Bama Baseball | (32-26)

Baseball America - #25

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25
Alabama
SEC
Notes:
Last Season: 16-1
Final Ranking: NR

Coach Brad Bohannon has been quietly building Alabama up over the last few years, and while we caught a glimpse of what’s to come as the team went 16-1 last season, their return as a player on the national stage may be slated for this season. Lefthander Connor Prielipp already looks like one of the best arms in the SEC, and that will make the Tide competitive each and every Friday. The roles around him on the pitching staff are fluid, but the staff has plenty of good options to mix and match with. The lineup, led by catcher Sam Praytor and slugger Owen Diodati, is similarly young but talented. It might be a good time to buy stock in Alabama before the price soars.

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2020 Losses
- Tyler Gentry (OF) (.429 avg, 1.304 OPS, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 2 SB, 17/17 games started)
- Brett Auerbach (UTL) (.388 avg, 1.148 OPS, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 12 SB, 17/17 games started)
- Kolby Robinson (SS) (.296 avg, .751 OPS, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB, 14/17 games started)
- Casey Cobb (RP) (12.1 IP, 5 appearances, 0.73 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, .190 BAA)

Keep in mind - players class designation is just whatever it was supposed to be in 2020. Basically last year didn't count.


2020 Key Returners
- Sam Praytor (C) (SO) (.350 avg, 1.119 OPS, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 16/17 games started)
- Owen Diodati (OF/DH) (FR) (.309 avg, 1.104 OPS, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 14/17 games started)
- Drew Williamson (1B) (SO) (.340 avg, 1.001 OPS, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 SB, 16/17 games started)
- TJ Reeves (2B) (SO) (.246 avg, .744 OPS, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, 15/17 games started)
- Jackson Tate (OF) (JR) (.286 avg, .930 OPS, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 6/17 games started)
- Jim Jarvis (SS) (FR) (.267 avg, .722 OPS, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 4 SB, 15/17 games started)
- Zane Denton (3B) (FR) (.220 avg, .618 OPS, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 11/17 games started)
- Peyton Wilson (INF) (FR) (.333 avg, .850 OPS, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, 7/17 games started)
- Myles Austin (INF) (FR) (.192 avg, .652 OPS, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 5/17 games started)

- Connor Prielipp (SP) (FR) (21.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, 35 K/6 BB, .077 BAA, 4 starts)
- Connor Shamblin (SP) (SO) (20.0 IP, 4.05 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 20 K/7 BB, .293 BAA, 4 starts)
- Antoine Jean (SP) (FR) (17.0 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 17 K/3 BB, .265 BAA, 4 starts)
- Tyler Ras (P) (SO) (11.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 8 K/3 BB, .225 BAA, 1 start)
- Chase Lee (P) (SO) (11.0 IP, 1.64 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 19 K/2 BB, .108 BAA, 2 saves)
- Garret Rukes (P) (JR) (10.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 8 K/5 BB, .143 BAA, 1 start)
- Jacob McNairy (P) (SO) (9.0 IP, 1.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 6 K/0 BB, .200 BAA)
- Brock Guffey (P) (JR) (8.2 IP, 1.04 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 13 K/1 BB, .138 BAA)
- Will Freeman (P) (SR) (8.2 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 13 K/4 BB, .235 BAA)

Incoming Freshmen
- Dylan Ray (RHP) (New Market, AL) (#181 Overall, #64 RHP, #3 Alabama)
- Jake Eddington (RHP) (Doniphan, MO) (#276 Overall, #94 RHP, #1 Missouri)
- Caden Rose (SS/2B) (Madison, AL) (#285 Overall, #58 SS, #8 Alabama)
- Brayden Rowe (RHP) (Warrior, AL) (#308 Overall, #105 RHP, #11 Alabama)
- Bryce Eblin (SS) (Greenwood, IN) (#431 Overall, #87 SS, #7 Indiana)

Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-Americans

1st Team All American
LHP Connor Prielipp, Alabama

3rd Team All-American
C Sam Praytor, Alabama

Hell yea! Omaha baby!

Time for Bohannon to bring home our first title

I mean, are we gonna frick up the rest of the SEC in this too?

would like to see Will Freeman have a good year on the mound!

How about a round of "bold predictions" for baseball this season?

1. Connor Prielipp is the conference pitcher of the year despite finally giving up a run at some point.
2. TJ Reeves has a bounce back season and finishes the year with 12+ homers.
3. Sam Praytor will be in the top 3 in the SEC in dingers.
4. Landon Green emerges as the third weekend starter now a couple years removed from TJ.
5. Alabama makes the SEC baseball tournament and is still playing on Saturday.

BOL - Bohannon 'loves the feel' of his 2021 Alabama baseball team

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“I love the feel of our club right now,” Bohannon said Friday.

“I think last year, we had a group where they were like, ‘Hey, we’re trying to prove to the whole world that we’re good.’ And not that this group thinks that they’ve arrived, but we’ve only got two juniors and two seniors on our team. We’ve got 19 freshmen technically, because all these guys that have only been here for a year and a half, they’ve lost one game at Alabama. We don’t have a bunch of guys that have been here that have lost many games.

“So, I don’t have to pump these guys’ tires. They really believe in themselves.”

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The Crimson Tide returns 21 letterwinners from last year’s team, including six starting position players and 10 pitchers. The 2021 roster also features 13 newcomers. In addition to a mixture of experience and talent, Bohannon said he simply enjoys being around his new team.

“This is one of the more enjoyable groups that I’ve been around,” Bohannon said. “I just like all their personalities. We have a bunch of kids who, No. 1, they’re good kids, they’re cool kids. We’ve got a lot of talent. They really practice well. We all love our time together.

“And maybe they say something different when I’m not around, but I walk in the team room or the locker room and I just hang out with them. We all really, really enjoy our time together, so regardless of how the season goes, this is gonna be a really enjoyable and rewarding few months.”

Redshirt sophomore catcher Sam Praytor added, “I feel really good about our team this year, man. I’m really excited to get going. It’s just like Coach Bo said, this team is really excited about coming to the ballpark every day. He’s completely right. We have a great time together.

“When we’re at the field, everybody wants to be at the field, everybody wants to get better, everybody loves practicing. Obviously, we do feel like we have a lot to prove and everything, but at the same time, we don’t have to prove it to ourselves. We know we’re there, and we feel really good about this upcoming season.”

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Everything is a wait and see, but they have the personnel to win a lot of games, and make some noise in the SEC. Let's not get crazy and think they are going to win even the west, but they will be pretty fun to watch.

We have a legit Friday night guy and we were on a good start last year.

I thing we should make a regional and have a chance of making the supers. We still need a little more in the bullpen, I suspect. I think we probably need a little more pop in the batting order, but we seem to be getting there.

I'm stocked for some beisbol.