Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Alabama softball secures 15th trip to WCWS—how to watch
Reading time: 4 minutes
Alabama softball had its first ever losing record in conference play this season. But it’s been a different story since the start of the NCAA Tournament.
It now seems silly to have ever doubted a Patrick Murphy coached team as the Crimson Tide is heading back to the Women’s College World Series for the 15th time in program history. Alabama knocked off #3 Tennessee on the road in the Super Regional round to earn a spot in Oklahoma City.
“We finished ninth in the SEC, and it’s our first losing season ever, and we’re going back to the Women’s College World Series for the 15th time … it’s unbelievable.”
~ UA coach Patrick Murphy on SEC Network
Alabama is now one of the final eight teams vying for a national championship. Keep reading to find out more about how the team made it this far + how you can watch the WCWS from home.
Knoxville Super Regional
After breezing through the Tuscaloosa Regional with three straight wins, Alabama had a much tougher task ahead of itself when it traveled across the state line to face one of its biggest rivals.
The Vols won two of three games against the Tide in the regular season and grabbed a come from behind victory in Game 1 to grab the momentum. But the tide would turn before the end of the weekend. Here’s how it played out:
- Game 1: Tennessee 3, Alabama 2
- Game 2: Alabama 3, Tennessee 2 (14 innings)
- Game 3: Alabama 4, Tennessee 1
In the second game, the two teams played the longest game in super regional history. The game was tied at 2-2 from the fourth inning until a walk-off single from Kristen White.
The third game had its own drama from the very first inning as Riley Valentine hit a grand slam to open the scoring. It was followed by a 3+ hour weather delay before the teams returned to the field.
Kayla Beaver, who pitched 10 scoreless innings in relief Saturday, was once again the one to get the final out Sunday night, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the 7th inning.
2024 Women’s College World Series
This is Alabama’s second consecutive appearance in the WCWS, and fourth in the last five seasons (2020 tournament was canceled).
However, the Crimson Tide lost its first two games last season and was quickly eliminated. The team has not won a national championship since 2012 and has not made the final since 2014.
Alabama will have another tough test in OKC this week as it starts on the same side of the bracket as three-time defending champion Oklahoma.
Here’s the full schedule for the double elimination bracket:
Thursday, May 30
- Game 1: (14) Alabama vs. (6) UCLA, 11AM | ESPN
- Game 2: (10) Duke vs. (2) Oklahoma, 1:30PM | ESPN
- Game 3: (1) Texas vs. (8) Stanford, 6PM | ESPN2
- Game 4: (5) Oklahoma State vs. Florida, 8:30PM | ESPN2
Friday, May 31
- Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 6PM | ESPN
- Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 8:30PM | ESPN
Saturday, June 1
- Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 2PM | ABC
- Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6PM | ESPN
Sunday, June 2
- Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 2PM | ABC
- Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 6PM | ESPN2
Monday, June 3
- Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 11AM | ESPN
- Game 12: If Winner Game 9 wins Game 11, 1:30PM | ESPN
- Game 13: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 19, 6PM | ESPN2
- Game 14: If Winner Game 10 wins Game 13, 8:30PM | ESPN2
Wednesday, June 5
- WCWS Final Game 1: 7PM | ESPN
Thursday, June 6
- WCWS Final Game 2: 7PM | ESPN
Friday, June 7
- WCWS Final Game 3 (if necessary): 7PM | ESPN
Who do you think will win the Women’s College World Series? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
