The Crimson Tide returns to Tuscaloosa for their home opener. After a headline-grabbing performance in Atlanta, the competition gets a little tougher this weekend.
ACCOLADES & RANKINGS
Bama pitcher Vic Moten was named Freshman of the Week by D1 Softball and Softball America. She went 3-0 last weekend and was part of a combined no-hitter. On the weekend, Moten recorded a 0.93 ERA over 15.0 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts.
No kudos for Alabama from the SEC this week. But you can’t blame them. Reese Atwood went 8 for 16 with 7 runs, 3 HR and 10 RBI – and did so in two games each against #9 Nebraska and #25 Washington, and one versus UTSA. Karlyn Pickens had two complete game wins over Oregon and Liberty while allowing only one unearned run. Hailey Nutter threw a no-hitter vs Loyola-Chicago and had a 2-hit shutout vs Minnesota.
At least one person was impressed.
MOVING ON UP
- Softball America 13 ↑ 8 – whoa!
- D1Softball 14 ↑ 10
- USAToday/NFCA 15 ↑ 10
- ESPN/USA Softball 16 ↑ 13
Aw, lawd. Please no rat poison.
SCHEDULE
The Crimson Tide returns to Rhoads Stadium for the Bama Bash home opener. The opposition skill levels tick up just a smidge.
- Fri, Feb 13 vs Purdue 4pm/5pm
- Fri, Feb 13 vs Liberty 5pm/6pm
- Sat, Feb 14 vs Liberty 11am/noon
- Sat, Feb 14 vs Purdue 1pm/2pm
- Sun, Feb 15 vs Georgia Southern 12:30/1:30
HOW TO WATCH… ALLEGEDLY
All games will all be available on SECN+ streaming.
WEATHER
If we are lucky, Snowmageddon ’26 and freezing temperatures are in the rearview mirror. The weather should be nice in T-town on Friday and Saturday, but there is a chance of rain on Sunday.
LIBERTY (0-6)
Don’t let the record fool you. The Flames had a really tough draw in Clearwater last weekend. They fell to three ranked teams – Tennessee, Clemson, and Oregon – plus Mizzou and Notre Dame. On their way home, the Libbies dropped in on FSU in Tallahassee and fell 0-8.
Liberty has always been a pesky little team – especially against the Crimson Tide. Last season in Clearwater, the Flamers topped Alabama 7-6. In 2023, the Libbies defeated the Crimson Tide in an ill-conceived midweek trip to the middle of West Virginia.
In 2025, Dot Richardson’s Liberty made it to the Super Regionals for the first time after becoming the first team to knock the No. 1 overall seed (Texas A&M) out of its own regional. Despite the early setbacks this year, Bama best not take them lightly.
PURDUE (4-1)
Similar to Alabama, the Boilermakers put up some big numbers this past weekend. In a tournament in Las Vegas, they won three straight by scoring 9 runs in each game. They concluded the series with a 15-1 win over host UNLV. The sole loss was probably a bit embarrassing coming at the hands of UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago). In that game, PU made the mistake of starting a sophomore pitcher who had a 9.88 ERA last year with Coastal Carolina. Don’t expect to see her throw against the Tide.
Last season, Purdue was one of the first four teams left out of the 2025 postseason tournament. Junior OF Moriah Polar hit .444 with 31 RBI and stole 30 bases last spring. Haley Painter transferred in from Nevada where she recorded 14 doubles, 15 homers, and 47 RBI last season.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN (3-2)
Not much to see here. The Eagles hosted a tournament this past week. They lost to WKU, split with Eastern Illinois, and swept a pair from UNC Greensboro.
HEALTH
Jocelyn Briski is being brought back slowly from her leg injury. Last weekend, she threw four no-hit innings against Villanova while striking out 7 of 13 batters faced. Patrick Murphy stated that the original plan was to go two innings. After some discussion, Briski went back out for a third inning and needed 8 pitches to get three outs. She then convinced the staff to give her one more inning and tossed 11 more pitches to end the game. That was Game 4 and she did not participate in Game 5.
TEN CENT ANALYSIS
Purdue and Liberty both had formidable teams last season. The level of this year’s renditions are a little cloudy so far. The most important thing for the Crimson Tide staff has to do is not let this team get complacent and keep the intensity up. I get the feeling that this team will respond better to tough love rather than pizza parties and Instagram likes.
A loss this weekend would be highly disappointing.
