Alabama Baseball Breaks Program Record Against St. John's

A new attendance record has been set at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for a game 20 years in the making.

There are 7,573 people in attendance to watch Alabama baseball face St. John's in the first matchup of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional. The previous record was 6,821 spectators when the Crimson Tide beat Mississippi State 5-4 on April 1, 2006.

The Crimson Tide hadn't hosted a Super Regional since 2006, and head coach Rob Vaughn wanted more than anything for fans to show up. He personally bought 500 student tickets before the game, and now the crowd is overflowing.

"This is it, man. This is what it's all about," Vaughn told the ESPN2 broadcast after the third inning when asked if this was what he dreamed it could be. "I told the boys before the game started, we were out in left [field], to take a minute and look around. We've got a job to do the second we break this huddle, but you guys built this, so enjoy the heck out of it tonight."

The Right Field Ragers are living up to the nickname, as lawn chairs are stacked on top of each other, shirts are being swung around and a long beer wall is under construction. Every square inch is filled at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, a phrase that hasn't been said for quite some time.

Should the Crimson Tide win this best-of-3 home series against St. John's, it'll be UA's first appearance at the College World Series in Omaha since 1999.

"The Joe" began as Thomas Field in honor of head coach Frank Thomas on March 26, 1948. "Sewell" was added 30 years later to recognize former UA baseball standout and head coach Joe Sewell, who spent 14 years with the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees during his Hall of Fame baseball career.

Sewell-Thomas Stadium underwent major renovations in 1996 and 2001, with a video board being added in 2007. It was renovated again in 2010 with the Crimson Tide's clubhouse, meeting rooms, coaches' locker room and team room getting a complete overhaul.

Alabama spent the 2015 season away from Tuscaloosa as the ballpark underwent its largest construction project to date, which created the current seating capacity of 8,500 (5,800 seats plus the right field grass area that could seat 2,700).

Alabama's Home Attendance Leaderboard

St. John's (June 6, 2026): 7,573
Mississippi State (April 1, 2006): 6,821
Mississippi State (April 30, 2016): 6,644
LSU (March 29, 2003): 6,621
LSU (March 28, 2003): 6,590
Auburn (April 26, 2008): 6,459
Maryland (Feb. 20, 2016: 6,449
Ole Miss (April 16, 2016): 6,385
Ole Miss (April 17, 2016): 6,354
Auburn (May 8, 2016): 6,324

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