Alabama Softball at Ole Miss with a Regional On the Line; Preview & TV

“Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”

~ Sen. John Blutarsky

Had you told most Crimson Tide fans three months ago that the possibility of hosting a Regional would ride on the final three games of the regular season against Ole Miss, they might have been sizing you up for a straight jacket. But here we are.

SCHEDULE

• Friday, May 5 at Ole Miss 6 p.m. CT Oxford, MS
• Saturday, May 6 at Ole Miss 1 p.m. CT Oxford, MS - SEC Network
• Sunday, May 7 at Ole Miss 1 p.m. CT Oxford, MS

TV... ALLEGEDLY

Sunday’s matchup between LSU and Alabama had more than 400,000 viewers, the most-watched college softball game of Week 12. The Crimson Tide has been involved in three of the four most-watched broadcasts. The other two were their series finale against Auburn (435,000) and a matchup against Florida State in Clearwater in the second week of the season (549,000).

OLE MISS (28-23, 7-14)

It has been a chore for the Rebs this season. However, they can sneak up and take a bite out of a team if the foe is not careful. OM has been swept only once this season and that was on the road at #4 Tennessee.

Ole Miss has five different pitchers with at least seven starts and 18 appearances. In conference play only, the Rebels have an ERA of 4.58 which is tenth in the SEC. Only Florida has a worse strikeout-to-walk ratio in the conference (OM: 94-81 = 1.16).

Mya Stevenson leads the team in home runs with 12 to go with 33 RBI. Fellow senior Paige Smith has nine round trippers and 37 runs batted in.

ALABAMA (36-16, 12-9)

Montana Fouts graduated this week with a Master’s Degree in Sport Hospitality in hand. OF Jenna Johnson will participate in the commencement walk with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology. She has one more season of eligibility.

[Also of note, Ronnie Harrison, who just completed his fifth season in the NFL, and former MLB pitcher Adam Morgan returned to Tuscaloosa to receive their diplomas after earning degrees this spring.]

Admittedly, this season has been one of the weaker ones in the SEC. The ACC and Big Ten as well as some non-Power programs are gaining ground on the PAC, SEC and B12. The SEC cannot cherry pick in recruiting as much as they used to. Because of this and other factors, it has been a rough ride for the SEC.

The Crimson Tide has not been immune to this trend but they do have a winning conference record and stand at fifth in the standings, one game behind Auburn and Arkansas. The Tide lost two of three to both those teams. In order to finish in the top four and get a bye in the SEC Tournament, Bama will need to beat Ole Miss two more times than those other two teams beat their opponents this weekend. Unfortunately, Arky hosts last-place Mizzou and Auburn hosts second-to-last-place Mississippi State.

After taking two of three from LSU, Alabama received a bump in the polls to 14/14/15/14. The Tide is still precariously on the bubble to host a Regional. They definitely need to win two of three, but a sweep would build a stronger case.

#RollTide #Team27 #BoycottALdotcom