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Alabama baseball: what are the Crimson Tide ranked in the USA Today preseason Coaches Poll?

cade hampton, tuscaloosa news
·2 min read

Alabama baseball is ranked No. 17 in the Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25.

Alabama finished 43-21 in a 2023 season that was rocked by a gambling scandal, which ended with the midseason firing of coach Brad Bohannon. The Crimson Tide ended the season on a hot streak under interim coach Jason Jackson, hosting a regional in Tuscaloosa before falling to Wake Forest in the Winston-Salem Super Regional. They finished last season also ranked No. 17.

The Tide will be led by former Maryland coach Rob Vaughn, whose last two Terrapin teams won the Big Ten regular season in 2022 and 2023. Jackson also returns to the staff as the associate head coach and pitching coach, as Alabama will look to build upon last season's strong finish with a roster full of fresh faces. The Tide lost much of last season's production to the MLB draft and transfer portal, so the 2024 season will hinge on the production of new transfers and young rising talents.

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Alabama will play five series against preseason top 25 teams in 2024, all at home and against SEC opponents. The Crimson Tide will host No. 8 Tennessee (March 15-17), No. 21 South Carolina (March 28-30), No. 4 Arkansas (April 12-14), No. 10 Texas A&M (April 18-20) and No. 2 LSU (May 10-12).

The University of Alabama introduced Rob Vaughn as the new head baseball coach Tuesday, June 13, 2023. University of Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne poses for a photo with Vaughn.
The University of Alabama introduced Rob Vaughn as the new head baseball coach Tuesday, June 13, 2023. University of Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne poses for a photo with Vaughn.

Full USA Today Preseason NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll Top 25

  1. Wake Forest (15 first-place votes)

  2. LSU (11)

  3. Florida (5)

  4. Arkansas

  5. TCU

  6. Vanderbilt

  7. Oregon State

  8. Tennessee

  9. Clemson

  10. Texas A&M

  11. Virginia

  12. East Carolina

  13. Texas

  14. Duke

  15. North Carolina

  16. North Carolina State

  17. Alabama

  18. UC Santa Barbara

  19. Coastal Carolina

  20. Iowa

  21. South Carolina

  22. Texas Tech

  23. Stanford

  24. UCLA

  25. Northeastern

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama baseball ranked in USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll