The University of Alabama Softball team finds themselves in a familiar place and that is atop the college softball world. The Tide will start the season as the No. 2 team in the country behind No. 1 Arizona State in the USA Today College Softball Poll.

The Crimson Tide, which finished last season with a 53-11 record, were ranked No. 3 after their semifinal run in the Women’s College World Series last year.

Tide head coach Patrick  Murphy said  "To be No. 2 or No. 3 in the country preseason is a great honor, but our group knows it is just the beginning

It was a strange offseason for the Tide which saw coach Patrick Murphy leave the program for SEC rival LSU only to decide to change his mind and come back to Tuscaloosa.

Despite the slight upheaval during the offseason, this looks like another banner year for Tide softball. Bama will open its season in the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile starting Feb. 10-12.

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