Alabama Baseball Ready To Redeem Disappointing 2024 Regional Performance

The 2024 Tallahassee Regional was a weekend that the collective Alabama baseball program would like to forget. After entering as the No. 2 seed, the Crimson Tide went 0-2, dropping an 8-7 nail-biter to UCF before getting blanked by No. 4 Stetson in a humiliating 4-0 season-ending loss.

"I felt like last year's team, we just exhausted our strength to get to that postseason," Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. "We were scratching, clawing, fighting to get to the postseason, and I thought our guys were tired. I thought they were emotionally drained. I thought it took everything they had to get there, and we didn't have enough when we got there."

One year later, the Crimson Tide is back, the No. 2 seed once again, this time headed to Southern Miss for the Hattiesburg Regional. Alabama opens play Friday at 2 p.m. CT against Miami.

This year's team is a more complete squad in many facets. For starters, there's the record. The Crimson Tide went 17-15 against SEC competition (SEC Tournament included), up from 13-18. Then there's the coaching aspect— Vaughn has appeared far more comfortable with his team in year two, thanks to both his familiarity with the roster and an extra year to bring in recruits tailored to his style. The effect that transfers like Richie Bonomolo Jr., Carson Ozmer, Garrett Staton, and Brennen Norton have had on the team is incomprehensible and has led to the formation of an entirely new culture in Tuscaloosa, punctuated by the team reaching the 40 regular-season wins for the first time since 2002— a milestone that means nothing to Vaughn and the roster.

"Nobody remembers how you started. Nobody is going to talk about this season in 2025... the record start that we went on winning 17 games in a row, nobody is going to talk about that if we go 0-2 this weekend," Vaughn said. "You remember how people finish, and that's been our message from day one. That's what I want for our kids. I just wanted to finish strong, because this team deserves a strong finish."

One of the biggest stories of the season has been Justin Lebron's leap to superstardom. The 2024 Freshman All-American led the SEC with 69 RBIs this year and is a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. Lebron put on an absolute show in his NCAA Tournament debut, going 4-5 with a home run and a double in the UCF game, but cratered in the Stetson loss, going 0-3 with two strikeouts. Despite stating that he still feels like a freshman at times, the shortstop is a leader in the clubhouse and has been vocal about his desire to avoid a repeat of 2024.

"(We) definitely don't take anyone lightly and don't take anything for granted. I feel like that was kind of one of the things that we struggled on last year," Lebron said. "Took UCF and Stetson for granted, and also didn't play the best baseball because we thought that we were just going to get by with what we had. And in postseason baseball, everyone's good. It doesn't matter if you're a mid-major, everyone's good. And there's a chance they can obviously beat you."

Greg Farone and Ben Hess got the two starts for Alabama in that regional last year. Farone gave up six earned runs over four innings of work in the opener, while Hess took the mound a day later, giving up three earned runs in 6.2 innings. It was the last collegiate appearance for both as the two were selected in the MLB Draft just over a month later.

Riley Quick is now the one in that position. Alabama's ace is set to take the mound in the opener against Miami, in what could be his final game in crimson and white should things go south for the Crimson Tide. The projected first-round draft pick is overwhelmingly excited after missing last year's festivities due to Tommy John surgery.

"My freshman year, I didn't really get to play in the regional or the Super Regional. I was kind of just like a fan, like a cheerleader for my boys," Quick said. "Last year I obviously missed it, but this year I'll have a big role in it. And it's definitely exciting."

Alabama was passed up as a regional host this week despite a resume that many, Vaughn included, considered strong enough to warrant a spot in the top-16, adding even more fuel to the fire that has raged at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for the past 12 months. The message to the players could not be clearer: find a way to get the job done and reach the heights the team is capable of reaching.

"I've competed against teams that finished their season in Omaha, and I can tell you, this team is talented enough. This team is good enough. This team is tough enough," Vaughn said. "We've got to be finishers. That has to be who we are."