It hasn't been the senior season that Jason Torres wanted, at least personally. Alabama has had the team success he hoped for, but his numbers are down across the board from last year in Tuscaloosa after he transferred to the Crimson Tide from Miami.
But Torres appears to be heating up at the right moment, rewarding Rob Vaughn's faith in keeping him high in the lineup.
Over the last five games, Torres is 6-of-16 (.375 BA) with 3 RBI. His hot streak has coincided with the biggest games of the season, beginning with the final weekend series against Ole Miss that effectively clinched Alabama's national seed, and now extending into the NCAA Tournament.
Against USC Upstate on Saturday night, Torres went 2-for-3 at the dish and got the party started with a two-out RBI double in the 3rd inning to plate the game's first run.
PAPI. CLUTCH. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/6KwNxuwRLG
— Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB) May 31, 2026
That hit proved to be even more critical when, two batters later, freshman Eric Hines cranked a three-run homer that busted the game open.
Rob Vaughn couldn't help but glow about Torres' recent performance in his postgame press conference.
Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn praises Jason Torres' late-season surge
"You get to coach guys every once in a while who are just so grateful to be a part of something... that guy, since the first day he's been here, I think, is so grateful to be a part of what we're doing here," Vaughn said about Torres. "That guy deserves success in big moments. I firmly believe that this game pays you back. And this game is paying Jason Torres back at the right time for everything he's poured into this program through the ups and downs."
Torres has received a lot of criticism from the fanbase this year. So, too, has Vaughn, for his stubbornness in keeping the senior high in the lineup despite his struggles at the plate. But what Vaughn knows that we don't is what goes on behind closed doors, and what Torres has brought to the program every single day since he's been here.
It's rare in college athletics these days to find a guy like Torres who is genuinely grateful for the opportunity to put on the Script A and play for the University of Alabama. Not for a paycheck or even fanfare, but for the opportunity to represent this school and to be part of something special that Vaughn is building in Tuscaloosa. Don't miss opportunities to celebrate those moments when they happen.
Thanks in part to Torres, Alabama is now one win away from capturing the Tuscaloosa Regional and moving on to host the Supers for the first time in 20 years, with a great opportunity to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1999.
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