Rob Vaughn talks Alabama baseball College World Series berth
Here’s what Rob Vaughn said about Alabama baseball’s College World Series bertg.
With the SEC sending a record-breaking five teams to the College World Series — including an entire half of the bracket — there will be no fewer than six SEC-vs.-SEC matchups over the next week.
First up: No. 7 Alabama vs. Oklahoma on Day 2 of the tournament.
The Crimson Tide and the Sooners open up Bracket 2 play on Saturday, June 13 at 3 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Nebraska.
Watch Alabama vs. Oklahoma baseball live with Fubo (free trial)
The Crimson Tide took two of three against the Sooners in the regular season series in April. Alabama, making its first trip back to Omaha since 1999, cruised through the Tuscaloosa Regional and Super Regional, the latter of which consisted of two convincing wins over St. John’s.
Conversely, Oklahoma is back in Omaha for the first time since 2022 as a result of peaking at the right time. The unseeded Sooners are 6-1 in the postseason, which includes four straight wins over No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Regional and No. 15 Kansas in the Lawrence Super Regional.
Saturday’s winner will advance further in the winner’s side of the CWS bracket — with, perhaps, some celebratory Rocco’s Jello-Shots for the winning team’s fans — while the loser will face double-elimination on Monday night at The Schwab.
USA TODAY Sports is providing live updates, scores and highlights of Saturday’s CWS game between Alabama and Oklahoma. Follow below:
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Watch Alabama vs. Oklahoma baseball live with Fubo (free trial)
Cord Rager continues to be efficient on the mound for Oklahoma. He tosses a six-pitch third inning for his third consecutive scoreless frame of the afternoon. Camden Johnson came up with a smooth play at third base on a hard-hit ball from Alabama’s Peyton Steele, as Johnson lay out for it and hopped up quickly to retrieve Steele with plenty of time.
The Sooners’ left-hander is dialed in early. We’re headed to the fourth inning in Oklahoma, with the Sooners up 3-0.
Oklahoma continues to take advantage of getting the lead-off hitter on base. The Sooners, with runners on the corners and no outs, get their third run of the game as Deiten Lachance hits into a 5-4-3 fielder’s choice double play. Jason Walk comes home from third.
Lachance struggled to get down the first baseline, continuing to favor his ankle after appearing to twist it in the first inning. He was in pain once he returned to the Sooners’ dugout.
Alabama is having a hard time picking up Cord Rager’s breaking ball. The Sooners’ southpaw gets a pair of strikeouts in the second inning, pushing his strikeout count to four on the afternoon — all coming on the breaking ball.
Onto the third inning, with Oklahoma leading 2-0.
That’s more like it for Tyler Fay and Alabama. The Crimson Tide right-hander gives up a leadoff single but then responds with a strikeout and a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play to get his first scoreless frame of the game. Fay’s first strikeout came against Dayton Tockey, who has been hot at the plate recently for Oklahoma.
It’s an immaculate inning for Cord Rager to start his day on the mound. He retires Alabama’s first three hitters in just nine pitches and records a pair of strikeouts in the process. Justin Lebron was the lone Crimson Tide hitter to strike out, but he didn’t leave the infield as he popped up to first base.
You couldn’t ask for a better start to this game for Oklahoma. We’re onto the second inning with the Sooners up 2-0.
Oklahoma gets to Tyler Fay early, as Trey Gambill gets a piece of a 2-2 pitch up in the zone and puts it into the right-center gap for a standup two-RBI double. It’s a nice piece of hitting by Gambill and the third hit of the inning for the Sooners.
One thing to monitor for the Sooners is how catcher Deiten Lachance looks on the base paths. The OU catcher appeared to have rolled his ankle as he came around second base on a bloop single up the middle from Jaxon Willits.
We are underway at Charles Schwab Field Omaha for the first of two CWS games on the day between Alabama and Oklahoma. Tyler Fay throws a first-pitch strike to Jason Walk.
Here’s Alabama’s starting lineup vs. Oklahoma on Saturday:
Starting Pitcher: RHP Tyler Fay
- Bryce Fowler — CF
- Justin Lebron — SS
- Brady Neal — C
- Jason Torres — 3B
- John Lemm — DH
- Eric Hines — LF
- Brennan Holt — CF
- Luke Vaughn — 1B
- Peyton Steele — RF
Here’s Oklahoma’s starting lineup vs. Alabama on Saturday:
Starting Pitcher: LHP Cord Rager
- Jason Walk — CF
- Camden Johnson — 3B
- Deiten LaChance — C
- Jaxon Willits — SS
- Trey Gambill — DH
- Brendan Brock — LF
- Dasan Harris — RF
- Dayton Tockey — 1B
- Kyle Branch — 2B
No, the College World Series is not a single-elimination tournament like March Madness. Instead it is a double-elimination style format, meaning Alabama and Oklahoma are guaranteed two games in Omaha.
Click here to read more on the CWS format.
Mother Nature already sent some rain clouds through Omaha earlier in the morning, forcing both Alabama and Oklahoma to take batting practice inside at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on Saturday. Thunderstorms are expected to roll through during Saturday’s game.
Here’s an hour-by-hour breakdown of the weather forecast in Omaha for Alabama vs. Oklahoma:
All times Eastern
- 3 p.m.: Thunderstorms (64% chance of rain)
- 4 p.m.: Thunderstorms (64% chance of rain)
- 5 p.m.: Cloudy (49% chance of rain)
The winner of Saturday’s CWS game between Alabama and Oklahoma will face the winner of No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas on Monday, June 15 at 6 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, the loser of Alabama and Oklahoma will face the loser of Georgia vs. Texas at 1 p.m. ET on Monday in the “elimination bracket.”
The Sooners bring a 6-1 record in seven NCAA Baseball Tournament games this postseason into Saturday’s College World Series game.
Here’s a look at how Oklahoma has fared in the postseason this year:
- Atlanta Regional Game 1: Oklahoma 8, The Citadel 3
- Atlanta Regional Game 2: No. 2 Georgia Tech 9, Oklahoma 3
- Atlanta Regional Game 3: Oklahoma 15, The Citadel 5
- Atlanta Regional Game 4: Oklahoma 15, No. 2 Georgia Tech 8
- Atlanta Regional Game 5: Oklahoma 8, No. 2 Georgia Tech 7 (Final 10)
- Lawrence Super Regional Game 1: Oklahoma 8, No. 15 Kansas 1
- Lawrence Super Regional Game 2: Oklahoma 13, No. 15 Kansas 2
The Crimson Tide brings a 5-0 record in five NCAA Baseball Tournament games this postseason into Saturday’s College World Series game.
Here’s a look at how Alabama has fared in the postseason this year:
- Tuscaloosa Regional Game 1: Alabama 21, Alabama State 3
- Tuscaloosa Regional Game 2: Alabama 7, USC Upstate 5
- Tuscaloosa Regional Game 3: Alabama 9, Oklahoma State 7 (11 Innings)
- Tuscaloosa Super Regional Game 1: Alabama 8, St. John’s 0
- Tuscaloosa Super Regional Game 2: Alabama 7, St. John’s 2
Oklahoma is making its 12th all-time appearance at the College World Series, which is tied for the 12th most by a Division I baseball program. The Sooners have defeated No. 2 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Kansas in the Atlanta Regional and Lawrence Super Regional, respectively, to return to Omaha for the first time since 2022.
Here’s a look at when Oklahoma has made the College World Series, including how the Sooners has fared in Omaha:
- 1951: National Champion
- 1972: Fifth-Place Finish
- 1973: Fifth-Place Finish
- 1974: Fifth-Place Finish
- 1975: Third-Place Finish
- 1976: Seventh-Place Finish
- 1992: Fifth-Place Finish
- 1994: National Champion
- 1995: Seventh-Place Finish
- 2010: Fifth-Place Finish
- 2022: Runner-Up
- 2026: TBD
Alabama is making its sixth all-time appearance at the College World Series, and its first since 1999. The Crimson Tide — with a 17-hour, 24-minute weather delay during Game 2 that suspended competition — swept the Tuscaloosa Super Regional to get back to Omaha.
Here’s a look at when Alabama has made the College World Series, including how the Crimson Tide has fared in Omaha:
- 1950: Fifth-Place Finish
- 1983: Runner-Up
- 1996: Fifth-Place Finish
- 1997: Runner-Up
- 1999: Fourth-Place Finish
- 2026: TBD
What TV channel is Alabama vs Oklahoma baseball on today?
ESPN will broadcast Saturday’s CWS game between Alabama and Oklahoma nationally. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Alabama vs Oklahoma baseball start time today
- Date: Saturday, June 13
- Time: 3 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. CT
- Location: Charles Schwab Field Omaha (Omaha, Nebraska)
Alabama and Oklahoma are set for a 3 p.m. ET first pitch on Saturday, June 13 at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Alabama vs Oklahoma baseball picks, predictions, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, June 11
- Spread: Alabama (-1.5)
- Over/under: 9.5 runs
- Moneyline: Alabama (118) | Oklahoma (110)
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