The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB's Brint Hardy Appears In Sports Illustrated
8/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 21, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Keep an eye out for UAB baseball player Brint Hardy in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. The senior outfielder will be featured in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the Aug. 25 issue.
Hardy earned recognition in the magazine after turning in a strong summer league performance for the Athletes in Action Fire in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Homewood, Ala., product led the Alaska Baseball League with a .421 batting average, 59 hits, 33 runs and 27 steals in 28 attempts. He was recently honored as the league's MVP.
As a junior on the UAB team last spring, Hardy hit .338 with five home runs and 28 RBI. He led the Blazers on the base paths with 24 seals in 27 attempts.
"This is another special recognition for a very fine player and an even better person," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "Brint is the type of student-athlete every parent would want to hold up to their children as a role model. He is the epitome of what parents and coaches hope their children become as they grow into adulthood."
Sports Illustrated started the famous "Faces in the Crowd" section more than 50 years ago. It runs weekly and honors high achieving amateur athletes. The section has featured a large number of athletes who went on to become famous as professionals. Past stars featured during their amateur days include Tiger Woods, Emmitt Smith and Carl Lewis.
The Aug. 25 issue hit newsstands on Wednesday. It features Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps on the cover.
For Hardy, appearing in Sports Illustrated punctuates an incredible summer. In addition to Alaska Baseball League MVP honors, Hardy was named Wednesday as the Player of the Year for the Horizon Air Summer Series. The series is a cross-league competition among elite collegiate summer league teams in the Western United States, which included Hardy's Athletes in Action team.
"On the field, we believe Brint has made the jump you hope your players will make as they mature," Shoop said, "and we are counting on Brint to be one of our key performers on the field this spring. We are certain he will continue to be a fan favorite at Young Memorial Field."
