Sydney Booker was never going to entertain the idea of accepting a softball scholarship at Auburn. She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father, David Booker, and play at Alabama.
David Booker played split end for Alabama’s legendary coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant and was on the 1978 and ‘79 National Championship football teams.
Booker said she would not have even considered Auburn when Alabama, her dream school, did not offer her a scholarship out of high school.
She ended up taking a scholarship to attend Southeastern Louisiana and played there for one season.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Booker said. “It really wasn’t. I was just trying to go somewhere that was going to help me out [financially] with school. Southeastern was the best option in that situation.”
Booker set school records in both RBI (49) and triples (8), while batting .352 in her lone season at Southeastern Louisiana. She was a top-25 finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year.
She was also named second-team All-Louisiana and third-team All-Southland Conference.
After the season, Booker asked for her release from Southeastern Louisiana. Her coach was leaving and she wanted to see if she could leverage her successful freshman season to play at a bigger Division I program.
She called Alabama coach Patrick Murphy to gauge his interest. Murphy apologized and said he should have recruited her in high school.
She told him things happen for a reason.
“She had perspective,” Murphy said.
Booker also intrigued Murphy because she was working as a delivery person at a pizza place. She needed money and was clearly willing to work to get it.
Murphy offered Booker a chance to play at Alabama. She was about to accomplish her goal of wearing Alabama crimson.
It is a decision that has paid off for Murphy and Alabama.
She earned the nickname, “Top Ten Book,” from her teammates, in reference to the three times she has been featured on ESPN’s top 10 plays on “SportsCenter.”
“She’s a stud,” teammate Demi Turner said. “It doesn’t matter where the ball is; she’s going to lay out and make a play on it. I always tell her ‘golden glove baby.’”
Booker’s defense even wowed former Alabama baseball coach Mitch Gaspard when he saw her at an Alabama practice in her sophomore season.
“Who the hell is that shortstop?” Gaspard said. “And can I have her? Can we make a trade?”
Lately, Booker’s bat has kept up with her glove and helped Alabama win ball games.
In nine SEC games, Booker owns a .333 batting average and leads the team with a .810 slugging percentage. She has hit all three of her home runs, seven RBI and 15 total bases against teams in the SEC.
Turner has been thrilled with playing Booker for the past three seasons and would not trade her for the world.
“I am going to miss playing next to Booker,” Turner said. “She makes it so much fun to be out there and play.”
