The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Isaiah Gonzales-Montoya Signs With UAB Baseball
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB head coach Brian Shoop announced Thursday that Isaiah Gonzales-Montoya from Aurora, Colo., has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Blazers in 2017. Gonzales-Montoya currently pitches at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan.
"Isaiah currently pitches for a great junior college program from the midwest," said Shoop. "We are grateful to Coach B.J. McVay and the tremendous program that he runs at Butler Community College for preparing Isaiah for the next level. He is projected as a weekend starter for their prestigious program this spring."
Last season for Butler CC, Gonzales-Montoya appeared in 10 games, recording 28.1 innings on the mound with 20 strikeouts. He played his high school baseball outside of Denver at Columbine High School under coach Chuck Gillman.
"We have had a lot of different types of pitchers succeed at UAB, but we have a tremendous track record with sinkerball pitchers," added Shoop. "As a staff we pitch to contact, so movement down in the zone induces ground balls. We have been very good on the infield defensively. That is how we ended up second in the country last year in double plays turned, and Isaiah will fit that mold perfectly."
This past summer, Gonzales-Montoya played for the Lima Locos in Ohio. Competing against some of the top collegiate players, he recorded a 3.61 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched. The 6-1 RHP was able to strikeout 27 hitters with just seven walks.
"We first learned about Isaiah when he was a teammate this summer with our own Ryan Ruggles for the Lima Locos in the Great Lakes Summer League," Shoop said. "The GM of the Lima Locos (Steve Meyer) compared Isaiah to James Naile who was named First Team C-USA last year for us and was drafted by the Oakland A's."
"We are excited to expand our recruiting efforts to a place we have never been before," added Shoop. "As we have gotten to know Isaiah through the recruiting process, we were very impressed with his character and work ethic. We think he will be a great match for our program and instantly makes us better on the mound. We are pleased to welcome Isaiah to the Blazer Family."
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