Alabama Closer Breaks School Record in 9-3 Win over Georgia

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Sunday, Alabama's closer Carson Ozmer made school history, breaking the program record for most saves in a single season in Alabama's 9-3 game two victory over Georgia. Ozmer extended the record in game three, picking up his 16th save in Alabama's series-clinching 5-4 win.

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Alabama's closer pitcher, Penn transfer Carson Ozmer, broke the Crimson Tide's school record for saves in a single season, which was previously held by Ben Short, who had 14 saves in the 1991 season.

Ozmer picked up his 15th save of the season in the Tide's 9-3 game two victory over No. 6 Georgia this past Sunday, which saw the closer check into the eighth inning and pitch two scoreless innings while striking out two batters and only allowing three hits.

The pitcher then turned around and closed out the Tide's game, which was played due to inclement weather earlier in the weekend. 5-4 victories over the Bulldogs, which saw the graduate transfer record one strikeout and not allow a run or a hit to finish the seventh and final inning in game three on Sunday. 

The grad student had a chance to break the record in the Tide's game three against Vanderbilt last week, which saw Alabama allow seven unanswered runs in the last two innings, with Vanderbilt's Braden Holcomb hitting a walk-off two-run home run off of Ozmer to give the closer his first blown save of the season.

Ozmer leads D1 in saves on the season with 16, one more than Clemson’s Lucas Mahlstedt, who was the leader entering today with 15 saves. 

Ozmer spent four seasons at Penn, where he showed out in his junior and senior seasons, which saw the Tide's closer earn honorable mention All-Ivy League honors twice, once in 2023 as a relief pitcher and once in 2024 as a utility player.

This season, Ozmer has been performing lights out for the Crimson Tide, with the senior closer only allowing 21 hits and eight runs while picking up 45 strikeouts over 33.2 innings pitched. He has done this against the best of the best in the SEC and out of conference, with Ozmer not giving up a run in 21 out of the 26 games he's pitched in.

Following Alabama's 10-6 win over Southern Miss, Vaughn stated: "He's been outstanding, and I have zero doubts about getting him in the game." Vaughn added, "He just executes and goes out there, and we feel like if we give him that one-run lead there, we feel alright." With the Crimson Tide's head coach going on to refer to Ozmer as "the dude" for the Tide.

Following Sunday's game two and three wins, Vaughn was asked about Ozmer and what it means to have a pitcher that can close two games in the same day, to which Vaughn responded, "What it speaks to his teammates and us as coaches is just who Carson Ozmer is as a human which is reliable, is selfless, is gonna show up and give you every ounce of what he's got and that's whats really cool." 

When asked what this accomplishment means to him, and how special it was breaking the school record on senior night, Ozmer responded, "Yeah, it's awesome. You know, as I said a couple of weeks ago, that's what I came here to do. I came here to be in those spots, get our team a win in that situation." Ozmer added, "It was special being on Mother's Day today. My mom was up in the stands. She's the happiest one out there. Having a bunch of family from Oklahoma and Texas being there, so it’s just a special day."

Alabama will be leaning on Ozmer as they head into the last series of the regular season, with the Tide traveling to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. The Tide look to put themselves firmly in a hosting bid, and potentially a fringe top-eight seed.

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