The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Matt Morse Signs To Play Baseball For UAB
11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 12, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball program has announced the signing of shortstop Matt Morse, a product of Sandwich, Ill., and Aurora Christian High School, to a National Letter of Intent.
Morse, a team captain at Aurora Christian for head coach Andy Zorger, is entering his fourth season as the team's starting shortstop. He will complete his high school career in the spring of 2010 and enroll at UAB for the 2010-11 academic year.
"Matt is one of the top two rated shortstops in the state of Illinois and was recruited by schools all across the country, so we are very excited he chose to join our Blazer baseball family," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "He is a great fit in every way at UAB. He is an outstanding student. He is a young man of high moral character and comes from a great family."
An Illinois High School Association first-team all-state selection this past spring, Morse was a 2009 Rawlings Preseason High School All-American. He has also been ranked among the top prospects in the 2010 signing class by PGCrosschecker.com, a service of Perfect Game USA.
Morse has hit better than .400 with an on-base percentage better than .600 in each of his three high school seasons so far. An all-area and all-conference selection, he was voted his team's MVP as a freshman and a junior and has also been a recipient of Aurora Christian's Silver Slugger Award as the team's top hitter.
Morse played this past summer for the Illinois Sparks coached by Bill Copp, and he competed in the 2009 World Wood Bat Association National Championship as a member of the Midwest Stars. He played for Cangelosi Baseball in the 2009 Fall WWBA World Championship. Morse also played for Team Illinois in the Midwest Classic Invitational and attended the 2009 Perfect Game National Showcase.
"As a player, Matt is very high-energy and will play the game with a lot of passion," Shoop said. "Because of the way he plays, we believe he could become a fan favorite very quickly. He is an athletic kid who played two sports in high school, and his athleticism will play well in our league."
The son of John and Mary Morse, Matt Morse was also an all-state performer in football as a wide receiver at Aurora Christian. He helped his team, coached by former NFL receiver Don Beebe, to a state runner-up finish in 2008.
Also an academic all-state selection, Morse is a member of the National Honor Society at Aurora Christian.
