Robert Phares
9/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
A transfer from Shelton State Community College who could make an immediate impact on the mound ... could be used as a starter or long reliever ... brings valuable experience from one of top junior college programs in Alabama ... pitched the last two years for Bobby Sprowl, a former Alabama All-American, assistant coach and Major Leaguer ... a member of the 2006 Shelton State team that won the Alabama State Championship, Region XXII Championship and placed fifth at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World Series ... was a two-way player for the Buccaneers ... made 30 appearances and compiled a 15-8 record with a 2.68 earned-run average ... played 108 games for Shelton State and hit .283 with four home runs and 50 RBI ... named to the Phi Beta Kappa International Honor Society.
SOPHOMORE (2007 ?? Shelton State CC):
In 17 games, Phares went 9-4 with 2.64 ERA ... had one complete game and one shutout ... worked 99 innings, allowing 29 runs and 97 hits with 31 walks and 111 strikeouts ... limited opponents to a .244 batting average ... allowed only one home run in 397 at-bats ... helped Shelton State capture the Alabama Junior College State Championship and the Region XXII Championship as the team advanced to NJCAA College World Series ... ranked fourth in the state in wins (9), ninth in ERA (2.64), 11th in innings per game (5.8), 21st in walks per nine innings (2.82), 22nd in opponents batting average (.244) and 24th in strikeouts per nine innings (6.45) ... had a season-high nine strikeouts against Marion Military Institute on March 30 ... pitched 7.1 innings against Iowa Western Community College at the NJCAA World Series ... hit .269 (29-for-108) with two home runs, 23 RBI, scored 21 runs, with six doubles and two triples ... concluded his Shelton State career with a 15-8 (.652) record and a 2.68 ERA in 30 career games, pitching 160.2 innings, allowing 48 runs and 149 hits with 58 walks and 111 strikeouts ... held opponents to a .248 career batting average ... at the plate, he hit .283 (70-for-247) with four home runs and 50 RBI, while scored 48 runs ... recorded five multi-hit games ... drafted in the 24th round by the Boston Red Sox in the 2006 MLB Draft.
FRESHMAN (2006 ?? Shelton State CC):
Appeared in 13 games, posting a 6-4 (.600) record with a 2.77 ERA ... pitched two complete games ... worked 61.2 innings, allowing 19 runs and 52 hits with 27 walks and 40 strikeouts ... allowed only seven extra base hits and did not surrender a home run in 205 at bats ... ranked 16th in the state in ERA (2.77), 18th in hits allowed per game (7.59) and 25th in wins (6) ... posted a season-high eight strikeouts against Lawson State on April 25 ... played in 54 total games with 52 starts ... hit .295 (41-for-139) with two home runs and 27 RBI, with seven doubles, four triples and 27 runs scored ... ranked fourth in the state in triples per game (0.074) while recording six three-hit games ... had a season-high four RBI against both Central Alabama and Chattahoochee Valley.
HIGH SCHOOL:
A 2005 graduate of Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa ... earned four varsity letters in high school, two at Tuscaloosa County High School (2002-03) and two more at Bryant High (2004-05) ... pitched a 10-inning game against Russell County High School, then the No. 1-ranked team in the nation ... also was a place-kicker on the football team at Bryant High ... played American Legion baseball for Tuscaloosa Post 34 ... won back-to-back state titles in 2004 and 2005 ... named to 2005 All-Tournament Team.
PERSONAL:
Full name is Robert Jackson Phares (pronounced Fair-iss) ... son of Todd and Debbie Phares ... has one brother, Rich ... his mother, Debbie, played college tennis at LaGrange (Ga.) College ... as a 14-year-old played in 2001 United States Sports Academy’s (USSA) National Baseball Tournament and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament ... played in the 1998 Dizzy Dean World Series as an 11-year old ... once wrote a letter to Hall of Famer Hank Aaron asking for hitting tips and got a reply with an autographed photo ... once played a game at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. ... enjoys computer games ... competed in the International Computer Games Competition in the summer of 2004 in Dallas, Texas.
