Alabama
The tiny Alabama town with one of the freshest meat-and-threes around
In tiny Orrville — a town with one traffic light and about 150 people in the heart of Alabama’s fertile Black Belt — Judy McKinney is championing her own, homegrown farm-to-table food movement.
McKinney’s Orrville Farmers Market is a one-stop shop where local farmers can not only buy their seeds and supplies but come back and sell their crops, some of which are also featured on the menu at the market’s hot bar.
“We have all the seeds that farmers can come and purchase to grow their gardens,” McKinney says. “Then they can turn around and sell it to us. And we either sell it to our customers as they come in (the market), or we make it part of your lunch — or your breakfast, whichever the case may be.”
You’re not likely to find a fresher meat-and-three meal anywhere around.
“If you’re at the farmers market in the morning,” McKinney says, “you’ll see the cooks come out into the front of the store, grabbing fresh Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbages, bell peppers – all the ingredients they need to cook that day’s menu.”
Located along a two-lane stretch of Alabama Highway 22 in rural Dallas County, Orrville is one of those places that’s both off the beaten path and in the middle of everything.
For history buffs, Old Cahawba, a ghost town that was once the first capital of Alabama, is just down the road, and Selma, the former Civil War and Civil Rights battleground, is about 15 minutes away.
And for hunters and anglers, this is also prime deer- and turkey-hunting country, as well as home to some of the state’s best bass and catfish fishing on the nearby Alabama River.
The Orrville Farmers Market is a little oasis in the midst of all that, a general store with a restaurant attached that is the hub of small-town life for the local folks and a destination side trip for tourists traveling through the Black Belt.
Jean Watson and her sister Sydney Chasteen, for instance, have made the 45-minute drive from Newburn, in neighboring Hale County, to meet their lifelong friend Janet Gresham, who lives in Valley Grande, outside Selma, for a Friday lunch.
Between the three of them, they’ve ordered fried catfish, hamburger steak, baked chicken, green beans, rice and gravy, black-eyed peas and peach cobbler.
“Only at the farmers market does it count as a vegetable,” Watson says of her cobbler.
She and her husband, Byron, own a hunting camp about five miles from Orrville, and they often stop at the farmers market for lunch on their way to the camp.
“You bring a hungry husband by when you don’t want to cook,” Watson says. “That’s a good reason to stop.”
[Want good news about Alabama delivered to your inbox each week? Sign up for This is Alabama’s weekly newsletter.]
The old building that’s home to the Orrville Farmers Market dates to the 1850s and has previously housed everything from a country store to a women’s dress shop to an automobile repair business. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
‘A really cool area for a farmers market’
Judy and Erwin McKinney put down roots in Orrville after moving here from central Florida about 17 years ago.
Erwin grew up raising cattle and growing row crops on his parents’ farm and followed them into the farming business. Judy worked in promotion and marketing, experience that would later come in handy when they opened the farmers market.
The McKinneys came here to expand their Dallas County Seed Co., which grows, harvests and processes oats, wheat, soybeans and corn and sells it to farmers throughout West Alabama — as well as Pensacola Bahiagrass Seed, which they ship to customers around the globe.
Their house is two blocks from the farmers market, and they own a thousand-acre farm about three miles outside of town.
“It’s nice because we’re all within a stone’s throw of each other,” Judy McKinney says.
Ten years ago, the family that owned a seed business in Orrville approached the McKinneys about buying their business and the building along with it.
The old building, in the shadows of the town water tower, dates to the 1850s, Judy McKinney says, and, in its previous lives, it had been home to everything from a country store to a women’s dress shop to an automobile repair shop.
The McKinneys bought it to process and store dried grains for their agriculture business.
Then they had another idea.
“Turning that building into a farmers market was actually a secondary thought,” Judy McKinney says. “We’ve got this really cool space. Now what do we do with it?
“We always thought Orrville would be a really cool area for a farmers market,” she continues. “It’s just a small, unique area that’s filled with all these farmers.”
Not to mention, despite its proximity to all that rich farmland, the town was otherwise in a food desert.
“There (was) no place within 15 to 20 miles to get fresh fruits and vegetables,” McKinney says. “There (was) no place to get anything to eat.”
Some of the fruits and vegetables sold at the Orrville Farmers Market are grown by area farmers who buy their seeds and supplies at the market’s general store. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
‘Two pop-up tents and a sign’
So, around 2015, McKinney and her friend Kelly McLendon set up shop along Orrville’s main drag and started selling cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini and other vegetables they grew in their respective gardens.
“She had a pop-up tent. I had a pop-up tent,” McKinney recalls. “We both had gardens in our backyard. We both raised chickens. We started selling everything that was in our gardens, setting up two or three days a week in front of the building.
“So, when I tell people that it actually started as two pop-up tents and a sign, I can’t be more honest.”
Business was steady but not brisk. They needed something to lure more folks off the highway as they passed through town.
McKinney recalls: “On the dining room table, we started laying out plans: ‘What if we made this bigger? What if we had a little hot bar so that people could pick up a fresh meal? A place where people could buy their seeds and grow their gardens?’”
They spent a year renovating the building, and a few weeks before they got ready to open, they hired JoJo Lewis, who had run a meat-and-three business in the unincorporated Dallas County community of Sardis, to be their head cook.
“My husband farmed out in the area where she was, and she used to trade him lunches for hay because she needed hay for her goats,” McKinney says. “We approached her, and I think she thought we were crazy. . . .
“She was an amazing cook, and she brought her twin sister (Mary McCants), who’s also an amazing cook, with her,” McKinney adds. “We started with a five-foot hot bar.”
The Friday lunch menu at the Orrville Farmers Market features fried catfish from Harvest Select in nearby Uniontown. (Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
‘A lot of come-to-Jesus meetings’
At the time, the farmers market only had three picnic tables out front, so most of the customers got their meals to go.
But within a few weeks, McKinney started getting requests from large groups who wanted to book the farmers market for luncheons and dinners.
With no place to seat them, her husband knocked out an opening to the abandoned movie theater that adjoined the building and converted that space into a dining room and event venue, where they now host business lunches, wedding receptions and birthday celebrations.
“We truly (opened) on a wing and a prayer,” McKinney says. “I tease and tell a story that me and God used to have a lot of come-to-Jesus meetings on my living room floor.
“We just kept plugging along,” she adds. “I just couldn’t fathom that I was put on this path to fail. Failing wasn’t an option. And it’s grown in areas that I never dreamed.
“But it’s definitely been a ‘we,’ not a ‘me.’ I’ve just been surrounded by a really great group of people that have helped bring it to life.”
Every April, to kick off the start of the planting season, the farmers market hosts its annual Spring Shindig, with grilled ribeye steaks, a loaded baked potato bar and live music.
Then, in the fall, to celebrate the autumn harvest and the start of hunting season, the market puts on its Hoedown Throwdown, with more steaks, more potatoes and more music.
“It’s post-harvest season, and it’s time to throw your hoe down and come have a ribeye steak,” McKinney says. “It also kicks off hunting season in this area, which is big to the community.”
The main dining room at the Orrville Farmers Market used to be a movie theater back in the day.
(Bob Carlton/bcarlton@al.com)
‘Literally, people all over the world’
These days, nearly eight years after it opened for business in November 2016, the Orrville Farmers Market is no longer a place people drive by on their way to somewhere else, but one where they stop and stay awhile.
“How they find us, I’m not sure, but I’m so grateful that they do,” McKinney says. “Literally, people all over the world (come here), and I think it has a lot to do with just being so entrenched in the Black Belt.”
Depending on what’s in season, the farmers market offers strawberries and peaches from Sugar Hill Farms in Verbena, watermelons and cantaloupes from Ingram Farms in Pansey, and potatoes and squash from McLendon Farms here in Orrville.
The general store sells such made-in-Alabama food products as Conecuh Sausage, Millie Ray’s rolls, Joyce’s Cheese Straws, Smokehouse Crackers, R.E.D.’s Gozillionaire Sauce and cakes from The Slice Queen in Selma — as well as their own Orrville Farmers Market-branded pancake and cobbler mixes.
Those hearty breakfasts and homegrown lunches – which are served Tuesdays through Saturdays – are the main attraction, though.
Favorites on the lunch menu include turnip greens, butterbeans, purple-hull peas, candied yams, meatloaf, fried chicken and, on Fridays, fried catfish from Harvest Select in nearby Uniontown.
McKinney gives all the credit for the food to Sharron James, who took over the cooking duties after JoJo Lewis left to take care of her husband and after her sister, Mary McCants, retired.
In another divine moment in the Orrville Farmers Market’s blessed history, McKinney met James on a random trip to Dollar General about five years ago.
“I tell people it was a total God thing because I just happened to walk into Dollar General that day, and this woman looks at me and says, ‘Do y’all need any help at the farmers market?’” McKinney recalls.
“She started working for me full-time, and she’s been with me ever since,” McKinney adds. “She and I are just a great team, and we both respect each other so much.”
The Orrville Farmers Market is at 14560 Alabama Highway 22 in Orrville, Ala. The phone is 334-996-8301. The market is open for breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. and for lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, go here.
The SEC Tournament championship trophy is headed to Austin.
The Texas Longhorns erased an early 1-0 deficit and never looked back in a 7-1 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC’s title game Saturday at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
Alabama, ranked third in D1Softball’s top 25 rankings, fell to 49-7. Texas, ranked No. 6, improved to 42-10. The Crimson Tide will learn their NCAA tournament seeding and four-team regional draw in Sunday’s selection show, which begins at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Texas starter Teagan Kavan (22-4) was dominant in a complete-game masterpiece against the Tide, holding Alabama to one run on three hits. Her only blemish was a towering home run by Alexis Pupillo with two out in the first inning.
Texas scored three runs in the fourth inning to open up a 5-1 lead. Katie Stewart lined an RBI single in the fourth and would launch her 25th homer of the season two innings later in the sixth to cap the scoring. Stewart was 3-for-5 at the plate as Texas outhit Alabama, 13-3.
Jocelyn Briski (21-3) suffered just her third loss of the season and was tagged for two runs on six hits in three innings. Vic Moten surrendered five runs (three earned) on five hits in 2 1/3 innings. Kaitlyn Pallozzi recorded the final five outs for Alabama.
Texas, the defending national champion, won its first conference tournament trophy since 2005. Alabama was seeking its seventh SEC Tournament title in program history, and its first since 2021.
The Crimson Tide will have to settle for a top-eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hopefully a run to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Following are live updates from Alabama-Texas in the 2026 SEC Tournament championship game on Saturday from Lexington.
Kavan finished off a complete-game masterpiece with 108 pitches. She allowed just three hits against an Alabama lineup that had totaled 21 hits in its first two games at the SEC Tournament.
Kavan finished with 12 strikeouts in seven innings. Texas wins it, 7-1, and is your 2026 SEC Tournament champion.
Pallozzi yielded back-to-back singles with two out but escaped without giving up any damage. All the same, Alabama is down to its last three outs against Texas.
Audrey Vandagriff, Ambrey Taylor and Salen Hawkins are due up for the Tide as Kavan looks to finish off a complete game victory.
Kavan picked up her 10th strikeout when she retired Alexis Pupillo to open the bottom of the sixth. Ana Roman flied to left, and Alisa Sneed made a running catch in left on a hard-hit fly ball from Marlie Giles for a 1-2-3 inning.
Texas leads, 7-1, and is three outs away from an SEC Tournament championship.
Reese Atwood drove in the Longhorns’ seventh run of the afternoon with an RBI sac fly to deep left. Hannah Wells flied out to center for the third out.
Texas now leads it, 7-1. Alabama wil look to get something going off Teagan Kavan in the sixth with Alexis Puplilo, Ana Roman and Marlie Giles due up for the Tide.
That home run felt inevitable. Stewart crushed her 25th homer of the season over the scoreboard in left to extend Texas’ lead to 6-1 in the sixth inning.
Texas is still threatening with runners at the corners and one after. Moten just departed after taking a hard-hit line drive to the stomach. Moten was in some obvious pain as Patrick Murphy and the trainers came out to check on her. Hopefully Moten will be OK and just got the wind knocked out of her a bit.
She leaves after 2 1/3 innings. Kaitlyn Pallozzi (8-0, 1.62 ERA) takes over in the circle for Alabama.
Nothing doing for Alabama in the fifth.
Kristen White used her speed to leg out an infield single to shortstop with one down. Teagan Kavan fell behind 3-1 on Jena Young before getting Alabama’s leadoff hitter to swing at a rise ball for the second out. Brooke Wells grounded into a force at second to end the inning.
Texas holds a 5-1 lead over Alabama after five innings. Kavan has thrown 86 pitches and surrendered three hits.
Alabama pitching gets its first 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon as Vic Moten needed 10 pitches to retire Alisa Sneed, Jaycie Nichols and Ashton Maloney in order.
Can Alabama build on some momentum from the fourth and cut into this Texas lead? Longhorns are up 5-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth. Salen Hawkins, Kristen White and Jena Young are due up for Alabama against Texas’ Teagan Kavan.
So much for cutting into the Longhorns’ lead there. After loading the bases with one out, Teagan Kavan struck out Audrey Vandagriff for a big second out. Ambrey Taylor went down swinging to leave the bases loaded.
Alabama drove Kavan’s pitch count up a bit that inning. The Texas starter is at 72 pitches after four innings, but the Horns still lead the Tide, 5-1, headed to the fifth.
Alabama is starting to make more consistent contact. The Tide caught a break when Brooke Wells reached on a fielding error at first to open the fourth inning. Alexis Pupillo then grounded back to the mound to move pinch runner Kinley Pate to second.
Another ball that took a strange bounce, this time off Jaycie Nichols at third, allowed Ana Roman to reach on a single as Pate moved to third with one down. Marlie Giles drew a walk to load the bases.
Audrey Vandagriff is up with the bases loaded and one down in the fourth against Teagan Kavan.
Walks, hit batters, wild pitches, errors, dropped third strikes. They all plagued Alabama in that fourth inning.
Ashton Maloney used a high hop at second base for a single with one out. With two down, a wild pitch from Moten allowed Maloney to reach second. That proved costly as Moten took Katie Stewart to a full count before the Texas slugger lined a single into left for a 3-1 Longhorns lead. Stewart took second on the throw in.
Martinez drew a four-pitch walk, and Moten hit Leighann Goode with a pitch to load the bases for her third free pass of the inning.
Alabama looked to be out of the inning without further damage, but Audrey Vandagriff appeared to lose a fly ball in the sun. Two runs cross the plate to make it 5-1.
Texas scores three runs on only two hits in the fourth as eight batters came to the plate. Moten threw 39 pitches in the fourth inning. She struck out Hannah Wells for the third out.
Still some chances for Alabama to get back into the game with the heart of the order due up, but with Teagan Kavan dealing, the SEC Tournament championship trophy looks headed to Austin midway through this one.
After three shaky innings from Briski in the circle, Vic Moten takes over for Alabama in the fourth. Briski allowed two runs and six hits. Moten is scheduled to face the 9-1-2 spots in the order for Texas: Jaycie Nichols (1-for-2), Ashton Maloney (0-0) and Kayden Henry (0-2).
Kavan is dealing. She froze Salen Hawkins for a strikeout to open the bottom of the third before doing the same to Kristen White on a drop ball at the knees. Jena Young flied out to center for the third out.
Kavan, the Most Outstanding Player in last year’s Women’s College World Series, has struck out six of the first 10 batters she’s faced and has thrown back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. She’s given up one hit, the home run to Alexis Pupillo.
Texas leads Alabama, 2-1, headed to the fourth inning.
Texas strands two in the third after picking up two more hits.
Leighann Goode singled to right with one down, and Reese Atwood fought back from a 1-2 pitch for a single up the middle. After a lengthy at bat, Hannah Wells popped up in foul territory to Ambrey Taylor. Briski then struck out Alisa Sneed for the third out.
That was a 23-pitch inning for Briski, who doesn’t look comfortable at all in the circle today. She’s already thrown 70 pitches through three innings. Texas has had traffic on the bases in every inning. Salen Hawkins, Kristen White and Jena Young are due up for Alabama in the third.
Marlie Giles struck out swinging on four pitches to open the inning. Audrey Vandagriff, who was 4-for-7 in the tournament entering the day, just missed a double down the left field line before striking out on a rise ball up over the shoulders. Ambrey Taylor grounded to short as Teagan Kavan finished off a 1-2-3 inning.
Vivi Martinez, Leighann Goode and Reese Atwood are due up for Texas in the third. Longhorns lead Alabama, 2-1.
Texas loaded the bases after freshman Jaycie Nichols reached on an infield single to second base with one out. Longhorns coach Mike White used pinch hitter Victoria Hunter to try to capitalize. She reached on a second straight infield single to Jena Young at second as pinch runner Taylor Anderson scored the tying run.
Ambrey Taylor made a terrific stretch at third to field a force out, but Alisa Sneed scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice for a 2-1 Texas lead. Katie Stewart popped up to second base for a big third out.
Texas scores two runs on three hits. That was a 32-pitch inning for Briski in the second. Marlie Giles, Audrey Vandagriff and Taylor are due up for Alabama in the second.
With two down, Alexis Pupillo got a pitch up in the zone and crushed it far out to right for a 1-0 Alabama lead. That’s Pupillo’s 17th home run of the season and her second in three days at the SEC Tournament.
Teagan Kavan threw 19 pitches in the first inning for Texas. Reese Atwood, Hannah Wells and Alisa Sneed are due up in the second inning for the Longhorns.
Take a look at Pupillo’s no-doubt blast.
Katie Stewart won the first battle between SEC Player of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year. Stewart hit a sharp single to right off Jocelyn Briski with one out in the first. Stewart advanced to second on a groundout by Vivi Martinez, but Leighann Goode popped up in foul territory to Salen Hawkins for the third out.
Briski retired Kayden Henry on a first-pitch pop up to open the inning, which allowed her to throw 15 pitches in the first. Jena Young, Brooke Wells and Alexis Pupillo are due up for Alabama against Texas starter Teagan Kavan.
Will the Tide keep the bats hot for the third straight day in Lexington?
Kayden Henry, Katie Stewart and Vivi Martinez are due up for Texas against Alabama ace Jocelyn Briski in the first inning. Stewart was named SEC Player of the Year on Friday, while Briski took home SEC Pitcher of the Year honors. Patrick Murphy earned SEC Coach of the Year honors.
The Crimson Tide take the field in their home white jerseys and pants with Crimson pinstripes. Texas is wearing its Burnt Orange jerseys over matching pants.
Chris Nabors is back behind the dish to call the balls and strikes today at John Cropp Stadium. Steve Gould is the third base umpire with Marty Abezetian down at second base. Cam Ellison will be making the decisions at first base.
First pitch for Alabama-Texas is less than 10 minutes away.
For Alabama:
For Texas:
In the circle for the Longhorns today is Teagan Kavan (20-4, 2.72 ERA). Last year’s WCWS Most Outstanding Player, Kavan is making her 27th start of the season, and her third against Alabama.
Kavan held the Crimson Tide to one run on five hits in the opener of the regular-season series back on April 2 in Tuscaloosa. Two days later, she suffered the loss after Alabama tagged her for seven runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.
In the Longhorns’ win over Georgia on Friday, Kavan allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. All four Georgia runs came in the fifth inning.
Here’s the 1-9 lineup for coach Mike White’s team.
| CF | 21 Kayden Henry | L | .410 |
| 1B | 20 Katie Stewart | R | .429 |
| SS | 23 Viviana Martinez | L | .381 |
| 2B | 43 Leighann Goode | R | .375 |
| C | 14 Reese Atwood | R | .351 |
| DP | 13 Hannah Wells | R | .302 |
| LF | 9 Alisa Sneed | R | .268 |
| 3B | 24 Jaycie Nichols | R | .330 |
| RF | 7 Ashton Maloney | L | .289 |
Alabama’s ace has been nothing short of magnificent in the circle this year. Her 1.38 ERA ranks second best nationally. Briski’s only real blemish in SEC play came against Texas back on April 2 in the opener of a three-game series in Tuscaloosa. She allowed five runs on six hits in three innings, marking only her second loss of 2026.
Across all three games of the series, Briski surrendered seven runs on 14 hits over 7 2/3 innings.
Murph is going with the same lineup and batting order for the third straight day at the SEC Tournament. That’s hardly a surprise. Alabama produced a combined 16 runs on 21 hits in its two games against Arkansas and Florida.
Jocelyn Briski (21-2, 1.38) is in the circle for the Crimson Tide and is seeking her 22nd win. She went the distance in Thursday’s 8-1 victory over Arkansas, surrendering one unearned run on three hits. Briski struck out seven and walked two.
2B
4 Jena Young
L
.331
1B
15 Brooke Wells
R
.412
DP
31 Alexis Pupillo
L
.404
RF
21 Ana Roman
L
.326
C
34 Marlie Giles
R
.388
LF
12 Audrey Vandagriff
L
.314
3B
36 Ambrey Taylor
R
.340
SS
47 Salen Hawkins
R
.292
CF
3 Kristen White
L
.328
Surely there won’t be any “co-champions” in the SEC Softball Tournament this year. Today’s forecast for Lexington, according to the National Weather Service in Louisville:
“Sunny, with a high near 75. West wind around 7 mph.”
It’s currently sunny and 71 degrees in Lexington with first pitch roughly 90 minutes away. No chance of rain in the forecast either Saturday afternoon or evening, per the National Weather Service.
Where to watch Alabama vs Texas softball today: TV channel, streaming for SEC Tournament championship game
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Livestream: Fubo, ESPN+
Alabama-Texas will broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 14 of the 2026 NCAA softball season. Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will call the action from the broadcast booth at John Cropp Stadium. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+ and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Alabama vs Texas softball start time today
- Date: Saturday, May 9
- Start time: 4 p.m. CT
Stream Alabama vs. Texas
The Alabama-Texas game starts at 4 p.m. CT Saturday from John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
SEC Softball Tournament 2026: full bracket, final scores
First-round games, Tuesday, May 5
- Game 1: Auburn 6, Missouri 2
- Game 2: Mississippi State 4, Kentucky 3
- Game 3: Ole Miss 2, South Carolina 0
Second-round games, Wednesday, May 6
- Game 4: Auburn 11, Texas A&M 8
- Game 5: Arkansas 3, Mississippi State 0
- Game 6: Ole Miss 4, Tennessee 1
- Game 7: Georgia 7, LSU 3
Quarterfinals, Thursday, May 7
- Game 8: Florida 10, Auburn 9
- Game 9: Alabama 7, Arkansas 1
- Game 10: Texas 6, Ole Miss 0
- Game 11: Georgia 10, Oklahoma 5
Semifinals, Friday, May 8
- Game 12: Alabama 9, Florida 1
- Game 13: Texas 5, Georgia 4
SEC Championship Game, Saturday, May 9
- Game 14: Alabama vs. Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
For the first time in five years, Alabama is heading to the SEC Softball Tournament championship.
The No. 2-seeded Crimson Tide (49-6) is coming off a 9-1 run-rule win over No. 3 seed Florida (48-10) on Friday, May 8. Alabama first opened tournament play with a 7-1 win over No. 7 Arkansas (42-11) on Thursday.
The Crimson Tide will face No. 4 Texas, which is coming off a walkout 5-4 win over No. 9 Georgia.
Alabama had not reached the SEC Tournament championship game since 2021, when it won its last conference championship.
Here’s what to know about how to follow the Crimson Tide against Texas in the SEC Tournament title game.
When does Alabama softball play vs Texas in SEC Tournament?
- Location: John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky.
- Game time — 4 p.m. CT Saturday, May 9
First pitch in the Alabama softball vs. Texas matchup is set for 4 p.m. CT Saturday, May 9 for the championship title.
What channel is Alabama softball vs Texas in SEC Tournament?
The 2026 SEC Softball Tournament conference championship game will air on ESPN.
How to listen to Alabama softball vs Texas in SEC Tournament
You can tune into each Alabama softball game on Catfish 100.1 FM.
2026 SEC Softball Tournament bracket
Click here to see the full 2026 SEC Softball Tournament bracket.
2026 SEC softball standings, conference records
All conference records are as of entering the SEC Softball Tournament.
- Oklahoma (20-4)
- Alabama (19-5)
- Florida (17-7)
- Texas (16-8)
- Tennessee (16-8)
- Texas A&M (16-8)
- Arkansas (15-9)
- LSU (12-11)
- Georgia (12-12)
- Mississippi State (9-15)
- Missouri (9-15)
- South Carolina (7-17)
- Ole Miss (6-18)
- Auburn (4-19)
- Kentucky (1-23)
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
Alabama softball dominated all the way in its win to advance to its first SEC Tournament championship in five years.
The No. 2-seeded Crimson Tide (49-6) didn’t trail once in its 9-1 run-rule win over No. 3 seed Florida (48-10) on Friday, May 8. Alabama first opened tournament play with a 7-1 win over No. 7 Arkansas (42-11, 15-10) on Thursday.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Crimson Tide’s win over the Gators.
Alabama softball offense is starting to click at the right time
Alabama did not have to wait until the middle innings to find its offense this time.
Freshman Ambrey Taylor opened the scoring with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. It was Taylor’s 11th home run of the season and her second in as many days after also going deep against Arkansas in the quarterfinals.
Alabama continued to build from there. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second, Ana Roman singled to right field to bring in another run. Marlie Giles followed with a two-run single, pushing Alabama ahead 4-0 before the inning ended.
Jena Young doubled to drive in two more runs, with one coming across on a fielding error, at the bottom of the third. Alexis Pupillo followed with an RBI single to stretch Alabama’s lead to 6-1 by the end of the inning.
Pupillo shot an RBI-double off the wall and Audrey Vandagriff doubled to score another, extending Alabama’s lead to 8-1, threatening run-rule territory with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, securing the run rule with an RBI single by Taylor.
After needing a later-than-preferred power surge to pull away from Arkansas, Alabama’s lineup looked more comfortable early against Florida. The Crimson Tide finished with nine runs on 13 hits.
Vic Moten handles early pressure in first SEC Tournament appearance
Vic Moten’s first SEC Tournament appearance did not start easily, but the freshman pitcher kept Florida from taking advantage of the new kid on the block.
Moten walked two batters in the first inning but answered by striking out three straight Gators to keep the game scoreless heading into the bottom half.
Her pitch count climbed quickly. Moten threw more than 30 pitches in each of the first two innings and more than 20 in the third, reaching 87 pitches after just three. But after battling through traffic early, she settled in with a seven-pitch 1-2-3 fourth inning.
Alabama’s lead gave Moten margin for error, but Florida’s offense still had enough firepower to threaten a comeback. Moten ended the complete-game effort striking out four and one run on three hits with seven walks. Not bad for the freshman’s first postseason appearance.
Alabama moves one win away from SEC Tournament history
Alabama’s win over Florida moved the Crimson Tide one step closer to separating itself in SEC Softball Tournament history.
Both No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Florida entered Friday tied with six SEC Softball Tournament championships apiece. With the semifinal win, Alabama will now have a chance to become the first program in conference history to win a seventh SEC Tournament title.
The Crimson Tide had won only two of its last seven meetings against the Gators entering Friday, including a loss to Florida in the 2024 Women’s College World Series. This was the first postseason meeting between the two programs since then.
Alabama had not reached the SEC Tournament championship game since 2021, when it won the tournament title.
When does Alabama softball play again?
After beating No. 7 Arkansas and No. 3 Florida on back-to-back days, the Crimson Tide will face the winner of No. 4 Texas vs. No. 9 Georgia in the SEC Softball Tournament championship game at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 9.
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
-
News10 minutes agoBobby Cox, Hall of Fame manager of Atlanta Braves, dies at age 84
-
New York2 hours agoRail tickets to New Jersey World Cup matches will be $105, not $150.
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoDetroit Tigers lose fifth straight, Kerry Carpenter injured
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoFallen tree downs powerlines in SF, delays Muni line
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoFC Dallas vs Real Salt Lake: Lineup notes 📝
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoYour 2026 Miami Dolphins Draft Picks Expectations
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoTexas A&M SS Boston Kellner suffers orbital bone fracture
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoPedestrian fatally hit by Frontier airplane departing Denver for Los Angeles, flight canceled after