Alabama Baseball Signee Named Virginia Gatorade POTY

HENRICO, Va. — Alabama Baseball adds another Gatorade Player of the Year to its 2025 recruiting class, this time in Virginia's Luke Smyers.

Smyers, a southpaw from Henrico, Va., and a Godwin High School product, posted a .41 ERA and 109 strikeouts over 51 innings for the Eagle during his senior campaign. In the batter's box, Smyers added three home runs with 21 RBIs and a 1.103 OPS.

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Smyers also holds Godwin's program record for career strikeouts on the mound with 315.

The southpaw may be utilized as a two-way player in Tuscaloosa, as the Crimson Tide coaching staff did with Kade Snell in 2024 before converting the captain to a full-time outfielder for the 2025 campaign. Snell is also a left-hander.

“Luke’s knowledge of the game goes far beyond his age. His ability to rise to the occasion with every pitch or at-bat supersedes anything that I’ve seen from a high school player," said Smyers' high school coach Josh Gentry. "He took the ball for every big game we had on our schedule this year, striking out 10+ in all those games. He went 24 straight innings without giving up a run and took two no-hitters into the 7th. He has an uncanny knack for thriving under the big lights and it makes him such a special player.”

Smyers is one of three Alabama signees to be named as their state's Gatorade Player of the Year, joining Eric Hines (Alabama) and Will Rhine (Maryland).

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