I think I’ve always been kind of geared up to always sort of look at what’s in front of you, not necessarily look what’s behind you, and I think that the next game is always the most important.
~Nick Saban
There is a lot to unwrap from this past weekend. For Texas’s part, the Crimson Tide (and TAMU the week before) exposed the Horns’s Achilles’ heel in that they have only one elite pitcher, and she might be grinding down a bit.
For Alabama, the way Thursday went down and how Friday started, it would
have been so easy for the Tide to just pack it in and go through the motions. But Alexis Pupillo, Brooke Wells, Ambrey Taylor, and Vic Moten, et al were not going to let that happen. This team has resolve to get off the mat and fight back.
Of the final four SEC series left for Alabama on the regular season docket, three of the opponents are among the bottom four of the league: Auburn, Kentucky, and South Carolina. But there is also a YUGE trio of games in Knoxville, TN Apr 25-27. Beating Texas at home 2 to 1 is a fine accomplishment. But a tough road test against the Vols will further define this Team30.
All that said, it is time to put the Texas series behind them and concentrate on the most important: the next game. Alabama heads to Auburn and that entire athletics program is hungry for a win over big brother sister.
ACCOLADES
- Ambrey Taylor is the SEC Freshman of the Week.
- Alabama is #1 in RPI followed by Texas and Arkansas. Tennessee is #6. Softball RPI is calculated using a formula that includes three components: 25% of a team’s winning percentage, 50% of their opponents’ winning percentage, and 25% of their opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage.
- OF NOTE: In Game 3 vs Texas, Kristen White slapped a ball to shallow left field that ticked off the diving Texas outfielder’s glove and turned into a double. Amazingly, it was the first multi-base hit of her four-year collegiate career.
RAT POISON?
The Tide made it all the way to the top in one poll. The other three polls have them behind Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
- Softball America 13 ↑ 8 ↑ 6 ↑ 4 ↔ 4 ↔ 4 ↔ 4 ↓ 6 ↑ 4 ↑ 1
- D1Softball 14 ↑ 10 ↑ 9 ↑ 8 ↑ 5 ↔ 5 ↑ 4 ↓ 6 ↑ 4 ↑ 3
- USAToday/NFCA 16 ↑ 13 ↑ 9 ↑ 7 ↑ 6 ↔ 6 ↔ 6 ↓ 7 ↑ 4 ↑ 3
- ESPN/USA Softball 15 ↑ 10 ↑ 8 ↑ 5 ↑ 4 ↔ 4 ↔ 4 ↓ 6 ↑ 5 ↑ 3
SCHEDULE
- Fri, Apr 10 at Auburn 6pm/7pm
- Sat, Apr 11 at Auburn noon/1pm – All for Alex, Wear Teal game
- Sun, Apr 12 at Auburn 1pm/2pm
HOW TO WATCH… ALLEGEDLY
Game 2 versus the barn will air on SEC Network. The other two are sequestered to SECN+ Streaming.
WEATHER
It should be good weather with highs in the lower 80s with sunny skies.
AUBURN (23-16, 2-10)
It was a dubious beginning to the season for the War Tigers as they were run-ruled by North Florida in the season opener, 11-3. The Aubs would rebound to win the next 10 out of 11 culminating with a W over Oregon. But that celebration was short-lived when UCLA handed AU an embarrassing 23-1 run-rule drubbing later that same day. Before the SEC docket kicked in, Auburn would lose a pair to Virginia Tech at home and a neutral to Washington while failing to earn any other significant wins against Power teams.
In conference play, the Plains Eagles took two out of three against last place Kentucky at home. To date, UK’s win in that series is their only one in SEC play (1-14). Since then, Aub has been swept at Oklahoma and at home by Mizzou. This past weekend against Arkansas, AU was shut out 10-0 (5 Inn. run rule) and 4-0 in the first two games. They finally pushed a unearned run across in the finale, a 4-1 defeat. The Aubies collected just two hits in each of the three games.
THROW THE BALL
UGH! What a bad pitching staff. Six pitchers and the lowest ERA is 3.60. The team ERA is 4.43, which is dead last in the SEC and 151st in D-I. The Aub hurlers have only ONE shutout and have given up a massive 42 home runs, 44 doubles, and a ridiculous 13 triples.
The “ace” of the staff is Ella Harrison (10-7, 3.89 ERA). The sophomore transferred in from Rutgers and probably regrets it. She has been getting hammered by SEC batters, but she keeps logging the most innings (108.0 — 3rd most in SEC). The righty has a drop, rise, screw and curveball.
After two years of not playing for Oklahoma, left-hander SJ Geurin (5-5, 4.22) arrived in da plains last season and looked spectacular early on in Clearwater. But once SEC play began, she struggled. Her numbers looked right purty (23-12, 2.97), but she had issues. Most blamed it on her going from 10.0 innings pitched in 2024 to 190.2 last season. This year, her innings have dropped (63.0) but consistency has still been a problem. Geurin pitched well in the two wins vs Kentucky (2 runs allowed in 11.2 innings). However, she was hit pretty hard in her last two starts vs Missouri and Arkansas (10 runs in 11.1).
Ole Miss transfer Abby Herndon is at 4-4, 5.79 in 38.2 innings pitched as the main reliever. The other three pitchers have thrown under 15 innings.
- TL/DR: Not good, but capable of a sporadic gem here and there.
HIT THE BALL
LF Kylie Shaw has done well as the leadoff hitter with a .387 BA and 39 runs scored. Shortstop Alyssa Hastings arrived from Lipscomb after hitting .413 last season. This year, she has started every game and – TBH – I don’t know if she has missed an inning. She is hitting .424, mostly as the No. 2 hitter, but has only 21 RBI and 20 runs. 3-hitter McKaela Walker (.327) leads the team with 10 HR and 34 RBI. Ma’Nia Womack also has 10 round-trippers but her BA languishes down at .243. The Tiggies don’t steal a lot of bases — only 22 versus 44 by opponents.
- TL/DR: Decent offense, middle of the road in the SEC.
CATCH THE BALL
The pitching may be bad, but at least the fielding is godawful. They are worst in the SEC at .951, which if you don’t know, is a REALLY poor percentage. Texas and Kentucky are just ahead of the War Tigers and they are still a much better .964. AU’s 51 errors are 11 more than the next closest team, UK. Third-bagger Haven Roebuck has nine by herself. AnnaLea Adams has eight boots at first base. How is that even possible?
As mentioned above, Auburn has given up 44 of 47 stolen bases.
- TL/DR: Dreadful.
HOT HEAD(S)
Husband and wife Chris & Kate Malveaux were brought into Da Plains as co-head coaches from Tennessee prior to the 2025 season and the experiment is not going so well. The Dysfunctional Duo went 35-24, 6-18 last season and now have a two year conference record of 8-28.
- TL/DR: D+
OWIES
Auburn infielder Destiny Rodriguez, who injured her shoulder in mid-March, is still out indefinitely. She was hitting .352 with 25 RBI at the time — the latter stat of which is still the fifth highest total on the team.
TEN CENT ANALYSIS
There is a stagnant dark cloud hovering over Lee County these days. Auburn has been pretty awful in every sport outside of Equestrian — and even there, they were upset by 4-seed Texas A&M in the SEC Championship in their home arena. Softball has been no exception. TL/DR: this Auburn team can beat most non-Power teams, but they are not up to snuff in the SEC.
Although this foe is an Alabama “rival” and the games are on Aubie’s campus, there is no excuse for Crimson Tide to not win all three.
