UAB Sports Briefs
Posted on Jun 22, 2009 in Sports
UAB’s Roberson Signs Professional Contract With Angels Organization
UAB pitcher Kyle Roberson, who recently completed his senior season as a member of the Blazer baseball team, has signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Roberson signed on Friday and is awaiting word on where he will begin his professional career and when he will report.
Roberson, a right-handed starter at UAB, led the Blazers with six wins in 2009 and posted a 5.69 ERA. He struck out 67 batters while leading the team with 80.2 innings pitched. His most memorable start of the season came April 20 at Southern Miss, when he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the eventual College World Series participant.
For his career, Roberson posted 12 victories on the mound, and he ranks sixth all-time at UAB with 160 career strikeouts. He appeared in 64 games in a Blazer uniform, and his 35 career starts also rank sixth in school history.
“We are thrilled for Kyle as this is almost every baseball player’s dream,” UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. “A lot of teams were following Kyle, so we are not surprised to see him given this opportunity. Kyle was obviously a key member of our pitching staff the last three years, and I will forever be thankful for the opportunity to have coached him.
“We thank Angels scout Jim Bryant for providing Kyle this opportunity, and we fully believe that Kyle will go out and represent UAB in a great fashion both on and off the field. He is very capable of succeeding at a high level for the Angles organization.”
UAB’s Oliver Recognized With C-USA Spirit Of Service AwardUAB senior baseball player James Oliver has been honored by Conference USA as a Spirit of Service Award winner for Spring 2009. C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced 12 winners of the award Wednesday.
The C-USA Spirit of Service Award is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league’s student-athletes, based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport. The Spirit of Service Award is presented three times throughout the season, with Wednesday’s honorees representing C-USA’s spring sports: baseball, equestrian, men’s and women’s golf, outdoor track & field, women’s rowing and men’s and women’s tennis.
Oliver becomes the third Blazer to earn the Spirit of Service honor this academic year. Dean Sorrell (men’s soccer) earned the distinction in the fall, and Nora Mehl (indoor track and field) was recognized with the award in the winter.
A pitcher from Vestavia Hills, Ala., Oliver recently completed his final season as a member of the Blazer baseball team. He pitched in 58 career games, logging 142.2 innings on the mound and posting eight career wins.
Away from the field, Oliver has served as a mentor in the Big Brothers program and volunteered at UAB Hospital, serving as a communicator between health care workers and patients’ families. He has also spent time at the hospital as a team leader in UAB’s “Healing Words” program, reading to and speaking with patients.Oliver recently graduated with a 3.85 overall GPA and will begin medical school at UAB in July. He is a two-time C-USA All-Academic Team selection and was recently named the 2009 C-USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for baseball. Earlier this year, Oliver was chosen as one of 30 nationwide candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
Ryan Woolley Drafted In Sixth Round By Atlanta Braves UAB baseball player Ryan Woolley was selected Wednesday by the Atlanta Braves in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. A right-handed pitcher from Montclair, Va., Woolley was taken with the 178th overall pick.
Despite not pitching in 2009, Woolley becomes the second-highest draft pick in the history of the Blazer baseball program. Chris Hammond was also selected in the sixth round but was taken 30 spots higher with the 148th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 1986.
Woolley sat out the 2009 season due to NCAA transfer rules after joining the Blazers from the University of Georgia, where he appeared in 22 games over his freshman and sophomore seasons. He has not appeared in a game at UAB.
Woolley has two years of college eligibility remaining and now has the option to sign with the Braves or to return to school at UAB. In addition to his baseball ability, he also succeeded in the classroom, posting a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester and a 3.57 mark in the spring.
