Ali Simpson comes to Alexandria from Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Coming north should not faze Simpson, as he hails from Canada. He recorded 121 strikeouts in 79 innings as a high school senior at Carhi Secondary. Simpson burst onto the scene during his freshman campaign at Bethune-Cookman. He went 9-2 with a 3.23 ERA, including 5-0 with a 1.09 ERA in conference play. The accolades followed, as Simpson was named to the Freshman All-American Team by Louisville Slugger, the MEAC Conference Rookie of the Year, and First Team All-MEAC. As a sophomore he was also named First Team All-MEAC while picking up six wins and 65 strikeouts over the course of the season. Simpson had 14 strikeouts against Alabama A&M in his first start of the 2011 season before being shut down with an elbow injury after four starts. Simpson’s favorite food is steak and he will challenge anyone to a badminton match.