Tag: SEC Softball

Examining Softball America’s top potential candidates for Auburn softball’s head coach vacancy

Several interesting names are included in Softball America’s hot board.

While most of the college softball world is focused on the upcoming Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Auburn softball fans are ready for athletics director [autotag]John Cohen[/autotag] to announce the program’s next head coach.

[autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag], the third head softball coach in Auburn history, announced during the season that he is retiring following an impressive 713-win, 18-year career with stops at Radford, James Madison, and Auburn. As Oklahoma and Texas prepare to enter the SEC later this year, it is as important as ever to field a talented, well-coached team to compete in a loaded conference.

Who will Auburn turn to to lead its softball program into a new era within the SEC? Brady Vernon of Softball America has laid out several candidates to fill what he calls the “biggest opening thus far.” The list includes a mix of experienced head coaches and several assistants that are ready to take the step forward.

One notable name is [autotag]Samantha Ricketts[/autotag] of Mississippi State. Ricketts, a former player under Patty Gasso at Oklahoma, has led Mississippi State to 159 wins since 2020, moving the Bulldogs to the upper epsilon of the SEC. In 2024, Mississippi State finished third in the SEC in hitting with an overall average of .297 and finished fourth in runs scored with 314. Vernon cites Ricketts’ connection to John Cohen during his days at Mississippi State as a valid reason to support this connection, citing Cohen’s hire of Ricketts in 2020.

Several up-and-comers have been named as well including Virginia Tech’s [autotag]Pete D’Amour[/autotag] and Duke‘s [autotag]Marissa Young[/autotag]. Young has built Duke’s program from the ground up by developing the Blue Devils into a Women’s College World Series contender in seven seasons. D’Amour has led Virginia Tech to five NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the Super Regionals in five seasons.

The biggest name of all is Oklahoma State head coach [autotag]Kenny Gajewski[/autotag], who has won 360 games and has led the Cowgirls to three-straight Women’s College World Series appearances. Vernon labels Gajewski as the “home run hire” due to his ability to utilize the transfer portal, but the SEC’s addition of Oklahoma and Texas could alter his decision to flee Stillwater.

The Auburn opening is definitely one of the most attractive jobs out there currently, and Cohen has the ability to make the best hire. Who will it be? The race for Auburn softball’s next head coach will be a fun one to watch unfold.

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Alabama drops Game 1 of Super Regional to Tennessee

The No. 14 Alabama softball team loses the first game of the Knoxville Super Regional to No. 3 Tennessee.

After leading 2-0 through the first two innings, the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team ranked No. 14 in the nation, lost the lead and dropped Game 1 of the Knoxville Super Regional to the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers.

Alabama’s offense roughly picked up where it left off after scoring a plethora of runs against Southeast Louisiana in the Tuscaloosa Regional final, the bats were quickly quieted in the final five innings of play.

The series is best-of-three, which means the Crimson Tide is officially one loss away from having their 2024 season concluding. Two consecutive wins are required from Patrick Murphy’s team if they want to extend their run for a national title.

Kayla Beaver pitched into the fifth inning for Alabama, but was pulled with a final stat line of three runs, two hits, one walk and two strikeouts.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon as the Volunteers look to end the Crimson Tide’s season and move on.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama softball as they look to stay alive in the Knoxville Super Regional.

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Top photos from Alabama Softball’s NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional win

Alabama softball advances to the NCAA Super Regionals. Relive the excitement from the Crimson Tide’s Regional win with this photo gallery.

Alabama Crimson Tide softball ranks No. 14 in the nation and is now preparing to take on the No. 3 Tennessee Lady Vols in the Knoxville Super Regional in the next round as the team looks to continue its postseason run for another national championship.

Though offense has been this team’s biggest struggle, the bats came alive early in the Tuscaloosa Regional finals matchup against Southeast Louisiana. The Crimson Tide managed to put up a whopping win runs in the first inning, as the team went on to win the contest in a five-inning run-rule that finished with a final score of 12-2.

Before looking ahead to Alabama’s matchup in Knoxville against SEC foe Tennessee, relive the excitement from the Tide’s win over Southeast Louisiana that sent the team through to the next round.

Auburn’s season, Dean era concludes with loss to Florida State in Tallahassee Regional

Auburn fell in the Tallahassee Regional final on Sunday to wrap up its 2024 campaign.

Auburn softball’s season officially ended Sunday with a loss to Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final, 10-4. With the loss comes the end of a bittersweet era in the program.

Auburn’s loss to Florida State marked the official end to the tenure of [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag], the Tigers head coach since taking over for [autotag]Clint Myers[/autotag] in 2017. Dean built a 235-130 record with six NCAA Tournament appearances in seven seasons on the Plains and a 63-83 SEC record.

Auburn fans also watched the career of [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] conclude on Sunday. Penta is one of the most decorated athletes in Auburn history with three All-American honors, six All-SEC honors, and was the 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year. In four seasons, Penta boasted a 76-36 record with a 1.79 ERA and 941 strikeouts in 706 innings pitched.

The Tigers end the 2024 season with a 29-21-1 record and a 9-15 mark in SEC play. Auburn ended the season by competing in a regional final for the second season in a row and will lose just three seniors from this season’s roster.

Auburn softball will begin its hunt for a new head coach this offseason and will look to find its new “ace” pitcher ahead of the 2025 season that begins next February.

Alabama softball advances to Super Regionals with dominant win over SE Louisiana

Alabama softball run-rules SE Louisiana to advance to the Super Regionals!

Alabama Crimson Tide softball took on Southeast Louisiana in the Tuscaloosa Regional finals and put on a dominant performance. The Tide won with a final score of 12-2 and now advances to the NCAA Super Regionals, where they will face the winner of the Knoxville Regional.

One of the biggest concerns over this season’s team was the lack of offense. That was not an issue for the Tide in today’s performance.

Following yesterday’s win over Southeast Louisiana, Alabama took them on again in the Regional finals and made a statement with their bats in the first inning, scoring nine runs.

Jocelyn Briski started the game in the circle, pitching four full innings, throwing 57 pitches, only giving up five hits, two walks and two earned runs. Jaala Torrence entered the game in the fifth inning to close out the matchup.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama softball as their postseason run continues.

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SEC softball leads the way with 13 teams in the NCAA Tournament

The SEC is sending 13 teams to the NCAA softball tournament, tying its own record.

The SEC is sending 13 teams to the 2024 NCAA softball tournament, tying its own record for most by a conference in the tournament. The league previously accomplished the feat in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Eight of the SEC’s 13 teams earned national seeds, including LSU at No. 9.

Tennessee is the SEC’s highest seed, coming in at No. 3. The Vols, along with No. 4 Florida and No. 7 Missouri are all guaranteed to host a super regional if they advance out of the first round.

At No. 9, Beth Torina and LSU hosting a super regional is possible, but the Tigers need help. If No. 8 Stanford fails to advance from its regional, the door opens for a super regional in Baton Rouge.

If SEC softball wasn’t tough enough already, the league will get even stronger with No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Oklahoma joining the fold next year. LSU notched an impressive win over Texas in March, beating the Longhorns 7-4 in Baton Rouge.

Despite the depth of the league, just two SEC programs — Alabama and Florida — have won the national title since the inaugural national tournament.

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Photos: Auburn drops SEC Tournament opener to Georgia

Here are the best images from Auburn’s heartbreaking loss to Georgia in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday.

The No. 10 seed Auburn Tigers had its sights set on a first-round upset of No. 7 Georgia in the SEC Softball Tournament and nearly pulled it off in the 14th inning.

Tied 2-2 in the top of the 14th inning, Auburn’s [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] hit a three-run home run to push Auburn ahead, 5-2. However, Georgia answered by hitting two home runs in the bottom frame, including a two-run shot by Jayda Kearney, and ultimately won the game, 6-5.

The loss kicks Auburn out of the SEC Tournament and moves their record to 27-19-1. Auburn will now await its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be known this Sunday—Softball America and D1Softball project Auburn to compete in the Tallahassee Regional, hosted by Florida State according to their latest projections.

Here are the best images from Auburn’s heartbreaking loss to Georgia on Wednesday, as produced by Jake Crandall of The Montgomery Advertiser.

Watch Georgia softball’s epic 14th inning walk-off home run in the SEC Tournament

Georgia softball hits a walk-off 14th inning home run to advance in the SEC Tournament

The Georgia Bulldogs softball team earned a huge 6-5 win over the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Tournament. Georgia and Auburn were tied at two in the 14th inning. However, Auburn smashed a three-run home run in the top of the 14th inning.

Georgia responded with a three-run home run from star Jayda Kearney in the bottom of the 14th. After Kearney’s home run, Sarah Gordon hit a clutch walk-off home run with two outs.

Georgia is now 39-15 on the season with ton of quality wins. The Bulldogs finished the year 12-12 in SEC play, which is No. 7 in the conference. Georgia entered a slump to end the season, but is hoping to make a run in the SEC Tournament. The SEC softball tournament runs from May 7-10.

“Just so proud of our team and their fight and we’ll get back after it tomorrow,” said Georgia head coach Tony Baldwin.

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Georgia’s next game be against the No. 2 Florida Gators on Thursday, May 9 at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Georgia-Florida game will be televised on SEC Network.

Recap: Auburn softball drops 14-inning heartbreaker to Georgia

A late Georgia rally forces Auburn to exit early from the SEC Tournament.

Softball fans were treated to a classic with the third game of the SEC Softball Tournament between No. 10 seed Auburn and No. 7 seed Georgia. However, the host Tigers were on the losing end.

Tied 2-2 going to the 14th inning, Auburn’s [autotag]KK McCrary[/autotag] blasted a three-run home run to right field to put the Tigers ahead, 5-2. However, Georgia responded by hitting two home runs in the bottom frame to walk away with the 6-5 1st round win over Auburn on Wednesday at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

The 4-hour and 21-minute marathon, an SEC record, began with Auburn jumping out to a 1-0 lead on an Icess Tresvik single that scored McCrary in the 1st inning. Georgia responded by scoring two runs in the bottom frame to take the 2-1 lead.

Amelia Lech hit a ball deep enough to left field to score the speedy Makayla Packer to tie the game at 2-2 in the 2nd inning. Both teams would fail to plate runs over the next 10 innings before McCrary’s three-run homer broke the spell in the 14th inning. Over the drought, Auburn recorded just three hits and stranded eight base runners.

Georgia responded to McCrary’s slam by hitting a three-run shot of their own. Jayda Kearney tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 14th with her three-run blast and Sarah Gordon delivered the final blow by hitting a solo home run with two outs in the inning to put the game to bed.

McCrary and Packer recorded two hits in the contest with McCrary winning the RBI race with three. In the circle, [autotag]Maddie Penta[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] combined to strike out 10 batters while allowing 11 hits and walking eight. Penta struck out six batters and allowed three hits while walking six batters over nine full innings of work. Lowe finished the final 4 2/3 innings by striking out four and walking two while allowing eight hits.

Auburn will now await its NCAA Tournament fate. According to Softball America’s recent bracketology, the Tigers are forecasted to compete in the Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State alongside FAU and Chattanooga.

Alabama softball falls in extra innings to LSU in first round of SEC Tournament

Alabama softball bounced in first round of SEC Tournament

The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team was eliminated in the first round of the 2024 SEC Softball Tournament on Wednesday after the LSU Tigers took down the ladies in extra innings.

A walk-off single by Taylor Pleasants in the 14th inning gave LSU the 3-2 victory and ended the Crimson Tide’s hope of making a run in Auburn.

With the loss, Alabama falls to 33-17 on the season and will await their seeding in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The selection show will air on Sunday, May 12 at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

This is just the second time in program history that Patrick Murphy and the Crimson Tide have been eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament.

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