Two Bama Baseball Players Decide Futures

Alabama baseball was off to a 16-1 start this season before the NCAA cancelled its season amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Due to the cancellation the NCAA decided to offer all spring sport athletes an additional year of eligibility. On the surface this sounds like a great opportunity for those players who had seasons cut short due to COVID-19 but a deeper look reveals a complicated process.

What academic classes will the seniors enroll in if they have already graduated? How will the spring athletes, who are likely on partial scholarships, pay for an additional year of school? How will the coaches manage inflated roster sizes and playing time?

Two Alabama baseball players have made decisions to leave the Crimson Tide. Redshirt junior pitcher Garret Rukes has decided to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, and senior infielder Kolby Robinson has decided to retire from baseball and begin his post-graduate life.

Both players announced their decisions on Twitter.

Rukes pitched in five games this season and held a record of 2-0. He notched an impressive 0.00 ERA in his 10.2 innings pitched. Rukes struck out eight batters and held opponents to a .143 batting average.

Robinson has started at short-stop the past two seasons for the Crimson Tide. He had a team-high nine game hitting streak this past season for Alabama. He raked a .296 batting average with seven RBIs on the season.

Both players were complimentary of the program in their announcement and their leadership and contributions will be missed.