LEAD STORY: Alabama Softball Etches Its Name Deeper Into the Record Book
The Alabama Crimson Tide turned the Tuscaloosa Regional final into a coronation Sunday, blanking USC Upstate 9-0 at Rhoads Stadium to punch a ticket to an NCAA-record 20th Super Regional. No program in Division I softball has been there more often, and the way the Tide closed out the regional made clear they intend to make this trip count.
Sophomore Audrey Vandagriff cracked the door open with a two-run homer in the second inning — her ninth of the season — before Alabama poured through it in the third. Kristen White led off with an infield single, Jena Young followed with her sixth long ball of the year, and Brooke Wells went back-to-back with her 23rd home run of the season, a total that has her chasing Bailey Hemphill's 26 in 2019 and Kelly Kretschman's 25 in 1998 for the single-season program record. Young finished 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored from the leadoff spot, capping the day with a second two-run shot.
In the circle, freshman Vic Moten was one swing from perfection, spinning six innings of one-hit ball with five strikeouts and no walks to improve to 20-4, while also flashing a barehanded grab-and-throw that drew the loudest reaction of the afternoon. Kaitlyn Pallozzi closed it out with a perfect seventh. Up next: a Super Regional showdown with LSU, which dispatched Virginia Tech to win the Baton Rouge Regional and reach its first Super Regional since 2024. The series will be played in Tuscaloosa next weekend, with the schedule still to be announced.
QUICK HITS
- Georgia softball books fourth straight Super Regional: Sophomore Addisen Fisher tossed a complete-game shutout and senior Marisa Miller went deep as the 10th-seeded Georgia Bulldogs blanked Clemson 5-0 at Jack Turner Stadium to advance to a fourth consecutive Super Regional.
- Georgia baseball locks down SEC Tournament top seed: The SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs will enter the conference tournament at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex as the No. 1 seed with a double bye, the program announced.
- No. 6 Texas sweeps Missouri 12-7: The Texas Longhorns secured back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in 15 years, riding an 11-batter, six-run fourth inning to the No. 2 seed and a double bye in Hoover. Freshman right-hander Kaleb Rogers slammed the door with a ninth-inning strikeout in his first career appearance.
- Texas RHP Max Grubbs done for the year: Texas senior right-hander Max Grubbs has undergone season-ending arm surgery, the school announced. The 6-foot-1 Arlington Martin product finishes 2-0 with a 5.52 ERA after a 2025 campaign that saw him post a 2.84 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 57 innings.
- Ruger Riojas health a Texas storyline: Senior right-hander Ruger Riojas threw just five pitches in Saturday's regular-season finale against Missouri amid lingering arm soreness. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle said the issue is not structural and Riojas could rest through the SEC Tournament to be ready for the Austin Regional, which opens May 29.
- Kentucky basketball still in on Jamal Crawford: Per KSR, NBA legend Jamal Crawford has not closed the door on joining Mark Pope's staff in Lexington, with the Kentucky job described as the only opening he would consider. Crawford's California-based family, including 2029 No. 1 recruit JJ Crawford, complicates the timing.
- Alabama men's golf opens NCAA Regionals: The No. 20 Crimson Tide, seeded fourth in their regional, tee off Monday morning at the Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Arizona.
- James Franklin in win-now mode at Virginia Tech: Per CBS Sports, Franklin says he has "a chip on my shoulder" after taking the Virginia Tech job rather than collecting a nearly $40 million Penn State buyout.
PORTAL WATCH
No new transfer portal activity reported across the SEC over the last 12 hours. Programs across the league remain locked in on postseason play in baseball and softball before reassessing roster construction.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No new commitments to report. The Jamal Crawford situation in Lexington remains the staff-side story to track, with Mark Pope still looking to fill an opening on the Kentucky bench.
GAMES TO WATCH
No SEC games are scheduled for Sunday evening. The marquee dates on the immediate horizon: the SEC Baseball Tournament tees off Friday in Hoover with Georgia and Texas holding double byes as the top two seeds, and Alabama softball will host LSU in a Super Regional in Tuscaloosa next weekend, with times and TV still to be announced.
