The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazer Baseball Signs Hoover Catcher Tyler Mims To NLI
11/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 13, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Local product Tyler Mims, a catcher from Hoover High School in the Birmingham area, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at UAB.
As a junior this past spring, Mims posted a .380 batting average and a .520 on-base percentage on his way to earning 6A all-metro honors. He recorded seven doubles and 19 RBI and received an invitation to the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Weekend for the second straight year.
"Knowing that Digger Towe would graduate this year, signing a catcher was a top priority for us, and thankfully we found a great one in our own backyard," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "Tyler has caught for one of our area's outstanding high school coaches in Rick Davis at Hoover High School."
As a sophomore in 2008, Mims helped Hoover win the 6A state championship. He hit .333 that year with eight doubles, 17 RBI and a .447 on-base-percentage, earning all-metro honorable mention recognition in his first year as Hoover's varsity catcher.
Mims played his summer baseball for the Excel Blue Wave, coached by Steve Gendron and Josh Beshears, out of the Excel Baseball Academy in Oxford, Ala.
Mims has also played football at Hoover as a linebacker and received the Bucs' Coaches Award as a junior in 2008.
"Tyler is exactly what you look for in a catcher," Shoop said. "He is tough, having played linebacker for the Hoover football team. He is a strong leader and plays the game with passion and energy. We believe he will hit for power at the college level. He reminds us of Danny Sawyer, our 2007 all-conference catcher, and that is a strong compliment.
"Tyler is also an outstanding student, and he will carry on our tradition of baseball players excelling in the classroom at UAB."
The son of Alan and Leda Mims, Tyler Mims will complete his high school playing career at Hoover this coming spring and will enroll at UAB for the 2010-11 academic year.
