Mitch Gaspard wasn’t lying when he said Keith Holcombe would make a contribution this spring.
Holcombe decided to play baseball this spring for the Crimson Tide after not playing in the two years since he graduated from Hillcrest High School and joined Nick Saban’s football program. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker’s decision to play baseball was met with both fanfare and questions about how he could balance the two sports.
Gaspard was confident Holcombe would contribute this season, but after two years away from the sport, how quickly could he do so? Turns out, the first weekend of the season was all Holcombe needed.
He got his first career start with Alabama on Sunday against Maryland at left field. Holcombe didn’t have any hitting success in his first start — he went 0-for-3 as the Tide’s leadoff hitter — but he looked natural roaming the outfield. He also set up Alabama’s first run of the game with a successful bunt that moved Chance Vincent to second base. Chandler Avant, the next batter up, knocked Vincent in with an RBI double.
Gaspard was happy with what he saw in Holcombe’s opening series with the team.
“I really like Keith,” Gaspard said. “I think he’s going to be a really good player for us. There’s going to be a little stretch there in spring ball that we may have a lot of availability or some where he has to go back and forth.”
The details are still a bit up in the air about how Holcombe will balance football practice with baseball practice and games. The Tide has road weekend trips to LSU, Georgia and Kentucky during what should be the heart of Alabama’s spring football schedule. How that will play out is still a work in progress, but it’s clear that Alabama plans on utilizing Holcombe in a significant way. Gaspard said before the season started, that if Holcombe was contributing in a major way, he’d be with the baseball team.
However, the uncertainty has made having other options in the outfield a priority for Gaspard. Alabama started freshman Gene Wood in Game 1 and Hunter Webb in Game 2 in left field. Neither had a hit in the opening weekend, but Gaspard likes the versatility that each offers.
“We have to keep all three guys sharp,” he said. “I really like Gene Wood. He’s had a tremendous fall and he’s going to be a good one. Hunter Webb is a real spark plug for us out there; little runner and makes things happen. It’s a nice combination with the three and we’ll see if one guy takes hold of the position.”
