Respect for your opponent was the theme Alabama's Rob Vaughn preached heading into the opening game of the Tuscaloosa Regional against Alabama State. While the Crimson Tide went 2-0 against the Hornets in the regular season and has the much stronger team on paper, this is baseball. Anything can happen.
If Alabama needed any extra motivation to ensure it had its head on straight heading into Friday night's matchup at The Joe, Auburn falling behind 10-0 and ultimately losing 13-8 to an under .500 Milwaukee team at home was an obvious wake-up call.
Standing in stark contrast to its in-state rivals, Alabama rolled with few anxious moments.
After Alabama State cut an early 3-0 Tide lead to 3-2, it was all Alabama from there.
The Crimson Tide broke the game open with a six-run 4th inning highlighted by RBI hits from Luke Vaughn, Bryce Fowler, Brady Neal, and Eric Hines. Justin Lebron removed any lingering doubt that the game was over with a towering three-run homer in the 5th that pushed Alabama's lead to 12-2.
OMG, JUSTIN LEBRON 😱@thejustinlebron x @AlabamaBSB pic.twitter.com/YN1aiRtpHr
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) May 30, 2026
From there, it was practically batting practice for the Alabama lineup. Fowler and Neal added homers, and the final numbers on the scoreboard looked like they belonged in Bryant-Denny Stadium instead of Sewell-Thomas.
Alabama rolled to a 21-3 win to advance to the winner's bracket of the Tuscaloosa Regional, where they will face USC Upstate on Saturday at 6pm CT.
Rob Vaughn praised Alabama's 'business-like' approach against Alabama State
It's hard to win a Regional without winning the first game. Alabama took the first game seriously, throwing on schedule with Tyler Fay earning the start and throwing 5.2 quality innings. Vaughn's decision to put his normal Friday starter out there set the tone for the Crimson Tide.
His team responded, much to the pleasure of their head coach.
"Good win tonight. Obviously, kind of a business-like win," Vaughn said. "I thought our guys were hooked in from the jump. I've been challenging them all week to make sure we were focused and hooked in and not looking ahead to what can happen in this regional. I thought they rang the bell."
The dominant win over Alabama State puts Alabama in an excellent position to capture the Regional, with a pivotal game against USC Upstate on deck for Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. A win there will put the Crimson Tide in a position to need one win in two tries to advance to the Supers for just the second time in 16 years.
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