Crimson Tide stars shine as Young's hitting prowess and Moten's pitching dominance secure SEC honors after an emphatic Auburn sweep.
Alabama softball keeps finding ways to stand out, and this past week was no different. After going on the road and sweeping Auburn, the Crimson Tide picked up some well-earned recognition from the SEC. Junior infielder Jena Young was named SEC Player of the Week, while freshman pitcher Vic Moten brought home SEC Freshman of the Week honors. When you look at how both of them performed, it’s easy to see why.
Jena Young was locked in at the plate all weekend. She finished the Auburn series hitting an unreal .833, going 5-for-6, and honestly, it felt like every time she stepped up, something good was going to happen. Even more impressive, she reached base in nine out of her 10 plate appearances. That’s a .900 on-base percentage, which is just crazy consistency. She didn’t just get on base either, she made it count. Three of her five hits went for extra bases, including two triples in Friday’s opener. That performance alone put her in rare company, as she became just the sixth player in Alabama softball history to hit two triples in a single game.
On the other side, Vic Moten continues to prove she’s one of the most reliable arms in the circle, and she’s doing it as a freshman. She played a key role in two shutouts this past week, starting with a clean 1-2-3 inning in a midweek run-rule win over South Alabama. Then she followed it up with a dominant outing against Auburn in game two of the series. Moten went the distance, throwing a complete game shutout while allowing just one hit and three walks over seven innings. What really stands out is how controlled she was, only one runner made it past first base the entire game.
At this point in the season, Moten has already racked up four solo shutouts and has been part of five more combined shutouts. That kind of production from a freshman is huge, especially in a conference as competitive as the SEC.
For Young, this marks her first weekly honor of the season, joining Brooke Wells as Alabama’s only SEC Player of the Week winners so far this year. Moten, on the other hand, is no stranger to recognition. She was previously named SEC Pitcher of the Week earlier in the season and now adds Freshman of the Week to her resume. She’s also part of a strong freshman class that continues to make an impact, alongside Kaitlyn Pallozzi, Ana Roman, and Ambrey Taylor, who have all earned Freshman of the Week honors this season.
When you add it all up, Alabama now has an SEC-leading nine weekly awards this year, including multiple honors for Jocelyn Briski on the mound.
It just shows the depth and consistency this team brings every single week.