Coming off a big weekend and an emotional 12-10 win over Ohio State on Sunday, Alabama baseball will look to refocus as they return to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Tuesday afternoon to face off with in-state foe Jacksonville State.
The Crimson Tide won the Jax Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Florida last weekend, scoring wins over Coastal Carolina and NC State before the improbable comeback win over the Buckeyes on Sunday where the Tide rallied from a 10-0 deficit to win the game on a walk-off three-run homerun by Will Hodo.
Despite an 8-0 start to the season and a win over a then-ranked NC State, the Crimson Tide remained unranked in the D1Baseball poll.
Alabama only has the one midweek game this week against the Gamecocks on Tuesday before they take on North Dakota State in Tuscaloosa in a three-game series this weekend.
Jacksonville State looks like an improved team this year from last year's 18-34 mark. They've started the season at 7-1, winning three out of four against Akron, beating Samford, and then sweeping Akron last weekend. This will be their first game away from Rudy Abbott Field this year.
How to Watch, Stream, and Listen to Alabama baseball vs. Jacksonville State
Time: 4 pm CT
TV: SEC Network+
Listen: Varsity Network App
You will need an ESPN+ subscription to stream the game this afternoon, but as always you can listen to the game for free via the Varsity Network App.
Wallace State transfer J.T. Blackwood is slated to start on the mound for Alabama. Blackwood has thrown five innings across two appearances this year, giving up three hits, one earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts. He started last Tuesday's matchup with Middle Tennessee State.
Brady Thomas is the projected starter for the Gamecocks.
This will be the 42nd all time meeting between the two programs on the diamond. Alabama has won 26 of those meetings, including the last eight. They had a game scheduled last year that was rained out so this will be the first meeting since 2023.
This is the first of two meetings between the Tide and Gamecocks this season. Alabama will make a return trip to Jacksonville on March 4th.