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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Prediction and betting odds for Alabama vs. Miami in 2025 Hattiesburg Regional
Prediction and betting odds for Alabama vs. Miami in 2025 Hattiesburg Regional When the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field Friday afternoon to open the 2025 Hattiesburg Regional, they will be doing so against a storied college baseball program in the Miami Hurricanes. Having won four national championships, Miami however this season has not quite been what the Hurricanes have been in the past, but were still good enough to earn a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Led by head coach J.D. Arteaga, the Hurricanes finished the regular season at 31-24 overall, as well as 15-14 in SEC play. As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide, led by head coach Rob Vaughn, are coming off a regular season in which they finished with a 41-16 overall record, as well as a 16-14 mark in SEC play. Here is a look at the latest odds for the Alabama vs. Miami NCAA Tournament game, as of Thursday night, May 29. Alabama vs. Miami game odds: All college baseball odds via BetMGM Spread: Alabama (-1.5) Alabama (-1.5) Money Line: Alabama (-150), Miami (+115) Alabama (-150), Miami (+115) Over-Under: 9.5 Alabama vs. Miami prediction, pick: Prediction: Alabama 6, Miami 2 With the winner advancing to play the victor of Southern Miss vs. Columbia on Saturday, Alabama is the favorite here. However, anything can happen in the NCAA Tournament, but I'll go with the Crimson Tide here in a big game offensively. Alabama vs. Miami channel, start time, streaming: A matchup in the 2025 Hattiesburg Regional, Alabama vs. Miami will begin at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, May 30. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, and will be played from Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NCAA Tournament projections for Alabama baseball after quick SEC Tournament exit
NCAA Tournament projections for Alabama baseball after quick SEC Tournament exit The latest expert projections for the 2025 NCAA Division I baseball tournament are in, and the Alabama Crimson Tide have fallen a few spots. Alabama (41-16 overall) will still be in the final 64-team postseason bracket when it's unveiled in full on Monday. Nothing the Crimson Tide did this week at the SEC Tournament is Hoover was ever going to change that. What Alabama and its fans had hoped for was a strong enough showing to lock up a top-16 national seed. Doing so would have ensured Alabama of hosting an NCAA tournament regional. Given that coach Rob Vaughn's team had already won 40 games and was No. 9 in the RPI, it wasn't an outrageous thought. Even so, those hopes fell by the wayside on Day 2 in Hoover when Tennessee eliminated Alabama from the SEC's tournament with a 15-10 thumping. Alabama went 1-1 in Hoover, nudging past No. 16 seed Missouri 4-1 for its only victory this week. In other words, the Crimson Tide did nothing to make one last positive impression on the selection committee who will decide their fate over the weekend. In the meantime, here are the experts' latest postseason projections for Alabama as of Saturday. NCAA Baseball Tournament 2025: Will Alabama host a regional after SEC Tournament trounce? Baseball America: Alabama is a two-seed projection, visiting host Florida State (38-13) with Oklahoma State (28-23) and Bethune-Cookman (36-21) in the Tallahassee Regional at Dick Howser Stadium. D1 Baseball: Alabama is a two-seed projection, visiting host Clemson (43-15) with UConn (38-20) and Xavier (32-27) in the Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tennessean: Alabama is a two-seed projection, visiting host Florida State with Troy (39-21) and Bethune-Cookman in Tallahassee Regional. On3: Alabama is a two-seed projection, visiting host Clemson with Troy and USC Upstate (35-23) in Clemson Regional. Alabama baseball RPI Heading into Saturday, Alabama was 12th in the college baseball RPI with a 41-16 overall record. The Crimson Tide are No. 19 in strength of schedule rankings and are 14-12 against Quad 1 opponents, 6-3 against Quad 2 teams, 4-0 against Quad 3 teams, and 17-1 against Quad 4 opponents. Alabama dropped three spots in the RPI following their loss to Tennessee. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Latest NCAA bracket predictions for Alabama baseball entering SEC Tournament
Latest NCAA bracket predictions for Alabama baseball entering SEC Tournament Alabama baseball closed the regular season with 40 wins for the first time since 2002. Despite dropping two of three to a blistering Florida Gators team, it was only the third time since 2010 that the Crimson Tide had won 40 games in a year, postseason included. Even in the ultra competitive SEC, coach Rob Vaughn is showing signs of building Alabama into the type of program it once was in the late 90s and early 2000s -- a perennial threat to get to the College World Series in Omaha. Alabama, ranked No. 21 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after falling five spots since its series loss in Gainesville, entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 9 seed. The Crimson Tide defeated Missouri, 4-1, on Tuesday and face Tennessee Wednesday. Here are the latest postseason projections for Alabama from Baseball America, D1 Baseball, On3 and more. NCAA Baseball Tournament projections: Will Alabama host a regional? Baseball America: Alabama is No. 15 overall seed, hosting Northeastern (45-9), Cincinnati (31-23) and Bryant (32-17) in Tuscaloosa Regional at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. D1 Baseball: Alabama is a two-seed projection, visiting host Clemson (41-15) with Xavier (31-25) and Wright State (34-18) in Clemson Regional. USA TODAY Sports, The Tennessean: Alabama is No. 13 overall seed, hosting Dallas Baptist (38-14), Duke (36-18) and Long Island (32-21) in Tuscaloosa Regional. On3: Alabama is No. 12 overall seed, hosting Dallas Baptist, Oklahoma State (27-22), and Oral Roberts (34-20) in Tuscaloosa Regional. On3's Jonathan Wagner believes Alabama is a "lock" to host a regional: "Alabama finished the regular season 40-15 overall, 16-14 in SEC play, 14-11 in Q1 games and No. 9 in RPI. They are a lock to host a regional, and could factor into the top eight discussion with a strong showing in Hoover." Alabama schedule 2025 Alabama faces Tennessee in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover at approximately 1 p.m. (CT) Wednesday. The game can be on SEC Network. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Transfer portal or 'speed dating'? How Alabama baseball flipped 2025 roster with 13 additions
Some of Alabama baseball's biggest contributors during the 2025 season were plucked straight from the transfer portal. "The scary part of the transfer portal is you can crush your culture really quick if you start bringing the wrong people in," Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn told the Tuscaloosa News. Advertisement Vaughn admits his recruiting process is "probably a little bit slower than most," but it's a decision made on good advice. Former St. John's manager Ed Blankmeyer once told Vaughn and his assistants: "It's never the guy you don't get, it's the guy you get that you shouldn't have got." REQUIRED READING: Rob Vaughn hitting milestones with Alabama baseball, but he almost didn't take the job SEC TOURNAMENT WEEK: What to know about Missouri as first round opponent for Alabama baseball Who's the best competitor? Which guys are tough, and know the difference between toughness and grit? Vaughn wants those guys. Advertisement "The truest competitors for me are the ones that say, 'Hey, whatever I've got today is good enough to beat you. I don't have to have my A stuff. I'm good enough to beat you with my C stuff,' " Vaughn said. Without that mentality, Vaughn says there's "no chance" to survive in the SEC. Why Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn thinks the transfer portal is like 'speed dating' Recruiting high schools is easier for Vaughn, who likes having the extra time to do the homework compared to shopping for transfers. "The portal is like speed dating," Vaughn said. "There's times kids get in the portal. We talk to him. Two hours later, they've already got five offers and six visits lined up. We have to operate in it. If you don't, you're gonna get passed." Advertisement Alabama was a hot date to swipe right on last portal season, as thirteen players on the current roster chose to leave programs around the country, whether little-known community colleges or iconic Ivy Leagues, and join the Crimson Tide. Alabama's outfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. (5) celebrates his two run homer in the top of the first inning against Florida. Florida came back from being down 5-0 to beat Alabama 7-6, Friday, May 15, 2025, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2025 Which Alabama baseball transfers will make their first trips to the SEC Tournament? Richie Bonomolo Jr., CF, junior Previous school: Wabash Valley College Before Alabama, Bonomolo helped Wabash Valley advance to its fourth consecutive JUCO World Series in 2023 and earned second-team All-American honors after a standout freshman season. Bryce Fowler, RF, redshirt junior Previous school: Pearl River C.C. (2024), Southern Miss (2022-23) Advertisement In Poplarville, Miss. at Pearl River, Fowler got comfortable as a leadoff hitter and worked himself among the all-time leaders with 88 hits, the second most in a season in program history. JT Blackwood, RHP, junior Previous school: Wallace State When Blackwood wasn't getting called out of the bullpen, he was often the midweek starter for the Crimson Tide, which went undefeated in the midweek during the 2025 regular season. In two seasons at Wallace State, he had the most innings pitched. Carson Ozmer, RHP, graduate Previous school: Penn Ozmer leads all Division I closers with 16 saves, picking up two in one day in the series finale double-header against Georgia. All four years he was at Penn, Ozmer was a two-way starter and earned honorable mention All-Ivy League honors twice. Advertisement Please enable Javascript to view this content. Aeden Finateri, RHP, senior Previous school: Georgia Tech Finateri came to Tuscaloosa after three seasons at Georgia Tech, where he appeared in 58 games and made 23 starts, finishing his career with an 8-9 record with three saves and 172 strikeouts Brennen Norton, INF, senior Previous school: Jacksonville State Norton left Jacksonville State on a high note. As a junior, he achieved a career-best .327 average with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs, seeing him add First Team All-Conference USA honors to his resume. Garrett Staton, DH/2B, redshirt senior Previous school: Samford Advertisement Staton missed 21 games after suffering a broken finger on Feb. 18 when he was hit by a pitch, putting a delay on Crimson Tide fans seeing all the reasons why he earned preseason All-American honors. Since returning to the lineup on March 25, Staton has lived up to the hype, recording at least one RBI in 13 of his 25 starts. Jason Torres, 3B, junior Previous school: Miami Named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, Torres impressed during his stint in South Florida. At Alabama, he's started all but one game on the hot corner and is one of the Crimson Tide's top home run contributors. More first-timers that joined Alabama's 2025 roster from the portal Beau Bryans, LHP, junior: previously Jones College Packy Bradley-Cooney, RHP, senior: previously Campbell (2024), CCBC Essex (2022-23) Danny Heintz, RHP, redshirt senior: previously Penn Zach Kittrell, RHP, junior: previously Pensacola State College Which new SEC transfer returns to Hoover, but with the Tide instead? Brady Neal, C, junior Previous school: LSU Advertisement Sidelined by a back injury, Neal's career as LSU's starting catcher hit a roadbump in 2023. Now, he splits time behind the plate with fellow SEC transfer Will Plattner. The nine-hole hitter, Neal leads Alabama with an 18.4% walk rate. Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@ This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Transfers can 'crush your culture:' Why Rob Vaughn got 13 for Alabama baseball
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas A&M told Rob Vaughn he 'wasn't good enough': How it shapes Alabama baseball today
Long before he finished sentences with "Roll Tide," Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn grew up saying "Gig 'Em." Earl Vaughn, now 78, played baseball at Texas A&M in 1967 and 1968, so like any son whose favorite superhero was dad instead of Iron Man, little "Robby" wanted to suit up for the Aggies. Advertisement Vaughn's earliest memories of football were made in the Home of the 12th Man. Hour-and-a half long car rides to Blue Ball Park followed suit in the spring. Once he knew he had the potential to play at the next level, he set his sights on College Station, a little over 90 miles from his native Humble, Texas. Only Texas A&M had different plans for the backyard legacy. REQUIRED READING: Rob Vaughn hitting milestones with Alabama baseball, but he almost didn't take the job TRANSFER PORTAL OR 'SPEED DATING'? How Alabama baseball flipped 2025 roster with 13 additions "My senior year, I went there, and I played great. I'm thinking, 'Alright, I played really good. I think I'm getting an offer." Vaughn told the Tuscaloosa News. Advertisement "Literally, their words were, 'You're not 6-foot, 200 pounds.' " Vaughn was listed at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds on his last high school scouting report. Perfect Game evaluators said he had an "advanced bat" and ran well "for a catcher," but then came the inevitable criticism: "He's not big in size." Vaughn never forgot those words from A&M, but his mindset has shifted since the initial sting of rejection. Being able to say he had a successful career at Kansas State, where he found his wife, Kayleigh, and helped the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA Tournament, before getting drafted to the White Sox in 2009, doesn't hurt. Advertisement "That was the best thing that ever happened to me was Texas A&M's crew saying, 'Sorry, Rob, you're not good enough to play here,' because it draws me to those kind of kids," Vaughn said. Texas A&M denied Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn his dream: Why it was 'the best thing' ever The Crimson Tide added 13 transfers to its 2025 roster. About half of them have come through the JUCO system at some point in their career, including starters Bryce Fowler and Richie Bonomolo Jr., who were plucked straight from standout seasons at community college. "If you look around our team, there's a reason there's a heavy JUCO influence," Vaughn said. "Those kids were all, at some point, told they weren't good enough, and they had a choice to feel bad for themselves. But if you're going to go to JUCO and play baseball, it's because you want to be a lead baseball player, not for the glitz and the glamour of it." Advertisement "It's not sexy to say you're going to Wallace Dothan to play community college baseball, leaving Auburn, but you do it because you want to turn yourself into a guy," Vaughn said, referencing second-year member of the Crimson Tide Kade Snell. "That's what these kids did because they want to be good at baseball. They care. It's important to them to be good. And that's really what grit is." Vaughn finds the trials and tribulations that some Alabama players have faced are the reasons they're mentally battle-tested enough to take a run-rule on the chin in the opener and bounce back for a series win against Georgia. Or why Vaughn would be able to return as a coach to the same school he "wasn't good enough" to catch for and lead the Crimson Tide to sweep the Aggies, who have fallen from their status as the No. 1 team in the nation entering the season to standing as the 14th seed in the SEC Tournament. Advertisement No. 9 seed Alabama kicks off the week of tournament play in Hoover against No. 16 seed Missouri at 9:30 a.m. CT on SEC Network before A&M wraps up the first round against No. 11 seed Mississippi State later on Tuesday evening. Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn watches his team from the dugout during the game wtih Mississippi State at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa Friday, April 11, 2025. Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@ This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Texas A&M told Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn he 'wasn't good enough'
