By Will Hightower
Austin Hubbard pitched for the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2010. Photo courtesy Hudson Valley Renegades.
When the community of Homewood last saw Austin Hubbard, the athlete was headed to Auburn after an illustrious multi-sport career at Homewood High School. These days, the 23 year old is starting his second season in minor league baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Hubbard is a relief pitcher, a specialist called upon in the last few innings of games. In the 19 games he pitched for the Hudson Valley Renegades in Upstate New York, he allowed a mere two runs, making his ERA an unheard of 0.39 on the season.
These tremendous results on the mound earned Hubbard, only one year out of Auburn, a spot on the Class-A Short Season All-Star Team.
One of the most prolific athletes in Homewood High School history, Hubbard led the football team to back-to-back 5A state championships. He passed for 5,347 yards and 52 touchdowns in his career at Homewood, and was 5A Player of the Year as a senior.
Even though he broke multiple football records and had some of the best seasons of anyone in Alabama state history, it was not his top priority.
“I always thought of myself as a baseball player who played football,” Hubbard said. “Football was just something I played for fun. When colleges were recruiting me to play football, it was easy for me to say no because baseball was what I had always loved most. Baseball was truly my first love.”
Playing under the tutelage of Doug Gann and Keith Brown at Homewood, Hubbard pitched a school-record 99 strikeouts and was named All-State as a senior. Continue reading
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