Out of Alabama softball's regional wins over the years, this year's 12-2 win over Southeastern Louisiana to win the Tuscaloosa Regional is the most gratifying for coach Patrick Murphy.
Why?
Because the Crimson Tide did it with nobody in their starting lineup batting over .300 and nobody with over 10 home runs. They did it after winning just one SEC series and finishing under .500 in conference play for the first time in program history.
"This might have been the most gratifying regional win of my career," Murphy said. "Just what we have gone through, what we've been through, the ups and downs, a lot of downs. They never once quit."
Murphy called the regional win over Southeastern Louisiana not only the most gratifying of his career, but also what may have been the Crimson Tide's best game of the year. It was a game that saw the Crimson Tide offense erupt, scoring a season high nine runs in the first inning behind 10 hits. It finished the game with a season-high 14 hits in the 12-2 victory.
"I looked up and said to (assistant coach) Lance (McMahon) 'Do we really have 10 hits in the first inning?'" Murphy said. "I don't think that's happened all year.
"What a time to have it."
It is no secret it was an up and down season for the Crimson Tide. They started the season nearly undefeated in non-conference play, going 18-0 before suffering their first loss in a March 2 contest to South Alabama, before going on to drop their first three conference series. Hits were hard to come by for the Alabama offense for a majority of the season, as the Crimson Tide had 17 games with under five hits, including a 27-inning scoreless drought back in April.
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"This year was hard," outfielder Jenna Johnson said. "It tested us, but they never quit on us. The coaches never quit. They believed in us, week in and week out. They kept preparing us, they kept going, they kept saying we have a goal to be at a world series at the end of the year, and that's what we have been working for. The goal never changed. We did go through ups and downs, and like (coach Murphy) said a lot of downs, but they kept believing in us and we knew it was going to turn our way eventually."
Despite the ups and downs, Alabama won its second straight NCAA Regional on Sunday in its run-rule victory over Southeastern Louisiana. It is set to face the winner of the Knoxville Regional next weekend in the super regional round, where it looks to make its 15th Women's College World Series appearance.
"(The players) didn't give up either," Murphy said. "They could have. They could have folded their tents and said this is not going to be our year, but they kept working. When a kid keeps working, you keep working, because they aren't giving up and we're not either. It was a lot of patience ... It just took a lot from everybody. It's just really gratifying to see it happen in the end."
Murphy recently reached 1,300 career wins, reaching the feat in Alabama's 1-0 victory over USC Upstate on Friday in the opening round of the Tuscaloosa Regional. He is in his 27th season at the helm of the Alabama program, leading it to 25 NCAA tournament appearances and 14 Women's College World Series appearances.
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