Crimson Tide Players Enjoy Championship Summer
8/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It has been quite a year for several members of the University of Alabama baseball team.
Just three months removed from the school's league-leading 14th Southeastern Conference championship, six UA players won championships this summer with their respective teams.
Sophomore right-hander Tommy Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.) highlights the list with his gold medal for the USA National Baseball Team at the FISU World University Championships in Havana, Cuba. Junior right-hander David Robertson (Tuscaloosa) also celebrated a championship this summer as he pitched the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to their second Cape Cod League title in the last three years last weekend.
A trio of Crimson Tide players continued a lengthy championship streak for the Maryland Orioles to close out their season. Sophomores Ryan Rhoden (Tuscaloosa) and Kyle Moore (Wetumpka) and junior transfer Vincent DiFazio (Hampton, N.J.) led the Orioles to their fourth consecutive AAABA World Championship this past weekend in Johnstown, Penn. Rhoden and Moore both had RBI singles in the championship game win over Chicago.
DiFazio hit .400 (28-for-70) in 22 games this summer and won the Cal Ripken Senior Collegiate Baseball League batting title. He added four doubles, three triples, two home runs and 17 RBI for the Orioles. He also led the league in slugging percentage (.629) and on-base percentage (.494) this summer.
Rhoden batted .295 (28-for-95) in 26 games in the wooden bat league, with one home run and 12 RBI. He added three doubles and one triple and scored 12 runs. He was named the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate League Hitter of the Week for the week of June 26 through July 2. He hit .421 and a league-high nine hits and six RBI over the course of the week. He reached base in all five games and posted two, three-hit games. In a win over the Maryland Redbirds on July 1, Rhoden went 3-for-5 with a double and five RBI.
Moore hit .205 (15-for-73) in 27 games this summer, with one home run and six RBI. He added three doubles and scored seven runs.
Sophomore infielder Jeff Texada (New Iberia, La.) enjoyed a summer league championship this summer as he helped the McKinney Marshalls capture the 2006 Texas Collegiate League Championship with a two-game sweep of the Denton Outlaws. Texada hit a two-run home run in the 6-0 championship game victory.
For the summer, Texada batted .207 (24-for-116) in 38 games, with one home run and nine RBI. He also added three doubles and scored 10 runs for the Marshalls, who posted a league-best 31-17 record.
Editor's Note: This is the third installment of a four-part series on Crimson Tide baseball this summer. The next installment will come on Friday as we talk about the Crimson Tide players and their successful summers on the diamond.
Part 1 (Aug. 14) -- David Robertson Named Cape Cod League Playoff MVP
Part 2 (Aug. 16) -- Tommy Hunter Wins Gold with USA National Team
Part 3 (Aug. 17) -- Crimson Tide Players Enjoy Championship Summer
Part 4 (Aug. 18) -- Bama Players Wrap-up Summer Seasons
