In response to your post: you make a good point. I would argue though, that there was nothing wrong with Wimp’s coaching, Alabama just always seemed to run into the wrong (hot) team in the tournament. The coaching was solid, Bama was just snakebit.

On the other hand, Murphy has never evolved even though softball as a sport has evolved and there’s a lot more talent being spread around. Alabama and Florida used to dominate the SEC. Not anymore. The rest of the league has caught Alabama and we are still playing the same game Murphy has always played: find an ace and throw her until her arm falls off or the season ends, whichever comes first. (And they have happened simultaneously sometimes!) Never hire a hitting coach (like Bama can’t afford one, why HASN’T he hired someone?), be a players coach and big buddies with your players. Ignore conditioning and strength training and the nutritional support the athletes have access to, and fall short of the natty every time but one. Byrne needs to walk in his office and tell him the hitting coach is fired and a new one will be hired. And if the head coach doesn’t like that decision, he can lose that job too. Murphy is way too comfortable in his position and way too complacent.

It might be a gamble to put Murphy on notice, but Alabama softball is a national power unlike the Alabama basketball team that Wimp coached. I don’t want Murphy fired, his performance has earned him more time. But I do want to wake him up and have him shake up the program and evolve. If he can’t do that them maybe it’s best for both parties to move on. Alabama softball is stuck in a rut and is not improving. That’s not a good thing because if you’re not moving forward in this league, you’re moving backwards.