The Alabama softball program kept a number of streaks alive since last playing at home, and has others that it wants to keep going at the Tuscaloosa Regional in the NCAA Tournament, which begins Friday at Rhoads Stadium.
The Crimson Tide was awarded the No. 12 seed in the 64-team national championship tournament, and, with it, a home regional for the 14th year in a row. Alabama’s bid to the tournament also marked the 20th straight year that UA has been part of the NCAA Tournament field.
Alabama has won 34 straight games in regional play, and has won its regional in each of the last 13 years.
If Alabama wins its regional, it will advance to the super regional round of NCAA postseason play for the 14th consecutive year. UA is the only school that has made it to super regional play every year since the format was introduced in 2005.
The Crimson Tide ran its streak of winning its first game in the SEC Tournament to 19 years in a row when it defeated Auburn, 6-4, last week. Alabama has made it to the league’s postseason tournament in each of the 22 years since the event’s inception. Florida and LSU are the only other schools to qualify each year of the tournament’s existence. Alabama is 39-24 all-time in SEC Tournament play.
Alabama lost 5-2 to conference regular-season and tournament champion Florida in its second game of the SEC Tournament and goes into NCAA Tournament play having won five of its last six games, all against ranked teams. The Crimson Tide is averaging six runs per game over its last six outings.
Outfielder Merris Schroder batted .500 (3 for 6) in SEC Tournament play to tie Florida’s Aleshia Osasio for best batting average at the tournament among players who had at least six at-bats. Caroline Hardy went 1-for-1 as pinch hitter.
The Crimson Tide (33-18) will play Middle Tennessee State (39-20) on Friday at 8:30 p.m. to open play at the Tuscaloosa Regional.
