The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Michael Busby Rounds Out Blazers' Fall Signing Class
11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 25, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball program recently signed Michael Busby of Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss., to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period.
Busby, a two-way player who began his collegiate career at Mississippi State, is preparing for his first season at Hinds this coming spring. He will then enroll at UAB for the 2010-11 academic year.
"This concludes what we believe is a very good fall signing class, and fittingly Michael Busby is a very good player and person," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "Three years ago he was one of the top high school players in the state of Mississippi and chose to attend Mississippi State. After an injury and coaching change, Michael ended up at Hinds Community College, where we believe he is one of the best players in the Mississippi junior college ranks."
As a freshman at Mississippi State in 2008, Busby was used primarily as a pitcher and tied for the team-lead with 19 relief appearances. The right-hander struck out 30 batters in 37 innings, working mainly in middle relief. He also played in three games as a reserve shortstop for the Bulldogs, who were then coached by the legendary Ron Polk, now a volunteer assistant at UAB.
Busby, the son of Don and Pat Busby, sat out the 2009 season at Mississippi State due to injury before moving on to Hinds, where he plays alongside fellow Blazer signee Ryan Nance.
"Michael is a true two-way player," Shoop said. "We have signed him as a hitter and believe he can provide a strong presence in our lineup. If he fully recovers, he will also be another tremendous arm on the mound. This is a young man who could be a great player on both sides of the ball in our league."
In high school, Busby was a four-year standout at Porter's Chapel Academy in Vicksburg, Miss., for coach Randy Wright. He hit better than .450 at the plate all four years and capped his career with a .566 batting average as a senior in 2007. He tallied 22 doubles and 35 RBI that year while also making good on 26-of-26 stolen base attempts.
On the mound as a senior, Busby was 9-1 with a 0.60 ERA while striking out 118 batters in 57 innings. The combination of his pitching and hitting accomplishments earned him all-state and second-team Louisville Slugger All-American honors. He finished his high school career with 323 strikeouts and never posted an ERA worse than 0.88 in any of his four seasons.
"Michael is a leader and a winner in every sense of those words," Shoop said. "His athleticism, his work ethic and his leadership qualities make us a better team in every way. We couldn't be more pleased that Michael Busby will be wearing the Green and Gold next year.
"We are very thankful that he has chosen to finish his college experience as a UAB Blazer. It is exciting for him to both begin his college career and now end it playing for coach Polk. There is no doubt that having both of them here makes UAB a better program."
