The Extra Point: Alabama Softball Navigating Difficult Schedule

After a 20-0 start to the season, the Alabama softball team has faced some adversity at the beginning of conference play.

Currently sitting with a record of 25-4 and ranked as the No. 4 team in the country, it has already been a terrific season for the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team. 

However, after starting the year by winning their first 20 games, the last several weeks have been challenging for the Crimson Tide and they have learned just how stiff the competition is at the top of the national rankings and in the SEC.

In their first series in conference play, Alabama dropped two out of three to the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. Next, came a rematch against the No. 2 ranked Florida State Seminoles, the team that eliminated them from the College World Series last year. It was a close game until the end but the Seminoles won 6-5.

In their latest series against No. 8 Kentucky, the Crimson Tide had a strong showing winning two out of the three contests but were defeated decidedly in the final game, 9-4, proving there's still a lot of room to improve. 

One area of the team that will look to improve and get back on track is the batting lineup. Production has been inconsistent as of late and head coach Patrick Murphy has shuffled the lineup a bit trying to find the right buttons to push in order to score some more runs.

Look for Ally Shipman and Ashley Prange, two of Alabama's best hitters this year, to lead the charge and get the Crimson Tide back on track. 

As mentioned at the beginning though, Alabama has had a terrific season and is in an excellent spot as they try to compete for a national championship. Now the Alabama softball team will head to Columbia, South Carolina where they will take on the Gamecocks in a three-game weekend series.

The first game against South Carolina will be played on Friday at 5 p.m. CT.

Check out the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's Clay Miller and Katie Windham discuss Alabama's softball team and their upcoming schedule.

The Extra Point: Alabama Softball Navigating Difficult Schedule