CW / Hayden Hutchison
Alabama outfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. (#5) swings against Middle Tennessee State at Thomas-Sewell Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Feb. 18, 2025.
This year, the Alabama baseball team has added six transfers to the starting lineup, two of whom are junior college transfers in Richie Bonomolo Jr. and Bryce Fowler, who have started as the respective starting center and right fielders this season.
The team also added two pitchers from JUCO, JT Blackwood and Beau Bryans, who will get midweek starts for the Crimson Tide and work out of the bullpen. Blackwood and Bryans were ranked in the top 50 impact JUCO transfer pitchers, according to D1 Baseball.
Recruiting JUCO players has always been a big part of college baseball, but it has gotten more prominent over the last few years with D1 programs recruiting more JUCO athletes. Fowler and Bonomolo were ranked in D1 Baseball’s top 50 impact JUCO transfer hitters.
Fowler, who came from Pearl River Community College, was ranked No. 6 in the top 50 JUCO hitters list. As PRCC’s leadoff hitter, he had 88 hits, the most in program history. He also led his team with a .419 average and had 14 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 24 walks, 24 stolen bases, 52 RBIs and a 1.181 OPS.
Bonomolo was ranked No. 19 and came out of Wabash Valley College. As a freshman, he earned second-team All-American honors. He had a .449 average, 19 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 62 RBIs, 44 walks, 43 stolen bases and a 1.190 OPS.
Vaughn talked about adding more speed and contact with the additions of Bonomolo and Fowler to the starting lineup.
“It’s one thing we really wanted to do is be a little more dynamic, and those two guys definitely do that,” he said. “Last year, we had a lot of power but maybe didn’t have the athleticism we need, so that is what we really looked for.”
Bryans, who came out of Jones College in Mississippi, reminds some people of a young Josh Hader with his low slot lefty sidearm release point when he pitches. He was ranked No. 32 on the list of top 50 impact JUCO transfer pitchers and ranked No. 94 on a separate list by D1 baseball ranking the top 100 relievers coming into this season.
Bryans sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and has a plus slider and a changeup. He appeared in 28 games from 2023-24, posting a 3.67 ERA (34 ER/83.1 IP) with 133 strikeouts to 62 walks; he made 15 starts in 2024 and 18 appearances out of the bullpen in 2023.
“I think anything is on the table with him. Beau started a tone at junior college, and honestly, I think Beau gets better as he goes,” head coach Rob Vaugh said. “He’s a jack of all trades.”
JT Blackwood, out of Wallace State Community College, was ranked No. 26 on the JUCO transfer pitcher list. Blackwood has a fastball that sits 90-93, a slider and a changeup, and a very solid cutter. Blackwood earned All-Alabama Community College Conference second team honors in 2023 when he pitched in 14 games with 12 starts and boasted a 2.49 ERA (19 ER/68.2 IP), 74 strikeouts and 19 walks.
Vaughn talked about Blackwood on the “Southeastern 16” podcast, saying “Blackwood has good command of his secondary pitches and is able to make his pitches sink or carry, but his cutter is especially effective.”
With the regular season being 56 games long in college baseball and most teams playing 4-5 games a week, the team needs all the pitching it can get, so adding two guys like Blackwood and Bryans who can start or pitch out of the bullpen is very valuable.