Bama Central

The Extra Point: Should Alabama Baseball Consider A Change to Weekend Rotation?

The results have been up and down for the Crimson Tide's No. 3 starter Bobby Alcock.

Peyton Davis

Mar 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa AL, USA; Alabama pitcher Aeden Finateri makes a pitch against South Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
Mar 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa AL, USA; Alabama pitcher Aeden Finateri makes a pitch against South Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alabama baseball traveled back to Tuscaloosa after dropping two of three games to the Auburn Tigers in Plainsman Park across the state.

After a 6-5 win in the front half of Saturday's double-header, Alabama and Auburn played a rubber-match last night, ending in a 7-5 Tiger victory.

It did not take long for the Crimson Tide to fall behind, as Bobby Alcock, the team's No. 3 starter, could only manage to record one out before being pulled after giving up four runs.

It was the third loss in a row for the Crimson Tide in Alcock starts, and since being awarded SEC Pitcher of The Week after his shutout-gem versus the Texas A&M Aggies, Alcock has thrown 8.1, surrendering 11 earned runs to balloon his ERA to 5.97 for the season.

The right-hander has had trouble avoiding barrels and has gotten behind in most counts in his past three SEC starts. It has become fairly apparent that Alcock has a lot of trouble getting through the talent of the lineups in the conference.

Now four weeks into their SEC schedule, there are three different replacement options head coach Rob Vaughn should turn to in replacement of Alcock as the No. 3 starter for the Crimson Tide.

First, right-hander, Aeden Finateri, is probably the most realistic option for taking over this role. The Georgia Tech transfer has experience making weekend starts in a power conference, starting Fridays for the Yellow Jackets last season.

This season, Finateri has a 3.18 ERA across 17.0 innings pitched, and Vaughn could have alluded to him as the next man in line after giving him the ball in game three against the Oklahoma Sooners in wake of Riley Quick being scratched for game two with a blood blister. Finateri went 4.2 innings giving up two runs and pitching on two sides of a rain delay, showing better control than Alcock has had of late.

The second option would be J.T. Blackwood, another right-hander who has been one of the team's most reliable long-relief options while also making weekday starts as well. He has struggled a bit in conference play, but he has been solid overall, with a 2-0 record and a 3.86 ERA.

Another under-the-radar option for Vaughn is right-hander, Braylon Myers, coming off his strongest performance of the season last night. In relief of Alcock just one out into the first and trailing 4-0 immediately, Meyers went 4.2 innings giving up just two runs and striking out six Auburn batters. It was a season-high in pitches by nearly 30 percent throwing 63 in an effort that allowed the Crimson Tide to work back into the game after the early hole.

This may have been somewhat of a "tryout," as his numbers overall are quite good and his stuff may be the best of the three options. He has a 2.74 ERA with a record of 2-0 across 23 innings pitched. His .91 WHIP also leads the team for pitchers that have thrown more than two innings.

Whichever option coach Vaughn turns to, the reality is that there needs to be a change at the third starter spot as Alabama gets into the middle of their SEC schedule.

Check out the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's Peyton Davis suggests three options coach Rob Vaughn could turn to in replacement of Bobby Alcock as Alabama baseball's No. 3 starter.

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Peyton Davis
PEYTON DAVIS

Peyton Davis is an intern with BamaCentral, covering football, basketball and baseball. He has also covered for the Miami and Boston College OnSI sites. He will graduate from Alabama in the spring of 2025 with a degree and news media. During his four years at UA, Peyton appeared on the radio for WVUA-FM as well as Tide 100.9, along with covering games for WVUA23 and beat reporting for both football and basketball. Born and raised in New Orleans, Peyton has also contributed for local sites such as Cresent City Sports, covering high school football and baseball as well as BootKrewe Media, where he covered the New Orleans Saints.

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