It wasn’t long ago when pitcher Riley Quick had his entire sophomore season wiped out after getting elbow surgery.
But now, Quick is back fully healthy on the mound, reaching 98-99 mph with his fastball, and is expected to be a big contributor to the Alabama pitching staff this season.
“There’s no secret that when you flip the ball to that guy, you feel pretty good,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “Not just because of his electric stuff, but he just might be the toughest dude on the field.”
Growing up in Alabama, Quick was a two-sport athlete. He played baseball and football his entire life and excelled at both sports.
Quick said he was always a good pitcher, but he realized he could be a potentially great SEC pitcher during the summer of 2020 when he became unhittable on the pitcher’s mound in tournaments.
“I was throwing 92-93, and guys weren’t just touching my stuff at all,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Oh shoot, I might actually be pretty good at this baseball thing,’ and it took off from there.”
Quick committed to Alabama in July 2021, completing a dream for him — he grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide.
“I’m really glad I came here. This place means the world to me, and I just really love it,” Quick said.
Although he excelled on the mound at Hewitt-Trussville High School, he was also a talented offensive lineman on the football team and held multiple offers from Power 4 programs. One of those programs was Auburn.
“I was very close,” Quick said. “No one really knows that. When I was committed to play baseball at Alabama, I was talking to Auburn and Mississippi State, and I was about to go to Auburn to play football.”
Once Quick sought guidance from his family, however, he realized that baseball was the sport he wanted to pursue.
“I talked to my brother and my dad and a bunch of friends, and they all just kind of advised me that baseball was the right path for me,” he said. “I love both sports, but I don’t have any regrets.”
He finished his prep career by being named Mr. Baseball, a title awarded to Alabama’s best baseball player, in his senior year of high school. He went 13-1 with one save and a 0.92 ERA across 82.2 innings of work, striking out 130 hitters.
Quick had a solid freshman season with the Crimson Tide in 2023, throwing 22 innings with a 3.68 ERA while striking out 26 hitters and picking up his only win of the season over Auburn.
The following offseason, Quick found another level on the mound, as he hit 98 mph on his fastball and showed off a 92 mph slider. He credited pitching coach Jason Jackson for helping him in his development.
“I gotta give all the credit to JJ,” Quick said. “That guy is truly a grinder, and he’s been here with me every step of the way.”
With his development hitting new levels during the offseason, Quick was set to be a big part of the Crimson Tide’s pitching staff in 2024.
After pitching three hitless innings in his first start of the season, however, disaster struck. Quick began experiencing severe elbow pain after the game and had to undergo season-ending elbow surgery, with a long road to recovery ahead.
“It was definitely tough and was a gut punch,” he said. “Just not being able to go out there and compete every weekend with my guys is what did it for me.”
Quick ultimately excelled in his recovery, throwing bullpen sessions as early as the fall. Known as a very tough competitor, Quick said he learned a lot about himself while he was sidelined.
“It’s hard to do what I had to do, having to sit and watch my team for a whole year,” Quick said. “I’d always known that I was tough, but I think I realized that I was mentally tough as well, and it really helped me out a lot.”
Now fully healthy, Quick appears to be the same effective pitcher he was pre-surgery and is showing no signs of rust. In the first intrasquad scrimmage of spring practice, Quick hit 98-99 mph on his fastball and utilized his wipeout slider. He retired five of the six batters he faced and had three strikeouts.
Entering his junior season with Alabama, Quick is expected to be a centerpiece of the pitching staff and is “itching” to pitch in front of fans at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for the first time in a year.
“Man, I can’t wait. I’m fired up,” Quick said.
