Rob Vaughn Announces Alabama Baseball's First 2024 Weekend Rotation
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Taking the bump as a weekend starter in the SEC is tough, and the three players who will begin the 2024 campaign in this role for Alabama have officially been announced.
Ahead of Friday's opening-day matchup with Manhattan, head coach Rob Vaughn said the inaugural weekend rotation will be Ben Hess, Riley Quick and Aidan Moza. This series is Vaughn's first as the Crimson Tide coach. He had previously alluded that Hess, nicknamed "Heater," would be the starting pitcher for the opening game.
"We'll go Riley [Quick] on Saturday and Aidan Moza on Sunday," Vaughn said.
Hess is entering his junior season, and despite struggling with injuries, has displayed sharpness and poise while challenging opposing hitters at the plate. His college career began in 2022 and he finished fourth on the team in strikeouts, though he missed a few weeks at the beginning of the season. His best performance that spring came in Hoover, Ala., when he struck out 10 Georgia batters after a rain delay in the SEC Tournament. Last season, he was 4-0 with a 3.22 earned-run average and 49 strikeouts before his season was cut short following the final game of March.
Quick, the younger brother of former Alabama football player Pierce Quick, appeared in 16 games during his freshman season in 2023. He logged one win and a pair of saves in a relief capacity, notably helping Alabama to a key SEC series victory against Auburn with 3.2 scoreless innings last April 16. He's excited and confident for his expanded role. "I was ready to help the team, whatever role I had," he said. "My confidence is high, as always. I just go out there and compete every pitch and just trust my guys behind me."
Moza was a key postseason contributor for the 2023 team, finding success in high-leverage innings during both the SEC and NCAA tournaments. The right-handed UAB transfer showed with those outings that he could go long in games, but starting is new territory for the Georgia native. He made just two starts at his former school. He was on the shelf at the beginning of last season, but upon his mid-March return, he posted a 3-1 record and a 3.09 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched.
At this stage of the calendar, the weekend rotation could be subject to change. In each of the last two seasons, the midweek starter has eventually found his way into it: Jacob McNairy in 2022 and Luke Holman in 2023. Hess also started midweek games during his freshman year. Health of the stable as a whole, among other factors, plays a part. Vaughn also said star closer Alton Davis II has been built up in the preseason and is ready for potential starts, but the sophomore is likely to maintain the role for which he earned recognition on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List, at least for the time being. "He's a heck of a special guy," Vaughn said. "I think he's gonna go out and have a heck of a run for us in whatever role we throw at him this year."
