If Sunday's come-from-behind win over Ohio State at the Jax Baseball Classic showed us anything, it's that Alabama baseball thrives when nobody believes in them. In that vein, perhaps it's a good thing this team continues to fly under the radar and remained unranked in D1Baseball.com's updated Top 25 on Monday.
The Crimson Tide improved to 8-0 on the season after sweeping their way through the Jax Baseball Classic this past weekend. Led by star shortstop Justin Lebron and Will Hodo's heroics, the Crimson Tide pulled off a 3-0 weekend.
Alabama beat Coastal Carolina 9-2 on Friday thanks to plate discipline. The Tide managed only three hits but put nine runs on the board thanks to drawing 12 walks.
The most impactful win of the weekend was on Saturday, with the Crimson Tide's pitching staff throwing a shutout in a 4-0 win over then No. 12 NC State.
On Sunday, it was a comeback for the ages. Ohio State broke out to a 10-0 lead over Alabama in the 4th inning, but the Crimson Tide refused to go away. Lebron hit two 3-run homers to help the comeback, and then Hodo launched a walk-off 3-run home run to give Alabama a miraculous 12-10 win over the Buckeyes.
That wasn't impressive enough, evidently, to break into the D1Baseball.com poll. But that's just extra motivation for a team that seems to thrive off of disbelief.
Alabama jumps into the Top 25 in another major poll
Baseball America was slightly more impressed with Alabama's 8-0 start and Jax Baseball Classic championship. In that poll, Alabama made its 2025 debut at No. 25 this week
Starting the season 12-0 seems like a distinct possibility for Rob Vaughn's squad. The Crimson Tide faces one mid-week matchup this week against in-state foe Jacksonville State in Tuscaloosa. They then host a three-game series against North Dakota State at the Joe this weekend.
Alabama's early non-conference schedule is relatively weak and should allow the Tide to stack some wins before the SEC slate begins with a three-game series in College Station against current No. 1 Texas A&M in College Station.