Alabama baseball 'fired up' to face No. 1-seed Wake Forest in Super Regional

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball will be making its first Super Regional appearance in more than a decade when the 16-seed Crimson Tide travels to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on No. 1 Wake Forest this weekend. While interim head coach Jason Jackson will look to keep his guys focused on the task at hand, he also knows this is a special moment for this team.

“The guys are gonna be fired up,” Jackson said. “They know we’re playing in a Super Regional. We’re not gonna try to downplay that. But I think that the beauty of this team or one of the things that’s made this team so special is they are an older team with a lot of experience. Even though they haven’t been in a Super Regional, they carry themselves like they’ve been there. 

“I think we’ll do a good job this week of keeping everything – as much as we can – business as usual. But I know there’s gonna be some extra excitement. We’re not gonna pretend that there’s not, but I think our focus and what these guys have been able to do is continue to keep the main thing the main thing, focus on going 1-0 in Game 1 and go from there.”

Alabama (43-19, 16-14 SEC) has won 13 of its last 17 games since head coach Brad Bohannon was fired due to a gambling scandal. The Tide was an NCAA Regional host for the first time in 17 years and won all three games to advance to its first Super Regional since 2010. Alabama is one of the hottest teams in the country right now but will now face the No. 1 overall seed.

The Crimson Tide and Demon Deacons will meet for the fourth time ever on Saturday, June 10, at David F. Couch Ballpark (11 a.m. CT on ESPN) for the first in a best-of-three series. Alabama holds a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series with Wake, including a 2-0 edge in postseasons. 

Wake Forest wrapped the regular season as the nation’s top-ranked team at 45-9 overall (22-7 ACC). The Demon Deacons finished as the ACC regular-season champions and went 2-1 in the league tournament. Wake Forest then swept its NCAA Regional as the host, finishing 3-0.

This weekend will be a challenge for Alabama, but having gone through the gauntlet that is the SEC baseball schedule – the Tide is one of seven teams that advanced to a Super Regional – Jackson and company feel prepared for their upcoming trip to face a formidable opponent.

“You feel like you’re playing a Super Regional every single weekend,” Jackson said. “You get comfortable playing in those games, you get kind of used to playing in those games. You’re not tight or you’re not pressing. You’re like, ‘Yeah, of course, it’s 3-3 in the sixth. This is what it always is.’ You wait for somebody to get that big hit or make that big pitch, and that can put you on top. 

“I think just going through the league helps with that stuff.”

Alabama has faced off with college baseball’s No. 1 team on 48 occasions prior to Saturday’s opener with Wake Forest. The Tide holds an 18-30 record in those matchups and has faced the top team in the NCAA Tournament seven times, owning a 1-6 mark in those matchups.

To advance to Omaha, Alabama has to take down the favorite, and that is where its focus lies.

“Obviously, it’s a big opportunity to go to the College World Series at any point, but to be playing the No. 1 team, it just kind of sets you up when you get there to make a good run at it, as well,” said RHP Garrett McMillan. “Once you’re there, it’s just playing a game and competing every pitch and just battling with them until the end. 

“We’ll just play our best game and see who comes out on top.”

Added outfielder Andrew Pinckney, “At the end of the day, the game’s still 27 outs. They still have to get us out 27 times, and the team that plays the best is gonna make it to Omaha. That’s kind of how I’m looking at it.”

The Tide is in the midst of its 26th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama owns a 74-51 overall record, including a 3-4 mark in three previous Super Regional showings. While many wrote off this team after its midseason coaching change, those inside the program did not, and Jackson is eager to see how his veteran squad matches up with the Demon Deacons.

“I think that it’s gonna be a really good weekend of baseball,” Jackson said. “You’ve got two really good team teams, you’ve got two really deep pitching staffs going at it, you’ve got two really good offenses. You look at their numbers, and they all jump off the page at you. 

“And you look at our numbers, and you’re like, ‘Our numbers are pretty dang good, too.’ I love my guys. I ain’t trading them for anybody, I can tell you that.”

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