MOREHEAD, Ky.— Former Morehead State baseball standout
Michael Bottoms has been extended a unique opportunity to continue his career. Bottoms will be on the roster for the Kensington Cardinals in Adelaide, South Australia, when the professional team begins its season in October.
Bottoms, a multi-position star at MSU, will be just one of two non-Australian players on Kensington’s roster. Teams in the South Australian Baseball League (SABL) are only allowed two non Australian nationals on their rosters, and according to Kensington coach Leigh Norman, Bottoms was the Cardinal’s number one choice among the non-Australian natives.
Norman also believes that Bottoms’ two-way playing ability can be a real asset this season. Bottoms will be used as a spot starter on the mound as well as a starter in the field.
“I am very happy for Michael. He did just about as much as you can ask one man to do for our club,” said MSU baseball coach
Jay Sorg. “He deserves the opportunity to play professional baseball. This is going to be an outstanding experience for him.”
Kensington is the defending postseason champions of the 13-team South Australia Premier League, and the 2010 season runs from October through March. Australia’s traditional summer season is opposite of the United States due to its location in the southern hemisphere.
Bottoms was a three-time Second-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection at MSU, and he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business administration from MSU in May. He has also been accepted into law school, which he will put on hold until after the season.
At MSU, Bottoms was a two-time winner of the team’s Steve Hamilton Pitcher of the Year Award (2008, 2010). At the plate, he ranked third in the nation in toughest to strikeout in 2010. He was also a finalist for the John Olerud National Two-Way Player Award.
Bottoms excelled in the classroom as well. He was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First-Team, and in 2009, he was named CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-America.
For his career, he hit .332 with 122 RBIs and 33 doubles. As a pitcher, he posted 13 wins and five saves in 236 innings.
His is the third Eagle off the 2010 team to extend his career with a professional contract, joining Drew Lee and J.D. Ashbrook who are both with the rookie league Bristol White Sox.
