A good season for Alabama baseball ended with a whimper as the Crimson Tide blew a late lead and lost to Southern Miss on Saturday, bowing out of the Hattiesburg Regional with an 0-2 record, its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance that resulted in not one single win.
Until this weekend, it had been a positive season for Rob Vaughn in his second season at the helm in Tuscaloosa. Alabama won 40+ games for just the second time since 2010. They finished with an above .500 record in a brutal SEC. They had one of the better offenses in the country, a lineup that consistently made up for lackluster pitching.
That lineup managed just eight runs in two games this weekend, dropping the opener to Miami 5-3 on Friday and then falling to host Southern Miss 6-5 on Saturday. As positive as things felt for the majority of the season, Vaughn's club falling face-first in the Regional will be the lasting impression. In sports, it's all about what you've done lately, and losing like Alabama did, and as quickly as they did, unfortunately, sours any fond memories of this team.
Alabama got a good enough start from Tyler Fay on Saturday. He went six innings, gave up six hits, three earned runs, walked one, and struck out three. He left with the game tied at three, but a Bryce Fowler homer in the top of the 7th gave the Crimson Tide a 5-3 lead.
Fay going six allowed Vaughn to go to Braylon Myers and Carson Ozmer - the Tide's top two bullpen options - to get nine outs. Myers worked a perfect 7th inning, but ran into trouble in the 8th. Vaughn made the controversial decision to go to Ozmer early in the 8th. Ozmer gave up the lead on a roped single by the Golden Eagles.
Alabama had an opportunity in the 9th. Walks by Brady Neal and Kade Snell sandwiched in between a single by Fowler loaded the bases with two outs. Richie Bonomolo Jr. grounded out to end the game and the Tide's season. It was the second consecutive inning that Alabama loaded the bases and managed no runs.
As much as the pitching has drawn the ire of Alabama fans, it was the bats that were the bigger letdown in Hattiesburg.
An offseason full of questions awaits Rob Vaughn
It remains to be seen who all returns to Tuscaloosa next year, but some key pieces will have to be replaced. Kade Snell, Carson Ozmer, Will Hodo, Brennen Norton, Braylon Myers, and Garrett Staton, among others, have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
Others could leave for the draft, none more important than Riley Quick, who could be a potential first-round pick.
Vaughn will need to rebuild his rotation and bullpen. To do so, he'll probably need a bigger commitment for his program than the athletic department is going to be willing to give. In reality, this type of year could be the ceiling for Vaughn and Alabama.
Regardless of any other decisions made, the most important thing will be finding a way to maintain star shortstop Justin Lebron. Lebron is a star and the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Lebron won't be eligible to go pro until after next season, but keeping him out of the portal could be a tall task. If Lebron decides to test what would be a robust market value, he'll command a payday that the Crimson Tide couldn't hope to match.
A returning Lebron would be enough on its own for optimism in Tuscaloosa next season. A premature Lebron exit to go along with how this season ended would be devastating for the momentum of Vaughn and his program.