The road to Omaha begins for Alabama baseball on Friday. Here are the biggest pieces returning to the Crimson Tide this season.
Justin Lebron, infielder
Few would doubt Lebron is the prime returner for the Crimson Tide, and he will look to build off his freshman breakout. He started 60 games at shortstop and hit .338 with a .975 OPS and slugged twelve homers, which earned him first-team freshman All-American honors and a spot on the All-SEC first team.
Lebron has racked up preseason accolades this season, including first-team All-SEC, second-team preseason All-American, and a spot on the watch list for the “Golden Spikes” award given to the best player in the country. He will be a prominent figure in the Crimson Tide offense this season.
“I’m really proud of how he has handled success up to this point,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “Now he’s just got to block all this hype out and keep working, which I fully believe he will.”
Kade Snell, outfielder
The redshirt senior who started his baseball career at Auburn will return to the Crimson Tide lineup for his final collegiate season. In 40 games last season serving primarily as a designated hitter, Snell hit .324 with a .896 OPS and clubbed six home runs.
He also pitched in 10 games last season but will now move to hitting full-time and look to man one of the outfield spots after all three starters from last season left. He will also wear the No. 3 jersey, the number given to the team captain chosen by his teammates
“To be picked by all my peers that are the same age as me, it’s a great honor,” Snell said. “It means a lot, and I love these guys with all my heart.”
Will Hodo, infielder/outfielder
The utility player has brought positional flexibility to the Crimson Tide, although he will most likely stay with the first base job this season. In 56 starts in his junior year last season, he hit .263 with a team-leading 34 walks and had an .883 OPS with 11 homers.
Hodo was recently named to the second team of the preseason All-SEC list. He will be a crucial piece in this Alabama lineup as he looks to finish out his college career on a high note.
Riley Quick, pitcher
The redshirt sophomore will be an entertaining watch this season. He had a lot of hype last year after a breakout fall season, but he only pitched three scoreless innings and missed the rest of the season due to elbow surgery.
Quick regularly reaches 98-99 mph with his fastball and 92 mph on his sharp slider, and he has been dominant in the intrasquad scrimmages at spring practices. He is expected to be a major piece in the Crimson Tide’s pitching staff and will start the second game of the season this Saturday.
“There’s no secret that when you flip the ball to that guy, you feel pretty good,” Vaughn said. “Not just because of his electric stuff, but he just might be the toughest dude on the field.”
Zane Adams, pitcher
The lefty returns to the staff as one of the most experienced arms. He had the most innings out of any returning player in 2024 with 58.2 and had a 5.37 ERA with 47 strikeouts, stats that earned him All-SEC freshman team honors.
Adams was a preseason All-SEC second-team member and is the Opening Day starter for the Crimson Tide this season. He will serve as one of the two aces of this pitching staff along with Quick.
Alabama’s first game of the season is Friday against Bradley at 4 p.m. CT and can be streamed on SEC Network+.
