Latest news with #JustinLebron
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Who is Justin Lebron? What to know about Alabama baseball star
Who is Justin Lebron? What to know about Alabama baseball star Show Caption Hide Caption College baseball player forms sweet bond with coach's daughters While playing for Coach Frank Avilla Jr., Brady Crabtree formed a special, sibling-like bond with his daughters - a connection that continued well after graduation. Lebron will soon suit up for the Alabama Crimson Tide as the regional tournament round of the college baseball postseason – the lead-up to the 2025 College World Series – begins Friday. No, not that LeBron. Shortstop Justin Lebron has emerged as one of the biggest baseball stars in the SEC over his first two seasons playing for the Tide. He's started in all 114 games he's played over the 2024 and 2025 seasons and boasts a career slash line of .326/.426/.596 in that span, good for an OPS of 1.021. In 2025, Lebron stole more bases, hit more home runs and knocked in almost twice as many RBIs as he did as a freshman. COLLEGE WORLD SERIES PREDICTIONS: Who will reach Omaha in 2025 NCAA baseball tournament? As Alabama gears up for its first game in the Hattiesburg regional on Friday, the Crimson Tide's No. 2 hitter and SEC All-Defensive Team shortstop will be a big name to watch. Here's everything to know about Justin Lebron: Who is Justin Lebron? Lebron, 20, is a sophomore shortstop for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has started all 114 games for Alabama since joining the team, with 113 of those starts coming at shortstop (his lone other start was as a center fielder). This year, he was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the conference's All-Defensive Team for his prowess in the middle infield. The sophomore led his team in several statistical categories, including home runs, RBIs and runs scored. As a high school recruit, he was ranked as the nation's No. 41-ranked shortstop by scouting organization Perfect Game, in part because of a perceived lack of power – he hit one home run in his high school career. In two years at Alabama, he has already hit 30 long balls. His 18 this year tied for fifth among all SEC players. NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Regional host sites for College World Series bracket Is Justin Lebron related to LeBron James? No, Lebron has no relation to Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James. Justin Lebron stats 2024: Slashed .338/.429/.546 (.975 OPS) with 12 home runs, nine doubles, 37 RBIs and seven stolen bases Slashed .338/.429/.546 (.975 OPS) with 12 home runs, nine doubles, 37 RBIs and seven stolen bases 2025: Slashed .315/.422/.644 (1.066 OPS) with 18 home runs, 17 doubles, one triple, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases Slashed .315/.422/.644 (1.066 OPS) with 18 home runs, 17 doubles, one triple, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases Career: .326/.426/.596 slash line (1.021 OPS), 30 home runs, 26 doubles, one triple, 109 RBIs, 24 SBs Where is Justin Lebron from? Lebron was born in The Bronx, New York but grew up in Florida after his family moved there at a young age. Lebron attended Archbishop Edward McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Florida. COLLEGE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Bracket winners and losers start with SEC Is Justin Lebron MLB draft-eligible? No. Since Lebron is only a sophomore, he will have to wait until after next season to be eligible for the MLB draft. Alabama baseball College World Series schedule Date: Friday, May 30 Friday, May 30 Matchup: Alabama vs. Miami (FL) Alabama vs. Miami (FL) Location: Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi Alabama begins their postseason quest for a College World Series berth at the Hattiesburg regional tournament. They'll play their first matchup against Miami (FL) on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will play the winner of national No. 16 seed Southern Miss vs. Columbia on Saturday. The losers will also play each other. The regional tournament will conclude on either Sunday, June 1 or Monday, June 2, when all but one team has lost two games in the double-elimination format. The regional winner will move onto a super regional matchup against another regional winner, where the winner of an ensuing best-of-three series moves on to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Alabama lands in Top 25 college baseball polls, rankings entering NCAA Tournament
Where Alabama lands in Top 25 college baseball polls, rankings entering NCAA Tournament Alabama baseball is coming off its best regular season in the recent history of the program. With a roster that includes a top MLB draft prospect heading into next year in shortstop Justin Lebron, Alabama (41-16) reached 40 wins in a regular season for the first time since 2002. Dropping two of three to the Florida Gators to close the regular season and then losing on Day 2 of the SEC Tournament to Tennessee cost Alabama a shot at a host site regional for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but the Crimson Tide got a pretty favorable postseason draw regardless. They're in the Hattiesburg Regional featuring No. 16 overall seed and host Southern Miss (44-14). To look at it another way, Alabama essentially finished one spot below the host seed line and drew the lowest-seeded team of the 16 regional hosts. The Crimson Tide join the Miami Hurricanes (31-24) and Columbia Lions (29-17) from the Ivy League in Hattiesburg, only about two and a half hours by car from Tuscaloosa. Here's where Alabama baseball ranks in this week's Top 25 polls entering the NCAA Tournament. NCBWA updated Top 25 ranking for Alabama baseball In the latest Top 25 poll from the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association), Alabama fell four spots to No. 19 following their 15-10 loss to Tennessee at the SEC Tournament in Hoover. The Crimson Tide enter the NCAA Tournament ranked one spot below No. 18 Northeastern (48-9) and one spot ahead of No. 20 UC Irvine (41-15). Southern Miss, which placed second in the Sun Belt regular season standings to Coastal Carolina and was runner-up in their conference tournament, is ranked No. 13. LSU (43-14) tops the NCBWA poll at No. 1, followed by North Carolina (42-12) at No. 2, Vanderbilt (42-15) at No. 3, and Texas (42-14) at No. 4. Arkansas (43-13) rounds out the top five. The SEC has 10 schools teams in the NCBWA poll as regionals begin, the most of any conference. The ACC is second with five teams in the NCBWA's poll. D1 Baseball updated Top 25 ranking for Alabama D1 Baseball has Alabama at No. 24 in their new rankings, down one spot from last week. UC Irvine ranks one spot ahead of the Tide, while Kansas rounds out the top 25. UNC topped D1 Baseball's rankings at No. 1. The Tar Heels were also No. 1 in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and are the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama is ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll, up one spot from last week. Baseball America, Perfect Game ranking for Alabama Baseball America and Perfect Game did not unveil new rankings after conference tournaments. In the most recent Baseball America poll on May 19, Alabama was ranked No. 18 following the regular season. The Crimson Tide were No. 20 in Perfect Game and No. 16 in The Athletic's rankings. Alabama's regional schedule The Crimson Tide, the No. 2 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional, opens the 2025 NCAA Tournament against No. 3 seed Miami at Pete Taylor Park Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN2. As the higher seed, Alabama will be the designated home team against Miami. After Alabama-Miami, Southern Miss will face No. 4 seed Columbia at 6 p.m. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinion.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Experiencing the Justin Lebron hype, and why Alabama baseball fans should enjoy it
Walking up to Sewell-Thomas Stadium the morning of Sunday, May 11, I had one objective: to watch Alabama baseball shortstop Justin Lebron. That was it. It wasn't to watch Lebron as an Alabama baseball writer, attaching every move he made to the bigger picture of the upcoming SEC tournament run. It wasn't to watch Lebron as a 2026 MLB draft scout, to analyze or evaluate a 20-year-old who has become a household name in SEC baseball circles and a potential first-round target at this time next year. Advertisement It wasn't to watch as a baseball expert. My brief baseball career started at age 11, one that included more walks than strikeouts, no hits and a stolen base — more so a catcher's indifference call, but a statistic I continue to claim. The goal was to see Lebron through the eyes someone who fell in love with baseball through countless other Sunday matinees: arriving at the then-called Minute Maid Park in Houston as soon as gates opened, walking up to the nosebleeds as 'But Anyway' by Blues Traveler blared from the stadium speakers, anxiously waiting for public address announcer Bob Ford to welcome me home. It was to be introduced to the Alabama baseball star Crimson Tide fans have come to love, to see what the Lebron hype was all about. As Alabama took the field to finish a rain-delayed SEC bout with Georgia before a seven-inning rubber match, Lebron posted up at the edge of the infield at shortstop, taking a moment for himself before taking his warm-up tosses. It felt like routine, similar to the cross he marks at the edge of the batter's box each time he steps up for a plate appearance. Advertisement What Lebron did on the baseball field Sunday against the Bulldogs looked like an extension of that same routine. Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (1) fields a ball in shallow right field and throws to first to record an out during the game with UAB at Sewell-Thomas Stadium Tuesday, April 15, 2025. As a fielder, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Florida native glided to the baseball as a shortstop, firing to first base on ground balls with authority. As a batter, Lebron took what he was given from opposing pitchers, never trying to do too much but benefiting from his quick bat speed and hard contact. As a runner, Lebron raced with the intent to see how quickly it would take for him to get into scoring position. And then came the play. In the fifth inning of the second game, a 5-4 Alabama win, Lebron took a ground ball from Georgia third baseman Slate Alford. The Alabama shortstop picked it up and threw against his body — a'la Derek Jeter — finding Crimson Tide first baseman Will Hodo wide, who still managed to tag out Alford. Advertisement Lebron is a player whose numbers could tell his story. Heading into the final weekend series of the regular season against Florida, the Alabama shortstop leads the Crimson Tide in home runs, doubles, slugging percentage and RBI. But those numbers, Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn said, don't tell the whole story for Lebron. Unlike last season, Vaughn said, Lebron's 2025 stats contain struggles, ones that Lebron had to repeatedly respond to. 'Now, Bronny's struggles are probably a little different than mine,' Vaughn said. 'My struggle, I'm probably hitting about .110. His struggles are hitting at .310. But I think that's growth. That's what he needs to do.' Advertisement Lebron is not a finished product. For SEC teams that have the Alabama shortstop at the center of their scouting reports, that's a scary thought. For MLB teams watching Lebron as a draft prospect, it's salivating. For me, the lifelong baseball fan, the one who drove to Sewell-Thomas Stadium for a Sunday matinee listening to Blues Traveler, watching Lebron felt familiar. It felt right. The Lebron 'hype' is real. But that is something Alabama baseball fans have known for a while. Tuscaloosa News sports writer Colin Gay - Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What the Justin Lebron hype means for Alabama baseball in 2025
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tennessee's first opponent determined in 2025 SEC baseball tournament
Tennessee's first opponent determined in 2025 SEC baseball tournament No. 8 seed Tennessee (41-15) will play No. 9 seed Alabama (41-15) Wednesday in the second round of the 2025 SEC Tournament. First pitch between the Vols and the Crimson Tide is slated for 10:30 a.m. EDT at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. The Crimson Tide advanced to play Tennessee with a, 4-1, victory in a first-round game Tuesday over No. 16 seed Missouri (16-39). Alabama catcher Brady Neal went 2-fot-4. He hit a solo home run and recorded one RBI and scored one run. Justin Lebron went 1-for-1, recording one RBI and three walks. The Tigers led, 1-0, after Mateo Serna hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. Tennessee played the Crimson Tide in a three-game SEC series March 20-22 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Vols won two of the three games after losing the series opener. Tennessee is the defending SEC Tournament and Men's College World Series champion. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama shortstop named semifinalist for top college baseball award
Alabama shortstop named semifinalist for top college baseball award One of the premier individual honors annually in college baseball, Alabama Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron is among the list of finalists for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award. Announced on Sunday by USA Baseball, there were 25 total semifinalists for the award, with Lebron the lone player from Alabama included on the list. Throughout the 2025 season, Lebron has been one of Alabama's most productive hitters, and currently owns a .313 AVG with a 1.064 OPS across 55 games played, each of which the sophomore has started. Alongside those totals, Lebron also has hit 18 home runs with a team-high 69 RBI, while also 16-of-17 on stolen base attempts. Lebron's next chance to improve on those numbers will come in the SEC Tournament later this week, with Alabama set to face Missouri in the first round Tuesday morning. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
