The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Alex Luna Rounds Out UAB Baseball Early Signing Class
11/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 19, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Alex Luna, a right-handed pitcher and first baseman from Huntsville, Ala., signed a National Letter of Intent with the UAB baseball program during the early signing period.
"Our seventh and final signee of the year rounds out what we believe is a great class," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "Alex has been a young man that we wanted in our program since early in the summer when he attended our summer camp. He is a match in every way. He is a tremendous young man who will flourish in our environment and is exactly the type young man we are trying to build this program with."
Luna enters his senior season at Grissom High School this spring with three years of experience as a starter. As a sophomore in 2009, he went 7-0 on the mound and hit .315 at the plate with 30 runs scored on his way to Huntsville Coaches All-City Team recognition.
Despite undergoing surgery prior to his junior year, Luna managed to compete this past spring as a hitter and help Grissom to a state runner-up finish in Alabama's Class 6A. He is now fully recovered and ready for a healthy senior year on the mound, as well.
"As a pitcher, his potential is unlimited," Shoop said. "Missing his junior year pitching kept him under the recruiting radar, but we believe he could be dominant both at the college level and in professional baseball, as well. He has a big frame at 6-foot-4, a loose arm, and the ball comes out of his hand effortlessly. That combination leads us to project Alex as a power arm that should play a key role on our future pitching staffs."
In addition to his high school baseball experience, Luna has played summer ball for Team Excel out of Oxford, Ala. He has also been successful on the basketball court as a starter for his Grissom High School team.
Luna will enroll at UAB for the 2011-12 academic year and compete for the baseball program starting with the 2012 season.
"Alex is a great athlete," Shoop said. "He has played for outstanding coaches in baseball and basketball. Bo Coln is his basketball coach, and Adam Moseley is his high school baseball coach. Adam played for me at Birmingham-Southern and has done an amazing job at Grissom High School, which is now one of the best programs in our state. We have been hoping to coach one of Adam's players, and we are thrilled that Alex is that young man.
"Alex is another great student who will excel in the classroom at UAB and carry on the academic excellence that our teams have established. He will be a fantastic teammate and a great addition to Blazer baseball in every way."
