Alabama lands former SIU catcher John Lemm out of NCAA transfer portal

According to D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, Alabama has landed former SIU catcher John Lemm out of the NCAA transfer portal. Lemm was one of the top players available and now makes his way to Tuscaloosa. A massive get for head coach Rob Vaughn ahead of the 2026 season.

“NEW COMMIT: @AlabamaBSB has landed one of the best available catchers in the Transfer Portal in former SIU backstop John Lemm,” Rogers said via X. “Lemm hit 19 homers and knocked in 56 runs for the Salukis in 2025. Now, he joins the #Tide.”

While Alabama is celebrating the acquisition of Lemm, there will be some unhappy people in Morgantown. Lemm was previously committed to the West Virginia Mountaineers, doing so on June 18. Just 12 days later, there was a flip from the original decision.

Lemm played in 58 total games this past season, 52 of which were starts. As Rogers mentioned in his initial report, the numbers are quite good. Alabama will be adding someone who hit 19 home runs and 56 RBIs to the tune of a .255 average throughout 2025. His OPS surpassed the one-dot mark too, finishing at 1.048.

Part of why Lemm was able to rack up such a high OPS was due to his patience at the plate. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was nearly 1:1, going down 42 times compared to drawing 48 walks. At the very least, Alabama will be getting somebody who can work a count and take a good chunk of free bases.

In an era where teams will replenish nearly the whole roster through the transfer portal, this commitment checks off a major box for Alabama. Vaughn continues to land solid pieces going into next year, hoping to compete at the top of the SEC.

Alabama hoping for better success in Rob Vaughn’s third season

Two years under Vaughn have resulted in Alabama making the NCAA Tournament. With some decent nonconference scheduling and solid play against SEC opponents, getting into the field has not been an issue. It’s once in there, the Crimson Tide has failed to produce a single result.

Alabama has gone 0-2 in the past two years in the regionals. Neither was hosted in Tuscaloosa, maybe something the program goes for moving forward. However, Vaughn knows postseason results are going to be needed in the near future. The program’s last College World Series appearance came before the turn of the century, 1999.