The Extra Point: Alabama Baseball Through First SEC Weekend
Through the first month of the season, the Alabama baseball team is off to a productive start. This includes a 17-3 start in 20 regular season games and a steady rise in the rankings.
This past weekend, the team secured its first SEC series victory with Rob Vaughn as the head coach. The Crimson Tide took two of three games from the Tennessee Volunteers at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
In the decisive rubber game, Alabama leadoff hitter Gage Miller hit a home run in the eighth inning that proved to be the game-winner. The win seemed emblematic of the culture that Vaughn has focused on instilling since arriving in the summer.
The Crimson Tide has already faced stiff competition thus far, including games against the Volunteers, Southern Miss and Dallas Baptist. As league play ramps up, Alabama (2-1 SEC) has a number of its tough tests slated as home games, including matchups with the likes of LSU and Arkansas set to take place in Tuscaloosa.
SEC baseball is an absolute gauntlet, but following the opening stretch to the campaign, the players are confident that they can hang with the best in the country. That confidence paid off on the opening weekend of conference play. Vaughn and his staff have built up the players' confidence to step out on the diamond and be themselves regardless of the circumstances.
Next up on the schedule for Alabama is a midweek contest at Alabama State, followed by the first road test of SEC play. That comes in the form of Georgia. The Bulldog lineup boasts, among others, first baseman Charlie Condon, who's tied for second in the nation in home runs.
