Nov. 15, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Jamal Austin, an outfielder from Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., is the second player to sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play baseball for UAB next season as announced by UAB head coach Brian Shoop Thursday. Last season, Austin hit .421 with 31 runs scored and 18 stolen bases in helping his team to the final 16 of the Georgia State Playoffs.

"We are thrilled to add Jamal Austin to our baseball family," Shoop said. "Another recruiting priority was to sign a true center fielder, a young man blessed with great speed who had superior defensive skills. Young Memorial Field plays extremely big from left center to right center. We can picture Jamal running down many potential doubles and turning them into outs. That is an extremely valuable asset to have on your team and often tough to find in the recruiting process."

Austin has played two seasons at Harrison under head coach Mark Elkins. As a junior, he was a second-team all-county selection. This past summer, he played for head coach Guerry Baldwin for the 16U Perfect Game BCS Championship and 16U AAU Junior Olympics National Championship.

"Jamal is not just a great defender, he will also bring some outstanding offensive skills to the table," Shoop said. "He handles the bat very well and will be an exciting threat on the bases. In essence, he is exactly the type of player who will flourish in our style of play. We believe this is a great sign."

Austin will rejoin former Harrison teammate and current Blazer Devin Hamilton on the UAB roster next season

In addition to playing baseball at Harrison, Austin has also played football for four years and was a Cobb County First Team selection as a punt returner.

His parents are Gerald and Miracle Austin.

"Jamal also fits the bill for being a high character young man who comes from a special family," Shoop said. "We really loved the entire family and believe this will be a great fit for everyone. Jamal will love UAB and our fans will love watching him play."