Brady Neal Delivers Heroics and Toughness to Lead Tide to Super Regional Berth

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama senior catcher Brady Neal delivered a legendary performance in the Tuscaloosa Regional, battling through a dislocated thumb to power the Tide to victory with a dramatic three-run homer in extra innings. Neal’s grit and leadership earned him MVP honors as Alabama clinched its first super regional berth since 2023. With a revitalized lineup and a tight-knit team, the Crimson Tide stands just two wins away from Omaha.

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Neal, a key player for Alabama, had arguably the best game of his career, persevering through a thumb injury and making significant contributions on both offense and defense to help secure the regional championship. After the win, Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn provided insight to the media regarding Neal’s brief disappearance into the dugout during the bottom of the eighth inning, following a foul ball that struck his thumb.

"What makes that even more impressive is just talking about toughness, right? When he  [Brady Neal] disappeared into the back, that thumb was not in place when he disappeared in the back. And he popped that thing back in, in the back, and said, I'm good to go. Like, not only after that he made that big-time throw, then he hits the homer like, man, I can ride with tough dudes like him any day of the week."

After Neal went to the dugout and popped his dislocated thumb back in place, he made a crucial throw in the bottom of the tenth inning that prevented the walk-off run from reaching second and gave Alabama two outs. The next at-bat resulted in a fly ball, giving the Tide another inning, where Neal hit the go-ahead three-run home run.

Following the win, Neal said during his post-game interview on ESPN that “Last year, plain and simple, I sucked. This team just brought the joy of the game to me again.”

Neal, who transferred from LSU two years ago after making 33 starts and posting impressive stats before suffering a back injury, struggled in his first season with the Crimson Tide. He batted .219 with 28 hits, 19 RBIs, and three home runs. However, this season he has reached his potential, excelling on both sides of the ball. The senior catcher/outfielder now leads Alabama in batting average (.332), is second in hits (64) and home runs (10), leads in on-base percentage (.444), and also tops the team with 49 RBIs.

Neal finished the weekend batting 5-13, with six RBIs, and two homers during the Tuscaloosa Regional which was enough for him to win MVP of the regional, and he was also named on the Tuscaloosa Regional All-Tournament Team at catcher where the Senior played the final two games of the weekend after John Lemm the Tide’s usual starter at catch broke his finger in the seventh inning of the Tide’s opening game against Alabama State.

After Alabama's regional championship win, Neal spoke about the team's close bond, telling the media he will have lifelong relationships with his teammates.

“These are my guys like these are my brothers here like after this season which is hopefully the last day of Omaha but me and Hagan Banks are going to my beach house and we’re having fun like these are my guys man like I told coach all the time when I’m done playing baseball and you’re recruiting in Panama City Florida please come by lets go catch some snapper.” Neal added, “I’ll text these guys and hang out with these guys for the rest of my life like I’m always here for these guys, from freshman up to grads.”

Alabama will continue to rely on Neal, as they have throughout the season, with the team now just two wins away from reaching Omaha. The Crimson Tide will host a super regional for the first time since 2006, facing the winner of the Tallahassee Regional final between St. John’s and No. 10 Florida State. The Red Storm needs one more win to clinch a super regional berth, while the Seminoles must beat St. John’s twice to advance.

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