2022 RHP Carter Stanford Details Alabama Commitment: "It is Home"
Spanish Fort High School standout and 2022 right-handed pitcher, Carter Stanford, will play his college baseball just roughly 200 miles from his hometown, as he announced his verbal commitment to the University of Alabama over the weekend.
"For me, it was kinda like I walked into Alabama on a visit in January and I felt like it was home," Stanford said. "It was always high on my lift of places I wanted to go. I love the coaching staff and I feel like they have the player's best interest at heart. It just felt comfortable for me."
The Crimson Tide was Stanford's first scholarship offer and one of three that included other in-state programs, Troy and South Alabama. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound righty also received interest from SEC schools including Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee.
Alabama pitching coach Jason Jackson has built a strong relationship Stanford during his short prep career, and it was that bond that sealed the deal for a pledge from one of the Yellow Hammer State's best players.
"I have talked to Coach Jackson for almost a year and a half now," Stanford said. "Me and him have talked a lot and we have grown pretty comfortable with one another. He seems like a nice, well-spoken guy who knows what he is doing, and that is what I look for in a coach."
While Stanford is just now entering his junior season for the Toros, travel baseball has picked back up around the south amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, where he has begun to sharpen his skillset.
Over the last month, he has played in tournaments in Lake Point, Ga., where he received the initial offer from the Crimson Tide, and Hoover, Ala.
At the event in the Peach State, Stanford threw a fastball that hit 91mph on the radar for the first time in his career. While in Hoover, he dotted 90mph a couple times as well.
"I feel like my game has gotten a lot better since the end of sophomore year," Stanford said. "I have been able to work on gaining a lot more velocity and working my mechanics to throw more strikes. I have been working on my breaking ball a lot more. I feel like everything has increased, but it is still not where it needs to be yet."
Despite the 2020 campaign being cut short due to the novel coronavirus, Stanford is already seeing the progress that coach Brad Bohannon has made in his time in Tuscaloosa, guiding the program to a 16-1 record this year.
But by the time Stanford arrives to the Capstone, the Crimson Tide could be competing for much more than just a SEC championship.
"I hate the way things ended for them this year," Stanford said. "I see by the time I get there, it being a top SEC baseball program, especially with the recruits coming in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes. There are a lot of great athletes coming in. I know Coach Bohannon and Coach Jackson know what they are doing.
"I feel that they can definitely turn things around and get it going in the right direction."
