Alabama
42-19
St. John's
36-26
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
| St. John's | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
No. 7 Alabama Baseball Secures Position in Omaha with 7-2 Win over St. John’s
6/8/2026 3:15:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide earned its first berth in the Men’s College World Series since 1999
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 7 national seed Alabama baseball (42-19) is returning to the Men's College World Series for the first time since 1999, as the Crimson Tide topped St. John's (36-26) in game two of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional on Monday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to claim the best-of-three series. The contest originally began at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday, however inclement weather suspended the game in the top of the 8th prior to its resumption on Monday.
Leading up to the suspension of the contest, Alabama had built a tidal wave of momentum, thanks to Jason Torres, who slugged a grand slam in the 7th to extend a one-run lead into a five-run advantage. Torres eventually finished 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI. Bryce Fowler was 2-for-5 with a double, while Peyton Steele also collected a pair of hits to go with one RBI. As well, Luke Vaughn added a double and a run-scoring sacrifice bunt to close his 1-for-3 effort.
With a trip to Omaha at stake, Zane Adams (8-4) gave the Tide exactly what it needed, holding the Red Storm to just two earned runs over 6.1 innings, allowing just six hits to go with eight strikeouts. Matthew Heiberger created an inning-ending double play after just three pitches following his entrance in the 7th and was again tasked with taking the mound after play was resumed. Heiberger proceeded to retire seven of the nine batters he faced, scattering a base-hit and a hit batter while producing two strikeouts, as the Birmingham native induced the final out to send the Tide to the Men's College World Series.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"What a day, what a year, what a season, man. 27 years in the making, I couldn't think of a better group to be able to kick that door down. I don't even have words. I don't have words. This group's been through a lot this year, and they met the moment the last few weeks. When the moment got big, they showed up. No better example than this guy right here (Jason Torres). What an unbelievable swing in the best spot. I looked at Mike Morrison right before the homer yesterday, and I said, of everybody on this team, this dude deserves this right here. He deserves that moment, and he met it, and it was awesome. We lost some momentum last night with a five-hour delay, and they show up today and didn't miss a beat. So excited for us, excited for our team, excited for this university, and just really grateful that we get to be a part of it."
How It Happened
- T3 | Luke Vaughn opened the inning with a double down the right field line before Peyton Steele shot a base-hit through the right side to drive in Vaughn. Bryce Fowler followed Steele with a double into the left-center gap, leading to Brady Neal's one-out RBI groundout to second. (2-0, Alabama)
- B3 | With one out, Rob Mansour singled to center, with Dylan Fitzsimmons advancing him to third after a ground-rule double to left-center. Jon LeGrande then drove in Mansour with a groundout to second. (2-1, Alabama)
- T4 | As the leadoff man, John Lemm was plunked, though was erased on a fielder's choice off the bat of Eric Hines. Brennan Holt then singled through the right side to place runners on the corners. Vaughn followed Holt with a perfectly executed safety squeeze, driving in Hines with a sacrifice bunt. (3-1, Alabama)
- B6 | Adam Agresti slugged a one-out, solo homer to trim the Crimson Tide lead. (3-2, Alabama)
- T7 | With one out, Steele and Fowler both produced infield singles, though a Lebron fielder's choice erased Fowler at second, putting runners on the corners with two outs. After Neal drew a walk, Jason Torres slugged a grand slam to right. (7-2, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- The Crimson Tide is returning to the Men's College World Series for the first time since 1999 in search of the program's first national championship
- The Tide's berth in the Men's College World Series stands as the program's sixth-ever appearance, with Alabama owning an 11-10 (.524) mark all-time in 21 CWS contests
- Alabama improved to 5-6 (.454) all-time in Super Regional contests as the result of Monday's victory
- The victory was head coach Rob Vaughn's 299th career win, as he improved to 299-178 (.627) in nine career seasons as a Division I head coach
- Justin Lebron's six-game hitting streak was snapped though he extended his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games
- Lebron also managed his 41st steal in 42 attempts, as he now sits one stolen base shy of matching G.W. Keller's 42 steals (1999) for third all-time in a single season in Alabama program history
- Bryce Fowler has now reached base in 12 straight games
- Fowler also garners a five-game hitting streak, with the Tide center fielder posting a .375 average (9-for-24) with two doubles, two triples, one home run, five RBI, one walk and one hit-by-pitch in that span
- Brennan Holt improved his on-base streak to 10 games
- Brady Neal has now reached base in seven straight games and owns a six-game hitting streak
- Neal is 9-for-24 (.375) with one double, three home runs, 11 RBI, three walks and two-hit-by-pitches over his last six games
- Peyton Steele has also reached base in each of his last seven games
- John Lemm's on-base streak advanced to five consecutive games
- Attendance: 6,738
Up Next
- Alabama will open the 2026 Men's College World Series in Omaha, Neb., with a matchup against conference foe Oklahoma on Saturday, June 13
- First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Sooners is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, airing on ESPN
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adams, Zane (8-4)
L: Evan Chaffee (7-5)
Batting:
2B: Fowler, Bryce 1 ; Torres, Jason 1 ; Vaughn, Luke 1
HR: Torres, Jason 1
RBI: Neal, Brady 1 ; Torres, Jason 4 ; Vaughn, Luke 1 ; Steele, Peyton 1
SH: Vaughn, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lebron, Justin 1 ; Neal, Brady 1 ; Torres, Jason 1 ; Hines, Eric 1 ; Vaughn, Luke 1 ; Steele, Peyton 2
SB: Lebron, Justin 1
HBP: Lemm, John 1
Batting:
2B: Dylan Fitzsimmons 1
HR: Adam Agresti 1
RBI: Jon LeGrande 1 ; Adam Agresti 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Adam Agresti 1 ; Rob Mansour 1
HBP: Adam Agresti 1 ; Will Cowan 1
