Alabama Baseball Transfer Breakdown: Sam Christiansen

Alabama baseball's 2026 transfer portal class did not include a player who was on a Power Four roster last season until Wednesday, when former Oklahoma outfielder Sam Christiansen committed to remaining in the SEC and spending next year in Tuscaloosa.

Christiansen is going to be a redshirt junior next season. He did not play in 2024 and spend 2023 at South Mountain Community College. In 55 games and 165 at-bats this year, he slashed .255/.455/.467, good for an OPS close to 1.000. He notched 20 extra-base hits: six home runs, 11 doubles and three triples. He tied for second on the Sooners in doubles and triples.

Oklahoma's online roster for 2025 lists Christiansen as an infielder/outfielder, even though he spent his time out in right field. Crimson Tide right fielder Bryce Fowler is a draft-eligible player, but a return to college is very much in the cards for him.

Alabama does need a new first baseman. The program has acquired multiple natural middle infielders via the portal this offseason, and former Northern Kentucky outfielder Logen Devenport picked the Crimson Tide this week. The right-side infield corner might be an option for Christiansen, especially if Eric Hines makes it to campus, adding to the number of players jockeying for outfield reps.

Christiansen was second in strikeouts with Oklahoma in 2025, finishing the campaign with 57 punchouts. That's a rate of nearly 35%. He did walk 46 times, second-most on the team, and some of Alabama's best hitters in the Rob Vaughn era have been able to do that effectively.

The strikeout percentage needs to come down for Christiansen to be a consistently productive hitter at Alabama. Unlike his contemporaries in the incoming transfer group, he's used to facing SEC pitching every weekend. The stuff and sheer velocity hitters see from pitchers in college baseball's best league will result in strikeouts from time to time.

Though it's a small sample size, Christiansen has already had a measure of success at his new home ballpark. He hit a solo home run to right off Bobby Alcock in the second inning of a March 29 game against Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.