Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide: The Story of the Favored Underdog
6:04 1/30/2026
(Tuscaloosa, Ala). - One of the greatest tropes in all sports is the lovable underdog. The losers who put it all together for that one magical season win it all and ride off into the proverbial sunset. But what defines an underdog? Can a team who has so much success but just can’t make it happen all the way be an underdog? This is the story of Season 152 Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide.
A .637 win percentage gets people put into Halls of Fame. A manager without a losing season is often credited with being the best in the game. Six division titles in 7 years is often a dynasty. But sports know no satisfaction, and nowhere else is that seen than in the playoffs. The desperation to succeed overcomes common sense, and the prize of first place and the eternal glory awarded never fades. Since the team’s founding in season 145, the Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide quickly became a powerhouse of FranchiseBall. Having 35-plus win seasons was not an aberration but an expectation. Winning the division in 147 and 148 broke the first glass ceiling for the franchise but then came the league playoffs. Despite winning the division five times, their first league championship came in 151.
The World Playoffs are the cream of the crop. The best. The champions. The greatest franchises form the World Playoffs, and only championship glory remains as the goal. And for all but one team, broken dreams are all that is found. But even a win is considered an achievement, to prove you belong among the big dogs. When the Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide found themselves in their first World Playoffs in Season 151, an 11-14 defeat came at the hands of the Westcoast Venom. A brutal cold reminder of the nature of sport. A shocking blow to the Delta Premier champions. The first snap to reality.
Very few teams would desire three road games to open a season. But the Crimson Tide welcomed the challenge. Three straight victories all with seven or more runs set the table for the first home challenge of the season, facing the Vancouver Vultures. A 3-1 victory truly opened the season, and the grind of a full baseball season set in. A 4-3 stretch followed where many types of game were seen. Extra innings, blowouts, thrillers filled the docket as the monotony of a 60-game season began to faze the players. After game 11 manager Summer’s Calamity said “I’ve honestly been incredibly proud of what we’ve done here. Everything’s been clicking. We’re advancing girl power on FranchiseBall one win at a time.”
Then came the magic. A seven-game win streak along with winning 11 of 12 rocketed the Crimson Tide to first in their division. Much of the same winning ways continued, but the Crimson Tide broke out for another eight-game winning streak later in the season, giving them the lasting momentum to propel them to the division title. After the 43-17 record, a new franchise best, manager Summer’s Calamity stated ““This has been an absolute stunner for all of us here. Finally, we have our chance to show up on the big stage again.” Then comes the League Playoffs.
A first-round sweep of the Washington Nats had the Crimson Tide in high spirits. Then came the first roadblock. A loss to the Olathe Swamp Donkeys in the first game of the second round had the Crimson Tide’s season one loss from over. But a 6-1 beatdown set up a Game 3 thriller in Olathe for all the marbles.
A four-run 3rd inning had the Crimson Tide in high spirits, but one in the 3rd and four in the 4th, along with Olathe holding the Crimson Tide scoreless had the Swamp Donkeys three innings from surviving and advancing. But that’s when Mary Sergi blasted a solo shot to dead center to even up the ball game. A 5-5 game after the 7th didn’t last long however, as Amir Putman put one out beyond the power alley in right center to give a lead back to the Crimson Tide, one they would not relinquish on their way to their second straight League Finals, facing the San Diego Nightfins. Two thrilling one-run victories propelled the Crimson Tide back to the promised land, back to the World Playoffs.
Back to the World Playoffs. The Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide were back and ready for a second shot after their one-and-done the previous year. A 7-0 drubbing of the Buffalo Zaks achieved goal number one, the first win. But now in the quarterfinals, the Crimson Tide sought to do themselves and their fans proud, and taking on the legendary Portland LumberJacks. A 5-0 start for the Crimson Tide proved to just be enough for them to survive a 6-5 thriller to one of the most legendary teams, and on they went to the semifinals.
Most every team in FranchiseBall would be proud to be in the world semifinals. To be within two games of the World Series is an accomplishment any team should be proud of. But to the Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide, it meant more. It was a chance to show themselves as a new face of FranchiseBall. To go from rookie to champion in 8 years is something simply dumbfounding. But in the World Semifinals, the steam for the Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide finally ran out. An inability to score runners on base led to a lack of runs very few teams could overcome, especially facing a team as dominant as that year’s St. Johns Raptors. Manager Summer’s Calamity voiced that ““It’s always a shame when these things end when you don’t want them to. But we learned a lot from this. We learned we have the capacity to make a deep run.” While a season 153 record of 39-21 and a division title is nothing to scoff at, the Crimson Tide can’t be eyeing anything else but another berth to the World Playoffs once again.
That leads us back to the beginning. What is the value of an underdog? Is an underdog only a team that doesn’t win games? Is it a team that doesn’t win the “right” games? But whatever your idea of an underdog is, the season 152 Tuscaloosa Crimson Tide were that. They were the new order, coming to claim their place among the greats of FranchiseBall. They were a team fighting past losses as well as their current foe. And they were a gritty hardworking scrappy team. And most of all, they were an underdog.
