Alabama baseball is coming off its best regular season in the recent history of the program.

With a roster that includes a top MLB draft prospect heading into next year in shortstop Justin Lebron, Alabama (41-16) reached 40 wins in a regular season for the first time since 2002.

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Dropping two of three to the Florida Gators to close the regular season and then losing on Day 2 of the SEC Tournament to Tennessee cost Alabama a shot at a host site regional for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but the Crimson Tide got a pretty favorable postseason draw regardless. They’re in the Hattiesburg Regional featuring No. 16 overall seed and host Southern Miss (44-14).

To look at it another way, Alabama essentially finished one spot below the host seed line and drew the lowest-seeded team of the 16 regional hosts. The Crimson Tide join the Miami Hurricanes (31-24) and Columbia Lions (29-17) from the Ivy League in Hattiesburg, only about two and a half hours by car down Interstate 59 from Tuscaloosa.

Here’s where Alabama baseball ranks in this week’s Top 25 polls entering the NCAA Tournament.

NCBWA updated Top 25 ranking for Alabama baseball

In the latest Top 25 poll from the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association), Alabama fell four spots to No. 19 following their 15-10 loss to Tennessee at the SEC Tournament in Hoover. The Crimson Tide enter the NCAA Tournament ranked one spot below No. 18 Northeastern (48-9) and one spot ahead of No. 20 UC Irvine (41-15).

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Southern Miss, which placed second in the Sun Belt regular season standings to Coastal Carolina and was runner-up in their conference tournament, is ranked No. 13.

LSU (43-14) tops the NCBWA poll at No. 1, followed by North Carolina (42-12) at No. 2, Vanderbilt (42-15) at No. 3, and Texas (42-14) at No. 4. Arkansas (43-13) rounds out the top five.

The SEC has 10 teams in the NCBWA poll as regionals begin, the most of any conference. The ACC is second with five teams in the NCBWA’s poll.

D1 Baseball updated Top 25 ranking for Alabama

D1 Baseball has Alabama at No. 24 in their new rankings, down one spot from last week. UC Irvine ranks one spot ahead of the Tide, while Kansas rounds out the top 25.

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UNC topped D1 Baseball’s rankings at No. 1. The Tar Heels were also No. 1 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and are the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama is ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll, up one spot from last week.

Baseball America, Perfect Game ranking for Alabama

Baseball America and Perfect Game did not unveil new rankings after conference tournaments. In the most recent Baseball America poll on May 19, Alabama was ranked No. 18 following the regular season. The Crimson Tide were No. 20 in Perfect Game and No. 16 in The Athletic’s rankings.

Alabama’s regional schedule

The Crimson Tide, the No. 2 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional, opens the 2025 NCAA Tournament against No. 3 seed Miami at Pete Taylor Park Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN2. As the higher seed, Alabama will be the designated home team against Miami.

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After Alabama-Miami, Southern Miss will face No. 4 seed Columbia at 6 p.m.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama baseball’s ranking in Top 25 poll entering NCAA Tournament

The current landscape of college football has had its critiques due to the growth of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and the NCAA Transfer Portal. USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley has been a big part of many of the changes in college football recently.

The USC Trojans were one of the many teams involved in a conference realignment in 2024. USC is one of the four teams (UCLA, Oregon, Washington, USC) to leave the Pac-12 and enter the Big Ten with Riley’s help. He has also been involved in postseason changes as well as changing rivalries.

The changes in college football have left many concerned about where the sport is heading. Riley appeared on Always College Football, and gave his opinions on the changing landscape and people should be concerned.

“If you love college football, then are you gonna scroll on your TV past USC-Ohio State? No, you’re not. All of these things have to start somewhere,” Riley told Always College Football. “So, is there some changes that I understand people are having a hard time coming to grips with? Sure. Again, I get it.”

Riley and USC have recently been under fire for not wanting to sign a multi-year extension that would keep the Trojans facing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish each season. While it is one of the most historic rivalries in college football that has only ever been put on hold twice due to unforeseen circumstances, there is a chance it could be ending. 

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One major factor as to why the USC-Notre Dame rivalry may be coming to an end is because of the conference realignment and the intense travel the Trojans have to do each season. Riley spoke about fans being frustrated about the changes, and that they should be more excited about the matchups they can watch.

“The alternative is pretty darn good. It’s creating some incredible matchups and seeing how the Playoff played out this year, and obviously, that’s going to continue to evolve and just get I think better,” Riley said. “Our sport’s in a great place.”

The College Football Playoff structure is continuing to evolve. Last season was the first time the 12-team expansion was utilized and was filled with much excitement. In the upcoming season, the structure is changing to straight-seeding, and in the future, another expansion could occur.

USC is one of the many teams monitoring to see if the structure changes so the top four teams in the conference get an automatic qualification. Riley comes from the point of view that instead of looking at what is being lost with the changes to the sport, to be more excited about what is to come.

“I know everybody’s got an opinion on NIL, rev share, and the settlement. I get it. There’s all that stuff. Listen, we just sat through 10 days of Big Ten meetings where that’s all we’re listening to, but despite all that, we still have one of the greatest products in the greatest sport in the world,” Riley continued.

The USC Trojans finished the season with a 7-6 record, going 4-5 in Big Ten conference play. With a year of playing in the Big Ten, Riley and the Trojans are looking to turn things around and make a push for the College Football Playoff.

NCAA Athens Regional  •  May 30-June 2  •  Athens, Ga.  •  Foley Field (3,633)

TV: SEC Network/ESPNU (Mike Ferrin & Jensen Lewis)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network & The Varsity App    KSPI 93.7 FM / KSPI 780 AM    okla.state/GetVarsity    (Rex Holt & Matt Davis)
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
X: @osubaseball (in-game scoreboard/updates)
Series: vs. Duke: Cowboys lead, 2-0
             vs. Georgia: Tied, 1-1
             vs. Binghamton: Cowboys lead, 4-0

• Oklahoma State is 28-23 and has won 10 of its last 12 games. The Cowboys received an NCAA Regional at-large berth, marking their 12th consecutive NCAA tourney appearance. 

 

• OSU finished seventh in the Big 12 standings with a 15-12 conference record. 

 

• Up next, the third-seeded Cowboys open play at the NCAA Athens Regional with a matchup against No. 2 seed Duke Friday at 5 p.m. (CDT).

 

• The Pokes own a .254 team batting average and .461 slugging percentage and are averaging 6.6 runs per game. Brayden Smith leads OSU with a .312 batting average and 14 doubles, while Nolan Schubart paces the Cowboys with 17 homers and 54 RBIs. 

 

• OSU’s pitching staff sports a 4.33 ERA; the Cowboys rank among the nation’s best in shutouts (5), strikeouts per nine innings (9.8) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.64). 

 

• Host and No. 7 national seed Georgia brings a 42-15 record into the Regional. The Bulldogs posted an 18-12 record in SEC play. UGA is making the 15th NCAA Regional appearance in program history and second in a row. 
• Head coach Wes Johnson owns an 85-32 in his two seasons at UGA.

 

• Duke is 37-19 on the season, which includes a 17-13 mark in the ACC. The Blue Devils are making their third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and 12th in program history.
• In his 13th season leading the Blue Devils, head coach Chris Pollard owns a 416-294 record.  

 

• Binghamton enters tourney play with a 29-24 mark. The Bearcats went 13-11 in the America East Conference before winning the league’s tourney title. BU is making its sixth overall NCAA Regional appearance and first since 2022.
• Head coach Tom Sinicki is in his 33rd season as Binghamton’s head coach and owns a career record of 729-742-9.

Cowboys At The NCAA Baseball Championship

• Oklahoma State is making its 50th appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championship, which is tied for the third most all time with Miami (FL) and behind only Texas (64) and Florida State (61).

 

• OSU owns a 159-106 (.600) record in the NCAA tourney, with the 159 wins sixth on the all-time list. The Cowboys’ 20 College World Series appearances are tied for sixth all time.

 

• The Cowboys are seeking to advance to the sixth NCAA Super Regional in program history (1999, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2019). Should the Cowboys advance out of the Athens Regional, they will face the winner of the NCAA Oxford Regional in a Super Regional.

 

• OSU has made an NCAA Regional each season under 13th-year head coach Josh Holliday. It is the Cowboys’ 12th NCAA appearance under his direction — there was no NCAA tourney in 2020 after the remainder of the season was cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

 

• The Pokes are 25-23 in NCAA tourney play under Holliday — 20-17 in Regionals, 3-4 in Super Regionals and 2-2 at the College World Series. During his tenure, the Cowboys have made seven NCAA Regional finals appearances and earned three Super Regional berths. In 2016, Holliday led his alma mater to the 20th College World Series in program history.

 

• This year marks the fourth under Holliday that the Pokes are a No. 3 seed (2013, 2017 & 2018). OSU was a No. 1 seed in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023 & 2024 and was a No. 2 seed in 2016 and 2021.

STARKVILLE – Sierra Sacco is a consensus All-American after earning First Team recognition from the NFCA on Wednesday. She joins Bulldog legend Mia Davidson as the only players in school history to be recognized by three different outlets in the same season.
 
Sacco was also tabbed First Team by Softball America and Second Team by D1Softball. She is Mississippi State’s eighth player to be recognized by the NFCA, and her selection is the program’s 18th honor from the coaches’ association. She has earned State’s 13th First Team honor from the NFCA.
 
Mississippi State has had at least one All-American in three of the last four seasons, and Sacco is the first outfielder recognized since Iyhia McMichael was a First Team selection by the NFCA in 2004.
 
Sacco, who was selected with the fifth overall pick in the AUSL College Draft, signed with the Talons last week to continue her career among the professional ranks. In her final collegiate season, she posted a .450 average that ranked fourth in program history and 12th nationally. Her 1.286 OPS ranks sixth in MSU single-season history, and she finished the year second all-time for runs (64) and third for doubles (19) in a season. Sacco finished her final year among the top 20 nationally in doubles (11th), hits (12th), runs (17th) and batting average.
 
In addition to her national ranks, the First Team All-SEC selection led the conference in batting average and doubles while landing among the top five in hits (3rd), runs (5th), total bases (4th) and on-base percentage (4th). According to 643 Charts, her 5.7 wins above replacement ranked fourth nationally among outfielders.
 
Sacco collected 32 extra-base hits this year, which was more than the previous three years of her career combined (27). She posted 27 multi-hit games, which ranked sixth in State’s single-season records, and 13 multi-RBI games. Her 22 two-out RBIs were sixth in MSU single-season history.
 
Along with the impact she made at the plate, the Bulldogs’ centerfielder was perfect defensively in her MSU career. In 157 career chances at State, she made no errors while recording five outfield assists, four of which came in 2025. She is the first Bulldog outfielder with back-to-back errorless seasons while seeing at least 50 chances in both since 2014. From 2001 to her arrival in 2024, a Bulldog outfielder had been perfect with at least 50 chances only five times.
 
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HailStateSB.”
 
 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma State Softball junior pitcher Ruby Meylan has been named to the NFCA All-America second team, the organization announced this afternoon.
 
Meylan is now a two-time NFCA All-American after being named to the third team in 2023 while at her previous school, Washington. She becomes OSU’s 53^rd All-America selection, extending the program’s streak to 10 consecutive years with at least one selection – which equates to every year of the Kenny Gajewski era and is the longest streak in program history.
 
A unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 first team, Meylan was also named to the NFCA Midwest All-Region first team and was the only pitcher in the conference to collect three Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
The 6-foot-2 right hander was dominant in the circle all year long as she held a 21-10 record with a 1.81 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 209 innings pitched – all of which marked career-bests. She led the Big 12 in innings pitched, shutouts (six) and complete games (16), while her 238 punchouts rank 10^th nationally and ninth on the OSU single-season list for strikeouts.
 
Meylan is one of only 10 pitchers in the country to have at least 20 wins and at least 200 innings pitched. The Omaha, Neb., native also ranks seventh among pitchers and 21^st nationally among all positions in wins above replacement (WAR) with 5.87.
 
Meylan marks the fifth pitcher in the Gajewski era to earn All-America status after transferring to Oklahoma State – joining Samantha Show (2019), Carrie Eberle (2020, 2021), Miranda Elish (2022) and Lexi Kilfoyl (2024).
 
For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State Softball, visit okstate.com and follow @CowgirlSB on X and @osusoftball on Instagram.
 

Alabama basketball received some expected news on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide’s NIL collective, Yea Alabama, announced that Houston Mallette’s medical redshirt was granted, and he’ll be allowed to return for one final season in Tuscaloosa.

Mallette, who transferred in before the 2024-25 season from Pepperdine, was originally slated to redshirt the entire year. However, when Latrell Wrightsell Jr. injured his Achilles tendon and was out for the year, Alabama burned the redshirt.

However, lingering knee issues led to Nate Oats and company seeking the medical redshirt for Mallette.

“For him to only play half the conference games would be, I don’t know if that’s fair to him to be honest with you,” Oats said in January. “It’s gonna be a conversation we have with him when he gets here, probably halfway through where, “Look, how are your knees feeling?’

“Because if you bring him back, it’s gotta be, your knees are going to 100% be healthy and you can full go as many minutes as you deserve to play the rest of the year in all the games. If you can’t do that, with his knees, I just don’t think it’d be the right decision.”

Mallette and Wrightsell are both set to return from their injuries in time for the beginning of the 2025-26 season, Oats said earlier in May. Speaking to reporters at the Regions Tradition celebrity pro-am golf tournament, the coach said Wrightsell had been working with Crimson Tide trainer Clarke Holter.

“He’s in there; Clarke says he’s working super-hard,” Oats said of Wrightsell, who was averaging 11.5 points per game at the time of his injury. “He’s doing everything he needs to do, so we anticipate him being fully ready to go by first game.”