Bama Central

Alabama Baseball Pitcher Connor Shamblin Announces Transfer Plans

Mid-week starter plans to head back to his home state to finish out his collegiate career

Christopher Walsh

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama pitcher Connor Shamblin announced on Tuesday that he'll be leaving the Crimson Tide and transferring to Memphis.

The right-hander is originally from the state. He was recruited out of Briarcrest Christian High School in Lakeland, Tenn.

Shamblin pitched three years for the Crimson Tide, going 7-3 over his career.

This past season as a junior he returned from injuries in the spring to total 46.0 innings in 15 appearances overall, including 24.1 frames across six starts. Shamblin went 4-2 record with one save and a 4.70 ERA, and struck out 44 compared to 16 walks and limited opposing hitters to a .249 average.

As a sophomore he went 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA (9 ER/20.0 IP) across his four starts before the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shamblin was second on the Crimson Tide in innings pitched and strikeouts (20).

He appeared in 14 games with four starts as a freshman in 2019, going 2-1 in 23.0 innings of work. Shamblin struck out 26 and limited opposing hitters to a .227 average.

When he made the start in game two of a doubleheader against Presbyterian, and earned the series-clinching win, Shamblin joined Tyler Ras to become the first freshman duo to start on opening weekend since Taylor Guilbeau and Justin Kamplain did so in 2012.

He threw 4.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out five. Samblin came back a week later to combine for a shutout of Ball State in the series finale to help the Tide secure the series with a win.

With the back-to-back wins, Shamblin became the first freshman to win his first two career starts since Taylor Wolfe did so in 2010.

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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