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Look abysmal early. Drop the Texas game, play horribly against South Florida, convince fans and other onlookers that the season is destined for failure.

Then, figure it out. Beat LSU, pull off a 4th-and-of31 miracle at Auburn, win an SEC championship over Georgia, make the College Football Playoff.

“Some teams need a longer runway to take off,” Crimson Tide softball coach Patrick Murphy said Saturday, ahead of his team’s Sunday Women’s College World Series game against Florida.

Murphy’s group also struggled at times this season. Even in the late going, it seemed as if the Crimson Tide might be destined for a short postseason.

Alabama stumbled to a losing record in SEC play. It fell in its first SEC Tournament game, dropping 3-2 in extra innings against LSU.

Then it turned on the jets, just like the football team. Not just Nick Saban’s final Alabama squad either, the men’s basketball program’s first Final Four appearance followed a similar trajectory.

Nate Oats’ group lost close in early-season non-conference games.

From the outside looking in, it didn’t seem like a group destined for March Madness success.

In January, Alabama had pulled together a six-game winning streak.

Then it went to Knoxville, where the Volunteers dismantled the Tide, winning 91-71.

Alabama softball was the No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, one of the last teams to get regional hosting privileges.

It rolled through that round, beating UNC Upstate, then Southeastern Louisiana twice, punching a ticket to Knoxville for the super regional.

The Lady Vols were the No. 3 seed. They beat the Crimson Tide in Game 1, 3-2. Then, Alabama figured it out, first with a 14-inning win in the longest super regional game ever, then a 4-1 Game 3.

The ninth-place team in the SEC was heading to Oklahoma City.

“It’s just like a young person who might be an introvert,” Murphy said.

“You don’t give up on them because they don’t talk, they need a longer runway to get going.

And you’d be patient with them and you’d still coach them and teach them and all that stuff.”