Alabama Softball Feels the Need — The Need for Speed

If you thought the Crimson Tide was good on the base paths last year, it should be even better in 2020

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The concept is the same as the kid's game "Red Light, Green Light!" Regardless of the nuances or location (it's called "Statues" in some places), the principle is the same: Green means going as fast as you can without getting caught. 

Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy is a big believer in that idea. He even goes so far as to have "green-light" players, meaning that in nearly any situation they have his blessing to try and make something happen. 

Murphy's been doing it that way for about a dozen years, and once making the philosophical switch immediately regretted not doing so sooner.

"I think the first year we did it we set the school record for stolen bases,"  said Murphy, who is about to start his 22nd season heading the Crimson Tide. 

"It kind of like takes the pressure off everybody. If they don't have a good jump, they don't go. If I give you the sign to steal and you have a crappy jump, you're going to go and you're probably going to get thrown out. So now it's up to them."

He might not even have to make a signal with some of this players this season as Alabama figures to be running — a lot. Not only does the Crimson Tide return three of its top four proficient base-stealers from a year ago, but added another, maybe two, into the mix. 

2019 Alabama Stolen Base Leaders

• Elissa Brown 48, 1st in SEC
• KB Sides 22, 5th
• Merris Schroder, 20, 6th
• Sklar Wallace, 18, 8th

Graduate student Alexis Mack, a transfer from Oregon who originally attended South Carolina, is already a proven commodity on the base paths. Freshman outfielder Jenna Johnson, a rare right-handed hitting outfielder for the Crimson Tide, also swiped her fair share of bases at the high school level. 

Both Mack and senior Elissa Brown, who topped the Southeastern Conference with 48 stolen bases in 2019, will have permanent green-light status this season. 

"The first team meeting I looked at both of them and said, 'I honestly think you're the two fastest kids in softball,'" Murphy said. "My goal is 50 stolen bases each, for both of them, but they have to get on base." 

Last season, the Crimson Tide stole 143 bases, the most in the incredibly-difficult conference. The only team that was anywhere close to Alabama was Ole Miss with 128 on 156 attempts. No other team had more than 75 (LSU and Missouri).

Alabama also led the league in total bases (870) and runs (432) by a wide margin (Kentucky was second in both with 810, 381 respectively). Yet the Crimson Tide was only 10th in batting average, hitting .286.

WHAT. AN. ENDING.@AlabamaSB walks it off to sweep Georgia. pic.twitter.com/YNBy7zoe5c

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 16, 2019

Perhaps the most impressive part of that statistic was Alabama only caught stealing 16 times last season, the fourth fewest in program history. Since 2013, it hasn't had more than 19 players thrown out.  

"Last year, I think our success rate was 94 percent," Murphy said. "No one's hitting .940." 

One of the things that made Brown so successful as a base-stealer was that she hit .328 (65-for-198), which led to a lot of opportunities. 

Similarly, junior outfielder KB Sides had 22 stolen bases after hitting .304 (68-for-224), while infielder Skylar Wallace swiped 18 bags after batting .295 and also had a .429 on-base percentage during her first year. 

Now Mack is in the mix after sitting out last season. She led the Pac 12 in batting average (.424) and stolen bases (28) as a sophomore in 2017, plus hit .500 (7-for-14) at the 2017 Women’s College World Series.

For an encore she batted .369 (66-for-179) with 24 stolen bases and 43 runs scored in 2018, while enjoying a .418 on-base percentage. 

She may only be 5-foot-4, but Alexis Mack brings a lot to Crimson Tide softball.  / Alabama Athletics

"Mack just brings this intensity, toughness, will, drive, whatever you want to call it," Murphy said. "It's rubbing off on other people, which is a good thing. Just a great kid."

"The thing that we talk about a green-light girl is you have to have the courage to get thrown out. If you're afraid to get thrown out, you're going to get thrown out. It is 100 percent, go-go-go."

So it's speed upon speed, with Murphy getting to experiment with his batting order in search of not only the best combinations, but for ways to pressure opposing pitchers and teams. Their presence should result in more bases, more runs and more defensive errors, plus give Alabama hitters better options. 

The coach is already on the record as saying this might be the best pitching staff in program history, and the offense should be even better. In addition to senior slugger Bailey Hemphill, Junior Kaylee Tow and Wallace, freshman Lexi Kilfoyl wasn't just a pitcher for the U.S. U-19 National Team. She can hit at a really high level, too.

Alabama softball most stolen bases, season

No. 	Year	Attempts	Stolen bases
1	2007	224	189
2	2009	209	181
3	2008	186	163
4	2011	183	157
5	2019	159	143

Alabama's speed will only complement those assets. 

Consequently, fans might want to keep a pair of school records in mind as the Crimson Tide opens the season Friday at Florida State's Joanne Graf Classic, aiming to return to the College World Series: 

• Most stolen bases in a game, 10 (vs. Green Bay, 2013).

• Most stolen bases in a season, 60 by Brittany Rogers in 2008 (she also has the career record of 198, 2006-09).

"The standard of excellence is still the same," Tow said.