With the center of the SEC standings tightly packed within a few games of each other, the Crimson Tide has a chance to improve its postseason position with a series victory on the Plains.
Despite all the changes in college football over the last few years, one thing has remained constant: Alabama and Auburn play in the last game of the regular season for both teams. For decades, it has produced epic rivalry matchups in the Iron Bowl during the final weekend of regular season play.
But it doesn’t always work out that way in softball. In fact, depending on the conference rotation from year to year, sometimes Alabama and Auburn never play at all during the season. However, starting Thursday night, the Crimson Tide and Tigers meet for their final SEC series at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn with huge implications on the line for both teams as postseason looms.
“What a great opportunity for us to end the regular season down there and make some noise because the last game against Tennessee was one of the most well-pitched we’ve had all year,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said on Tuesday.
Alabama has lost six of its seven SEC series, but is coming off one of its best wins of the season against No. 3 Tennessee. After struggling in Game 3s the previous two weekends, Crimson Tide ace Kayla Beaver completely shut down the Tennessee offense in a 1-0 victory after facing the Lady Vol lineup for the second time that weekend.
Runs will likely be hard to come by this weekend as two of the worst offenses in the SEC face off. Alabama and Auburn rank in the bottom third of the conference in nearly every major offensive statistical category. They’ve scored less runs and have fewer hits than any other teams in the SEC. Only South Carolina has a lower team batting average and on-base percentage than Alabama and Auburn.
Along with Beaver, Alabama freshman pitcher Jocelyn Briski has had two of her best performances of the season her last two outings against Tennessee and Arkansas. She has only allowed one earned run or less in three of her four SEC starts and solidified her position as the no. 2 starter behind Beaver.
“She’s performed that spot,” Murphy said about Briski. “She beat a really good Arkansas team up there. One wild pitch with two outs in the first inning was the only run they got, and then she put up six straight zeroes in the next six innings. She pitched really well against Tennessee. The first run was unearned, the next one was a home run ball. But if we could’ve scored two or three, it would’ve been a different game. So she has done really, really well in that spot. Basically almost every single game, except for the Texas A&M start, she’s given us a shot to win. And really all the pitchers are asked that–just give us an opportunity to win a game.”
Even though she hasn’t been as dominant as she was a year ago, the Tigers still have the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year in senior Maddie Penta. Because this is the home finale for Auburn, the Tigers have dubbed this “Maddie Penta Weekend.”
Alabama had no answer for Penta in the Tigers’ series win in Tuscaloosa last season. She only allowed two combined runs over the final two games of the series for Auburn to take home the rivalry series win in front of completely packed crowds at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama infielder Kenleigh Cahalan was one of the only Crimson Tide batters to have success against Penta last season, going 3-for-6 against the Auburn ace, and has been one of the Tide’s best hitters over the last few weeks.
“I remember her having a really good changeup and fast/slow kind of mix,” Cahalan said. “We’re just gonna scout her and go about it like we do every other weekend.” Penta has had an up-and-down season with a 13-9 record in the circle, while getting little run support. It was encapsulated by what happened in Auburn’s series loss at last-place Ole Miss last weekend. In the Game 1 win over the Rebels, Penta had 18 strikeouts over nine one-run innings. Murphy compared that effort from Penta to Alabama greats Alexis Osorio, Jackie Traina and Montana Fouts.
