Where could Alabama softball play in the NCAA Tournament and what does its resume look like?
Alabama softball will start its SEC Tournament run on Wednesday but it's never too early to look ahead to where NCAA projections have the Crimson Tide.
Alabama (38-17, 14-10 SEC) wrapped up its regular season with a series win over Ole Miss but lost a chance for the sweep in the final inning. The Tide are led by fifth-year senior Montana Fouts who is 22-9 on the year with an ERA of 1.44. She has recorded 292 strikeouts while allowing 112 hits with two perfect games and a no-hitter on the season.
Alabama will start its SEC tournament on Wednesday versus the winner of Mississippi State and Missouri at 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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This story will be updated during conference championship week.
What does the Crimson Tide resume look like?
Alabama has an RPI of 13, which puts it in the range to host a regional. It only has three losses outside the top-50 RPI — Lehigh (66), Kennesaw State (144) and Wisconsin (54) — while holding wins against six of the top-15 teams. D1 Softball rates Alabama as the No. 4 hardest schedule, with the 18th hardest nonconference schedule.
What do the projections look like?
D1 Softball
Date: May 3
Projection: National seed (11)
Matchups: Alabama would be hosting Clemson, Boston University and Dayton in the Tuscaloosa Regional. In an inverse of last season, it is paired with 6-seed Tennessee and the Knoxville Regional. The other possible Super opponents are Virginia Tech, Indiana and Miami (OH).
Extra Innings
Date: May 2
Projection: National Seed (13)
Matchups: Extra Innings has Alabama likely to host a regional but not a lock. It will welcome Clemson, Boston and Southeast Missouri to the Tuscaloosa Regional. Alabama would be paired with 4-seed Stanford and the Palo Alto Regional. The rest of the region is filled with Minnesota, Loyola Marymount and UConn.
College Sports Madness
Date: May 1
Projection: National Seed (12)
Matchups: Alabama would welcome Minnesota, Boston University and UAB to Tuscaloosa. Alabama has earned two wins over UAB this season. If Alabama were to advance, it would most likely face Oklahoma State or it could face Utah, Michigan or Saint Louis.
When is Selection Sunday?
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced on May 14 at 7 p.m. on ESPN 2.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What does Alabama softball resume look like?
