Hartselle’s Todd Gibson continued in a long line of Tiger baseball players to compete at the collegiate level.

On Friday, he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Calhoun Community.

While Gibson didn’t see much action last baseball season due to injury, coaches from Calhoun and other schools got a chance to see Gibson in action this summer. During that time, he turned the head of Calhoun head coach Mike Burns.

“What I look for in pitchers is someone who will throw strikes,” Burns said. “Todd throws in the mid-80s and he has good motion on his pitches especially his curveball.”

While Gibson’s being recruited as a pitcher, Burns will give his pitchers an opportunity to hit and play in the field.

Gibson, the son of Greg and Lynn Gibson, said his average fastball is between 84-86 mph and can occasionally hit 88. In addition to his fastball, Gibson also likes his curveball, which tends to take break out at the plate.

The Hartselle senior said he chose Calhoun over Birmingham-Southern and Huntingdon College in Montgomery.

“I chose Calhoun because of Coach Burns,” he said. “I felt like it was the right place for me to be right now.”

In college, he plans to study engineering in either aerospace or computers.

Burns wasn’t just impressed about Gibson’s performance on the field, but also his performance in the classroom and his character.

“We’re not just getting a good baseball player in Todd, but he’s also a great person,” Burns said. “At Calhoun, I only have two rules – show up on time and to act with class and good character. Todd is a great person, great student and a great player. We’re happy to get another great player from here.”

Head coach William Booth echoed Burns’ sentiment.

“Todd is an outstanding baseball player and an outstanding person,” Booth said. “Calhoun is getting a great player.”

Gibson wants to continue his baseball career beyond his two years at Calhoun.

“I want to get ready to go on to the next level,” Gibson said. “The Calhoun coaching staff does a great job of preparing their players for that.”

Gibson said he wanted to thank his parents, family and friends for the support they’ve shown through the years.

“My parents have always been there to help me even when I was little kid starting to play,” Gibson said. “They’ve been great. I really appreciate what they have done for me.