Alabama sees big jump in Baseball Coaches Poll after sweeping Auburn

With a sluggish start to SEC baseball play in the rearview mirror, the Alabama Crimson Tide have won seven straight on the diamond after sweeping rival Auburn over the weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. It's the second straight sweep of a top-25 team for Alabama baseball (22-7 overall, 6-3 conference), which started the series with an 11-1 run-rule win over the fifth-ranked Tigers (20-7, 4-5) in eight innings on Friday. The Crimson Tide exploded for eight runs in the final three innings and clobbered Auburn with 15 hits, including three from leadoff man Bryce Fowler and two apiece from Brady Neal, Luke Vaughn, Jason Torres and Justin Osterhouse.

Vaughn, Fowler and catcher John Lemm all homered in Alabama's Friday night rout. The Tide followed it up Saturday with a 3-2 win on a walk-off double from Fowler, a half-inning after he made a diving catch in center to save a run and preserve the tie. For the third straight day in Sunday's series finale, Alabama erased an early 1-0 deficit.

Justin Lebron's RBI single in the third tied the game. The Crimson Tide took the lead in the eighth on a wild pitch that scored Lebron, and Will Plattner singled home Neal for an insurance run. Right-hander Hagan Banks slammed the door in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning for his fourth save.

Banks struck out pinch hitter Taylor Belza looking for the final out. Alabama's sweep of Auburn was its first since 2017, and its first at Sewell-Thomas Stadium since 2012. Crimson Tide starting pitchers were outstanding over the weekend.