A lot was on the line for Alabama baseball in the regular season finale against Ole Miss.
Not just a series win to enter the SEC Tournament with momentum, but a win on Saturday would also clinch a double-bye for the Crimson Tide in Hoover. A win would also put Alabama one step closer to not just hosting a Regional, which is a mortal lock, but potentially being in line to host a Super Regional as well, which has only happened once in program history back in 1999.
And with all of that on the line, Rob Vaughn turned to freshman Myles Upchurch. Vaughn was confident following Friday night's 9-0 loss that Upchurch could handle the pressure.
"Just go toe it up to be Myles Upchurch, like that's the beautiful thing," Vaughn said. "And it's what he's done all year. I don't think he's let a moment get too big for him all year, and it seems like the bigger the spot, the better he's throwing."
Vaughn's words proved prophetic.
Upchurch put together arguably his best performance of the season, throwing seven innings and allowing just four hits, two runs, and two walks while striking out six. Ole Miss put two runs on Upchurch in the 3rd inning, but he was magical outside of that and helped lift Alabama to a 6-2 win that clinched a lot more than just a series win.
Alabama beats Ole Miss 6-2 to put itself in prime postseason position
Justin Lebron got the scoring started for the Tide offense with an RBI double in the 1st inning. After Ole Miss took the lead in the 3rd, Alabama knotted things up in the bottom half of the inning on a John Lemm RBI single.
Bryce Fowler gave Alabama the lead for good in the 4th with a sacrifice fly. Jason Torres smashed a hard hit ball through the shortstop to plate two more and push Alabama ahead 5-2. Freshman Eric Hines added an insurance run in the 5th with a solo homer, but Upchurch already had enough support from his lineup.
Upchurch gave way to Ashon Crowther after the 7th, and he shut the door by getting the final six outs. He didn't allow a hit, allowing just a single base runner on a two-out walk in the 9th inning while striking out two.
The win finishes SEC play for the Crimson Tide at 18-12, which puts them in 4th place in the standings, clinching a double bye in the SEC Tournament. It's the best regular-season finish in SEC play for Alabama since 2009.
Vaughn's club has also locked up hosting a Regional, but has a real chance of finishing in the Top 8, which would position the Tide to host a Super Regional for only the second time in program history. Previously, it happened in 1999, which also happens to be the last time Alabama made it to the College World Series.
It has been a rollercoaster ride of a season, and Alabama took a unique path filled with winning and losing streaks to get here, but it's hard to argue with the final regular-season results that Vaughn has delivered in his third season on the job.
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