Lebron’s Two HRs and Defensive Brilliance Highlight Alabama Wins

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama Baseball has raced to a 2-0 start in the Tuscaloosa Regional, with junior shortstop Justin Lebron playing a major role in the Crimson Tide’s strong showing at their first regional appearance at the Capstone since 2023.

The Crimson Tide opened the weekend with a dominant performance, routing Alabama State 21-3 in a game that saw four different Alabama players hit home runs, including Lebron, who launched a three-run shot over the left field fence in the bottom of the fifth inning. In their second game, Alabama faced No. 3 seed USC Upstate and came away with a 7-5 victory. Lebron was again instrumental, blasting a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning to help secure the Tide’s two-run win over the Spartans.

After Alabama’s win over Alabama State, head coach Rob Vaughn was asked if he thought Lebron was returning to peak form. Vaughn praised Lebron for how he has managed the pressure and expectations, especially as a projected top-10 pick by some experts.

“That guy can just take the game over on both sides of the ball, really, really quickly, and he’s just worked his tail off i mean the challanges the adversity the expectations the pressure theres a lot that goes into being a player he is and he’s handled it extremely well, he’s put his head down and worked his rear end off and had a good week of practice. It was good to see him get that one tonight, you know, obviously the sac fly early and then hammer that heater over the fence.” Vaughn added, “That guy is a guy that can just take over a game and win a regional for you, so it was good to see him get that one tonight, and man, he’s gonna have a big one for us tomorrow.”

Vaughn’s prediction proved accurate as Lebron had a standout performance for the Crimson Tide in the winners’ bracket game against USC Upstate. His play was so impressive that even USC Upstate’s head coach, Kane Sweeney, commended Lebron’s abilities on both offense and defense.

“He’s a special special player. Not even talking about the offense, obviously, there is plenty of offensive ability, but the plays he made defensively tonight were absolutely game-changing, and on the bases, I mean, he wreaks havoc. He might have the quickest start from first base I’ve ever seen. He’s absolutely one of the most explosive players I’ve seen in person, so honestly, it's kind of fun to watch him play. I wish we weren’t playing against him tonight, but he’s definitely a really good baseball player.”

In Alabama’s 7-5 win over USC Upstate, Lebron went three-for-five at the plate with one home run and two RBIs. Defensively, he made four out of five putouts, with the only miss coming on a tough line drive into shallow center field, a play where he nearly made an impressive catch. Two of his four putouts resulted in double plays, including a critical 4-6-3 double play in the bottom of the seventh inning that gave the Tide its first two outs and helped limit the damage before a two-run homer by USC Upstate’s Johnny Sweeney. On the basepaths, Lebron also stood out, finishing the game with two steals to bring his season total to 40.

Lebron and the Crimson Tide will aim to close out the Tuscaloosa Regional with a win on Sunday against (2) Oklahoma State in the regional championship game, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT. Alabama is seeking its first Super Regional appearance since 2023 and its first opportunity to host since 2006.