Alabama transfer pitcher Alton Davis commits to Georgia out of the portal

Alabama Crimson Tide pitcher Alton Davis has committed to transfer to the Georgia Bulldogs out of the portal. Davis announced his decision on Instagram.

“Thank you god for the guidance and strength a long this journey. I am very excited to say with the help of my supporting staff and family, i have committed to @baseballuga GO DAWGS,” Davis wrote.

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Alton Davis spent two seasons at Alabama. During that time, he made 46 appearances, all of which were as a relief pitcher for the Crimson Tide. He also pitched 67.1 innings and has a career ERA of 5.48. He also gave up 70 hits and walked 29 batters during his two seasons there. Davis also struckout 70 different batters while making 12 saves.

Davis came onto the scene strong in 2023 and was named a Second Team Freshman All-American. He was also on the 2023 Freshman All-SEC Team. However, he did struggle late in the 2024 season, giving up at least one run in four of his last five appearances at Alabama.

At Alabama, Alton Davis was listed at six-foot-five-inches and 185 lbs. He also throws left-handed and is a Hueytown, Alabama native.

Coming out of high school, Perfect Game ranked Davis as the top-ranked left-hander and second-rated prospect overall from Alabama. Perfect Game also ranked him as the  No. 24 left-handed pitcher nationally in his recruiting cycle. In 2021, he was also named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) AISA All-State First Team.

His sister, Kayla, played softball at Alabama.

In 2023, Alton Davis’ freshman season, Alabama went through a coaching change when Brad Bohannon was fired in the middle of the season due to a gambling scandal. He would be replaced by Rob Vaughn, who led the Crimson Tide to a 33-24 record in 2024 with a trip to the NCAA Regional.

Georgia, meanwhile, is coming off a 43-17 season where the Bulldogs made it all the way to the NCAA Super Regional, which they hosted in Athens. It was the first for the program under Wes Johnson.

The Transfer Portal for NCAA Baseball

College baseball is in the middle of its main Transfer Portal window, in which players are able to enter the portal. That opened in May and runs for 45 total days. There is also another portal window that opens up in December. That one remains open for a total of 15 days.

Scholarship distribution in college baseball can be a challenge for coaches to navigate in the portal. That’s because NCAA Division I baseball teams get between 11 and 12 scholarships to use. That’s less than half of the number of players on a team. Because of that, most players are on a partial scholarship.

So, amid player turnover in the portal, coaches must manage those partial scholarships and take full advantage of them.