For Alabama catcher John Lemm, the early weeks of the 2026 campaign have already offered a chance to make his presence felt in his new uniform.
The Southern Illinois transfer has quietly been one of Alabama’s early offensive standouts, hitting .375 with a 1.124 OPS and three RBIs. Lemm has produced in limited action so far — 15 at-bats across five games.
Lemm had a big day in Alabama’s 8-5 win over Rhode Island on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with four runs scored, an RBI, and extending his on-base streak to 41 games dating back to last year. Lemm’s RBI came on a leadoff seventh-inning home run — the first of his season and his first in an Alabama uniform.
“It felt great,” Lemm said. “The Washington State Series, I hit a few balls hard that I thought could have sneaked over.”
Lemm said the moment was especially meaningful for him and his family and meant even more to do it on Power of Pink weekend.
“It’s the anniversary of one of my buddy’s passing today, and obviously being able to wear pink for my grandma back home, and my dad was in the stands watching, so it was surreal,” Lemm said. “Just all the things that have come around just to this moment, and I loved every minute.”
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, has a smooth left-handed swing. Lemm arrived at Alabama as a highly regarded transfer from Southern Illinois, after previously playing two seasons at South Suburban Community College. His addition was expected to provide an offensive boost behind the plate for the Crimson Tide, something he has already begun to deliver.
At Southern Illinois in 2025, Lemm hit .272 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs, earning second-team all-conference honors while posting an OPS of 1.104. His 19 homers ranked among the conference leaders and tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.
Known as a power-hitting, bat-first catcher with solid plate discipline, Lemm can also provide value as a designated hitter when not behind the plate.
With fellow catcher and captain Will Plattner off to a slow offensive start, going 1-for-15 (.067) to open the season, Lemm’s hot bat could very well lead to increased playing time behind the plate or in the designated hitter spot.
Lemm is heating up at the right time as the Crimson Tide heads into its biggest test yet next week, traveling to Hattiesburg to face No. 20-ranked Southern Miss, the same place Alabama’s season ended last year. Then the team heads to the Frisco Classic over the weekend, where it will play No. 11 Oregon State, who was in Omaha last year, as well as very solid Iowa and Houston teams.
First pitch against Southern Miss is slated for 6 p.m. CT Tuesday at Pete Taylor Park on ESPN+.
