Crimson Tide coach’s postseason history

Patrick Murphy is not only one of the most prominent head coaching figures in college softball, but also one of the winningest coaches in the sport.

Murphy, who is in his 25th season with the Alabama softball program, ranks 15th among all Division I college softball coaches – and fifth among active coaches – with 1,263 career wins. He has also put together an impressive postseason resume considering how long he has coached the Crimson Tide.

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During his tenure in Tuscaloosa, which began in 1996 as an assistant coach under then-Alabama head coach Kalum Haack, Murphy has led the Alabama softball program to 24 consecutive trips to the postseason in the NCAA Tournament and 14 Women’s College World Series -to travel.

As the Tide looks to bounce back from an early exit in last week’s SEC Tournament, Murphy will make his 25th NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday, May 17 at 3:30 PM CT against the University of South Carolina Upstate.

Here’s what you need to know about Murphy’s record in the NCAA Tournament and Women’s College World Series:

Patrick Murphy NCAA tournament record

Murphy brings an overall record of 101-45 into this year’s NCAA tournament. He is 1,271-371 overall in the last 25 years at Alabama.

The Tide returned to the Women’s College World Series last season after failing to reach the NCAA Regional, i.e. the first round, round of the NCAAs in 2022.

How many NCAA Super Regionals does Pat Murphy have?

The Tide has appeared in the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament 19 different times.

Alabama had 16 consecutive trips to the Super Regionals from 2003 through 2021. The NCAA tournament did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is a complete list of the teams Murphy has led to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament:

2000
2003
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2021
2023

How many WCWS appearances does Patrick Murphy have?

Alabama went to the Women’s College World Series for the first time under Murphy in 2000, his second season at the helm of the program. Since then, the Tide has reached Oklahoma City thirteen times: in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Murphy’s team went 0-2 in the Women’s College World Series last season, losing to Tennessee and Stanford.

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How many Women’s College World Series titles does Patrick Murphy have?

Murphy and Alabama have won one Women’s College World Series in the past 26 years.

That national championship run came in 2012 when the Tide won two of three against college softball powerhouse Oklahoma. Alabama came back from a 3–0 deficit in Game 3 against the Sooners, scoring four points in the fourth and later becoming the first SEC team to win the Women’s College World Series.

That year, Alabama, the No. 2 seed in the WCWS, defeated Tennessee, Alabama and California to advance to the championship series against Oklahoma.

The Tide came close to winning their second national title in 2014, but fell two games behind Florida in the Women’s College World Series championship best of three series.

How many NCAA Tournament appearances does Patrick Murphy have?

Murphy appeared in 24 consecutive NCAA tournaments during his 25-year tenure in Tuscaloosa as Alabama’s head coach. The Tide likely would have made the NCAAs in 2020, the only year Murphy hasn’t coached in the NCAA WCWS, if not for the season being halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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