Alabama Baseball Eliminated from NCAA Tournament in 6-5 Loss to Southern Miss

HATTIESBURG, Miss.— Bryce Fowler's two-out, two-run home run off Ferris Trophy winner JB Middleton in the seventh inning on Saturday wasn't enough to keep Alabama baseball's season going. Southern Miss scored two of its three eighth-inning runs off a clutch Tucker Stockman single for a 6-5 win.

Alabama (41-18) was ultimately doomed in Friday's loss to Miami by the baseball not carrying at the worst possible moment. That did not prove a factor in the Crimson Tide's elimination by No. 16 national seed Southern Miss (45-15) on Saturday, as most of both teams' runs came from the long ball. All of the Crimson Tide's did.

"I've got a lot of kids hurting out there right now because it meant a lot to them," Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. "They poured their heart and soul into Alabama baseball... There's a lot of kids that laid the foundation for what Alabama baseball's gonna be."

As for the Golden Eagles, they almost went 0-2 in their own regional, which would have been the second straight postseason that the No. 16 overall seed failed to get to a super. Middleton, the team's ace who entered the game with a 10-1 record and 2.01 ERA, gave up all five Alabama runs in seven frames.

Both starting pitchers had a quality start through six. Crimson Tide starter Tyler Fay delivered his second consecutive six-inning appearance, allowing three runs. Middleton was also at three through six and had two outs in the seventh, but Alabama catcher Brady Neal singled to turn the lineup card over for Fowler.

"I found out for sure [about starting] last night," Fay said. "I was ready all week, preparing for this."

The scoring started in the top of the third when Crimson Tide designated hitter Will Plattner launched his first home run of the season, the first hit of the day off Golden Spikes semifinalist Middleton. The Golden Eagles responded by way of second baseman Nick Monistere's 20th home run of the season in the home half, a two-run shot with two down.

"Will Plattner might be the toughest dude on this team," Vaughn said. "When you look up and you look at your season on the line, and you look at trying to fight one more day, man, I'm gonna ride with toughness all day long."

Waynesboro, Miss., native Will Hodo hit his 15th of the campaign in the top of the fourth to give the lead over to his team. That advantage lasted three pitches. Southern Miss left fielder Ben Higdon launched a nuclear blast to dead center field on a 2-0 pitch to tie it back up.

Fowler, who is from Madison, Miss., scored the next two runs of the contest on his two-out big fly. There was another Mississippi product, however, who wanted in the picture. Monistere, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, mashed one to left off Braylon Myers to lead off the home eighth and make it 5-4 with his second of the afternoon.

It was the Golden Eagles' 100th home run of 2025 and Monistere's 21st. That forced the Crimson Tide to summon star closer Carson Ozmer, who came in with the program record for saves in a single season (17), for the purpose of getting the last six outs.

Ozmer let the first two hitters he went up against on with free passes, plunking the first and walking the second. Higdon bunted into a fielder's choice and the lead runner was retired. Pinch hitter Braden Luke, an Ole Miss transfer, grounded out to first.

Right fielder Carson Paetow, one of the most powerful bats in the lineup, was the beneficiary of an intentional walk to load the bases. No. 9 hitter Stockman, a sophomore catcher, came up to bat in the moment of his life and delivered a two-run single.

"You go to Oz, who should be the Stopper of the Year. That guy's led the country in saves, was incredible, and he goes hit by pitch, walk. Very uncharacteristic," Vaughn said. "Paetow's got serious power... You like the right-right matchup with Oz, and he is tough on righties."

Vaughn emphasized that the decision concerning Paetow was no slight on Stockman, who punished Alabama for the move whether it was personal or not.

Ozmer had two strikes on Stockman. It looked for a moment like he was going to work out of trouble, as he has many times this season. He pitched in Alabama's 10-6 win against Southern Miss on April 8. Alabama was 31-1 when leading after seven this season.

The only other loss was Ozmer's first blown save of the season on May 4 at Vanderbilt. There are now two. Fowler (a former Golden Eagle from 2022-23) singled his way on with one out in the ninth after a Neal walk. Shortstop Justin Lebron struck out, and team captain Kade Snell stepped up as the possible last out for the second day in a row.

"We've just got a bunch of tough guys," Fowler said. "Wish we would've gone further. That's just part of it, is what it is. Sun comes up tomorrow. So, we'll get back after it."

Snell's college career was also on the line against reliever Colby Allen. Allen walked him on four pitches. With the bags full, it was up to center fielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. He hit a grounder to third baseman Seth Smith, who stepped on the bag, thereby closing the book on Alabama's 2025 season.

Each team left meat on the bone at other moments in the game Saturday. Southern Miss had corners in the bottom of the second. Alabama left them loaded in the sixth and was cut down by Allen in the eighth after getting men on first and second with nobody out.

Alabama would've earned the right to continue its season with a win. Instead, Southern Miss will face off with the loser of No. 3 seed Miami vs. No. 4 seed Columbia in a game that gets underway at 8 p.m. CT Saturday night. Game five of the regional will be at 2 p.m. CT Sunday.

Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn is now 0-4 in regional games during his two seasons at Alabama. The team has lost six NCAA Tournament games in a row, counting the 2023 Winston-Salem Super Regional. Vaughn took responsibility for getting the program to the next step.

"We are going to dogpile. We are going to be the ones standing at the end at some point," Vaughn said. "We don't get there without the group that laid the foundation first... These journeys always are so hard when they end... What I'm most proud of is the men that they are. And who they are as people."

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