The NCAA Softball Tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday, and to the surprise of many, Alabama softball earned the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament. The Crimson Tide is certainly one of the best teams in the country, but in the final poll that was posted on May 8, they were ranked No. 13.
Since that ranking was released, Alabama was defeated in the SEC Tournament semi-final by the Tennessee Volunteers, and their star pitcher, Montana Fouts, suffered an injury with the extent of it unknown. The Tide was also the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, so for them to earn the same exact seed in the NCAA Tourney threw people for a loop.
Patrick Murphy led the Tide to a title in 2012 and is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the game. His squad finished the regular season at 40-18 and enters the tournament ranked behind only Oklahoma, UCLA, Florida State and Tennessee.
Social media did not take to kindly to the fact Alabama earned the No. 5 seed.