Alabama
Eleven-Run Third Inning Propels Alabama Baseball to Midweek Win Over Samford
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The three runs the No. 23 Alabama baseball team scored in the fifth inning would not have been enough to defeat Samford on Tuesday night. Every other home half-inning apart from that fifth was scoreless, except the third. In the third inning, the Crimson Tide (26-15, 7-11 SEC) scored 11 runs.
The Bulldogs (26-14, 10-2 SoCon) fell to the home team at Sewell-Thomas Stadium by a 14-5 margin, bolstered largely by that third-inning offensive onslaught. The first time these two teams met, Samford drew to within one in the ninth inning, but could not muster such a rally in the rematch.
“That’s a really good team,” Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. “All in all, just a really good team win… I didn’t think these guys flinched.” Vaughn’s team had dropped its past two midweeks. The second of those prompted him to say the Crimson Tide simply hadn’t played well enough.
Samford took it to Crimson Tide started Kade Snell in the top of the second inning, plating four runs off him with back-to-back RBI doubles and a two-run home run by leadoff man Garrett Staton. Vaughn attributed Snell’s issues to not finishing at-bats. When Alabama third baseman Gage Miller stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the home third, his squad faced a 4-0 deficit.
Three two-run home runs, all to left field, gave Alabama a 6-4 lead. Right fielder Evan Sleight hit the one which broke the tie for the last time. “When it gets to this time of the year, you really gotta just lock in with the approach,” Sleight said. “That was a great inning for us, and that’s a glimpse into what we can do as a lineup.”
Freshman shortstop Justin Lebron hit the first of the three home runs, initially slashing the deficit in half. He went 3-5 for the evening. “I was just seeing the ball really well today, and I was just trying to do my job in certain cases,” he said.
“I tell him [Lebron all the time, I’m so proud of him,” Sleight said. “As a freshman, especially in the SEC, it’s extremely challenging… The head on his shoulders is something I’ve actually never seen before.” Lebron said leadership from players like Sleight has allowed him to settle in and continue to learn.
The other home run in the inning belonged to TJ McCants, bringing his season total to 13 and further increasing the single-season career best he set once he entered double digits. His opposite-field blast tied the game. The wheels came off from there for Samford, which used three pitchers in the inning and eight on the night. Alex Gaeto, who gave up the home run to Sleight, was tagged with the loss.
The home runs did not encompass all the third-inning damage. Lebron also had a double for two runs batted in, as did first baseman Will Hodo, who himself scored the last run of the inning on a passed ball. Samford scored one more run in the top of the fifth and Alabama responded with three.
As for the Crimson Tide pitching, the coaching staff took a by-committee approach after Snell’s exit, with freshman reliever Austin Morris earning the win. “A-Mo was great tonight,” Vaughn said. “Same thing with Zane Probst… Aidan Moza was outstanding.. and then Braylon [Myers] was great at the end.” Freshman Ariston Veasey made his Alabama debut and was lifted after issuing back-to-back walks, but Vaughn was happy he had a chance to get his feet wet. He said some of those players will be relied on to get outs during the weekend’s SEC series against Ole Miss.
“That’s part of what makes college baseball awesome,” Vaughn said of facing a challenge like playing Ole Miss on the road. He plans on reminding his players not to allow those hostile crowds to make them emotional in negative ways. “When you get emotional, you get outside of yourself,” Vaughn said. “At the end of the day, that’s what makes college baseball the greatest thing ever. We get to go on the road in front of two great crowds, and two really good teams [Ole Miss and Mississippi State] these next two weekends. The Ole Miss series runs from Thursday to Saturday.
Vaughn provided an update on starting pitcher Ben Hess, who took a comebacker off his lower leg against Texas A&M and left the game. He will start Friday in Oxford, Miss. “It was more scary than anything,” said Vaughn. He’s been pleased with his players’ energy on short turnarounds, as they have now had multiple scheduled Thursday-Saturday weekends.
“SEC games aren’t hard to get up for,” Vaughn said. As an example of the energy he likes to see, he used injured starter Riley Quick, likening himself to Quick’s get-back coach if the two were on a football field. “That dude is right next to me,” he said. “That permeates down… They’re into every single pitch, and that matters.” The turning point, he said, was after the Kentucky series.
There are not a lot of home games left (three, to be exact). The Crimson Tide faces a major test in Mississippi over the course of the next couple of weekends. It got the result it wanted on Tuesday night, overcoming an area (midweeks) that had become problematic. However, even in April, the SEC schedule is far from over. A cohesive effort is what’s needed to win, and Alabama brought that on Tuesday.
Former Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. has reportedly signed a three-year, $150 million extension with the Houston Texans, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Anderson instantly solidified himself as one of the top defensive players in football throughout his rookie campaign in 2023. The star defensive end was named as the Rookie of the Year in 2023, as Anderson’s extension will officially keep him in Houston long-term, as well as make him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Anderson recorded an impressive 12 sacks on the Texans’ defensive line in 2025, as the former Alabama star has made history following his head turning extension with Houston.
Anderson was nothing short of a superstar throughout his time at Alabama. Houston drafted the talented lineman with the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, as Anderson was widely regarded as one of the top overall selections from his class.
The former Crimson Tide superstar has officially inked a massive extension with the Texans, as Anderson will undoubtedly continue playing a critical role on Houston’s defensive line over the coming seasons.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said that No. 4 Texas would be “hungry” against the No. 11Crimson Tide coming off its first series loss of the season to Texas A&M.
The Longhorns certainly were, as they pounced all over Vaughn’s team, striking out 17 Alabama batters en route to a 10-2 win.
“The story of the game was they just kind of kicked our tail in every phase tonight,” Vaughn said.
Alabama starter Tyler Fay had been elite over his past four starts, dating back to his complete-game no-hitter against Florida, allowing just six earned runs over the 26.0 innings pitched in those games. That changed instantly on Friday evening, as leadoff batter Aiden Robbins opened the game with a double and catcher Carson Tinney took him deep for a two-run blast moments later.
Texas added a third run in the first off an Ethan Mendoza RBI double, setting the tone for a dominant day. Alabama did not record a hit until the fourth inning as Longhorn ace Dylan Volantis tore through batters, striking out 12 over six innings.
Fay ended up going 5.1 innings, just the second time he did not make it through the sixth. The other, against Auburn, was only due to Vaughn wanting to keep his pitch count down in the wake of the no-hitter. He allowed season-highs of seven earned runs and 12 hits in the loss.
The Longhorns added a run each in the third and the fifth, before Alabama put the slightest amount of pressure on Texas in the top of the sixth. Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron scored on the basepaths off an error and a wild pitch, respectively, to cut the Texas lead to three runs.
“You’ve got to find ways to score,” Vaughn said. “Those two guys just created two runs for us, and did a great job creating those runs and we crawl back in at 5-2, and it’s like, ‘Let’s go back to work…’ So thought we had that chance in those middle innings.”
The Longhorns effectively put the game to bed in the next frame, responding with three runs as Fay was relieved by Connor Lehman. Texas would add two more runs on the day, with the only silver lining coming in the fact that Alabama avoided a run-rule.
The Crimson Tide has now lost four straight SEC games after winning three consecutive series. Zane Adams takes the mound with the series on the line on Saturday, in a game that has been moved up to 12 p.m. CT due to anticipated rain in Austin.
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WBMA) — Alabama’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.7% in February, according to preliminary data released by the Alabama Department of Workforce. The figure matches January’s rate and is lower than the 3.0% recorded in February 2025.
The latest data shows 64,831 people unemployed across the state, a slight increase from 64,057 in January but down from 71,929 one year ago. Meanwhile, the number of employed individuals rose by 14,603 over the year, bringing total employment to 2,321,473. The state’s civilian labor force also grew to 2,386,304, an increase of 7,505 people year-over-year.
Wage and salary employment increased by 12,000 over the month to 2,195,300. Gains were seen across several sectors, including leisure and hospitality, government, and private education and health services.
State officials pointed to continued job growth and rising wages as signs of economic strength. Average weekly wages increased by $62.71 over the year, reaching a record high of $1,175.01. Alabama also recorded one of the largest wage increases nationally, with an 8% rise over the same period.
Several industries reported new record-high wages, including manufacturing, trade and transportation, financial activities, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.
At the county level, Shelby County reported the lowest unemployment rate at 2.5%, followed by Elmore County at 2.6%. Limestone, Chambers, and Blount counties each recorded rates of 2.7%. The highest unemployment rates were reported in Perry County at 7.1%, Monroe County at 6.6%, and Greene and Wilcox counties at 6.5%.
Among major cities, Pelham posted the lowest unemployment rate at 2.2%, while Vestavia Hills followed at 2.3%. Trussville, Hoover, and Alabaster each recorded rates of 2.4%. The highest city unemployment rates were seen in Prichard at 6.5%, Selma at 5.2%, and Anniston at 4.6%.
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