A softball player's glove is always personal. It has creases and scratches and splotches of old dirt to tell its story.

At the University of Alabama this season, the gloves aren't just personal: they're customized. Each Crimson Tide softball player designed her own glove, from color to webbing to stitching to embellishment on the thumb area.

The customized gloves came through UA's contract with equipment manufacturer Easton. Former Florida player Francesca Enea, Alabama's representative with Easton, came to campus last fall and, with help from a computer, sat down with each player to personalize each glove.

"It's almost like designing a pair of shoes or clothing," UA coach Patrick Murphy said. "They could write their hashtag, their name, their number, whatever.

"It's like a Major League Baseball player: everything they have is customized."

The gloves arrived in November.

"It was like Christmas," Murphy said. "It's the first time I've ever texted every player and they show up in 5 minutes."

The gloves all have UA's script "A" logo on them, a decision made by the players. Otherwise, each one is different.

"My glove is pretty simple," said sophomore outfielder Chandler Dare. "It's just black and white. It has my name and number. I didn't want to get too fancy with it."

Pitcher Sydney Littlejohn's is all white.

"Sydney's is pretty cool," Dare said. "I did like the whole white look."

Infielder Peyton Grantham's is white with red stitching, while fellow infielder Marissa Runyon's is white and black with red stitching, with her last name and number and the inscription, "Believe." Outfielder Danielle Richards has a black glove with what stitching and, "Roll Tide" as well as her number. Outfielder Haylie McCleney's has her No. 8 and the nickname "Halo."

As a first baseman, Leona Lafaele has the largest glove: it measures more than a foot from heel to fingertip.

"It's big," she said. "I like it because it helps me mentally knowing it's a big space. It makes me have confidence that I'm going to get everything that I touch. Nothing is going to get by me, on the ground or in the air."

Lafaele, who is of Samoan heritage, chose the inscription "Aiga always."

"Aiga in Samoan means family," she said. "It reminds me of who I'm playing for. My family on the field, our team, and my family at home.

"I always want to remind myself that I'm playing for my family."

UA associate head coach Alyson Habetz played at Southwestern Louisiana in the early 1990s. She didn't have a customized glove.

"There was nothing custom about it except the dirt that I put on it," she said. "I'm not jealous, but as a former female athlete I'm proud at how far the sport has come that they're doing something like this. They deserve it."

The players take pride in their gloves.

"It's something that we'll have forever, that we'll take with us," Dare said. "We all take care of our gloves. If we put them down, we prop them up a certain way. Mine is always with me. It's definitely a blessing that we get all these opportunities that they give us at the University of Alabama."

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0224.