With the NCAA baseball bracket coming out on May 27, it is time to see where Alabama baseball is projected to be seeded.

The 2024 NCAA tournament is set to begin on Friday May 31, paving the way for the start of the College World Series on Friday, June 14.

The No. 18 Crimson Tide (26-15, 7-11 SEC) is in its first season under new coach Rob Vaughn, who was hired in June 2023. Alabama has 26 NCAA tournament appearances in program history and has a chance to make back-to-back tournaments for the first time since 2013 and 2014 according to D1Baseball and Baseball America.

Baseball America’s projection for Alabama

Baseball America projects Alabama as a No. 3 seed. The Crimson Tide would be part of the Norman region where Oklahoma would be the host school.

The other schools in the region include No. 2 Dallas Baptist and No. 4 Niagara.

More: Alabama baseball avoids sweep with upset victory over No. 1 Texas A&M on Saturday

OLE MISS SERIES HTW: How to watch Alabama baseball vs. Ole Miss: Time, TV info for series

D1 Baseball’s projection for Alabama

D1 Baseball has Alabama as a No. 2 seed as part of the Charlottesville region with No. 1 Virginia being the host school.

The other school’s in the region are No. 3 Utah and No. 4 Georgetown.

Alabama baseball schedule 2024

Alabama baseball remaining schedule for the 2024 season. For the full schedule, click here.

It’s not easy playing behind of one of Alabama’s best defensive players, but EDGE Dallas Turner took on the challenge and emerged out of Will Anderson’s shadow to show he’s one of the best defensive players in the upcoming NFL draft class.

Turner came to the Capstone one season after Anderson broke onto the scene. He served as Anderson’s “Robin” as the opposite edge rusher, going so far as to accumulate 8.5 sacks in his freshman year. His play took a slight step back as a sophomore but he got right back on track for his junior year hitting double-digit sacks in a season for the first time in his career.

He’s in a unique position as the NFL draft kicks off on Thursday night. Turner is considered one of the best defensive prospects in a class that is loaded with offensive talent. If he’s the first defender selected in Detroit on Thursday that will give the Crimson Tide back to back years with the first defender taken, following Will Anderson’s number three overall selection last season by the Houston Texans.

Player Info

Jersey: No. 15
Position: EDGE
DOB: February 2, 2003
Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas, Bradenton Fla.
Recruiting Class: 2021
Recruiting Rating: Consensus 5-star, No. 9 overall, No. 1 at position, No. 2 in the state
Did he play in an All-Star Game? All-American Bowl

Accomplishments

Turner appeared in 42 games, making 27 starts for the Alabama defense over the last three seasons. He accumulated 120 tackles with 33.5 coming for a loss. He also tallied 23.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered two more and scored one defensive touchdown during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. For his standout performances he was named SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 while earning consensus All-American status and First Team All-SEC. His strong freshman season earned him Freshman All-America honors from 247Sports and the FWAA, while he was also selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team.

NFL Combine/Pro Day

Height: 6-3
Weight: 247 pounds
Hand: 9 7/8′
Arm: 34 3/8′
Wing:
40-yard dash: 4.46
10-yard split: 1.54
Vertical jump: 40.5″
Broad jump: 10’7″

What They’re Saying

“Long and athletic with the explosive traits needed to become an impactful NFL pass rusher. Turner’s first-step quickness and elite closing burst are important building blocks, but he still needs to work on his process from Point A to Point B. He hasn’t learned to create the space and angles needed to consistently attack the edges, but that should come with better hand development and a more diversified approach. A team would be wise to widen him out and allow him a better runway to ignite his burst and overwhelm tackles with his speed. He’s added 20 pounds since coming to Alabama, but he struggles at times to stack and shed run blockers or set a firm edge. Turner’s frame and game are much less developed than Will Anderson Jr.’s coming out of Alabama last year, so it could take time for him to make his mark as a starting 3-4 outside linebacker.”
-NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein

Mock Draft

• Charles Davis, NFL.com: Picked No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bears
• Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Picked No. 19 overall by the Los Angeles Rams
• Eric Edholm, NFL.com: Picked No. 15 overall by the Chicago Bears after trading down
• Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Ranked at the No. 13 overall player in the draft class
• Field Yates, ESPN: Picked No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons

Life in the Southeastern Conference is not easy.

After dropping a winnable series on the road in Athens, the Ole Miss Rebels host the top 25 Alabama Crimson Tide at Swayze Field this weekend in what is a must-win series in Oxford. This Ole Miss team needs to build on a nice midweek win and keep swinging a hot bat.

Here are three things to look for in this weekend’s series against the Tide.

Away From “The Joe”

Sewell-Thomas Stadium, commonly referred to as “The Joe,” has been very kind Crimson Tide this season, giving them a 20-7 record at home.

Road games for this squad have been a different story, however. The Tide are 3-7 on the road this year, and Swayze Field is a difficult place to play for any team. An early lead could pay dividends throughout this series for the Rebels if they can make things happen on Thursday night.

In 2022, however (the last time the Crimson Tide were in Oxford), they completed a three-game sweep of the Rebels. It should be interesting to see if these cold spells on the road continue this weekend.

Elite Bats

The 2023 Alabama team doesn’t beat you with elite pitching, but they will beat you with their bats. Alabama is in the top half of all of the offensive team statistics in the SEC, ranking inside the top five in average, slugging percentage, hits, and RBIs. This Alabama team has been swinging a hot bat all year, and playing in a hitters’ park like Swayze plays right into their hand.

Former Rebel and CWS hero TJ McCants has also been a star for this Alabama team, as the change of scenery has totally unlocked his power potential. McCants is second on the team in homers (13) and third in batting average (.330). He also leads the team in stolen bases with 11.

Average Pitching Staff

While the pitching staff for the Tide is below-average statically in the SEC, they will roll with three strong, tall pitchers this weekend.

On Thursday, Gregg Farone gets the ball. Farone is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound lefty who can get really get down the mound. He will sit in the mid-to-low 90s, but with his large frame, his fastball will really get on these Rebel hitters. The same can be said for the righty on Friday night, Ben Hess.

Hess fits the same mold of the big power righties who have silenced the Rebel bats the past two weekends.

Saturday, freshman Zane Adams will take the bump for the Tide. Adams was the top left-handed pitcher out of the state of Texas according to Perfect Game, and his stuff has translated well into college baseball. He has been inconsistent at times, but when he is on, he is lights-out. Adams went eight scoreless in rout to a win over (at the time) the-top ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.

It should be another great weekend for baseball in the SEC. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPNU.