Jake Smith
9/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
An excellent defensive player who returns for his second season at third base ... struggled with injuries during his freshman season ... showed improved offensive skills and power in the fall ... hit .246 (35-for-134) in 40 games last year with six home runs and 29 RBI ... collected an RBI single in his first career at-bat at Alabama ... smacked a home run in his second career at-bat ... also homered in his first career SEC at-bat against Tennessee.
FRESHMAN (2007):
Appeared in 40 games and made 39 starts at three different positions, including third base (37), DH (1) and second base (1) ... missed 10 of the final 14 games of the season with injury ... hit .246 (35-for-134) with six home runs and 29 RBI ... tallied eight multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games ... hit .333 (2-for-6) with one home run and six RBI with bases loaded ... finished third on the team with 11, two-out RBI ... reached base in 32 of 40 games ... hit .318 (28-for-88) with six home runs and 28 RBI in home games ... all six home runs and 26 of his 29 RBI came in home games ... went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in his Alabama debut against Georgia State on Feb. 10 ... collected an RBI single in his first collegiate at-bat and smacked a solo home run in his second career at-bat against the Eagles ... tallied three hits and three RBI against Troy on Feb. 14 ... missed five games with a knee injury from Feb. 23 through March 2 ... posted a seven-game hitting streak (11-for-31, .355) from Feb. 11 through March 4 ... slugged his first career grand slam in a 9-1 win over McNeese State (2-for-5, HR, 5 RBI) on March 3 ... the five RBI were a career high ... stroked two doubles against No. 17 Nebraska on March 9 ... tallied eight hits (8-for-13, .615) in a three-game stretch vs. Samford and Tennessee from March 14-16 ... went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, one double, one home run and three RBI in his SEC debut against Tennessee on March 16 ... slugged a two-run home run in his first career SEC at-bat against Tennessee ... homered in back-to-back games against Tennessee (2 HR, 5 RBI) on March 16-17 ... earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after hitting .500 (5-for-10, 2 HR, 5 RBI) against the Vols ... led the team with four home runs and 17 RBI in March ... had a game-winning, two-run single vs. LSU on March 31 ... tied the UA single-game record with two sacrifice bunts at No. 1 Vanderbilt on April 8 ... went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 7-6 win over Georgia on April 14 ... played in the summer for the Concord (N.H.) Quarry Dogs in the New England Collegiate Baseball League ... started 36 games at Concord and hit .214 (27-for-126) with one home run and 10 RBI ... also added five doubles ... played on the same team with Alabama teammates Austin Graham and Del Howell.
HIGH SCHOOL:
A 2006 graduate of Hueytown High School in Shannon, Ala., where he was a four-year starter for Coach Rick Patterson ... in his final two seasons, Smith hit .461 with 37 home runs and 104 RBI ... set single-season and career school records for home runs and RBI ... as a senior in 2006, he hit .432 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI ... also set single-season and career school records for wins and strikeouts on the mound ... broke Hueytown single-season records held by former Alabama All-American and 2002 First-Round Draft pick Jeremy Brown ... a member of the 2006 Birmingham News Super All-State Team ... a member of the 2006 Alabama Sports Writer’s Association (ASWA) Super 10 Team ... a member of the 2006 Birmingham News Class 5A All-State Team ... a 2006 ASWA All-State Team selection ... as a junior in 2005, he hit .489 with 20 home runs and 54 RBI ... a member of the 2005 Birmingham News Super All-State Team ... a members of the 2005 Birmingham News All-State Team ... a member of the 2005 ASWA All-State Team ... helped Hueytown to a Class 5A state playoff before losing in the quarterfinals to Stanhope Elmore ... his 20 home runs as a junior were the most by a Birmingham metro player since Bo Jackson hit 20 for McAdory High School in 1982.
PERSONAL:
Full name is Jacob Lewis Smith ... son of Wes Smith and Robby and Denise Tibbs ... has four siblings, Allen and David Smith and Rob and Russ Tibbs.
