Del Howell
9/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
A legitimate two-way threat who was one the Tide’s most improved players in the fall and will see action in the outfield and on the mound ... may have the most raw power in the Tide lineup ... will play one of the corner outfield positions ... a tall lefthander who could see action as a starter or reliever, but may be more suited for the pen because of his curveball and ability to throw strikes ... played 11 games last summer for the Concord (N.H.) Quarry Dogs in the New England Collegiate Baseball League ... played on the same team as Tide teammates Austin Graham and Jake Smith.
CAREER POST-SEASON NOTES:
Made his SEC Tournament debut against Florida on May 24, 2007 ... went 0-for-4 with one RBI against the Gators.
FRESHMAN (2007):
A two-way player, he appeared in 25 games and made 10 starts ... started three different positions, including designated hitter (8), right field (1) and left field (1) ... hit .255 (12-for-47) with one home run and four RBI ... also scored six runs and added three doubles ... hit .207 (6-for-29) in 10 SEC games with one home run and two RBI ... went 2-for-10 (.200) as a pinch-hitter ... recorded a pinch-hit, RBI double in his first collegiate at-bat against Canisius on Feb. 16 ... earned his first career start against Villanova on Feb. 24 ... his first career SEC hit came against LSU on April 1 ... went 2-for-4 and scored one run against South Alabama on April 18 ... turned in his best series of the season against No. 6 Arkansas (May 11-13), batting .444 (4-for-9) with one home run and two RBI ... slugged his first career home run vs. Arkansas on May 12 ... recorded consecutive multi-hit games against the Razorbacks on May 12-13.
HIGH SCHOOL:
One of the most decorated players in the history of Alabama high school baseball ... was a five-year starter and three-time state champion (2004, 2005 and 2006) at American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa ... played for Coach Bart Smelley ... named 2006 “Mr. Baseball” by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) ... the 2006 Birmingham News Player of the Year ... the 2006 Tuscaloosa News Player of the Year ... member of the 2006 ASWA “Super 10” Baseball Team ... named to the 2006 Birmingham News Super All-State Team ... a 2006 First-Team All-State selection by The Birmingham News and ASWA ... named to the 2006 Tuscaloosa News “Super 12” Baseball Team ... holds the Alabama state high school record with 541 career strikeouts, a mark once held by current UA assistant coach B.J. Green ... posted a 13-1 record and a 0.18 ERA as senior in 2006 ... allowed 14 hits and struck out 176 batters in 76 1/3 innings on the mound as a senior while averaging 16.14 strikeouts per game ... led the state in ERA and strikeouts and ranked second in wins ... posted back-to-back perfect games in his first two starts in the 2006 Class 1A state playoffs ... the first perfect game, his fourth career no-hitter, came in a 2-0 win over Providence Christian in the first round ... finished that game with 16 strikeouts ... tossed his second straight perfect game and hit three home runs against Maplesville in second round action ... he became the third high school pitcher to produce consecutive perfect games, according to the National Federation of High School Athletic Association, joining Anthony Velazquez (New York, N.Y., 2006) and Mike Bradley (Fort Bragg, Calif., 1991) as the only prep pitchers to achieve the feat ... had a string of 36 consecutive scoreless innings, including seven in the state championship game against Shoals Christian ... he earned a saved in the first game by pitching one inning and won the second game as the Patriots swept the best-of-three series for their third consecutive Class 1A state championship ... the 2006 state champions finished with a 33-4 overall record ... also a threat at the plate where he hit .522 with 22 home runs and 72 RBI as a prep senior ... part of a ACA squad that set the Alabama state single-season record with 85 home runs in 2006 ... posted a 12-2 record and 1.33 ERA as junior, with 160 strikeouts ... named to the 2005 Birmingham News All-State Team ... a member of the 2005 ASWA All-State Team.
PERSONAL:
Full name is Paul Wendell Howell ... son of Wendell and Lynne Howell ... has three sisters, Lauren, Audrey and Haleigh.
