The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Baseball Adds Nick Altobella To 2013 Class
11/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 10, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB baseball team announced on Thursday that left-handed pitcher Nick Altobella signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Blazers for the 2013 season.
Altobella joins Adam Lau as part of the 2013 recruiting class signed by head coach Brian Shoop and his staff.
“We are very pleased to add Nick Altobella to our pitching staff,” Shoop said. “We really needed to add left-handed pitching and Nick was one of the best we saw all summer.”
Altobella finished his junior season at St. Laurence High School, located in Burbank, Ill., with a 7-1 record and 1.57 ERA. The southpaw topped the Vikings with 72 strikeouts and allowed just 30 hits in 50.2 innings on the hill.
“People may get fooled with Nick’s height, but he is as competitive a kid as you will find on the mound,” Shoop said. “He is a bulldog who believes he can beat anyone and will come right at you. His velocity is mid-to-upper 80’s and he has a great breaking ball.
A three-year varsity pitcher and outfielder at St. Laurence, Altobella was an important arm for the Vikings that claimed two division and a regional championship. He racked up numerous accolades last season, including being named All-Chicago Catholic League and an all-area pitcher by The Regional News.
“Nick was a highly recruited young man who could have gone a lot of places and we are thrilled he has chosen to pitch for UAB,” Shoop said. “He can definitely pitch in this league and probably will very early in his career.”
Beyond the awards and stats, Altobella produced a memorable moment for any pitcher by firing a no-hitter against Maine East High School last spring.
“Nick posted great numbers in high school where he pitched for Pete Lotus at St. Laurence," Shoop said. "He grew up playing for Brian Forystek on the Chicago Elite travel ball squad and took lessons from him at Future Stars Academy. Playing against some of the best competition with the Elite, Nick has developed a poise and maturity on the mound that will serve him well. He has a great work ethic that will help him fit right into our blue-collar approach to college baseball.
"This past summer, Nick travelled with the prestigious Illinois Sparks coached by Bill Copp and Dave Payton, the same program that produced current Blazers Jeff Schalk and Matt Morse."
Altobella was selected to play in the Illinois High School Coaches Association Showcase, Chicago Pitch and Hit Club Showcase and Team Illinois. He also competed for the Illinois Sparks in the 2011 World Wood Bat Association Tournament and for the Chicago Elite travel baseball club.
“Nick is another outstanding young man from a strong family,” Shoop said. “Our guys all loved him when he came on his visit and we knew that UAB was a good fit for Nick.”
Altobella has been recognized for his character by earning the St. Laurence High School Leader-Scholar Award the last four years.
