Purdy’s First Start Shows "He’s Going To Be A Special One” For Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Heading into the rubber match against Washington State on Saturday afternoon, Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn adjusted his lineup, making multiple changes from the first game of the doubleheader.

One of the biggest decisions made was to give Andrew Purdy the start at first base. The freshman delivered, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and a walk in a performance that shows the fanbase what the program has known about him for months: that Purdy will be a massive part of Alabama's 2026 season.

"Purdy just slams, man. That kid can really hit," Vaughn said. "He is confident on the border of arrogant, but in the best way possible. And you have to have that as a player. I've never coached a good player who was unsure if he was good."

Purdy flew somewhat under the radar in a stacked Alabama freshman class headlined by Eric Hines, Caleb Barnett and Myles Upchurch. The Cartersville, Ga., native was outside Perfect Game’s top 500 and ranked as the No. 36 third baseman nationally. Vaughn moved Purdy to first base upon his arrival, complicating things further, but after a dominant fall, he began to emerge as a legitimate day-one option.

"Purdy led our team in hitting this fall. He ran kind of with our first team basically all preseason, a lot of DH spots," Vaughn said. "Thought it was a good matchup to get a couple of lefties in against their guy in game two today, so we tossed him the ball to see what he could do with it, and he had a great day."

Purdy made his debut in Friday's season opener, striking out in his lone at-bat, a pinch-hit appearance for Luke Vaughn. He grounded out to end the first inning on Saturday, but stepped up in his next at-bat, ripping a bases-loaded, 2 RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the third to give Alabama a 4-0 lead and blow the game open.

The first hit of Andrew Purdy's college career is a two-RBI single. The freshman got the start at first base for Alabama in game two of the doubleheader pic.twitter.com/d5njuN7bqY
— Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) February 14, 2026

Purdy came up again with the bases loaded one inning later and was walked on five pitches to bring in a run. None of the final three balls were particularly close to the zone, and he did not try to force anything. At-bats like that are the reason that Vaughn has such a strong level of trust in the freshman, and highlight the reasons why Purdy will likely be a staple in Alabama's lineup throughout the spring.

"He's just a veteran hitter," Vaughn said. "Even his takes, he never looks sped up, never looks off time. You can get him— everybody's got holes, everybody's got ways you can attack them, but he never looks out of sorts. And he works at his craft. The kid can really hit. He's going to be a special one for us."