The Alabama baseball team narrowly made it to the NCAA tournament last season. Brad Bohannon’s side finished the season with an overall record of 31-27 while finishing 12-17 in conference play.
This year is expected to be a good year for purples and whites. Key players such as Andrew Pinckney, Drew Williamson, Jacob McNairy and Jim Jarvis all returned in the offseason. Some other notable additions include transfers from Ed Johnson, Jackson Reynolds and Mac Guscette.
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The coming season will be a big test for an experienced, veteran-led team from Alabama. The Tide will take on four programs (Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Arkansas) that made the College World Series last season. Other non-conference programs that made the NCAA tournament last season include Southern Miss, Columbia and Alabama State.
Today we’re previewing every opponent on the Alabama baseball roster in 2023.
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Record of spiders 2022: 30-26 (11-13)
Richmond struggled for most of the season last year. The Spiders did their best to change the narrative as they made it to the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship to face VCU. Despite the fact that they lost, it’s a step in the right direction for Tracy Woodson’s side. This will be a good test for Alabama to start its 2023 campaign.
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Golden Eagles record 2022: 30-27 (11-13)
During the offseason, Alabama was able to land Tennessee Tech utility player Ed Johnson. Now the two will meet in a midweek game to kick off the season. The Golden Eagles will be a good test of the tide. Last season they defeated No. 1 Tennessee.
(AP Photo/John Amis)
The Skyhawks record 2022: 11-34 (4-20)
Tennessee-Martin didn’t have the ideal season in 2022. However, the Skyhawks will return two of their top 3 position players in Will Smith and Blaze Bell. This will be Alabama’s second game in two days, so it will be interesting to see how fair they come out.
(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
The Waves record 2022: 24-26 (12-15)
Historically, Pepperdine is a blue-blood in college baseball. The Waves have been a fixture for elite baseball talent on the West Coast over the years. Last season they struggled in the western Atlantic. However, they were able to defeat UCLA and Gonzaga. This will be the Tide’s first road trip, and it’s going to be a long one. This is a series that allows fans to get a sense of where the tide stands.
(AP Photo/John Amis)
The Gamecocks record 2022: 27-28 (19-11)
The last time Jacksonville defeated State Alabama was in 2017. Since then, the Gamecocks have lost to the Crimson Tide seven straight years. The Gamecocks will return three positional players who had batting averages over .300. One of them is former Alabama outfielder TJ Reeves. It will be interesting to see how he fares against his old team this season.
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Flame’s record 2022: 22-25 (14-11)
The Flames didn’t end last season the way they hoped. They fell to Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League Championship. The Flames hit three power-five programs in Northwestern, Purdue and Cal-Berkeley. This will be an interesting series to see how Alabama fares after spending the previous weekend in Malibu.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Bulldog record 2022: 28-29 (12-9)
Samford is another state program that has seen its fair share of fights against Alabama. In the all-time series, the Bulldogs are 13-22. They have also lost their last five matchups against the Crimson Tide. Since this is a mid-week matchup, the Crimson Tide needs to be ready to play. The Bulldogs will try to end the series.
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The Hornets record 2022: 34-25 (21-8)
Alabama State reached the NCAA tournament last season. It was the second time in program history that the Hornets made it to the “big dance.” This will be a good test for Alabama after he traveled to Birmingham to play Samford the day before. The Hornets are definitely not going to be a walk in the park.
[Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]
Lions record 2022: 32-18 (17-4)
As if two impressive midweek contests weren’t enough, the Crimson Tide plays a third. The Crimson Tide will host a roster from Columbia who had a stellar season a year ago. The Lions won their first-ever Ivy League conference championship in 2022 and also advanced to the NCAA tournament. This could be the toughest opponent Alabama faces before entering conference play.
[Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]
Jaguar’s record 2022: 31-23 (17-13)
The last time South Alabama beat Alabama was in 2016. Since then, the Jaguars have been unable to beat the Crimson Tide. The Jaguars will bring back their top three players this season Miles Simington, Erick Orbeta and Hunter Stokes. This will be another intriguing matchup for the mid-week Crimson Tide.
[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Gator’s record 2022: 42-24 (15-15)
Alabama couldn’t have asked for a tougher draw than having to face Florida in Gainesville to start conference play. Last season, the Gators defeated Alabama three out of four times they played each other. They also removed the Crimson Tide from the SEC tournament. However, Alabama will likely be geared up and ready to play this series. You have to go up against a very good Gators roster.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Blazer’s 2022 record: 31-25 (13-17)
Last season, UAB had Alabama’s number. The Blazers beat the Crimson Tide in their two meetings. After a weekend series against Florida, the Crimson Tide must turn their attention to a Blazers roster that has proven they can beat Alabama, home or away.
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The Wildcats record 2022: 33-26 (12-18)
This matchup catches my attention because Alabama hasn’t faced Kentucky since 2021. In this series, the Wildcats took two out of three from the Crimson Tide. The Cats head coach Nick Mingione has always been careful to put a competitive team on the diamond. I assume that 2023 will be no different.
(AP Photo/John Amis)
Blue Raiders record 2022: 29-26 (17-13)
Last year, Middle Tennessee State was scheduled to play Alabama in Tuscaloosa. However, this game was canceled due to bad weather. This time around, the Blue Raiders will face the Crimson Tide in Huntsville looking for a win to resume.
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The Razorbacks record 2022: 46-21 (18-12)
Alabama had Arkansas’ number last season. The Crimson Tide defeated the Razorbacks in three of their four games last season. Alabama won’t be lucky enough to play the Razorbacks at home this season. Instead, they will travel to Fayetteville to face off against the Hogs in their third conference series of the season.
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
The Trojan record 2022: 32-24 (15-15)
The last time Troy defeated Alabama was in 2019. The Trojans defeated the Crimson Tide 8-4 in Tuscaloosa. Since then, the Trojans have failed to defeat the Crimson Tide. Troy will return his best pitchers this season to Logan Ross and Keaton Fuller. This could be a mid-week matchup to keep a close eye on.
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Bulldog record 2022: 26-30 (9-21)
The state of Mississippi has long been known for its diamond success. However, the Bulldogs struggled last season. They beat Alabama in two of three games at home in 2022. Apart from that, they had problems at home and on the street. The Crimson Tide should be well prepared and ready for the Bulldogs into their fourth conference series.
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Golden Eagles record 2022: 47-19 (23-7)
One program that passed last season’s eye test was Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles reached the NCAA tournament and even held Super Regionals in Hattiesburg. Alabama will have their hands full in this midweek matchup. You can throw someone used to pitching on the weekends. This could be a good boost for Alabama’s resume as it jumps into the conversation about the NCAA tournament.
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Tiger’s record 2022: 43-22 (16-13)
It wasn’t a good performance for Alabama last season at Plainsman Park. The Crimson Tide lost both games to Auburn. However, the Tigers reached the College World Series. They had a good squad last season and will probably do the same this season. It will be interesting to see how the Crimson Tide fare against the Tigers at home.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Blazer’s 2022 record: 31-25 (13-17)
As I mentioned earlier, the Blazers had the Alabama number recently. They’ll look to continue that success when they host the Crimson Tide for a showdown midweek.
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Tiger’s record 2022: 28-23 (10-20)
Alabama has not traveled to Columbia since 2018. The Crimson Tide beat Missouri in two out of three games they played. The Tigers have trended downward in recent years. That’s not to say that this series won’t be tough. All conference series are tough.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Bulldog record 2022: 28-29 (12-9)
Alabama plays Samford in Tuscaloosa in their second game of the season. This is a good opportunity for the Crimson Tide to return home and claim a victory before heading to Baton Rouge.
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Tiger’s record 2022: 40-22 (17-13)
Last season, Alabama struggled against LSU. The Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide in two of the three games they played in Tuscaloosa. This season, Alabama will travel to Baton Rouge to take on the Bayou Bengals. The Crimson Tide hope to avenge last season’s streak loss.
Mark Zaleski/ The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK
The Commodores record 2022: 39-23 (14-16)
Vanderbilt has been one of the better baseball programs in the country over the years. Commodores head coach Tim Corbin always seems to find ways to win ball games. In Alabama’s final meeting with Vanderbilt, they lost in the two games played. Now, the Crimson Tide will attempt to flip the script on what is likely to be an important series in Tuscaloosa.
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
The Trojan record 2022: 32-24 (15-15)
After meeting Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide will turn its focus to Troy. The Trojans meet Alabama in a neutral game at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. Typically, the Crimson Tide Auburn play in Montgomery. In this year’s matchup, however, it will be the Trojans.
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Aggie’s record 2022: 44-20 (19-11)
Alabama parted ways with Texas A&M in their four meetings last season. The Crimson Tide lost the most important to the Aggies as they lost 12-8 in the SEC tournament. This season they are tasked with traveling to College Station to likely take on a talented Aggies team.
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Record of the rebels 2022: 42-23 (14-16)
Saving the best for last? Well, that appears to be what athletic director Greg Byrne did with the final conference series of the regular season. Alabama will be up against an Ole Miss roster that won the National Championship in unprecedented fashion a season ago. This could be Alabama’s biggest Test of the season and comes right before the SEC tournament.