Softball Picked to Win SEC by Conference Coaches
1/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 25, 2011
SEC Release
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama softball team was once again tabbed as the favorite to take home the Southeastern Conference crown by the league's coaches as announced by the conference office Tuesday. It is the second consecutive year Alabama has been picked to win both the Western Division and overall crown.
"As you can tell from the vote, this could be the most balanced the SEC has been since I started 13 years ago," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. "From top to bottom, any team is capable of beating any other team in the league. Every weekend is going to be a dogfight. That's the challenge of playing in the SEC."
The Crimson Tide was the consensus favorite to win the SEC West, being picked first by all other 10 coaches. Alabama received four votes to win the overall championship, besting Tennessee and Georgia with three and Florida who received one vote.
The Crimson Tide enters 2011 as defending champions of both the SEC regular season and tournament championships. Alabama brought home the regular-season crown last year with a 23-4 record in conference play and completed the season sweep by winning three games in just over 43 hours at the SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Tide returns SEC Pitcher of the Year Kelsi Dunne and Freshman of the Year Kayla Braud. Dunne, who was also the MVP of the conference tournament, finished the season 24-2 in her last 26 decisions, striking out 249 in her final 150 innings pitched of season. Braud claimed the UA single season batting title in her freshman season with a .505 average and was a top-10 finalist for USA/ASA Player of the Year.
First pitch for this year's Alabama squad is slated for Feb. 11 in the Hibbett Sports/Easton All-Alabama Softball Classic with a 6 p.m. matchup against Samford. The three-day tournament will be hosted at Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills.
The Tide opens up SEC play with a three-day series against Georgia at Rhoads Stadium on March 18-20. The Saturday game of the series will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
