Northside standout athlete Austin Kightlinger prepares for Indiana baseball
Growing up, Northside senior Austin Kightlinger was rarely without something to do . If he wasn't flipping through the air or hanging from bars at his family's gymnastics gym, he likely had a baseball in his hand. His mother, Erin Holdefer-Kightlinger, made sure he was always moving , while his father, Eric Kightlinger, made sure a ball was never far away. The family's movement structure helped shape the athlete Austin would become. On Thursday, Nov. 12, he'll take the next step in his athletic career when he signs to play baseball at Indiana University. LIVE: See where West Alabama athletes are heading on NCAA Early Signing Day RAMS: Northside flag football's volunteer coaches provide opportunity, state title hopes Austin, who plays center field, shortstop and is a right-handed pitcher, comes from a family with a strong athletic background. His mother was a member of Alabama's 2002 national championship gymnastics team and now owns Bama Bounders Gymnastics alongside her husband. Austin spent much of his childhood in that gym. He even became a six-time state gymnastics champion by age 6 before deciding to focus on baseball. Although he eventually stepped away from gymnastics, Austin said the skills he developed at an
