Baseball players participate in summer leagues

Courtesy+of+Alabama+Athletics

Courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Joey Blackwell, Staff Reporter

As the fall semester starts at The University of Alabama, summer baseball came to a close for the Crimson Tide players.

In total, 16 players on the 2019-2020 Crimson Tide roster participated in summer leagues across the United States.

Seven Alabama players were named to their respective league’s All-Star teams, including six Crimson Tide returners and one newcomer. The returners included senior Brett Auerbach, junior Tyler Gentry, senior Justin King, redshirt sophomore Chase Lee, sophomore Jacob McNairy and redshirt junior Garrett Rukes, and the newcomer was junior transfer Jackson Tate.

Here is a list of some of the summer’s most impressive performances:

Brett Auerbach | C/INF
Auerbach spent his summer in Brewster, Massachusetts, where he played for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He led the Whitecaps in runs (25), hits (43), walks (15) and stolen bases (11). Auerbach finished the season with a .297 batting average and 11 RBIs and was named the MVP of the Cape Cod League All-Star Game after a game-winning walk-off single.

Tyler Gentry | OF
Joining Auerbach at the Brewster Whitecaps, Gentry led the team with 11 doubles and added 17 runs, 10 walks, and three stolen bases. His 22 RBIs ranked second on the team.

Justin King | OF/INF
King played for the Willmar Stingers out of Willmar, Minnesota, a team in the Northwoods League. King led the team with 35 RBIs and tied for the most home runs with seven. He also ranked second on the team in doubles with 11 and ranked third in hits with 52. King accompanied those stats with three stolen bases and 29 walks.

Chase Lee | RHP
Choosing to play for the Bethesda Big Train in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, Lee spent his summer racking up impressive numbers for the Maryland-based club. Named the Cal Ripken League Player of the Year, Lee pitched 51 strikeouts and earned seven saves, leading the league in both categories. Lee also had an ERA of 1.04, allowing three earned runs in 26 innings pitched.

Jacob McNairy | RHP
McNairy spent his summer the furthest away from Tuscaloosa, using his pitching talents for the Mat-Su Miners in the Alaska Baseball League. McNairy led the Miners in saves with nine and had the lowest ERA at 1.25. His saves total tied for the league lead and his ERA was the best in the league.

T.J. Reeves | OF
Reeves joined King in the Northwoods League, playing for the Wisconsin Woodchucks. In 50 games, Reeves achieved a .324 average in 182 at-bats, which ranked second on the team. He also racked up 12 doubles and 10 home runs, which both tied for the team lead. Overall, Reeves earned 39 runs, which was good enough for the third-ranked spot with the Woodchucks.

Dylan Smith | RHP
Smith spent the summer in New York, where he played for the Amsterdam Mohawks of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. He finished the season with a 2.37 ERA, allowing five earned runs in 19.0 innings pitched. Smith tallied up 28 strikeouts and five walks to earn a spot of the All-League second team and helped contribute to the Mohawks’ 2019 League Championship.