Alabama Baseball 2021-22 Offseason Roster Tracker

Everything you need to know throughout the offseason regarding the comings and goings of Crimson Tide baseball as the team gears up for another season on the diamond.

For many college athletes in various sports, deciding on whether to remain on their respective teams or depart — either via graduation or joining the ranks of professional sports — might come across as an easy decision.

That is not the case for many athletes on Alabama baseball's roster this offseason.

2021 saw the Crimson Tide's first appearance in the SEC Tournament since 2016 and its first trip to an NCAA Regional since 2014. Along with a program that is slowly but surely making its way back into relevancy in the SEC, other factors play into the players' decision making.

This fact applies even more so to the Alabama seniors. Due to the 2020 season being shortened by the pandemic, each of the Crimson Tide's seniors now have an extra year of eligibility should they choose to use it. While most at this time seem to be either hanging up their cleats or taking their shot at the MLB Draft, the choice is still ultimately theirs to make.

This leaves a lot of the Alabama baseball roster up in the air for 2022. While some players have already announced their intentions to return or leave Tuscaloosa for good, others have yet to publicly announce their decision.

That's where this tracker enters the mix.

Throughout the 2021-22 offseason, this tracker will be updated as players make their decisions regarding remaining with the Crimson Tide, concluding their time in Tuscaloosa, transferring or joining the ranks of the MLB.

Here is the roster tracker for Alabama baseball during the 2021-22 offseason along with highlights from each player's 2021 season. All years listed for returners, MLB prospects and transfers denote their class standing for the 2022 season:

Returners

Connor Prielipp - LHP (Junior)

• Only made three starts in 2021 after injuring his UCL that resulted in him having to undergo Tommy John surgery near the end of the season

• While Prielipp was certainly disappointing last season (due to no fault of his own), the 2021 Preseason First Team All-American should no doubt prove to be a key piece of the Crimson Tide puzzle next year should he fully recover from surgery and return as the team's ace starting pitcher.

Caden Rose - INF/OF (Sophomore)

• Saw action in 54 games with 42 starts in center field but had the lowest batting average (.190) among players with an average of at least two at-bats per game

• Accounted for 26 total hits with four home runs, 23 runs and 19 RBIs

Brayden Rowe - RHP (Sophomore)

• Had just one appearance in 2021 and pitched just one-third of an inning with no hits, two walks and one run allowed

• Is expected to take a larger role as a reliever in 2022 now that he will have a full offseason to train and prepare compared to last year during the pandemic

Jim Jarvis - INF (Junior)

• Served as Alabama's primary short stop and is expected to do so again in 2022

• Struck out just 16 times in 157 at-bats, the fewest of any Alabama batter last season. Additionally, Jarvis finished with a .237 average that included six doubles and a team-high three triples.

William Hamiter - INF/OF (Junior)

• Started 53 games in 2021 with 46 in the outfield to go with four at designated hitter and three at first base

• Batted .271 with 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs and tied for third on Alabama with 35 runs while adding 34 RBIs and 55 hits to rank fourth among Crimson Tide hitters

Bryce Eblin - INF (Sophomore)

• Played 16 games with nine starts at shortstop during his freshman season

• Batted .342 with five doubles, eight RBIs, nine runs scored and seven walks

Antoine Jean - LHP (Junior)

• Like Prielipp, Jean was hampered by injuries that dramatically reduced his playing time after a very successful freshman season

• For the 2020 season, Jean was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News as well as Second Team All-Canadian by Canadian Baseball Network

Owen Diodati - OF/DH (Junior)

• After a dynamic yet short freshman season, Diodati returned in 2021 as the Crimson Tide's primary designated hitter, but his bat quieted down on the home stretch as he only hit .230 with three doubles, a triple and 11 home runs

• Despite the slow finish, he still ranked second on the Crimson Tide in home runs while tying for second in RBIs at 40

Drew Williamson - INF (Senior)

• Saw action in 48 games with 47 starts as Alabama's mainstay at first base despite suffering injuries that kept him off of the field for a large portion of the later part of the season

• Fielded at an impressive .998 clip, committing only one error across his 416 chances. In addition to his fielding, Williamson batted .255 with 12 doubles — good for second on UA — in addition to four home runs and added 21 RBIs and 33 runs

Logan Morris - RHP (Sophomore)

• Recorded no stats during his first season with the Crimson Tide

Andrew Pinckney - OF (Redshirt Sophomore)

• Finished his first full season with the Crimson Tide appearing in 46 games with 24 starts in the outfield, where he made several highlight reel-worthy catches later on in the season

• Batted .245 with six doubles and a home run to go with 11 RBIs and 16 runs scored

Dylan Ray - RHP/INF (Sophomore)

• Suffered a season-ending injury prior to the start of the 2021 season

Grant Knipp - C (Sophomore)

• Recorded no stats during his first season with the Crimson Tide

Grayson Hitt - LHP (Sophomore)

• For his freshman season, Hitt was one of the most called-on rookies out of the Crimson Tide bullpen, totaling 11 appearances and three starts

• Finished the season with a 2-3 record and recorded 16 strikeouts over 18 and one-third innings

Eli Giles - RHP (Sophomore)

• Appeared in 10 games during his freshman campaign for a total of 13 innings pitched

• Struck out 16 compared to six walks and owned a 0-1 record from his relief appearances

Will Portera - INF (Sophomore)

• Recorded no stats during his first season with the Crimson Tide

Jacob McNairy - RHP (Senior)

• While he missed one month of the season due to injury, McNairy made the most of his 15 appearances by recording 27 strikeouts compared to nine walks

• Finished with a 1-1 record and a 5.59 ERA in his 37 innings of work

Jake Eddington - RHP (Sophomore)

• Led all Crimson Tide freshmen pitchers with 14 appearances for 21 innings on the mound

• Owned a 1-0 record and struck out 25 batters during his time on the mound

Hunter Ruth - RHP (Redshirt Senior)

• Transferred to Alabama in 2021 after spending his freshman and redshirt-freshman seasons in Florida and his sophomore year at Palm Beach State Community College

• Totaled 15 and one-third frames in nine appearances while striking out 15 compared to five walks

Davis Heller - RHP/INF (Junior)

• Earned playing time in 15 games with five starts prior to a season-ending injury that he suffered in the Crimson Tide's final series of the regular season

• Batted .222 with six runs and six walks on the season

Zane Denton - INF (Junior)

• Zane Denton had arguably the best season of the entire Crimson Tide team, starting all 58 games with 53 of those starts being at third base and five at first. Denton led Alabama with a .308 batting average that included 10 doubles and 10 home runs and drew a team-high 35 walks while also leading the Crimson Tide in on-base percentage at .405.

• Earned SEC All-Defensive Team recognition for his standout play at third base and was selected to the Newcomer All-SEC Team in 2021

Landon Green - RHP (Redshirt Junior)

• During his second season, Green played a key role as the Crimson Tide's primary setup man and secondary closer

• Totaled 39 strikeouts across 19 appearances, enough for second-most out of all Alabama relievers

2021 MLB Draftees (Departures)

Sam Praytor - C (Redshirt Senior) -  Drafted at No. 179 by Miami Marlins

• Batted .277 in 2021 and led the Crimson Tide in both home runs (14) and RBIs (48)

• Was named First Team All-SEC at catcher and a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball News

Dylan Smith - RHP (Senior) - Drafted at No. 74 by Detroit Tigers

• Finished the season with a 3.84 ERA while pitching the most innings of any Alabama starter with 98 and one-third

• Concluded 2021 with the third-most strikeouts in a single season in Alabama program history with 113

Peyton Wilson - UTL (Junior) - Drafted at No. 66 by Kansas City Royals

• Started in all 58 of Alabama's games and finished the season with the team's second-highest batting average at .290 while leading the team in hits (72), runs (46) and total bases (114)

• Following the 2021 season, Wilson was named to the All-SEC Newcomer Team, listed as Second Team All-SEC at second base and a member of ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region First Team

Chase Lee - RHP (Senior) - Drafted at No. 164 by Texas Rangers

• Lead the team with the lowest ERA of all Crimson Tide pitchers with 1.33 in 40 and two-thirds innings pitched across 22 appearances out of the bullpen

• Finished 2021 with a 7-0 record along with seven saves

Tyler Ras - RHP (Senior) - Drafted at No. 410 by Colorado Rockies

• Became the Crimson Tide's primary Friday starter following Prielipp's injury, finished the season with a 7-5 record and pitched the second-most innings on the team in 2021 with a total of 86 and two-thirds

• Finalist for the 2021 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award

Other Expected Departures

Jackson Tate - OF (Senior)

• After transferring to Alabama for his final two years of eligibility in 2020, Tate saw increased playing time in 2021 over 36 games with 26 starts, splitting time between center and left field

• Batted .292 with five doubles and seven home runs to go with 19 RBIs, 18 runs, five walks and four stolen bases

Johnny Hawk - C (Redshirt Senior)

• The Crimson Tide’s backup catcher who saw action in 12 games with four starts

• Contributed two hits, an RBIs and two runs to go with a pair of walks

William Freeman - RHP (Redshirt Senior)

• Lead Alabama with 24 appearances in 2021 and finished the season with the team's second-lowest ERA at 2.22

• Saw time as both a midweek starter as well as reliever over his time with the Crimson Tide

Brock Guffey - LHP (Senior)

• Missed the majority of his senior season due to persistent injuries

• Totaled 11 appearances and owned an 0-1 record with two saves and struck out 16 batters in 14 and one-third innings on the mound

Transfer Out

Connor Shamblin - RHP (Senior) - Memphis

• Announced at the end of the 2021 season that he will be returning to his home state of Tennessee to play for Memphis his final collegiate season

• Totaled 46 innings in 15 appearances overall including 24 and one-third frames across six starts and owned a 4-2 record with one save and a 4.70 ERA

T.J. Reeves - OF (Senior) - Jacksonville State

• Missed 31 of Alabama's 58 games due to multiple injuries but posted a .229 average with four doubles and two home runs

• Contributed eight RBIs, nine runs scored and six walks to go with one stolen base

Will Patota - OF (Senior) - Destination Undecided

• Saw action in 22 games with four starts in 2021

• Recorded five hits — including two doubles and a home run — as part of his .179 batting average and added seven RBIs and three runs while drawing three walks

Transfer In

Tommy Seidl - OF (Senior)

• Transferring in from Harvard for his final two years of eligibility

• Was a thorn in Alabama's side during the program's three-game series against Harvard in 2020, as he was responsible for a home run and three RBIs along with two more hits in 12 at-bats

2021 Commitments

Ben Hess: RHP/INF R-R 6-5 215 Charleston, Ill. (Charleston)

Incoming Freshman for 2022

Connor Ball: LHP L-L 6-1 160 Sterrett, Ala. (Chelsea)

Hagan Banks: RHP R-R 6-4 190 Plainville, Ga. (Calhoun)

Brandon Clarke: LHP L-L 6-4 210 Ashburn, Va. (Independence)

Graham Crawford: C S-R 6-0 205 Hattiesburg, Miss. (Pearl River C.C./Sumrall)

Camden Hayslip: OF L-L 6-3 205 Lebanon, Tenn. (Friendship Christian)

Will Hodo: INF L-R 6-4 220 Waynesboro, Miss. (Wayne Academy)

Jake Leger: LHP L-L 5-11 185 Lexington, Neb. (Iowa Western C.C./Lexington)

Braylon Myers: RHP L-R 6-2 195 Bessemer, Ala. (Oak Grove)

Nathan Shelton: LHP/OF L-L 6-2 190 Tuscaloosa, Ala. (American Christian Academy)

Hunter Sute: C/INF L-R 6-0 185 Tuscaloosa, Ala. (American Christian Academy)

Jimmy Thies: INF R-R 6-4 215 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Kade Woods: RHP/INF R-R 6-3 185 Monroe, La. (Ouachita Christian)

This story will be updated throughout the offseason to reflect the most up-to-date Alabama baseball roster as the 2022 season approaches.