Alabama Baseball Signs Thirteen Players

Coach Brad Bohannon and his staff continue to scour the country for players, and signed 13 players for the 2021 class on Wednesday. The prospective new players will come to The Capstone from nine states: four from Alabama, two from Mississippi, and one each from Louisiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Georgia. This is the first year of Bohannon’s tenure that he didn't sign at least one Canadian player.

The biggest name in the class is outfielder Camden Hayslip from Lebanon, TN. Hayslip is a power hitting outfielder that stands 6”3” and weighs 205 pounds, and also a standout on the football field. Hayslip is considered the number one outfielder, and second ranked player overall, in Tennessee by Perfect Game USA. The lefty swinging player is also listed as the seventh ranked outfielder in the nation and 28th ranked among all players, and the 23rd ranked MLB prospect among high school players. Hayslip’s dad played college baseball and his brother is a current player at Trevecca Nazarene University, and a cousin plays at USC Akin. As with all high profile players the big trick is to get Hayslip to campus after the MLB draft in June. It would be huge if Hayslip is wearing Crimson and White for the 2022 season.

Noah Miller is another highly regarded signee for Bohannon. Miller is a 6’0” 185 pound infielder from Fredonia, Wisconsin. Perfect Game USA and Prep Baseball Report both have Millers as the top ranked player in his state, and PBR has him as the 10th best short stop, and 50th ranked player in the nation. Miller is also a star basketball player for Ozaukee High School in Fredonia. His older brother, Owen Miller, was a third round draft pick out of Illinois State by the Cleveland Indians.

Hagan Banks is a 6”4”, 190 pound right handed pitcher from Plainville, Georgia. Banks is ranked as the seventh best RHP and 21st ranked prospect in the talent rich state of Georgia by Perfect Game USA. Banks mother player basketball at Valdosta State University.

Luke Holman is also a 6”4”, 190 pound right handed pitcher but is from Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania. Prep Baseball Report has him pegged as the third ranked player in the state and the number two ranked right handed pitcher.

Brandon Clarke is yet another 6’4” pitcher, weighing in at 210 pounds, but throws from the left side. The Ashburn, Virginia native is the number two left handed pitcher and sixth best player in his state according to Prep Baseball and Perfect Game, and also is the 29th ranked LHP in the country. Clarke’s sister current plays college softball, his dad played college baseball, and his mom was a college basketball player.

Kade Woods is a 6”3” 185 pound RHP/INF from Monroe, Louisiana. Woods is the number three overall prospect in LA, and the number two right handed pitcher. Louisiana has historically been a fertile recruiting ground for Alabama, and it is nice to see the Tide dip back into “The Boot” for a talented player of Woods ability. Woods father played college baseball at Northwestern State and Louisiana Monroe.

Nathan Shelton is a 6’2” 180 pound LHP and outfielder from Tuscaloosa’s American Christian Academy. Shelton is the third ranked LHP and 12 overall prospect in Alabama according to Perfect Game USA. Shelton is a three sport star for ACA, also competing in basketball and football. His dad, Jerry, played baseball at Alabama and still holds the program record for being hit by the most pitches.

Hunter Sute is a high school teammate of Shelton’s at ACA and is a 6’0” 185 pound catcher and infielder. Sute is the second ranked catcher and 16th overall player in the state of Alabama by Prep Baseball Report. Another multi sport star, Sute earned all state honors as a punter and also is the teams quarterback.

Conner Ball is a 6’1” 160 pound left handed pitcher from Sterrett, Alabama and plays at Chelsea High School. Ball is the sixth ranked LHP and 25th overall prospect by Perfect Game USA. Ball is also a standout on the hardwood for CHS.

Hailing from Waynesboro, Mississippi, Will Hodo is a 6’4” 220 pound infielder that plays at Wayne Academy. Prep Baseball Report has Hodo as the number one third baseman in MS and the 21st overall prospect. Hodo is also a two time All State selection in football. Hodo’s brother played college baseball at Hinds CC and Northwestern State.

Jimmy Thies is yet another 6’4” athlete, checking in at 215 pounds. The Fort Lauderdale, FL native is the number 14 third baseman in Florida by Perfect Game. Thies plays for perennial power house St. Thomas Aquinas, and also participates in basketball. The Thies family is an athletic one, his dad and two uncles played college football and his maternal grandfather was also a gridiron star at Texas Tech.

Braylon Myers is a 6’2” 195 pound right handed pitcher out of Oak Grove High School in Bessemer, Alabama. Myers is the 8th ranked right handed pitcher and 18th overall prospect in Alabama by Perfect Game USA. The three sport star also plays football and basketball.

The loan junior college player in the class is catcher Graham Crawford from Pearl River CC by way of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Coming out of high school Prep Baseball Report had Crawford as the number five catcher and number 38 overall player in Mississippi.

One of the common threads of this class is there are several multi sport athletes, and there a lot of good genes, with almost all players having family members that played at the collegiate level. Added on top of the stellar classes Bohannon has signed since his arrival will keep the Tide on the path to meet their goal of reaching the SEC Tournament, and playing in a Regional and beyond. The key, as always, is keeping players that Major League Baseball wants. The future is bright in Tuscaloosa, and everyone is hopeful that the season will be played in as normal a fashion as possible.

Roll Tide, Bama Baseball Fever, Catch It.