2014 Alabama Softball Season Preview
2/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 5, 2014
With such a rich history in only 17 years as a program, the list of accomplishments left to tackle for Alabama softball grows smaller each year. The 2013 season, however, was a major first for the program: defending a national championship. Looking objectively, 2013 was another successful season for the Tide. Alabama boasted four All-Americans, three All-SEC honorees and earned a 15th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. But, in the end, an early exit from the SEC Tournament and defeat at the hands of Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional prevented a proper title defense.
"We had so many new people in major positions last year," says Patrick Murphy, who enters his 16th season as Alabama's head coach in 2014. "I'm not sure everyone realized, but in certain situations they had to be the person who delivered when we needed it. I think it took them a while to get used to that."
Murphy cited Danielle Richard's walk-off triple in the 2013 SEC Tournament against Texas A&M as an example of responding to adversity, albeit a few games late.
"We had many games where we had opportunities like that to win in the bottom of the seventh and that was the first time all year that we did it," explains Murphy. "When Texas A&M went ahead in the top of the seventh, we said that this is just another opportunity for us to show we can do this. It doesn't matter if it's the 58th game of the season or the first. So they did it."
After a whirlwind year that included throwing 289 innings in a championship sophomore season and spending the 2012 summer with the U.S. Junior National Team, the Tide's ace pitcher Jackie Traina was slowed by a nagging arm injury that forced her out of the lineup late in her junior season.
"Jackie's situation with her throwing arm hurt us, especially when we had to take her out of the lineup," says Murphy. "Losing your four or five-hole hitter always hurts, so it was hard not having her bat over that last month."
Looking ahead to 2014, Murphy believes the lessons learned and hardships of 2013 will pay dividends to this year's squad, which is well-balanced with five seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.
"The experience that a lot of players gained in 2013 will help moving forward," adds Murphy. "This year, when all eyes are on them to perform, it won't be as daunting of a spot. They should have a little more fun this year than last year, where they were more nervous than I thought they would be."
Pitchers and Catchers
The Tide pitching staff in 2014 will consist of senior Jackie Traina, junior Leslie Jury and freshman Sydney Littlejohn. The 2013 fall season showed off a versatile staff that should frustrate opposing hitters in 2014.
"Jackie looked better after taking the whole summer off," says Murphy. "Leslie was a lot better and was considerably more confident than last year. Sydney was probably the biggest surprise. You never know what you're going to get with a freshman pitcher and she played really well in a couple games. She was very composed. The three together are going to make a great staff."
The dynamics between the three pitchers should allow the Tide to keep opponents off-balance, with each owning a unique skill set.
"This fall we had a couple scrimmages where we started Sydney for four or five innings and then we brought in Jackie," recalls Murphy. "It's like starting with Greg Maddux and closing with Randy Johnson. It was a really good combination, because Sydney is totally different than Jackie or Leslie. During a couple scrimmages, the team said they thought Leslie was throwing harder than Jackie, which is a great thing to have. Both hit 70 miles-per-hour on the gun this fall and it's a rarity to have even one pitcher do that on a team, much less two."
Behind the plate, the Tide will have a veteran platoon to work with including seniors Molly Fichtner and Jordan Patterson as well as junior Chaunsey Bell. All three played in 2013, with Fichter starting the most games, but each is capable defensively while their offensive production likely will determine who gets to play at any given time.
"We have two senior catchers, which is a rarity, plus a junior so we have a very veteran catching staff," says Murphy. "All three of them bring something different to the table. It's going to be fun to see how that plays out because all three of them have an opportunity to play. It probably will come down to who's the most consistent hitter and who's throwing people out.
"Near the end of last year, Molly threw out the last eight kids that tried to run against her so that was a huge improvement from the beginning of the year. All three catchers are very capable and all of our pitchers are comfortable with each of them."
Infield
Versatility will be the name of the game for the Tide infield in 2014. Depth and flexibility will allow the coaching staff to shuffle players between multiple positions, giving the hottest bats at the time a chance to play wherever they're needed.
"I love the flexibility because we're two deep at every infield position," notes Murphy. "Wherever the pieces of the puzzle fit best, that's what we're going to do. Some players may not think they'll play a certain position, but we want the best nine hitters in our lineup so we're going to do whatever we can to make that happen."
At first base, it again will be a battle between junior Jadyn Spencer and sophomore Leona Lafaele. Spencer, who owns a .316 career batting average, looks poised to remain a key offensive weapon after a good 2013 fall season.
"Jadyn was probably our most consistent hitter in the fall," says Murphy. "She and Leona both had great fall seasons and it might come down to a situation where we have to somehow get both of them in the lineup. Jadyn could play in the outfield if we need her to, as she played there a little as a freshman. She's a fast kid and she can run."
The middle infield is led by two-time All-American Kaila Hunt, the 2013 team leader in home runs (15) and RBI (60). A group of capable players - including Hunt's fellow senior Ryan Iamurri, junior Danae Hays and freshmen Marisa Runyon and Peyton Grantham - all will battle for playing time, with the difference again likely coming down to offensive production.
"Either of those positions could come down to who has the hottest bat," says Murphy. "We could run it like a lot of Major League baseball teams do and give the best hitter three at-bats and then bring in a defensive replacement, because we have that much depth."
Junior Danielle Richard started 33 games at third base in 2013, and she will anchor the hot corner along with freshmen Grantham and Runyon. With so many capable hitters and only three infield spots to fill, Murphy knows it wouldn't even be out of the question to possibly shuffle the infield's All-American to third.
"If it had to come down to it, Hunt could play third too," says Murphy. "Kaila probably is one of the best third basemen in the country but she just hasn't played there for us. She played there a lot in summer ball."
Outfield
Under the guidance of associate head coach Alyson Habetz, Alabama consistently has fielded one of the most talented outfields in the country. While the team lost a big presence in graduated left fielder Kayla Braud, a productive fall season out of sophomore Kallie Case and freshman Chandler Dare showed they are more than capable of filling the big shoes left behind.
"In left field, we'll have Kallie, Chandler and possibly Jadyn Spencer," says Murphy. "Kallie had a really good fall in left field and she can even play infield if we need to fit her in somewhere. She has great speed, great instincts and isn't afraid to dive. Kallie and Chandler are very similar. They both throw right and bat left, they have pop and they have speed - so that will be another good battle."
The other outfield positions are fairly established, highlighted by the return of sophomore All-American Haylie McCleney and sophomore Andrea Hawkins, an Easton All-American and SEC All-Freshman honoree. Both earned valuable experience in the summer with the U.S. Junior National Team.
"Haylie has basically established herself as one of the best outfielders in the country," observes Murphy. "Hopefully she'll carry on that tradition at Alabama in center field. Andrea, Jadyn and Kallie all could be possibilities in right. Andrea is going to be a very good offensive player for us. The more at-bats she gets, the better she's going to be. Andrea and Haylie really benefited from the Team USA experience and are ready to get going."
Schedule
The 2014 schedule will see the Crimson Tide play against 16 teams that qualified for the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Nine of those 16 teams are out-of-conference while the remaining seven are SEC opponents.
"I look at years past and it's really all on me if our schedule doesn't turn out the way we want," says Murphy. "Last year we were undefeated in non-conference play, but we took a hit in the NCAA Tournament seeding. I never knew exactly what the reason was, but I think the schedule wasn't as strong as it could have been. This year, our non-conference is really upgraded."
The Tide's 2014 season will open at the Troy Subway Invitational (Feb. 7-9) against Kennesaw State, North Florida, Northwestern State, Middle Tennessee State and the host Troy Trojans. The following weekend the Tide will head to traditional Pac-12 power Arizona for the Hillenbrand Invitational, facing Grand Canyon, Tennessee State, the homestanding Wildcats, Georgia Tech and New Mexico from Feb. 14-16.
Over the next two weekends, Alabama will host a pair of tournaments at Rhoads Stadium. The Easton Bama Bash, presented by Drash (Feb. 21-23), will include Virginia Tech, UCF and McNeese State. A quick midweek trip to UAB will be followed by the Easton Crimson Classic (Feb. 28-March 2) with games against Purdue, Houston and Florida State. Another in-state foe then will await the Tide, with a game in Birmingham to face Samford on March 4.
"The tournament at Arizona will be fun and our two home tournaments have very capable teams," notes Murphy. "Three of the six teams we'll play in our home tournaments made the NCAA Tournament last year, so it's definitely a tougher non-conference schedule. You make these schedules two years in advance and you hope that they keep doing well by the time you play them, but I think our home tournaments are going to be very competitive."
A familiar foe shows up on the 2014 schedule in an unconventional spot, as a single non-conference game against Auburn will be played in Montgomery on April 16, due to the fact that the teams will not be meeting in a conference series. The following weekend, the Tide will take a break from its conference schedule and head to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face two 2013 NCAA Tournament teams, Georgia Southern and North Carolina.
In a sport traditionally dominated by its west-coast counterparts, the SEC has established itself as arguably the most competitive conference in the country. A year ago, 11 of the conference's 14 teams made the 2013 NCAA Tournament with seven of those 11 hosting NCAA regionals. The 11 qualifiers were the most of any conference in the Regional round, as were the six that advanced to the Super Regional round.
"When you have 11 out of 14 teams make the NCAA Tournament, that's pretty incredible," says Murphy. "It is probably one of the best fields for any sport and any conference, especially since you have to be selected. Only one of those 11 bids was automatic, so 10 at-large teams is pretty impressive."
Like any power conference, the SEC's top teams will have talent waiting in the wings to replace departed seniors. The 2013 SEC Player and Pitcher of the Year as well as half of the All-SEC First Team have graduated, but Murphy is not counting on any sort of letup in the talent level across the league.
"I don't see anything different this year than last year," claims Murphy. "The SEC just keeps getting better and better and I think what's happening now is that the bottom is catching up with the top. It'll be like it is in football, where the teams beat up on each other during the season and you hope that you avoid those teams in the postseason. In my opinion, top to bottom, it's the best league in the country."
In 2014 conference play, the Tide will host South Carolina (March 7-9), LSU (March 28-30), Arkansas (April 4-6) and Georgia (April 24-26) while making road trips to face Ole Miss (March 14-16), defending SEC champion Florida (March 21-23), Mississippi State (April 11-13) and Missouri (May 1-3).
