A look back at 2019
Alabama finished the 2019 season with a 60-10 overall record. The Crimson Tide assembled an 18-6 showing in conference play, and performed well at home and on the road, finished 24-3 at Rhoads Stadium and 15-3 in away games.
The Tide began the season on a 33-game winning streak, mowing down every team that they faced in early season non-conference play. The non-conference slate was highlighted with wins over South Florida, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona, and a pair of victories over Minnesota in a rematch from the infamous 2017 Regional.
During SEC play, the Tide dropped just two of their eight conference series’, and were never swept during the course of the year. The squad recorded their own series sweeps over Missouri, Georgia, Florida, and LSU, and won the best-of-three series’ against Texas A&M and Mississippi State. In the midst of conference play, the Tide dropped a series to Kentucky and one to South Carolina, but salvaged a single victory in each weekend.
In the SEC tournament, the Tide won their first two games – including an extra-inning victory over Georgia and a revenge win over Kentucky – before dropping the tournament championship game in a 2-1 defeat to Florida.
Selected as the #8 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Tide earned a favorable draw in the regional round, coasting through the Tuscaloosa regional with a 3-0 record, though they only outscored opponents 24-14 in the trio of games. Paired up with 9th-seeded Texas in the Super Regional round, the series went to the winner-take-all third game where the Tide emerged victorious from an offensive showcase that saw both teams put up at least five runs for the second time in the Super.
After starting the Women’s College World Series with a loss to Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide rebounded with a run-rule win over Florida in an elimination game and followed by eliminating Arizona to reach the WCWS semifinals. There, the Tide took an extra-inning victory over Oklahoma to force a winner-take-all final game for a berth in the WCWS championship series; unfortunately for the Tide, they fell to the Sooners by a 7-3 final score to end the season.
Roster turnover
Departures: Following the 2019 season, the Tide graduated four players, with starting catcher Reagan Dykes and outfielder Merris Schroder chief among them. Pitcher Courtney Gettins and pinch hitter extraordinaire Caroline Hardy rounded out the senior class. The Tide also lost a pair of role players, both of whom entered the transfer portal, in frequent pinch runner Kloyee Anderson and now-Arizona State pitcher Madison Preston.
Additions: The Crimson Tide added five freshmen for the 2020 season, including highly-touted pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl. Former Oregon standout speedster Alexis Mack also joined the Tide this summer via transfer, after sitting out the 2018 season.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths – The Tide have one of the deepest pitching staffs in the nation, helmed by sophomore Montana Fouts and also including Sarah Cornell, Krystal Goodman, and Kilfoyl. The quartet should be particularly worrisome for opposing offenses. As for their offensive attack, the Tide have a number of quality hitters, from slugger Bailey Hemphill to Team USA junior national team member Skylar Wallace to new addition Mack. One of the nation’s most well-rounded teams sits in Tuscaloosa.
Weaknesses – While the Tide have a deep pitching staff, it’s not without some brief question marks – Cornell now enters her second full season in the SEC; Goodman has been good, if not great; and Fouts missed three weeks last season due to injury and is likely to be relied upon as a workhorse in the circle. The biggest challenge for the Tide, though, will be the pressures of living up to the high expectations for the squad this season.
2020 outlook
Pitching – Fouts is the anchor of the staff, in spite of Cornell’s somewhat-inexplicable SEC Pitcher of the Year award from 2019. She showed flashes of absolute brilliance last season, and now has a full collegiate season under her belt. Cornell and Goodman are both likely to get innings in non-conference play and against SEC opponents, while it will be interesting to see where Kilfoyl fits in – a top-level recruit, she could just as easily slide into the #2 starter role right away as take on a generic role in the staff rotation.
Offense – Hemphill headlines the Tide offense, but the squad quietly has a pretty stacked batting order, nearly from top to bottom. From speedsters Mack and Elissa Brown, to home run hitters like Hemphill and Kaylee Tow, to quality middle-of-the-lineup pieces like Skylar Wallace, Maddie Morgan, and KB Sides, the Tide have all of the offensive tools covered, and covered well.
Coaching – Patrick Murphy is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the nation, and there’s a good reason for that perception: It’s true. Alabama has reached twelve Women’s College World Series’ under Murphy’s guidance, including the 2012 World Series where the Tide won the national championship. Murphy’s coaching staff includes associate head coach Alyson Habetz, pitching coach Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro, and volunteer assistant Brynne Dordel.
Wrap-up
Expectations are high for the Crimson Tide in 2020; with Montana Fouts in the circle and the return of most of the team’s high-powered offense, the Tide are favored for the SEC title and Women’s College World Series berth #13 seems likely. The talent level is high in Tuscaloosa this season, and the Tide are going to be a fun team to watch on the field.
