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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shines as Thunder beat Suns 121-109, leading series 3-0
Alabama Softball is set to face Tennessee in a highly anticipated series after a recent 6-0 victory over UAB. The games will take place from April 25 to April 27, with weather potentially impacting the schedule.
The Crimson Tide won the game but it wasnβt exactly the blowout that might have been expected. In the 2nd inning, **Jena Young** scored on a **Salen Hawkins** sac fly. **Lauren Johnson** led off the 3rd with a solo dinger.
LoJo Launches Oneπ₯
πΊESPN+ | #Team30#RollTidepic.twitter.com/1UPWdGSa15
β Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) April 21, 2026 In the 5th, **Brooke Wells** doubled in a pair to make it 4-0. In the final frame, **Ana Roman** doubled and **Alexis Pupillo** golfed a drop ball over the center field wall. Pupillo Powerπͺ
πΊESPN+ | #Team30#RollTidepic.twitter.com/ZxYdN9Z7sZ
β Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) April 22, 2026 **Vic Moten** had a complete game 2-hitter and allowed no hits in the final five frames. She whiffed 10 Dragonettes with no walks.\* Alabama had 7 hits, including two doubles by Roman. Bama batters had zero walks in the game. I am too lazy to do the research, but that hasnβt happened very often this season. \* I am probably jinxing it butβ¦ Crimson Tide pitching has not allowed a walk over the last 27 innings.
The series against Tennessee is scheduled for April 25 at 6pm/7pm, April 26 at 3pm/4pm, and April 27 at 6pm/7pm.
Alabama Softball won 6-0 against UAB, with notable performances including a solo home run by Lauren Johnson and a complete game by Vic Moten.
Tennessee has a record of 38-7 and is ranked #11/9/9/8 in the latest polls.
Karlyn Pickens, Erin Nuwer, and Sage Mardjetko are standout pitchers for Tennessee, with Nuwer and Mardjetko ranking highly in ERA nationally.
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Embry-Riddle head coach & Alabama legend Kelsi Dunne Diaz earned her 300th career win on Saturday. A four-time All-American and two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year with the Crimson Tide, Dunne Diaz is in her 12th season leading ERAU. pic.twitter.com/mKBsCVfebz
β Justin McLeod (@justfactsmaam) April 20, 2026
The opener is on SECN+ Streaming. Game 2 is on ESPN2 and the finale airs on SECN.
Rain is expected on Saturday which forced the change of game time. Looking at the forecast, they probably should have gone earlier. There is a good chance the time of the first pitch is altered again.. Sunday and Monday should be okay with mostly cloudy skies.
The Vols started off the season red hot, winning their first 26 games before tasting defeat. Their pre-conference slate was highlighted by wins over UCLA, Florida State, Oregon, and Nebraska, followed by a sweep of LSU in the SEC opener. It wasnβt until the next SEC series against Mississippi State in Starkville that UT took a loss. Then the troubles began. Tennessee would beat Florida in the first game of their 3-game set, but drop the next two. That was followed by losing two of three to Ole Miss and one defeat to South Carolina β all three on their home field. That represented a 4-6 record in the conference in a ten game stretch. They swept Kentucky in Lexington about as bad as Alabama did, but lost a roadie to #12 Duke Wednesday a week ago [NO, that is NOT the same as losing to 19-26 Samford]. Tennessee volunteered to not play a series last weekend due to the . UT is 15-3 overall at home this season and 6-3 in SEC play in Knoxville. ****THROW THE BALL**** If you know softball, then you know the name **Karlyn Pickens** (11-5, 1.43 ERA). She was named the 2025 SEC Pitcher of the Year when she went 25-11 and tallied a minuscule 1.17 ERA as the Vols made it to the Final 4 of the 2025 Womenβs College World Series. In early March of this season, she suffered an arm strain during a game against Belmont but returned to play about two weeks later and spun a complete game one-hitter at Mississippi State. However, she got hit pretty hard in the two losses to the Gators and Ole Miss found success against her as well. She tossed a no-hitter against Kentucky on April 11, but most recently she was knocked out of the 1st inning against Duke, leaving the frame down 3-0 with no outs recorded. Yes, Tennessee does have other pitchers on the roster. **Erin Nuwer** (14-1, 0.82 ERA) and **Sage Mardjetko** (9-1, 1.06 ERA) are both having exceptional campaigns and rank 2 β 3 in ERA on a national scale with only a Belmont pitcher ahead of them. Nuwer has four complete games but all have been run rule wins, which means she has yet to go more than 6.0 innings. Like Pickens, she also gave up 3 runs to Duke last week. Mardjetko has whiffed 120 batters while walking only 24 β an excellent ratio. TL/DR: The Vols have the lowest team ERA in the nation, but they have had some letdowns since conference play began. **HIT THE BALL** **Ella Dodge** is hitting .317 and has hit 10 homers plus 11 doubles to go with 43 RBI. Since becoming a full-time starter, **Alannah Leach** is hitting .349 in SEC play. She has 11 homers and 7 against conference foes. **Gabby Leach** is at .310 overall with 9 dingers and 33 knocked in on the season. Overall, Tennessee is middle of the road in the SEC on offense in most categories. One thing they excel at is stealing bases (50 of 59). **CATCH THE BALL** The Vols area meh fielding team (.980). **OWIE** Leadoff hitter and center fielder **Sophia Knight** was hitting .433 before an undisclosed illness/injury/suspension/other has kept her out of the lineup since April 3. No reports have been released regarding her availability this weekend, but the silence makes it seem doubtful that she plays. **HOT HEAD** **Karen Weekly** was hired as part of a husband-wife coaching team with her spouse **Ralph** in 2002. Following the 2021 season, he retired and she took over full duties. She has led the Lady Volunteers to two of the last three Womenβs College World Series.
This series will definitely be tight one. Being in hostile territory late in April with all the vitriol that will likely be flying out of the mouths of orange checkerboard-wearing yahoos, it will be a huge test for the mettle toughness of this Crimson Tide team as they approach the post-season. This is a tough series to predict but a sweep by the home team does not seem likely. Two wins by Bama would be okay, even one Tide win would not be devastating. However with the way the Crimson Tide has been pitching, a road sweep is certainly not out of the question.