Tide Softball Claims Second Consecutive SEC Regular Season Championship

The Crimson Tide will sport these helmets the rest of the season to support the relief efforts in Alabama. Looks like they're already good luck.

at Ole Miss
Game One - W - 8-0 (5) | Recap - Box Score
Game Two - W - 18-1 (5) | Recap - Box Score
Game Three - W - 10-1 | Recap - Box Score

The Alabama softball team claimed its second straight SEC regular season championship (third overall) as the Crimson Tide downed Ole Miss, 10-1, Sunday afternoon in Oxford. With the win, Alabama improves to 45-7 overall and finishes 19-6 in league play:

"This was for Tuscaloosa and all the communities in Alabama that were hit by the tornados," UA head coach Patrick Murphy said. "It's great to bring home an SEC championship two years in a row and we can't wait to celebrate with the people in Tuscaloosa."

In the final game of the series Senior Kelsi Dunne (23-3) pitched a complete game, holding the Rebels to six hits while striking out six.

"We knew this weekend we were playing for more than just ourselves," Dunne said. "That is exactly what we came out here and did. We thought about everybody back at home who has supported us and we wanted to come out here and play for them. Our community means everything to us."

Congratulations to the team and Coach Murphy. Its been a tough couple of weeks but with this achievement, plus Tide baseball's rebound over the weekend against LSU, we can start looking back to athletics to get a sense of life getting back to normal (or at least as normal as possible).

Back to softball, the SEC has announced the tournament field, kicking off on Thursday at the Ole Miss softball complex in Oxford:

2011 Tournament Bracket

Thursday, May 12
Game 1: #3 Tennessee vs. #6 Kentucky (ESPNU)  11:00 a.m. 
Game 2: #2 Florida vs. #7 Auburn (ESPNU) 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: #4 LSU vs. #5 Georgia (ESPNU) 4:00 p.m.
Game 4: #1 Alabama vs. #8 Mississippi State (ESPN2) 6:30 p.m.

Friday, May 13 (Semifinals)
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (ESPNU) 2:00 p.m.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (ESPNU) 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 14
Championship Game (ESPN) 7:00 p.m.

We'll have game threads ready since all games will be televised.  Roll Tide.