Carson Ozmer Sets New Alabama Baseball Record for Saves in Single Season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Many things are of paramount importance to be successful in baseball. Having a short memory is one of them. Seven days after his first and only blown save of the 2025 season, Alabama closer Carson Ozmer is now the sole holder of the program's single season save record.

"That's what I came here to do," Ozmer said. "I came here to be in those spots, get our team a win in that situation."

On Sunday morning, Ozmer entered the second game of the No. 23 Crimson Tide's home series against No. 6 Georgia in the eighth inning with a 6-3 lead. The contest was being resumed after a Friday suspension. He got the six outs asked of him and earned his 15th save of the campaign.

Alabama (38-13, 14-12 SEC) won the game 9-3 after a Richie Bonomolo Jr. home run in the eighth. Georgia (40-12, 16-10 SEC) only scored one run after play started back following a layoff of over a day. Ozmer also initially tied the national lead in saves.

That performance was good enough to officially pass Ben Short, whose 14 saves in 1991 served as the previous program best. Ozmer's 14th save this year was on May 3 in Nashville at Vanderbilt, one day before the blown opportunity.

Ozmer, who came into Sunday's game with a 2.27 ERA (it was under two before he surrendered four runs on May 4), has been as reliable as virtually any arm on the back end of a bullpen in the entire country. The Penn transfer has pitched in the NCAA Tournament before and will be called on to do so again this summer.

The lead Ozmer preserved Sunday against the Bulldogs helped the Crimson Tide even the series after it lost game one in the weekend set on Friday. He did not pitch that evening due to the fact that Alabama was noncompetitive in a showing it came out on the losing side of by a 19-3 score.

"Mentally, you've gotta flip the switch to what's best for my team right now," Ozmer said. "What do I gotta do to help my team win, especially down this last stretch?" He added that that motivated him when he was called on for the second game, where he handled business again.

He added a second save on the day in that game, game three of the series, to take over the national lead in saves with his 16th. Alabama won the contest 5-4. Ozmer's head coach heaped praise on him for the kind of human being he is. Rob Vaughn said the closer is reliable, selfless and a sure bet to give maximum effort.

"What he did today is not normal," Vaughn said. "A lot of guys are not willing to do that."

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