Rob Vaughn: 1B Will Hodo 'A Guy Talk About for the Rest of My Career'

Will Hodo's college baseball career came to an end in the very state he's from. Last weekend at the Hattiesburg Regional, the senior Alabama first baseman and Waynesboro, Miss., native played his last two games in an Alabama uniform.

The starting first baseman after the 2023 departure of Drew Williamson, Hodo spent all four years in Tuscaloosa, culminating in a 2025 season where he was second on the team in home runs with 15. He stuck around for the 2024 debut of head coach Rob Vaughn, who won't soon forget it.

"I'm going to remember the people in this group for a really long time," Vaughn said last Saturday after a 6-5, season-ending loss to Southern Miss. "Will Hodo is going to be a guy that I talk about for the rest of my career. There's seven or eight guys throughout... my coaching career that just stick with you. Will Hodo is certainly one of them."

Hodo had 114 starts in the last two years, compared to 31 during his first two seasons. Power wasn't the only thing the veteran brought to the table. He led the 2024 team in walks. His collegiate stint totaled 31 long balls and 60 extra-base hits overall.

"Been an honor to wear this jersey and represent this school the last four years," Hodo, who had been one of the last remaining members of the 2023 super regional team, wrote on social media June 4. He did not miss out on the NCAA Tournament in his last three seasons in college.

"This group laid the foundation," Vaughn said. "We're going to build this thing the right way. We're going to build it with the right people, and the last two years have been the foundation of that."