Highs and Lows of 2023 Alabama Softball Season

The championship series is set for the 2023 Women's College World Series, and for the ninth straight year, it will not feature Alabama. 

Back before the 2023 season began, the Crimson Tide players made their overall goal clear: get back to the WCWS after missing out the year before. 

"I think just being here at Alabama, it's not just the goal, but it's kind of the expectation," fifth-year catcher Ally Shipman said in a preseason interview. "That's why we're here. That’s why you come to Bama, to be competing for the national title."

Team 27 accomplished that goal of making it back to Oklahoma City, but went 0-2 when it got there. 

And it was quite the interesting journey to even be there. There were some high highs and low lows on the season for the Crimson Tide. 

The marquee moment of the season came in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional when pitcher Montana Fouts returned from a knee injury and throwing the final strikeout that punched Alabama's ticket to OKC. 

Some other highlights included snapping a multi-season losing streak to Florida State (one of the two teams that will be playing for the national championship alongside Oklahoma) in the Clearwater Invitational. There was the 11-inning battle with Texas that resulted in a 4-3 win, Alex Salter's complete game at Tennessee, the Larissa Preuitt grand slam at Missouri, Jenna Johnson's three-run home run at Ole Miss when down to the final out in the seventh and of course the Super Regional win over Northwestern. 

After just missing out on the double-bye, Alabama made a strong run in the SEC Tournament to the semifinals before being knocked out by eventual champion Tennessee. 

And while the return of Fouts' was the highlight of the NCAA Tournament for Alabama, it wouldn't have even made it to Supers if not for the emergence of Jaala Torrence in the postseason. The junior pitcher stepped up on the biggest stage when her team needed her most, not allowing a single earned run in the Tuscaloosa Regional when Fouts was unavailable. 

With questions surrounding the team culture after six players entered the transfer portal in the offseason, Alabama's ability to rally together, especially after the Fouts' injury, showed that the culture and chemistry, at least among Team 27, were just fine. 

However, it wasn't all sunshine and roses in Tuscaloosa. The season started out on a sour note with a loss to Lehigh at home in the season opener. It was the first time Alabama opened a season at Rhoads Stadium since 2010, and it left the fans feeling frustrated. 

With 3,200 seasons tickets sold before the season began, the crowds at Rhoads were fantastic all season long, and Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy reiterated how much he hated losing at home. Unfortunately, it would become an all too familiar occurrence in 2023. 

Alabama lost 10 games at Rhoads, including series losses to SEC rivals Arkansas and Auburn and an early-season defeat to Kennesaw State, a team that finished 12 games below .500. The Crimson Tide finished the season with an overall 45-22 record, the most losses since Murphy's first season in 1999. 

In her fifth and final season, Fouts had arguably the best year of her Alabama career under new pitching coach Lance McMahon. She finished with a 1.49 ERA, her lowest since her freshman season. Fouts earned NFCA First Team All-American honors for the second time and had seven complete-game shutouts. 

Yet, Fouts had a 25-11 record, by far the most losses of her career. This was party because of having to shoulder a larger load than any other season with no true No. 2 pitcher behind her, but mainly due to lack of support from the offense. 

Ironically, Alabama did not get shut out until the final game of the year when Stanford's Alana Vawter and NiJaree Canady combined for seven scoreless innings, but the Crimson Tide scored three runs or less in 30 of its 67 games. 

Many of the issues that had plagued Alabama the previous season, were present again this season. In 2022, three Crimson Tide hitters finished with a batting average over .300 (Shipman, Ashley Prange and Dallis Goodnight.) This season, there were only two: Prange and Shipman. Prange was the only hitter in the lineup to finish with double-digit home runs. 

It marked the second straight season no Alabama player finished with at least 50 RBIs.

Alabama also struggled to find any sort of consistency or reliability in the circle behind Fouts. The Crimson Tide only won two SEC games not started by Fouts, For the majority of the season, there was no one Alabama could truly trust to give the team a good outing if given the ball to start at pitcher outside of Fouts. 

However, it was evident throughout the season, and particularly the postseason, that this was a close team that really cared about each other and enjoyed playing together.

"The team as a whole, this tournament and season, was resilient," Prange said after the final game. "From day one, we got punched, and we never stopped fighting back. That's something that's defined our season and something in these girls. You can't teach grit. That's something this team has and these coaches have."

With the season ending in OKC, it closed the collegiate careers for Fouts, Prange, Shipman and outfielder transfer Faith Hensley. While the first three are obviously huge names to be losing, there are also a lot of solid foundation pieces in place for Murphy to build on, especially if he can hire a strong hitting coach with the new paid third assistant. 

For the majority of the season, the starting lineup featured three true freshmen in Preuitt, Kenleigh Cahalan and Kristen White. Cahalan was the only player to start and play in every game. While she had her struggles at the plate and in the field, she also showed flashes of her major abilities, starting the season on a 14-game hitting streak. 

Alabama will also bring back a veteran outfielder and leader in Jenna Johnson plus Kali Heivilin and Emma Broadfoot in the infield. Murphy has said Bailey Dowling has the potential to be one of the best hitters in program history, and Alabama could definitely use that type of production out of the slugger next season. 

McMahon will get another year with Torrence, Alex Salter and Lauren Esman, plus Alabama may have met its biggest need already in helping to replace Fouts with Central Arkansas transfer Kayla Beaver. 

To have overall team success in 2024, Alabama will need more out of its offense and need at least two pitchers to step up and contribute at a high level. 

While the season may have ended in disappointment with a quick trip to OKC, there's one thing Fouts will remember Team 27 for after a legendary career. 

"We are a lot of things," she said. "I feel like we're goofy, very faithful. We are resilient. We all have grit. But to me this team is love. That's what I'm going to remember the most. That's what we're going to have 50 years from now."

See also:

Everything Patrick Murphy Said After Alabama Softball Got Eliminated in WCWS

Montana Fouts Leaves Legacy of Loyalty, Leadership, Love

What's Next and Who Else is in Besides Alabama Baseball for Super Regionals