Baseball: Post 34 baseball team wins. 5C
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T U E S D A Y , J U N E 3 , 2008
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SECTION C
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UA RECRUITING
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT
Knights’ Watts, Gibson earn All-State honors
Recruits like what they see at Alabama
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rospects are gearing up for summer camps across the country and many are seeing some college campuses for the first time. Several Scout.com National 100 prospects have a high interest in Alabama, and we take a look at some familiar names and some not so familiar as the recruitment heats up for the class of 2009. Tana Patrick, Scout.com five-star strongside linebacker from North Jackson High School in Stephenson has been rehabbing an injured shoulder during the spring. Patrick is fully recovered and expects to take a few summer visits. One stop on his tour is Tuscaloosa. Alabama was one of the first schools to offer the 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect. He does not list any favorites, and plans to make a decision after the 2008 season. “The players and ANDREW coaches are really BONE standing out to me,” Patrick said. “They are dedicated to winning. That is what I am all about.” Jamar Travis, Scout.com three-star defensive tackle from W.S. Neal in East Brewton lists Alabama and Auburn as favorites. He holds offers from the Tide and Tigers as well as Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Oregon. Auburn is considered to have the edge, but Travis will take a serious look at Alabama before making a decision. “I don’t know too much, but I have met the coaching staff,” Travis said. “I met all of them more than once. I like their defense a lot. That is the big thing about Alabama. I like the location of Tuscaloosa.” Tim Simon, running back from Cordova High School made headlines as a junior when he was named Super AllState. He helped lead Cordova to the Class 3A state title as well. The 6-foot2, 200-pound athlete could play either side of the ball on the next level with Alabama as one of several schools who has offered. Simon grew up an Auburn fan and holds an offer from the Tigers as well. Simon took a recent unofficial visit to the Capstone. “I went up to Alabama last Thursday,” Simon stated. “I toured the school and talked to all the coaches. They were talking to me about the basics, and what I need to do to get into school. I think the coaching staff is very nice. They are real cool.” SEE BONE | 4C
ALL-STATE SOFTBALL
From combined reports
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Griffin High School shortstop Tim Beckham talks about his future during practice at the school in Griffin, Ga., last week. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, with power, speed and strong defense, Beckham is projected to be the first pick by Tampa Bay on Thursday in the Major League Draft.
Top choice? NOTABLE MAJOR LEAGUE PROSPECTS Tim Beckham Pos: Shortstop Ht: 6-2 Wt: 191 School: Griffin High School (Ga.)
Buster Posey Pos: Catcher Ht: 6-2 Wt: 200 School: Florida State University
Pedro Alvarez Pos: Third base Ht: 6-2 Wt: 215 School: Vanderbilt University
Brian Matusz Pos: Pitcher Ht: 6-4 Wt: 193 School: University of San Diego
Tide picks up commitment for 2009 class
Justin Smoak Pos: First base Ht: 6-4 Wt: 215 School: University of South Carolina
Olivia Gibson is reaping the rewards of a successful senior season. Gibson, a catcher for the Tuscaloosa Academy softball team, has been named to Super All-State squad by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Gibson was also voted the AISA Player of the Year. A University of Alabama signee, Gibson earned the most valuable player award as the Lady Knights won their fourth straight AISA title. Coach Billy White’s team, which lost only one game all season, went 4-0 in the tournament and won the Class AAA championship with a 6-3 victor y over Faith Academy. Gibson, who had a .750 batting average in the tournament in Montgomer y, collected nine hits and drove in four runs. For the season she hit .567 with only six strikeouts in 106 at-bats. Tuscaloosa Academy junior Laurin Watts got the win in the championship game as she struck out seven and walked only one batter. Watts was named the AISA Pitcher of the Year. SEE ALL-STATE | 4C
Olivia Gibson was named AISA Player of the Year
Laurin Watts was named AISA Pitcher of the Year
ALABAMA GOLF
High school phenom could be taken first in Major League draft
Thompson named to All-America team
By Charles Odum
From combined reports
The Associated Press
GRIFFIN, GA. | While playing catch at the end of baseball practice, Tim Beckham tosses the ball around his back, flips it between his legs and shows off his jump shot. While practicing with Griffin High School for the state championship series, Beckham wears a Minnesota Timberwolves cap. Bend it like Beckham? At one time, Beckham’s goal was to jam it like Jordan. “I dreamed of being picked in the NBA draft,” Beckham said. At age 11, Beckham cast aside his baseball glove and ignored the sport for three years while focusing on basketball. He played guard and small forward and was pretty good. Then his older brother, Jeremy, advised Tim to come back to baseball, where he was more than just pretty good. That advice could pay off big Thursday when the kid who once dreamed of the NBA Draft SEE BECKHAM | 3C
TUSCALOOSA | The Golf Coaches Association of America formally announced its 2008 PING Division I first-team AllAmerica selections on Monday, and University of Alabama senior golfer Michael Thompson was selected. Joining Thompson are Jonas Blixt of Florida State, Indiana’s Jorge Campillo, Kevin Chappell of UCLA, Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler, Rory Hie and Jamie Lovemark of Southern California, Stanford’s Sihwan Kim, Webb Simpson of Wake Forest, and Georgia State’s Joel Sjoholm. Thompson, a native of Tucson, Ariz., is the 2008 Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year and was medalist at the SEC Championships. Thompson will play in next week’s U.S. Open as an amateur.
MAJOR LEAGUE DRAFT ■ When: Thursday ■ Where: Orlando, Fla. ■ Rounds: 50 ■ First pick: Tampa Bay ■ TV: ESPN2
Alabama golfer Michael Thompson was named to the first-team All-America team on Monday and will play in next week’s U.S. Open as an amateur.
PHOTO | UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
By Andrew Bone Special to The Tuscaloosa News
The University of Alabama football team snagged its sixth commitment Monday morning in Trent Richardson, a Scout.com four-star running back from Escambia County in Pensacola, Fla. Richardson became the first commitment of the class of 2009 from the Sunshine State and joins the other members which also features AJ McCarron, Scout.com four-star quarterback from St. Paul’s in Mobile, D.J. Fluker, Scout. com four-star defensive tackle from Foley, Kellen Williams, Scout.com threestar offensive tackle from Brookwood in Snellville, Ga., Darius McKeller, Scout.com three-star offensive tackle from Jonesboro High School in Ga., and Chance Warmack, offensive guard from Douglass in Atlanta. Richardson received his first written offer from Alabama and has been high on the Tide ever since. The recruiting battle is not finished since Richardson will still take other official visits including stops in Baton Rouge, La. and Gainesville, Fla. SEE RICHARDSON | 4C
ALABAMA SOFTBALL
2008 softball season was best-ever for Tide Alabama’s Kellie Eubanks (16) is congratulated by Brittany Rogers after Eubanks scored against LouisianaLafayette at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, on Saturday.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Tommy Deas Executive Sports Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. | Like fine wines, trips to the Women’s College World Series get better over time. For the University of Alabama softball team, 2008 was a very good year. Alabama (58-8) played its way to a top-four finish at the national championship event, the best by far in the Crimson Tide’s five trips to the WCWS. Alabama lost its first game and battled back through the loser’s bracket to eliminate twotime defending national champion Arizona and Louisiana-Lafayette to earn a berth in Saturday’s semifinal round. The WCWS experience capped a season that saw Alabama ranked No. 1 in the polls for sev-
eral weeks and earn the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tide swept through regional and super regional play, defeating Jacksonville State to claim its regional title and Missouri to win the super regional. Alabama also set attendance records and sold out the 1,595 seats at the Alabama Softball Complex for the entire season before the first pitch was even thrown. All the accomplishments of the season were validated by the Tide’s run at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. Even the most successful previous seasons in the program’s history ended with shortlived runs at the WCWS. “I’m just glad we got to stay a little longer this year so everybody got to see the talent that we do have,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. SEE SOFTBALL | 4C