Alabama Baseball Program Makes Changes to Staff

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As the summer inches to a close and the fall semester begins to appear on the horizon, the Alabama Baseball program shuffled around its behind-the-scenes staff.

The Crimson Tide welcomed a new Director of Operations, Joey Jones, replacing Jenny Sanders, who transitioned into an academic role at the university. Jones operated in the same role at South Alabama for five years.

Jones was also a standout pitcher in Mobile for three years, 2015-2017, helping the Jaguars to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances and three Sun Belt championships. Jones earned a bachelor's and master's degree in sport management at South Alabama.

“I am so thrilled to welcome Joey and his wife Hannah and his two little ones to Tuscaloosa,” said Vaughn in a university press release. “There were several names that came up in the process, but everything kept pointing back to Joey. After spending five minutes on the phone with him, I knew he was our guy. I’m looking forward to his family making Tuscaloosa home.”

The other staff change came inside the program, as Vaughn promoted graduate assistant Kevin Keister to a new role as a Player Development Assistant, focusing on hitting and the infield.

A former player under Vaughn at Maryland, Keister recorded a career .280 average with the Terps, adding 43 doubles, 28 home runs, and 130 RBIs from 2021-2024. Keister earned First Team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore in College Park.

“I recruited Kevin years ago at the University of Maryland, and it is awesome to see his development from an elite player to an outstanding coach,” Vaughn added in a press release from the University of Alabama. “He’s relentless, tough, and everything that we embody here at the University of Alabama. His knowledge with hitters and infielders is something that is going to continue to allow our boys to excel and be the best versions of themselves. I’m fired up to be able to promote Kevin into this new role.”

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