three games cancelled or postponed. The reason isn’t that Alabama doesn’t want to play, it just doesn’t want to play in below-freezing temperatures or wintry weather. Neither did the the other team.

Tuesday night’s matchup with UAB should be the second matchup of the season but projected below-freezing temperatures caused both teams to agree to postpone the first meeting. Tuesday’s matchup could also be the fourth cancelled or postponed game.

Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said he doesn’t know if the team will get a midweek game in.

“Gosh, it doesn’t look good again, does it?” Murphy said.

There is a 75 percent chance of rain forecasted for Tuesday night, according to weather.com.

Despite cancelled and postponed games, UAB has compiled an 18-5 record and Alabama an 18-4 record. The Blazers completed a series sweep over North Texas this past weekend to start conference play.

UAB’s only shared opponent with Alabama so far is Lipscomb. Both the Blazers and the Crimson Tide came away with a win.

“We’ve already looked at rescheduling the game over there, and I think that one’s going to work out so I hope we get to play,” Murphy said. “We’re running out of dates.”

The cancelled and postponed games have given Alabama one edge: 
extra practices.

“Well, it kind of has helped us through the last couple of weekends because when we played Lafayette, we got four days of practice, which we never get, and then this weekend it might be three so it turns out it’ll probably help us,” Murphy said. “It definitely did 
against Lafayette.”

The Wednesday before Alabama hosted Lousiana-Lafayette, forecasted wintry weather caused Alabama and Jacksonville State to agree not to play. The game was scheduled to be played at Jacksonville State and travel on possibly icy roads would have been too risky.

The Crimson Tide used Wednesday as another practice and took the weekend series against then-No. 6 
Louisiana-Lafayette.

Even though the extra practices are beneficial, not having midweek games keeps the team from developing a rhythm of playing more than three games in a week, Murphy said.

“I think the pitchers need that ‘cause obviously this week everybody got a start and it was three complete games, but [sophomore right-hander] Sydney [Littlejohn] got five innings so you know, good and bad,” Murphy said. “She might need a little more work.”

Alabama is scheduled to face UAB at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Rhoads Stadium.