Crimson Tide Announces Baseball Signing Class

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The University of Alabama has signed 13 players during the Nov. 14-21, 2007, signing period that will join the Crimson Tide program for the 2008-09 academic year, according to an announcement today by head baseball coach Jim Wells.

The Crimson Tide’s class consists of seven high school stars and six junior college standouts.  The signing class also consists of eight players from the state of Alabama, including three high school and five junior college players. 

“We feel like this is a top-notch recruiting class,” Wells said.  “Our coaches did a great job of evaluating the players and recruiting them to campus.  We have some quality high school and junior college players, which will help us immediately. I think this is a very solid class.  We signed some very good pitchers, both high school and junior college transfers that we expect to help us immediately.”

Alabama inked three players from Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa and all three were key members on last year’s team that won the Alabama Community College State Championship, Region XXII championship and placed fifth at the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. 

“Three players from one team is unusual, but we felt like they were three of the better junior college players in the state,” Wells said.  “They had a really good team last year and played in the World Series.  They know how to play, know how to win and are well-coached.”

The Tide’s signing class also boasts the following:

The members of this class have been represented at 18 different showcases and all-star games
The members of this class have won a combined five national championships and two state championships 
Five players have won All-Region honors at the Junior College level
Nine players have won a combined 18 all-district honors
Eight players have won a combined 14 all-state honors
Three players have played in the Junior College World Series (Jones, Scott and Smart)
Two players have been previously drafted (Jones and Kimbrel)
One player was named First-Team Junior College All-American (Smart)
One high school All-American (Sutherland)
One Player of the Year (Hendricks)

2007-08 ALABAMA BASEBALL SIGNING CLASS

Player	Pos.	Ht	Wt	B-T	Hometown	High School/Junior College
Matt Baca	1B	6-3	245	R-R	Round Rock, Texas	Stony Point High School
Taylor Dugas	OF	5-9	165	L-L	Lafayette, La.	Tuerlings Catholic High School
Scott Hays	P	5-10	175	L-L	Round Rock, Texas	Odessa College
David Head	P	6-3	180	L-L	Ellenwood, Ga.	Chattahoochee Valley
Brandt Hendricks	C/OF	6-1	195	R-R	Jay, Fla.	Jay High School
Clay Jones	1B/C	6-2	205	R-R	Brent, Ala.	Shelton State CC
Craig Kimbrel	P	6-1	200	R-R	Huntsville, Ala.	Wallace State CC (Hanceville)
Adam Morgan	P	6-1	170	L-L	Marietta, Ga.	Kell High School
Kent Myer	INF/OF	6-0	180	R-R	Jackson, Ala.	Jackson High School
Adam Scott	P	6-2	175	R-R	Hueytown, Ala.	Shelton State CC
Jonathan Smart	P	6-0	165	L-L	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	Shelton State CC
Troy Sutherland	P	6-5	225	R-R	Madison, Ala.	Bob Jones High School
Jade Todd	P	6-2	185	L-L	Birmingham, Ala.	Shades Valley High School

2007-08 ALABAMA BASEBALL SIGNING CLASS PLAYER SKETCHES

Matt Baca
Currently a senior at Stony Point High School in Round Rock, Texas ... His high school coach is Tom Collins ... Baca is the first Division I baseball signee in Stony Point High School history ... He was high school teammate of current UA signee Scott Hays, who is currently a sophomore at Odessa (Texas) Junior College ... A three-year football and baseball letterman ... An academic all-district selection ... Starting catcher and first baseman as a junior  ... Led team with 28 hits ... Participated in the 2007 Texas Scouts Game at Minute Maid Park in Houston ... He went 3-for-4 in the game, including a towering home run to left-center field in the game ... Participated in the 2007 Area Code Tryouts at Weatherford College ... Also participated at the 2006 Area Code Tryouts at Baylor University and went 2-for-3 with one home run ... Matt is also the starting right tackle on the current 14-5A district champion football team ... Plays summer ball for the Austin Slam ... He hit .575 (75-for-157) with six home runs and 60 RBI in his best summer with the team in 2007 ... He also posted a 25-game hitting streak.

Taylor Dugas
Currently a senior at Teurlings Catholic High School (Lafayette, La.), where he plays for coach Lonny Landry ... A three-year starter in baseball entering his senior season ... A three-time All-State selection by the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association (LCBA) and Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) ... During his career Teurlings has compiled a 78-23 overall record ... The Rebels are 20-4 (.833) in district play with back-to-back district titles in 2006 and 2007 ... Compiled a .457 career batting average with nine home runs and 129 RBI ... Also added 132 runs scored, 34 doubles, 13 triples and 14 stolen bases ... On the mound, Dugas owns a 21-5 (.808) record and  3.22 ERA ... He has logged 128 2/3 innings, with 48 walks and 126 strikeouts ... As a junior, Dugas hit .441 with six home runs and 52 RBI ... He also added 52 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples and 14 stolen bases ... He set career highs in average, home runs, RBI, runs scored, doubles and stolen bases ... On the mound, he was 3-1 in 20 1/3 innings, with 11 walks and 16 strikeouts ... Dugas was named to the LBCA and LSWA All-State teams, as well as earning All-Acadian and All-District honors ... As a sophomore, he batted .535 with two home runs and 50 RBI ... He also tallied a career-best 10 triples ... On the mound, Dugas was 8-2 with a 3.24 ERA and recorded 58 strikeouts and 22 walks in 50 innings ... He earned LBCA and LSWA All-State, All-Acadian and All-District honors ... He hit .435 as a freshman with one home run and 27 RBI ... On the mound, he was 10-2 with a 3.21 ERA and  also earned All-Acadian and All-District honors ... He is also the starting quarterback on the football team and currently leading his team into second-round action of the state playoffs.

Scott Hays
Currently a sophomore at Odessa (Texas) Junior College ... His junior college coach is Brian Blessie ... Led team to a 31-17 overall record and third-place finish in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference in 2007 ... Also participated in the Region V Tournament ... At one point during the season, Odessa posted a 17-game winning streak ... As a freshman, Hays was 6-4 with a 6.29 ERA ... He worked 54 innings and allowed 61 runs, 44 runs and 38 earned runs, with 38 walks and 52 strikeouts ... Hays pitched in the 2007 Texas Junior College All-Star Game in Oct., 2007 ... A native of Round Rock, Texas, He prepped at Stony Point High School for Coach Tom Collins ... He was a high school teammate of Alabama signee Matt Baca.

David Head
Currently a sophomore at Chattahoochee Valley in Phenix City, Ala., where he plays for Coach Adam Thomas ... Led his team
to a 41-17 overall and 19-11 record in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Southern Division ... Head posted a 5-3 record and 3.13 ERA in 15 games last season at CVCC ... He worked 74 2/3 innings and allowed 74 hits, 40 runs and 26 earned runs, with 27 walks and 55 strikeouts ... He was 15th in the state in ERA (3.13) and 22nd in strikeouts per nine innings (6.63) ... He pitched six or more innings seven times in 2007, including a nine-inning win over Jefferson State on Feb. 19 ... Also earned wins over Central Alabama, Wallace State-Hanceville, Wallace State-Selma and Bishop State ...  He recorded a season-high seven strikeouts against Faulkner State on March 17.

Brandt Hendricks
Currently a senior at Jay (Fla.) High School, where he plays for Coach Jorey Diamond ... Hendricks begins his fifth season with the baseball program and fourth as a starter ... Compiled a .391 (118-for-302) career batting average, with 12 home runs and 106 RBI ... He has also recorded 120 runs scored and 42 stolen bases with 71 walks and 38 strikeouts ... On the mound, he is 16-5 (.762) with a 1.93 ERA ... Hendricks has worked 134 innings and allowed 37 earned runs ... He has also recorded 208 career strikeouts and 68 walks ... Last year as a junior, Hendricks batted .361 (30-for-83) with six home runs and 35 RBI ... He also added 38 runs and 14 stolen bases and struck out only eight times in 83 at-bats ... On the mound, he was 8-1 with 1.82 ERA and record 75 strikeouts in 50 innings ... Rated No. 5 in “Mr. Florida Baseball” in 2007 ... A two-time All-State selection (2006-07) in baseball ... First-Team All-Northwest Florida Team by the Pensacola News Journal in 2007 ... He was named the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A Player of the Year in 2006 ... As a sophomore, he batted .515 (34-for-66) with five home runs and 34 RBI ... He also scored 39 runs and stole 14 bases ... He struck out only five times in 66 at-bats ... On the mound, he was 5-1 with 0.90 ERA ... He had 62 strikeouts in 39 innings ... During his freshman year, he  batted 363 (29-for-80) with two home runs and 22 RBI ... He was 2-4 with a 2.54 ERA on the mound and recorded 54 strikeouts in 44 innings ... He hit .342 (25-for-73) with 15 RBI and an eighth grader and posted a 1-0 record and 1.91 ERA on the mound ... Also a WEAR-TV 3 Scholar-Athlete Award recipient ... Hendricks is also the starting quarterback and forward on the Jay HS football and basketball teams ... He has earned four football and basketball letters entering his senior season ... He had five rushing touchdowns in a game this season ... Played summer for Dynamic Elite that won the 2005 USA Baseball East Junior Olympics East Championship.

Clay Jones
Currently a sophomore at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa ... One of the top junior college hitters in the nation ... Drafted in the 36th round (1,082nd overall pick) by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft ... One of three UA signees from Shelton State ... Junior college coach is former Alabama All-American and Major League Pitcher, Bobby Sprowl ... Led the Bucs to a 43-17 overall record and a 24-6 mark in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Northern Division ... Guided Shelton State to the Alabama Junior College State Championship and Region XXII championship ... The Bucs advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., and brought home a fifth-place national finish ... First-Team All Northern Division selection ... First-Team All-Region XXII selection ... As a freshman, Jones batted .376 (79-for-210) with six home runs and 57 RBI in 60 games ... He also compiled a .557 slugging percentage ... He led the team in hitting, at-bats, hits, doubles (16) and RBI ... He ranked second on the team in runs scored (47) ... Jones finished the year with 24 multi hit games ... He was 14th in the state in RBI per game (0.950) and 19th in total bases per game (1,950) ... Jones batted .556 (10-for-18) at the NJCAA World Series with one home run and nine RBI and was named to the All-Tournament Team ... His .588 batting average was the third-highest at the NJCAA World Series ... He also tied for second among tourney leaders with nine RBI ... Jones went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, one home run and three RBI in an elimination game victory over Iowa Western CC ... He was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI against Spartanburg Methodist College as the Bucs were eliminated ... He also went 4-for-6 with one home run and three RBI during the regular season against Gadsden State ... Prior to Shelton State, he attended Bibb County High School ... He was the valedictorian of his senior class in 2006.

Craig Kimbrel
Currently a sophomore at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala., where he is coached by Randy Putnam ...
Drafted in the 33rd by the Atlanta Braves (1,006th overall pick) in 2007 draft ... First-Team All Northern Division selection ... First-Team All-Region XXII selection ... He led Wallace State to a 40-10-1 overall record in 2007, including a 24-5-1 record and first-place finish in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Northern Division ... Rated as the state’s top junior college pitcher ... In 18 games last season, Kimbrel went 8-0 with three saves and 1.99 ERA ... He worked 51 1/3 innings and allowed 30 hits, 12 runs and 12 earned runs, with 30 walks and 78 strikeouts ... He led the state in strikeouts per nine innings (12.92) and ranked second in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.97), third in opponents batting average (.140), fourth in ERA (1.99), seventh in saves (3) and 13th in wins (8) ... He was 6-0 in seven starts on the mound and closed the 2007 season with six-game winning streak, which included wins over Jefferson State, Northwest Shoals, Meridian Community College, Lawson State, Marion Military and Gadsden State ... Kimbrel struck out a season-high 10 batters against Lawson State on April 14 ... Played American Legion baseball for Decatur Post 15 ... Summer teammate of current UA infielder Josh Rutledge ... Kimbrel went 6-1 with a 1.00 ERA in nine games this summer for Post 15 ... Threw no-hitter against Desota, Ark., in the 28th Annual Twins Lake Classic in Mountain Home (Ark.) ... Attended Lee High School in Huntsville.

Adam Morgan
Currently a senior at Kell High School, where he plays for Coach Donnie English ... He has played on four national championship teams during his high school career for the East Cobb Yankees ... As a 16-year old, he was a member of the AAU 16-and-under National Championship team that compiled an astounding 90-6 (.938) record for Coach Gary Baldwin ... Also played on three World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) National Championship teams, winning titles in Jupiter, Fla., Fort Myers, Fla., and Atlanta ... Member of East Cobb Yankees that finished runner up at the 2007 Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M. ... As a junior, Morgan posted a 3-3 record with one save and  a 2.55 ERA ... He worked 33 innings and allowed 23 hits, 18 runs and 12 earned runs, with 14 walks and 49 strikeouts ... He threw a complete-game shutout and struck out 12 in a playoff win over the defending state champions from Lassiter HS ... He led his team to the Georgia state playoffs in 2006 and 2007 ... As a sophomore, Kell finished runner up to Lassiter High School (and current UA second baseman Brandon May) for the AAAAA Georgia High School Association state championship ... Last year, he led Kell to the third round of the playoffs.

Kent Myer
Currently a senior at Jackson (Ala.) High School, where he plays for Coach Jason Jones ... A three-year starter at third base ... He can also play in the outfield ... One of the state of Alabama’s top high school prospects ... Myer is a 2008 Under Armor Preseason All-American candidate and has been invited to play in the Under Armor High School All-Star game in Arizona in January, 2008 ... Compiled a .400+ career batting average with 20 home runs and 66 RBI ... Participated in the 2007 San Diego Padres East Coast Professional Showcase at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. ... He batted .444 (4-for-9) at the showcase and hit an inside-the-park grand slam ... Played in the 2007 Alabama High School All-Star Game at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville ... Named First-Team Class 4A All-State by The Birmingham News and Alabama Sports Writer’s Association ... One of four juniors named to the all-state team ... Also named to the Mobile Press Register  2007 All-Region Team ... As a junior, he batted .525 (63-for-120) with 11 home runs and 28 RBI ... Also added 53 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, 14 doubles and three triples ... Led his team to the third round of the Class 4A state playoffs ... He batted .360 with six home runs and 25 RBI as a sophomore in 2006 ... Led Jackson HS to first round of Class 4A state playoffs ... As a freshman, Myer hit .315 with three home runs and 13 RBI.

Adam Scott
Currently a sophomore at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa ... One of three UA signees from Shelton State ... Junior college coach is former Alabama All-American and Major League Pitcher, Bobby Sprowl ... Led the Bucs to a 43-17 overall record and a 24-6 mark in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Northern Division ... Guided Shelton State to the Alabama Junior College State Championship and Region XXII championship ... The Bucs advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., and brought home a fifth-place national finish ... As a freshman, Scott posted a 2-5 record on the mound with two saves and a 4.27 ERA in 29 appearances ... In 52 2/3 innings, he allowed 47 hits, 40 runs and 25 earned runs, with 31 walks and 64 strikeouts ... He ranked 11th in the state in saves ... He posted wins over Gulf Coast Community College and Meridian Community College during the regular season ... He recorded saves against Gulf Coast CC and Faulkner State, that clinched the 2006 Alabama Junior College state championship ... Prior to Shelton State, he attended Hueytown High School, where he was a teammate of current UA third baseman Jake Smith from 2003-05 ... His high school was Rick Patterson ... Led team to county championship (2006) and two state playoff berths (2005 and 2006).

Jonathan Smart
Currently a sophomore at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa ... One of three UA signees from Shelton State ... Junior college coach is former Alabama All-American and Major League Pitcher, Bobby Sprowl ... Led the Bucs to a 43-17 overall record and a 24-6 mark in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Northern Division ... Guided Shelton State to the Alabama Junior College State Championship and Region XXII championship ... The Bucs advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., and brought home a fifth-place national finish ... A First-Team NJCAA All-American selection following a stellar rookie season ... First-Team All Northern Division selection ... First-Team All-Region XXII selection ... As a freshman, Smart compiled a 10-2 record on the mound with a 1.76 ERA in 17 starts ... In 102 1/3 innings, he allowed 81 hits, 35 runs and 20 earned runs, with 13 walks and 88 strikeouts ... He issued only two walks and compiled an 18.5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio in last 31 innings on the mound in 2007 ... He finished first in the state in ERA (1,76), third in wins (10), fourth in walks per nine innings (1.14), fifth in hits per nine innings (7.12), eighth in opponents batting average (.214) and 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (7.74) ... Smart had eight starts with at least seven innings pitched and threw nine-inning victories against Northwest Shoals and Chattahoochee Valley ... A four-year baseball letterman at Paul W. Bryant HS in Tuscaloosa for Coach John Cameron ... He participated in the Alabama East-West All-Star Game in Birmingham.

Troy Sutherland
Sutherland is currently a senior at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala., where he plays for Coach Ryan Hall ... Attending UA on academic scholarship after an outstanding academic career at Bob Jones HS ... As a junior, he pitched 34 innings and compiled a 1.02 ERA ... He also played for the Bama Bombers, where he was a summer teammate of current UA signee Jade Todd (Shades Valley HS) ... Also played for the East Coast Grays ... He has attended many showcases, including 2006 Team One South Showcase, 2007 Team One South Showcase, 2007 World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) 18-and-under National Showcase, 2007 East Coast Professional Showcase Trails and 2007 Area Code Games Trails ... In 2006, he was the Team One South Showcase “Rookie of the Year” with a 3.28 ERA in 36 2/3 innings ... He was also a member of the 2006 Puma National Team ... Participated in the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Top 150 Showcase in 2006 and 2007 ... Also a standout football player, who scholarship offers from several Division I schools on the gridiron ... As a junior (2006), he earned All-Region honors as a defensive end ... He finished the 2006 season with 43 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass breakups and three fumbles recovered ... He played offensive tackle as a senior for the playoff-bound Patriots.

Jade Todd
Currently a senior at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, where he plays for his uncle, Kevin Todd ... Rated as four-star prospect by Baseball America ... Todd has compiled a 26-9 (.743) record and 300 strikeouts in his prep career ... Also owns a .440 career batting average with nine home runs and 40 doubles ... As a junior, Todd earned First-Team Class 6A All-State honors by The Birmingham News ... He was one of only two juniors on Class 6A team ... Also First-Team Class 6A All-State honoree by the Alabama Sports Writer’s Association ... Todd was also named to Class 6A Super All-Metro and All-Metro teams by The Birmingham News ... Led the Mounties to a 28-13 overall record as the team advanced to the semifinals of the Class 6A state playoffs ... Todd posted a 7-4 record with six saves and 2.86 ERA for the Mounties ... Also added 142 strikeouts ... At the plate, he batted .468, with 10 home runs and 24 doubles ... Participated this summer at the East Coast Professional Showcase in Lakeland, Fla., where he threw three scoreless innings and added five strikeouts ... As a sophomore (2006), Todd was an honorable mention All-State pick by The Birmingham News and ASWA ... He posted an 8-1 record and 1.12 ERA ... Also added 88 strikeouts ... Played as eighth grader and ninth grader at Bessemer Academy, where he compiled an 11-4 (.733) record ... He was a AISA Class 3A All-State selection following his freshman year in 2005 ... As a freshman he was 7-3 on the mound and led his team to the AISA Final Four ... He compiled a 4-1 record during his eighth grade season ... He also pitched Bama Bombers (2007), where he was a teammate of current UA signee Troy Sutherland (Bob Jones HS) ... His father, Rex, played baseball at UAB ... His uncle, Kevin, also played baseball at Montevallo ... His cousin, Fuller Smith, currently plays at Ole Miss.

University of Alabama Athletics

Crimson Tide Announces Baseball Signing Class

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