Former Alabama athletic director Bill Battle was directly responsible for the Crimson Tide’s softball seniors being able to return to play in 2021, according to Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy.
In his press conference on Friday, Murphy thanked Battle by name for his contributions that allowed the Tide’s seven seniors to take advantage of the NCAA’s extended eligibility waiver following the abrupt end to the 2020 season.
“Thank you to Mr. Bill Battle.. he was the hero for us this year,” Murphy said at one point during his presser. “He donated the money for our seven seniors to come back. He called me in late April, and I wasn’t sure what he was going to say on his phone call, but he said ‘We absolutely love the way you do things, and this is what we want to do for you.’ I was absolutely floored. I said ‘Coach Battle, your legacy with us was absolutely cemented. I don’t know if you could do anything more or better,’ but after that, I realized exactly the type of person that he was, just an incredible individual.”
Murphy added, “As a result of that , we’ll have six super seniors that will graduate with a master’s degree and a seventh, Krystal Goodman, with two undergrad degrees, so we can’t thank [Battle] enough.”
Battle is a graduate of the University of Alabama, and a native of nearby Birmingham. He played college football for the legendary Bear Bryant, and later served as an assistant coach under Bryant. From 1970-76, Battle served as head coach at Tennessee, collecting a 59-22-2 overall record during his tenure in Knoxville. In 2013, Battle was named athletic director at Alabama, a position that he served in until 2017.
The Crimson Tide’s seven-member “super-senior” class includes pitchers Sarah Cornell and Krystal Goodman; infielders Claire Jenkins and Taylor Clark; outfielders Alexis Mack and Elissa Brown; and power-hitting utility player Bailey Hemphill.
