T-BALL

BASEBALL

Alabama-Florida game time changed for Sunday

TUSCALOOSA | The University of Alabama's baseball game Sunday against Florida has been moved up one hour and will start at 1:05 p.m. to accommodate the Gators' travel schedule. The game was originally set for 2:05 p.m.

Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) will carry the game live, with Chris Stewart and Scott McClanahan handling the call for the regional sports network.

Alabama (28-22, 12-12 SEC) opens the three-game series with Florida on Friday at 6:35 p.m., followed by the final installment of 'Friday Night Fireworks.'

The teams will play the second game of the series Saturday at 4:05 p.m. The Crimson Tide senior class will be honored at 3:45 p.m.

UA men's track team signs high jumper

TUSCALOOSA | University of Alabama men's track and field coach Harvey Glance announced Tuesday the signing of high jumper Michael Edwards of Kissimmee, Fla.

The native of England and Poinciana High School student will begin jumping for the Crimson Tide in the spring of 2009.

'When we went to evaluate him, we saw him jump the third highest mark in the nation at the time,' Glance said.

'He is tall and really athletic and will be a benefit to our program right away.'

While at Poinciana High, Edwards has broken the school, conference and district record with a leap of 7 feet 1/4 inch — the sixth-best jump in the nation at the prep level. Edwards won the state and district title in 2006 and was the regional runner-up.

Edwards will compete for Great Britain this summer at the World Youth Championships in Poland. The 6-foot-6 Edwards also competed at the 2007 AAU Junior Olympics.

'The high jump will be a very competitive event for us for not just next year but years to come,' Glance said.

'He is an instant addition to our program and his marks in high school are already a national qualifier at the collegiate level.'

Edwards has also earned a letter in football and three in basketball.

Edwards joins Tyler Campbell from Jasper and Aaron Stockstell from Iowa City, Iowa, as UA signees.

Georgia's Katie Heenan wins Honda Award

NEW YORK | Katie Heenan of Georgia won the Honda Award as the top female college gymnast after leading her team to its fourth straight national championship.

The senior finished second in the uneven bars in the NCAA individual event finals.

Despite sitting out early in the season with a back injury, she earned All-America honors in the all-around with a third-place finish. The career-scoring leader for the Lady Bulldogs also earned recognition on vault, bars and beam.

'After I was diagnosed with two herniated disks in my back last year, I went through an especially painful season,' she said.

'It's really gratifying to see that my decision to keep training and competing, and all the effort I made during the season, has really paid off.'

She is eligible for the Honda-Broderick Cup, which will be presented to the nation's female college athlete of the year in New York on June 23.