Alabama fans waited 27 years for the Crimson Tide to get back to Omaha for the College World Series. They're gonna have to wait a few extra days to watch them score a run.
Alabama's opening game of the College World Series couldn't have gone much worse. It took five innings for the Crimson Tide to finally register a hit against Oklahoma lefty Cord Rager. By then, they were already in a 3-0 hole that only got worse and worse. The Sooners tacked on two more in the 6th inning, and then busted the game completely open in the 8th with four more on the way to a 9-0 win to send the Crimson Tide to the loser's bracket.
The next time Alabama steps onto the diamond, it will be facing elimination. Perhaps that's for the best. This team has performed at a high level all season when they've had their backs against the wall.
“It’s what these kids have done all year, man, from the first game of the year we got punched in the mouth and lost. They responded. We get swept at Kentucky. They responded," Rob Vaughn said. "I’ve said this for years: that’s the mark of a man. Can you get back up off the mat?"
Rob Vaughn hopes Alabama baseball has one more response to adversity in them
Alabama will face the loser of Georgia and Texas on Monday with its season on the line. Vaughn has faith that his team will respond, and he has good reason for it.
People have written the Crimson Tide off all year long. From the season-opening loss to Washington State that had fans ready to dive off the bandwagon before it could even get rolling, to the SEC series opening sweep at the hands of Kentucky, Alabama has found a way to bounce back time and time again.
Alabama bounced back and won that series against Washington State. Following the sweep at Kentucky, the Crimson Tide swept back-to-back SEC series of their own while running off a 9-1 mark in their next 10 games.
Alabama faced adversity again during SEC play when they lost three straight conference series, getting swept by Arkansas and losing two out of three against both Texas and Tennessee. That put Alabama's NCAA Tournament hopes in trouble, and their hosting a Regional on life support.
They won eight of their last nine SEC games to not only clinch a Regional hosting spot, but a national seed that allowed them to host a Super in Tuscaloosa. That positioned them for breaking through the glass ceiling that had formed over the program, punching their first ticket to Omaha this century.
So write off Alabama if you want to. They're used to it. They tend to play better that way.
“I can promise you will get a good punch from these kids. These kids ain’t quit their whole life. It’s a group of dudes that are tough; it’s a group of guys that just keep showing up and playing hard," Vaughn said.
"I’m excited to toe the rubber with these guys again on Monday.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google