Photos from Alabama Softball's First Fall Practice

Get your first look at Team 26 as they hit the practice fields on Thursday.

Katie Windham | Sep 16, 2021

Alabama Athletics

While fall normally makes people think of football around Tuscaloosa, another championship winning Alabama team began practicing on Thursday.

It was the first official fall practice at Rhoads Stadium for the Crimson Tide softball team, now affectionately known as Team 26.

The team is coming off an SEC Tournament championship and Women's College World Series semi-final appearance in 2021. Alabama returns 12 players from that team including pitchers Montana Fouts and Lexi Kilfoyl and first basemen Kaylee Tow who chose to use her extra year of eligibility to return for this season.

There will also be a lot of new faces on the Crimson Tide roster featuring three transfers (Ally Shipman from Tennessee, Ashley Prange from Ohio State and M'Kay Gidley from Shelton State) and six true freshmen.

The team is preparing for their fall ball schedule which begins in less than a month. The first fall game is slated for a doubleheader against Lipscomb in Nashville on Oct. 10. The Crimson Tide will host four fall ball games the weekend of Oct. 16 and 17, and then one final doubleheader against Wallace-Hanceville on Oct. 24 at Rhoads Stadium.

The official season will start in February, but the full schedule has not yet been released.

Alabama softball is still led by head coach Patrick Murphy who is entering his 24th season along with associate head coach Allyson Habetz. Stephanie van Brakle Prothro is now in her 10th season leading the pitching staff, and Alabama softball alum Ryan Iamurri joined the staff as a volunteer assistant in the offseason.

Photo Gallery: Alabama Softball's First Fall Practice- September 16, 2021

Courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Published Sep 16, 2021

KATIE WINDHAM

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.