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Naile takes next step, signs with University of Alabama at Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- He wasn't the reason they came, but James Naile made a huge impression on the UAB baseball program.
During a routine visit to see other prospects, the Charleston High School graduate caught the eye of the University of Alabama at Birmingham giving Naile an opportunity he's pined over since signing with Parkland University after high school.
Naile signed with the Blazers making him one of the first former Bluejays to play baseball at the Division I level.
"They were there looking at other players and I was lucky enough to have a good day," Naile said. "I was fortunate enough to have a good day. All it takes is to have one good day and you're able to do something special. You never know who's watching and it paid off for me."
A scout who has ties with both UAB and the San Diego Padres was at a Parkland baseball game looking at another potential signee. Naile was the one who made the impact prompting another visit from UAB soon after.
"The scout from the Padres ends up calling me and told me they were looking for starting pitching for next year," said Naile. "Before you know it, UAB is on their way up to watch me throw a bullpen session."
Scouts and coaches from UAB made the eight hour trek to Champaign, Ill., to simply watch Naile throw 20 pitches.
"They drove up and drove right back," Naile said. "Right there I knew UAB was a good school. Any school that is willing to put forth that kind of effort in a major conference like that is a good school to go to."
He got the call while on a float trip with friends Monday and Naile instantly had to pack up his belongings to make the seven hour trip to Birmingham.
Naile joins a UAB squad who recently won the 2012 Conference USA championship giving them an automatic bid to play in the NCAA Tournament during the Tallahassee Regional.
UAB rarely recruits junior college freshman. They made an exception for Naile.
"The first thing that jumps out to me (about UAB) is there coaches," said Naile. "They were very down to earth and we pretty much clicked right off the bat."
The 6-3, 180-pound college freshman has been through the highs and lows of college baseball during his first full season with Parkland.
Like many first-year pitchers, Naile saw his share of struggles -- something the Charleston phenom rarely went through while on the mound at Hillhouse Park.
He blew his first two save opportunities and couldn't figure out a way to retire hitters.
"I went into Parkland now knowing what to expect," Naile said. "I knew that I wanted to see what I could do against college hitters and I struggled at first. It was very disappointing because I've never really struggled like that in entire life."
After a dismal fall season, Naile bettered himself over the winter, increasing his velocity and fine-tuning his already high pitching IQ.
"I hit the weight room and tried getting my velocity up," said Naile. "I worked really hard over the winter. I've actually stopped playing the field entirely and that has led to me having more success on the mound."
He eventually worked his way into the Cobras' role as closer and found his groove after a slow start to the season.
Naile leaves Parkland with a 5-3 record, a 3.55 ERA in 16 appearances. He struck out 38 batters and walked only nine in 38 innings.
"My stats aren't really all that pretty," Naile said. "Being a closer, a three-run bomb sky-rocket's your ERA. I tried all year to get that thing down, but one bad outing can do that."
Parkland's season ended in the Region 24 championship game against Heartland, 3-0. They ended up with a 40-20 overall record and a 26-6 record in the MWAC.
"There was a lot of things I had to overcome to have a good spring," Naile said. "I had a few bumps in the road, but it taught me a lot about pitching."
Signing with Parkland has worked out exactly how Naile intended. His initial plan was to use Parkland, one of the nation's top junior college feeder programs, as a stepping stone into a Division I program.
His decision was the correct one.
"Parkland is such a great opportunity to be seen by other scouts. That's why I went there and it's worked out for me," Naile said. "It's a great opportunity to come in and play against some of the best competition in the country at UAB. Hopefully, it will turn into an opportunity to play professional baseball one day."