Alabama Baseball Closer Enters Transfer Portal

A prominent Alabama baseball player has entered into the transfer portal.

Alabama pitcher Alton Davis II (42) in a game against UCF. / Alabama Athletics

The Alabama baseball bullpen has lost one of its biggest names to the transfer cycle. Per a report from Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball, left-hander Alton Davis II has entered the portal.

The Hueytown, Ala., native was firmly entrenched as the Crimson Tide's closer in the 2024 season following a 2023 campaign which saw him post a 2.76 ERA against conference opponents and earn recognition on the Freshman All-SEC team. Davis co-led the SEC in saves with six during league play that season.

In his sophomore year, he regressed slightly, posting a 5.61 ERA across 21 appearances and 33.2 innings. Davis struck out 38 batters and walked 17. He still led the team in saves with four during the first year of the Rob Vaughn era and had previously been named to the preseason All-SEC second team.

Davis was used slightly differently throughout the 2024 season, coming into games earlier at times and shouldering the responsibility of getting more outs than just a contest's final three. On April 20 against then-No. 1 Texas A&M, he threw 3.1 innings in relief and earned the win. He had eight outings during this past season in which he went two innings or more.

His final appearance in a Crimson Tide uniform, assuming he does not decide to withdraw from the portal and return to Tuscaloosa for his junior season, was on May 31 in the NCAA Tournament opener against UCF. Davis was tagged with the loss after issuing a leadoff walk in the ninth inning that became the winning run for the Knights, bringing his record to 4-2.

The southpaw has a tremendous amount of upside, and though his sophomore season had some peaks and valleys, he'll fill a need any team has: a quality arm with solid stuff. Davis is also a high-energy player, an attribute Vaughn liked, and will likely generate substantial interest.