JUST IN: Alabama Lands Transfer Commitment
The Alabama baseball team is set to replace one former SEC transfer catcher with another. Mac Guscette is departing, while former LSU catcher Brady Neal has committed to the Crimson Tide.
Neal announced his decision on social media Monday. Guscette, who played for Alabama over the past two seasons, originally transferred from Florida. Neal entered the transfer portal on June 17 after playing 70 games across two seasons at LSU.
Neal, a career .251 hitter in college, recorded a notable .917 OPS in 2024 while playing both catcher and designated hitter. As a rising junior, he hit nine home runs and had 31 RBIs in 116 at-bats, raising his season batting average to .276 after hitting .209 in an injury-shortened 2023 season. He played against Alabama at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in May.
Previously drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Neal chose to pursue college baseball at IMG Academy. With Neal’s departure, LSU will need to rebuild its catching corps, as his fellow catchers Hayden Travinski and Alex Milazzo are also leaving the program.
Replacing Guscette is one of several roster changes Alabama faces for the 2025 season, under head coach Rob Vaughn in his second year. Notably, Neal bats left-handed, an attribute that was prominent in Alabama’s lineup last season.