Patrick Murphy gives high praise for Jaala Torrence, the evolution of her role on Alabama pitching staff

Alabama thought they were in trouble heading into the NCAA Tournament. Star pitcher Montana Fouts injured herself late in a game against Arkansas on May 11, hyperextending her left knee. The following day resulted in a loss to Tennessee and head coach Patrick Murphy had questions heading into a regional.

Turns out, Jaala Torrence wound up being the answer. Murphy wound up calling on her in the Tuscaloosa Regional, beginning against LIU. All she did was throw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and striking out five batters.

The success continued into the Super Regional against Northwestern, even when Fouts returned. A truly unsung hero for Alabama, Murphy is glad he decided to give Torrence a start.

“I said before she could have been Debbie the downer after the first month and a half,” Murphy said. “After I looked at it, we used her in a relief role a lot. One of you guys wrote that it was her first start since the North Alabama game. I read it like three times. I didn’t believe it at first. I had to look it up on my phone and I was like ‘holy buckets, that person was right.'”

Torrence wound up throwing 11.1 innings in Alabama’s Super Regional against Northwestern. Just two earned runs came across the plate in a heroic effort. The Crimson Tide wound up forcing and winning a Game 3 and will now head to the Women’s College World Series.

A huge, new fan club will be following Torrence to Oklahoma City.

“She cleaned up in the regional and did the same thing in the Super Regional. That’s another storyline. Obviously, Montana — gritty. But Jaala Torrence, she grew a whole bunch this season. I think she’s got a bunch of brand new fans that really respect the heck out of her and what she did.”

Murphy now has two pitchers at his disposal that have proved themselves during postseason play. Torrence is more recent and is currently the hot hand. And then there is Fouts, who has grown into a legend within the Alabama program.

There will be no easy games in OKC, with Tennessee being first up and then potentially a record-breaking Tennessee team. For an Alabama team that has struggled with the bats, Murphy is going to need his pitching to remain elite. Thankfully, there are now two options available in Fouts and Torrence.