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Patrick Murphy makes SEC history as Alabama softball secures series win vs. Auburn

DR Lewisby: Derek Lewis04/11/26

Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy and his team always desire to beat Auburn. But, Saturday’s shutout win over the Tigers means just a little bit more this time.

Not only does Alabama secure the series win over Auburn and will look to sweep away their bitter rival in Sunday’s matchup, but they also helped their skipper make some history. Murphy became the first SEC coach ever to win 500 conference games with the Saturday victory.

Murphy has some work to do in the all-time wins department. He’s still around 400 wins shy of the all-time record held by Michigan coaching legend Carol Hutchins, but he also ranks behind active coaches in Tennessee‘s Karen Weekly, UC Santa Barbara’s Jo Evans and Oklahoma‘s Patty Gasso.

He currently sits ninth on the all-time list, with Weekly just ahead with a seven-win lead heading into Saturday. Still, when it comes to SEC conference victories, he sits alone. And with Alabama softball surging heading into the home stretch, he’s only going to add to that mark.

Patrick Murphy, Alabama softball keep winning

Alabama softball continues to enjoy one of their best seasons under Patrick Murphy. Last week, they took the series with the then No. 1 Texas Longhorns after dropping the first game. They would win 11-4 and 7-4 to send a message they’re for real and moved up to the No. 1 team in the country for their troubles, according to Softball America.

This week, they’ve taken care of business vs. unranked Auburn with back-to-back shutout wins. They won 1-0 on Friday and followed that up with a 4-0 win on Saturday.

The pair of wins moves them up to 38-3 on the season and 11-3 in conference play, including a five-game winning streak overall. Their only losses have come to No. 7 Arkansas, unranked Missouri and the aforementioned loss to Texas. But each time, they’ve still managed to take the series.

Alabama softball continues to play their best ball of the season and will have a chance to finish strong with SEC series vs. unranked Kentucky and South Carolina sandwiched between a big road test vs. No. 10 Tennessee to end their regular season.

Coincidentally, adding three wins vs. Weekly and Tennessee could also move Murphy closer to catching her on the all-time wins list. Storylines abound as the Alabama softball season winds down. In the meantime, Murphy and company celebrate a historic achievement.