Alabama Crimson Tide softball
College softball team
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The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It is currently led by head coach Patrick Murphy and assistant coaches Lance McMahon and Kayla Braud. The team plays its home games at the Rhoads Stadium located on the university's campus. The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team won its first national championship in 2012, after they defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the championship series of the Women's College World Series.
| Alabama Crimson Tide | |
|---|---|
 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide softball team | |
| |
| Founded | 1997 (29 years ago) |
| University | University of Alabama |
| Athletic director | Greg Byrne |
| Head coach | Patrick Murphy (27th season) |
| Conference | SEC |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US |
| Home stadium | Rhoads Stadium (capacity: 3,940) |
| Nickname | Crimson Tide |
| Colors | Crimson and white[1] |
| NCAA Tournament champions | |
| 2012 | |
| NCAA WCWS runner-up | |
| 2014 | |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 | |
| NCAA super regional appearances | |
| 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
| Conference tournament championships | |
| 1998, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2021 | |
| Regular-season conference championships | |
| 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019 | |
History
On September 28, 1995, Alabama athletics director Glen Tuckett announced the school would sponsor a softball program to begin play in the 1997 season.[2] At the time of its addition, softball became both the 20th varsity sport overall and 11th women's sport sponsored at Alabama.[2] On January 3, 1996, Kalum Haack was hired from Kansas to serve as the first head coach for the team.[3] The next spring, Haack recruited his first class for the inaugural 1997 team.[3] On February 15, 1997, Alabama defeated Tulsa 5–2 in their first all-time game at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.[4] Two weeks later, the Crimson Tide won their first all-time home game in their home opener at Sokol Park against Delta State 4–3.[5]
After he led the Crimson Tide in their inaugural season and to their first SEC championship in their second season, on June 30, 1998, Haack resigned as head coach.[6] He cited personal reasons for his resignation.[6] During his two-year stint as head coach, Haack compiled an overall record of 78 wins and 47 losses (78–47).[6] A week later on July 9, Alabama assistant coach Patrick Murphy was promoted to the Crimson Tide's head coach position.[7]
Since Murphy took over in 1999, the Crimson Tide has won 12 SEC championships (6 regular season and 6 tournaments), made 17 consecutive NCAA tournaments (every year since 1999) and have advanced to the Women's College World Series ten times.[8][9] In 2012, Alabama defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 2 games to 1, in the championship series of the Women's College World Series, to win its first national championship in school history and the first softball national championship in the history of the SEC.[10]
Head coaches
| Name | Years | Record | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalum Haack | 1997–1998 | 78–47 | .624 |
| Patrick Murphy | 1999–present | 1,083–303 | .781 |
Year-by-year records
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Conference (1997–present) | ||||||||||
| 1997 | Kalum Haack | 29–29 | 16–14 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (0–2) | |||||
| 1998 | Kalum Haack | 49–18 | 19–7 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (4–1) | |||||
| 1999 | Patrick Murphy | 39–26 | 19–11 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (1–2) NCAA Regional (0–2) | |||||
| 2000 | Patrick Murphy | 66–14 | 25–5 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (2–2) NCAA Regional (4–0) College World Series (1–2) | |||||
| 2001 | Patrick Murphy | 50–11 | 24–6 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (1–2) NCAA Regional (2–2) | |||||
| 2002 | Patrick Murphy | 46–21 | 22–8 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (2–2) NCAA Regional (0–2) | |||||
| 2003 | Patrick Murphy | 49–21 | 22–8 | 1st (Western) | SEC tournament (4–0) NCAA Regional (4–0) College World Series (0–2) | |||||
| 2004 | Patrick Murphy | 45–20 | 18–12 | 3rd (Western) | SEC tournament (1–2) NCAA Regional (3–2) | |||||
| 2005 | Patrick Murphy | 63–15 | 23–7 | 1st (Western) | SEC tournament (4–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (1–2) | |||||
| 2006 | Patrick Murphy | 54–11 | 25–4 | 1st | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (0–2) | |||||
| 2007 | Patrick Murphy | 55–10 | 21–6 | 2nd (Western) | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (4–1) NCAA Super Regional (0–2) | |||||
| 2008 | Patrick Murphy | 58–8 | 25–3 | 1st (Western) | SEC tournament (2–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (2–2) | |||||
| 2009 | Patrick Murphy | 54–11 | 21–6 | 1st (Western) | SEC tournament (2–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (2–2) | |||||
| 2010 | Patrick Murphy | 52–11 | 23–4 | 1st | SEC tournament (3–0) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (1–2) | |||||
| 2011 | Patrick Murphy | 51–9 | 19–6 | 1st | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–1) College World Series (2–2) | |||||
| 2012 | Patrick Murphy | 60–8 | 23–5 | 1st | SEC tournament (3–0) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (5–1) | |||||
| 2013 | Patrick Murphy | 45–15 | 13–11 | 3rd (Western) | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (0–2) | |||||
| 2014 | Patrick Murphy | 53–13 | 19–5 | 1st | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (3–2) | |||||
| 2015 | Patrick Murphy | 48–15 | 17–7 | 3rd | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–1) College World Series (1–2) | |||||
| 2016 | Patrick Murphy | 51–12 | 17–8 | 5th | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (0–2) | |||||
| 2017 | Patrick Murphy | 46–18 | 12–11 | 5th | SEC tournament (2–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (1–2) | |||||
| 2018 | Patrick Murphy | 36–20 | 12–12 | 8th | SEC tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (0–2) | |||||
| 2019 | Patrick Murphy | 60–10 | 18–6 | 1st | SEC tournament (2–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–1) College World Series (3–2) | |||||
| 2020 | Patrick Murphy | 14–8 | 2–1 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | Patrick Murphy | 52–9 | 18–6 | 3rd | SEC tournament (3–0) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–0) College World Series (2–2) | |||||
| 2022 | Patrick Murphy | 44–13 | 16–8 | 2nd | SEC Tournament (0–1) NCAA Regional (3–2) | |||||
| 2023 | Patrick Murphy | 45–22 | 14–10 | 5th | SEC Tournament (2–1) NCAA Regional (3–1) NCAA Super Regional (2–1) College World Series (0–2) | |||||
| 2024 | Patrick Murphy | 39–20 | 10–14 | 9th | SEC Tournament (0–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (2–1) College World Series (1–2) | |||||
| 2025 | Patrick Murphy | 40–21 | 12–12 | T–10th | SEC Tournament (1–1) NCAA Regional (3–0) NCAA Super Regional (0–0) | |||||
| Total: | 1,370–424 | 493–207 | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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NCAA Tournament seeding history
National seeding began in 2005. The Alabama Crimson Tide are one of only two teams to have a national seed every year, along with Tennessee.
Awards and honors
National awards
- Montana Fouts (2021)
- Montana Fouts (2023)
- D1Softball Pitcher of the Year
- Montana Fouts (2021)
- Montana Fouts (2023)
Conference awards
- Charlotte Morgan (2009, 2010)
- Bailey Hemphill (2021)
- Stephanie VanBrakle (2006)
- Kelsi Dunne (2010, 2011)
- Jackie Traina (2012, 2014)
- Sarah Cornell (2019)
- Montana Fouts (2021)
- Lacy Prejean (2000)
- Jackie McClain (2001)
- Stephanie VanBrakle (2003)
- Brittany Rogers (2006)
- Kelsi Dunne (2008)
- Amanda Locke (2009)
- Kayla Braud (2010)
- Alexis Osorio (2015)
- Montana Fouts (2019)
Alabama's Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans
| Player | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Kelly Kretschman | 1998, 1999, 2000†, 2001† |
| Carrie Moreman | 1999 |
| Ginger Jones | 2000† |
| Shelley Laird | 2000, 2001 |
| Suzanne Olcott | 2001 |
| Ashley Courtney | 2002†, 2005 |
| Jackie McClain | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| Stephanie VanBrakle | 2005, 2006 |
| Brittany Rogers | 2006, 2007, 2008†, 2009 |
| Lauren Parker | 2007† |
| Chrissy Owens | 2007 |
| Kelley Montalvo | 2008† |
| Charlotte Morgan | 2008†, 2009†, 2010 |
| Kelsi Dunne | 2008, 2009†, 2010, 2011† |
| Kayla Braud | 2010, 2011†, 2013† |
| Whitney Larsen | 2011 |
| Jackie Traina | 2011†, 2012†, 2013, 2014† |
| Kaila Hunt | 2012, 2013 |
| Amanda Locke | 2012 |
| Jennifer Fenton | 2012 |
| Haylie McCleney | 2013, 2014†, 2015†, 2016† |
| Alexis Osorio | 2015, 2017† |
| Marisa Runyon | 2015 |
| Demi Turner | 2015 |
| Leona Lafaele | 2016 |
| Sydney Littlejohn | 2016 |
| Kaylee Tow | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Bailey Hemphill | 2019, 2021† |
| Montana Fouts | 2019, 2021†, 2022, 2023† |
| Kayla Beaver | 2024 |
| Audrey Vandagriff | 2025 |
| Reference:[11] | |
†Denotes 1st Team selection
