Alabama baseball is finally starting to get some respect in Top 25 polls. The D1 Baseball poll included the Crimson Tide for the first time last week at No. 23 despite the fact that Alabama was 12-0 at the time and had scored a couple impressive wins at the Jax Baseball Classic two weekends prior.
Now, Alabama has moved up signficantly in the poll despite suffering its first loss of the season on Sunday to Presbyterian. Alabama dominated the first two games of the weekend series against the Blue Hose, outscoring them 25-1. A lackluster effort on the mound on Sunday led to the Crimson Tide's 11-8 loss.
In spite of it, Alabama made a move up the rankings.
Alabama baseball is up to No. 17 in the latest D1 Baseball Poll
Alabama moved up six spots to No. 17 in this week's D1 Baseball Poll on the heels of a 4-1 week. Alabama took two of three from Presbyterian over the weekend following wins over Jacksonville State and Troy in the mid-week matchups.
The win over Troy on Wednesday is doing the heavy lifting for the Crimson Tide and is the impetus for its upward movement in this week's poll despite Sunday's defeat. Troy is still in the Top 25 at No. 21 and was the second ranked win (at the time of the game) for Alabama this season. The Tide previously knocked off a then-ranked NC State in the Jax Baseball Classic a few weeks ago.
It has been an excellent start to the season for the Crimson Tide as they are 16-1 through the first 17 games. The bats of Justin Lebron and Will Hodo are a big reason why, but the Tide has some questions that will need to be answered with the pitching staff in order to be a legitimate contender in the SEC.
Alabama faces UAB in Birmingham this week before opening SEC play in College Station on Saturday against No. 19 Texas A&M.