Omaha, of course, is the goal for every Division 1 baseball program, but right now, that goal seems nothing more than a pipe dream for the Alabama baseball program. Honestly, I am not even sure what the expectations are for the program. Is making a Regional every year enough for the Athletic Department and the money which supports the program? It has been since 1999 since the Crimson Tide have made the College World Series and 2010 was the last time this program has been anywhere close to it.
The 2025 season shows that at least Rob Vaughn is the right guy to be running the program, and despite the disappointing Regional performance in Hattiesburg, it seems the program is headed in the right direction. Winning over 40 games in the SEC is nothing to sneeze at, and now the next thing will be how to turn a successful regular season into a longer, more successful postseason stay. Winning in the postseason may be harder in baseball than in other major sports, with the likes of Vanderbilt and Texas not seeing the Super Regional round this season, either.
We will definitely see how much baseball means to the Alabama Athletic Department with the upcoming Justin Lebron sweepstakes. He is one of the biggest names in the sport, and it will be interesting to see if Alabama can keep him in Tuscaloosa for a second straight offseason. Obviously, the NIL budget for baseball may not match what other programs could offer him, but it would seem there is a better chance of him staying for a third season after what was accomplished this season.
Does he feel like he can win in Tuscaloosa? It seems like Alabama is a program on the rise, and it would do a lot for his legacy to take a middle-tier program to a Super Regional or Omaha, but we'll see soon enough what he wants to do. Expectations for next year rest with his decision of where he wants to play in 2026. I am not sure if we will ever see a trip to Omaha anytime soon, but in the meantime, it seems reasonable to expect a Regional appearance every year, maybe host a Regional every couple of years, and make a Super Regional at least twice every decade shouldn't be too much to expect.