Former Alabama Baseball Players React to Crimson Tide's Return to College World Series

OMAHA, Neb. — Alabama made its return to college baseball's biggest stage this weekend as the Crimson Tide played its first College World Series game in 27 years on Saturday. The accomplishment ignited pride in the program's followers, fans, and former players as supporters made the trek to Nebraska to celebrate the Crimson Tide's ascension under third-year head coach Rob Vaughn.

BamaCentral caught up with Alabama alums Jon Kelton (2008-12), Josh Rutledge (2008-10), Georgie Salem (2013-16), and Ryan Blanchard (2012-16) as they traveled to Charles Schwab Field to watch their alma mater compete at the College World Series.

"Yeah, it's pretty surreal for me," Kelton said. "My dream of playing for Alabama honestly started when they were in the College World Series back in the 90s. I remember when I was about 10 years old, just a summer day, and they were playing Miami, and it was just so fun watching them, a bunch of home runs. That's kind of where it started for me, right around 10 or 11 years old, watching them here and now to be here, having played five years at Alabama, it's just special. We got to go today by the old Rosenblatt, so just pretty surreal, because it was kind of a dream for a lot of your life and just kind of special to be here and see that Crimson and White out there on the field."

Former players followed through on a long-standing promise to be in attendance for the Crimson Tide's first College World Series game since 1999.

"Yeah, it's really exciting," Rutledge said. "It's big for the program. I'm extremely happy for these guys. Me and a few other former teammates that I'm close with too, we kind of said years ago that whenever an Alabama team makes it again, we're going to find a way to be there and support them. Because it's a really big deal. We're really excited to have Coach Rob come in and do what he's done. I feel like he's put the program back on the map, and he's doing a great job and creating an awesome culture there and recruiting really well, so it's just good to see. It's good to see Alabama back in a prominent position and put themselves in a position to win a national title."

Alabama won an NCAA Regional in 2023, but scandal clouded the program's progress and forced it into the coaching market. Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne hired Vaughn away from Maryland to pick up the pieces and elevate the program back to its former glory.

"I think the biggest thing is you can have all the talent in the world, but if your players don't buy into you as a coach and into the program and how you want to run things. I don't want to say it's impossible to win, but it's extremely tough, and clearly he's done that," Salem said.

"His guys want to win for each other, and they want to win for him. Kind of similar to, I'd just point to Saban, but any good coach is really just getting your players to believe in your system and your methods, and he's clearly done that. Everybody respects him, from the fans to the players, and they believe in themselves, so when they get down or when something's not going right, they don't panic. They just keep playing and doing what they're supposed to do, and they know that the rest will take care of itself."

Three years of perseverance saw Vaughn's program back in Omaha, but the progress didn't come without pain. Vaughn led Alabama to the postseason in each of his first two seasons, but failed to get a win, going 0-2 in two straight road regionals. He broke through in 2026, earning a national seed and sweeping the Tuscaloosa Regional and Super Regional rounds.

"I think just making the tournament consistently and being with good teams the last couple years and then seeing them take the steps this year," Blanchard said. "I don't think we could've had a better hire than him, kind of taking over after some tumultuous things with the group before, and to hold it together with Coach Jackson. I think he was the perfect guy for the job and what we really needed. Nothing but good things to say about him."

The Crimson Tide's return to the College World Series got off on the wrong foot as Oklahoma pitcher Cord Rager dealt Alabama a 9-0 loss on Saturday. Vaughn's program was held to five hits and only got one baserunner to third base in an underwhelming offensive output.

"I don't think it's one of those things where the guys are putting too much pressure on them because it's been so long," Rutledge said. "None of those guys have been in this position before, so was there pressure? Yeah, there probably was, but at the same time, the guy that they throw out there comes out and probably pitches the game of his life. Sometimes you've got to just tip your cap and realize that's just how it goes.

"Yeah, the result is obviously disappointing for us, but it's even more disappointing for the guys playing the game. They don't want that to happen. I think that - and I'm sure Coach Vaughn told them all this - flush it. They got here because they're a resilient bunch. They know how to win. Sometimes you just face somebody that is on their game, and you just move on to the next one. Don't think about the last, just focus on what's in front of you. Honestly, as cliché as it is, go out and have fun, play together, and do the right things. Play team baseball. Don't try to get them all at once. That's obviously great if it happens that way. Just go out and battle. Have good at-bats, play good positional baseball, and make the plays. Pound the zone, like all those things. They know how to win, and they can beat anybody here. It's just a matter of playing good baseball and putting it all together. Not putting too much pressure on yourself, but just going out and having a good time. I don't think it's a situation where they're just happy to be here. They want to win more than anybody, more than the fans."

The Crimson Tide faces Texas in an elimination game on Monday after falling into the loser's bracket. Alabama is no stranger to adversity as they lost the opening game of the year, was swept in the first SEC series of the season and battled midweek inconsistency, but Vaughn's team continuously battled back, sweeping four conference opponents and finishing fourth in the daunting Southeastern Conference to earn the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

"Just let it fly," Kelton said. "Being so far removed from playing, I think that's one thing you look back on, those years are so short. It feels like while you're there, it lasts forever, but it's so short in the grand scheme of things, and all you have after that is just kind of your look back at how it went. I'd just tell them to let it fly. Cut it loose, let it fly, and have a blast."

The Crimson Tide proved it can be one of the best programs in college baseball under Vaughn by making it back to the College World Series. While winning a national title is the program's ultimate goal, simply making it back to the sport's biggest stage in 2026 goes a long way towards sustained excellence.

"I think just people seeing Alabama baseball in Omaha," Blanchard said. "Just revitalizing the national brand of what really used to be a big baseball power program, national recruiting. I think this is only going to help when kids look and see 'Oh, Alabama's in Omaha'. When's the last time we've been able to say that to this group of guys now coming out, where you do have a chance now to kick that door and be back there? It hopefully just opens up more funding for NIL, just knowing that this is a possibility, and I think Coach Vaughn's the right guy to build onto that. I think this is great for the program."

The alums complimented Vaughn's people-first approach and highlighted how genuine the 38-year-old skipper is with his players, their families, and the program's biggest supporters. Vaughn's approach is even more important in the NIL-era of college athletics, where relationships can often make the difference in recruiting and development.

"It's just building a culture of players where you retain talent," Salem said. "Obviously, NIL plays a role in all college sports now, really building a culture where winning is still extremely important to the players and where guys don't want to leave the program. We can recruit talent and keep them there, and the way to do that is to win, and I think Rob's got a really good recipe for winning, and he's created the culture, so now it's kind of up to him and the players to retain those people. Keep them there, and maybe not make that move for a few extra NIL dollars. Deciding to come to Alabama, instead of maybe going to play pro ball, because of the culture and the opportunity to get better and to learn and to get the experience of going to play at a school like Alabama. Long story short, I think it's just the culture, because when you're winning, it just makes it easier for players to gravitate towards a program like Alabama."

The Crimson Tide and Longhorns face-off at 1 p.m. on Monday with their seasons on the line at the College World Series. Alabama lost in the regular season series two games to one, striking out 49 times across the three games. The alums espoused confidence in the team's ability to bounce back against Texas, but expressed broader faith in the program's direction under Vaughn, regardless of what happens in Charles Schwab Field.

"I think they've got the right guy," Kelton said. "That leadership at the top, and then I've met Coach Jackson a couple of times. Just the fact that he stayed after what happened, he stayed, kind of steadied the ship, then Rob came, and he stayed for that. It just seems like that coaching staff that they have in place, they're all fairly young and have a long runway in front of them, and it seems like they've got the right guys. I'm just hopeful that being back on this national stage like that and hopefully get a big win tomorrow night. Hopefully, that can help push you over the line with a few recruits that maybe you wouldn't have gotten in the past. But yeah, I think the biggest thing is I think they've got the right guys, and when you talk to those coaches, they seem so genuine, and it's not just words or clichés, they really seem like they value people. I've just seen Coach Vaughn have conversations with anybody and everybody that wants to talk to him, and it seems genuine. I think they've got the right people there. So hopefully this national stage helps them continue to get good recruits, and it just flourishes from there."

Win or lose Monday against Texas, the alums made clear this trip wasn't a one-time pilgrimage. If Vaughn's program keeps trending in this direction, Omaha may start feeling a lot more familiar.

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