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Courtesy of Michelle Potter
Sonny Potter
Sonny Potter signs his National Letter of Intent with the University of Alabama.
2 of 2
Courtesy of Michelle Potter.
Sonny Potter
Sonny Potter and his family after he signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at University of Alabama.
The wait is finally over for Vestavia Hills senior pitcher Sonny Potter.
After verbally committing to play baseball for the University of Alabama at the conclusion of his sophomore season in 2014, the star southpaw solidified his college commitment on Wednesday afternoon, signing his National Letter of Intent (NLI) to join the Crimson Tide on an athletic scholarship.
“When the day finally came, it was just a dream come true,” Potter said.
A 2015 Super All-State selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) who started for the North in July’s prestigious AHSAA North-South All-Star game, Potter posted a 6-1 record and 1.15 ERA last spring, recording 66 strikeouts over the course of 66 innings pitched.
Armed with a fastball that hovers between the high 80s and low 90s, along with a confounding curveball and deceptive changeup, Potter first garnered college attention in March 2014.
Selected to take the mound against a Chiles High School (Fla.) lineup that would eventually advance to the FHSAA 7A State semi-final, Potter, then a sophomore, tossed a no-hitter.
The pristine performance, which was just one walk away from a perfect game, drew the attention of big-time schools from across the state and region, as Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn all began to express interest.
Although his grandfather, Jimmy Sidle, was an All-American dual-threat quarterback and 1963 Heisman Trophy finalist at Auburn, Potter’s decision was a no-brainer.
A lifelong Alabama fan, he verbally committed to the Tide on the same day he received his offer.
“I had known from the time I was 6 years old that if I got the opportunity I’d take it,” Potter said, “and as soon as I knew it was there, I wasn’t letting it get out of my reach.”
