The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Baseball Inks Garrett Whitlock
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Garrett Whitlock of Snellville, Ga. (Providence HS, Lilburn, Ga.) has signed his National Letter of Intent and will join the UAB baseball team for the 2016 season, head coach Brian Shoop announced on Thursday.
"Garrett plays for coach Adam Cantrell at Providence Christian High School," Shoop said. "Coach Cantrell called coach (Josh) Hopper and told him he had a pitcher we needed to see. Josh drove over and saw Garrett pitch last spring and we immediately began recruiting him. As we got to know Garrett and his family, we knew this was a great match and believed that Garrett would flourish in every area at UAB."
Whitlock is a two-time first team all-state selection. He earned both honors when he played on back-to-back state championship teams for Covenant Christian Academy. In his two years at Covenant, Whitlock had an 18-2 record on the mound with a 1.50 ERA. This past spring for Providence, he helped the team to the first round of the playoffs. He led the team with a 7-2 record and hit .450 at the plate.
"Garrett has almost unlimited potential," Shoop said. "He is physical, has a power arm and can sink a baseball much like Dillon Napoleon who was one the better pitchers to ever throw at UAB. While some freshman struggle with the transition to college, we believe Garrett has the potential to play a huge role on our pitching staff as a freshman."
Whitlock was named GHSA Second Team All-County this past spring and has been a member of the National Beta Club since his freshman year.
"Garrett is the perfect mix of what we look for in a high school player," Shoop added. "He is a gifted and committed student. He has the talent to win at this level. He is a great worker who is very coachable and he has been raised in a special family and is as good a young man as you will meet. We are all thrilled that Garrett has joined the Blazer baseball family."
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
