South Alabama Sports – Weekend Preview
Softball
The 21st ranked Jaguar Softball team will conclude their season with a double-header on Saturday starting at 1pm at Jaguar Field.
The Jags will host Troy on Senior Day with Julie Moss and Hannah Campbell both being honored as the lone seniors on the team this season.
The Jags have locked up the 2nd seed in the Sun Belt Conference championships that get underway on May 7 in Lafayette, Louisiana. ULL locked up the top seed for the Championship as well as they are set to host the Tournament.
Come out and show your support to the seniors and the rest of the team as they finish the season strong heading into postseason play!
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team will be in Atlanta for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against Georgia State.
They will get started at 5pm Central tonight with left-hander Locke St. John (5-1) taking the mound for the Jaguars to face off against fellow lefty Kenny Anderson (4-3).
Game two on Saturday will start at 1pm with right-hander Kevin Hill (3-5) taking the mound against fellow righty Nathan Bates (1-2).
The finale on Sunday will start at noon with Hunter Soleymani (0-2) going against Aidan McLaughlin (1-1).
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Three Jaguar Men’s Golfers Earn All-SBC Honors
Photo: Mike Kittrell al.com
Three Jaguar Men’s Golfers were earned Sun Belt Conference recognition for their season on Thursday.
Junior Michael Garretson was named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Golfer of the Year. In addition, fellow junior Tyler Klava was named to the first-team All-Sun Belt team while senior Lane Hulse was named to the second-team All-Sun Belt Team.
This is the 24th consecutive year that USA has been represented by at least one All-Conference student-athlete.
Garretson from Acworth, Georgia led the Jags with nine top-20 finishes in 12 events this season. Seven of those were top-10 finishes. He also had a 72.61 stroke average that ranked second in the conference. In September, he was the SBC Golfer of the Month after tying for third in the Sam Hall Intercollegiate and tying for second one week later at the Columbia Regional Preview. Garretson was ninth at The Invitational at The Ocean Course and tied for ninth at the Samford Intercollegiate while helping the Jags finish second and first respectively at those events. His 6-under-par 65 and 8-under-par 205 at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate were the lowest 18 and 54-hole scores posted by a Jaguar this season.
This is the second consecutive season that Garretson was named to the first-team All-Conference team.
Klava from Pace, Florida also had a 72.61 scoring average and led the league by 0.005 of a point after recording top-10 finishes in each of the Jaguars’ last three events. He tied for second in the Sun Belt Championship with a 5-under-par 211 total for three rounds which was highlighted by a season-low 4-under 68 on the opening day of the tournament. He finished second on the team with five top-10 finishes and seven top-20 finishes with 16 rounds of par or better.
He is the third member of the program to earn All-SBC honors on at least three occasions under head coach Ben Hannan and joined Jonny Caldwell and Jack Hiluta in that honor.
Hulse from Fordyce, Arkansas posted a career low 73.75 stroke average which was third on the team and 14th in the conference. He posted three top-10 finishes, all this spring, and was in the top-20 on five occasions in his final season for the Jaguars. He led the Jags in its win at Samford while tying for second in the individual standings while his other top-10 results helped the Jags finish second at both the Memphis Intercollegiate and the SBC Championship.
He shot a low round of 2-under 69 at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate and a career-best 3-under 213 three-round total at the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic in October.
Their efforts on the course have helped the Jaguars to finish in the top-three six times this season and to finish the season ranked 54th according to the most recent GolfStat rating.
Monday morning they will find out if they have received an invitation to play in the NCAA Regional.
USA Men’s Golf Fall One Stroke Shy In SBC Championships
Photo: Mike Kittrell al.com
The South Alabama Jaguars men’s golf team shot an 8-under par 280 as a group in the final round of the Sun Belt Championships to have the low round of the tournament and finish second in the team standings.
Senior Blake Kelley led the team with a season-best 4-under 68 with Lane Hulse and Tyler Klava both shooting 2-under 70’s. Ryan Pope added an even-par round of 72 while Michael Garretson shot a 74 as the Jags shot an even-par 864 over three days.
The Jags fell just one shot short of tying Georgia State, who shot a 287 on the final day and a three-day total of 863 to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship by one stroke. They also earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals next month.
Texas State’s Stuart Smallwood finished with a 54 hole score of 208 for an 8-under total to take the top spot in the individuals. Klava finished tied for second, three strokes behind while Hulse also recorded a top-10 finish with a tie for 10th. Kelley finished tied for 14th with a three-round score of 220.
The 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship selections will be announced live via the Golf Channel on Monday, May 5 from 9-10 CDT during the Morning Drive. She show will also be streamed online on the Golf Channel website and will then be posted on the NCAA website.
USA Softball Drops In Polls
The South Alabama softball team fell in the polls for the second straight week after going 2-2 last week and dropping two of three to conference leader Lousiana-Lafayette.
The Jags (32-8, 9-4 SBC) fell from #15 to #19 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 and fell from #16 to #20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25 poll as well. They are currently third in the conference standing behind ULL (11-1) and Western Kentucky (8-3).
The Ragin’ Cajuns overtook the Jaguars in the polls to become the highest ranked team from the Sun Belt as they rose to #17 in both polls. The Jags remain the second-highest ranked team in the state of Alabama as the Crimson Tide fell from #3/#2 to #7/#6 in the ESPN.com and USA Today polls respectively. Auburn ranks #23 and #24 in the USA TOday and ESPN.com polls respectively.
The Jags will host Georgia State at Jaguar Field this weekend with a double-header scheduled for Friday beginning at 4pm and concluding with their third game on Saturday at noon prior to Easter Sunday.
USA Softball Win Streak Snapped By #4 Alabama 3-0
The Jaguar softball team had their 13-game winning streak and their 17-game road winning streak broken on Wednesday evening by #4 ranked Alabama by a score of 3-0.
South Alabama matched the Crimson Tide in hits and Farish Beard pitched five innings of shutout ball, but the bottom of the second inning saw them put up three runs which the Jaguars could not muster a response.
In the top of the second, Amanda Herron reached base on a fielding error by the Tide’s shortstop. Alex Breeden followed with USA’s first hit of the game, a two-out single through the left side of the infield. Then the pitch would get by the catcher to allow the runners to advance to second and thir, but Taylor Rodger’s would line out end the inning.
In the bottom of the second, UA’s Andrea Hawkins would drop a double in left field just over Kaitlyn Griffith’s head which allowed Leona Lafaele who reached on an error, Jackie Traina who was hit by a pitch and Haylie McCleney who was walked to all score.
The Jags had another chance in the top of the fifth with runners on second and third, but they could not get another hit to drive them across the plate.
Beard (16-2) pitched six innings and allowed five hits and three runs, all unearned, with four strikeouts and a walk for the Jaguars.
Sydney Littlejohn pitched four innings and allowed three hits with two strikeouts and no walks to pick up the win. Jaclyn Traina pitched three innings and allowed two hits whiel striking out four with no walks to pick up her second save of the season.
Beard’s NCAA-leading ERA fell to 0.40 in the loss.
South Alabama will look travel to San Marcos, Texas for a three game weekend series against the Bobcats. They will play a double-header on Saturday with games at 1pm and 3pm with Sunday’s game set to start at 11am.
USA Softball Moves Up In Polls, Takes on #4 Alabama This Evening
South Alabama’s Softball team is starting to draw more national attention. Coming off of back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships they had high expectations for 2014 and they have not disappointed.
In the midst of a 13 game winning streak they have climbed to #11 in both the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll.
Earlier in the week Hannah Campbell became the first Jaguar female to be drafted professionally when she was selected third overall in the National Pro Fastpitch Draft. Then she and Farish Beard were both featured in an ESPNW.com article about South Alabama’s softball program and how it’s built on local players. (You can read it here.)
The Jaguars will have a big opportunity to make a big jump in the polls and to knock off the top ranked program in the state when they travel to #4 ranked University of Alabama this evening.
The Jags (29-3, 7-0 SBC) puts their 13-game win streak, 17-game road win streak and best-ever poll ranking on the line against Alabama (31-5, 11-1 SEC). USA enters with the best overall ERA in the nation and the highest ranking in program history, but the Tide lead the all-time series 8-0. Last season the Crimson Tide defeated the Jags 4-0 to snap the Jaguars 12-game winning streak.
USA has defeated then #17 ranked Georgia and then #21 ranked LSU this season to hold a 2-0 record against SEC opponents.
The Jags and the Tide get underway at 6pm in Tuscaloosa in what could very well be one of the best games of the season. The game can be heard through Jaguar All-Access.
USA Softball Moves Up One Spot In Poll; Holds Steady In Other
The South Alabama Softball team made a slight move in one poll while holding steady in the other. The Jags are 15-2 on the season and coming off a 4-1 record over the weekend at the Gulf Coast Classic where their only loss was a narrow one #12 Baylor.
The team remained at #14 in the USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll while they moved up one stop in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 to #15.
The Jaguars are the only other school in the state ranked in the top 25. Alabama is ranked #11, Auburn narrowly misses at 26 and UAB is 33rd.
The only other Sun Belt Conference school to make the poll is Louisiana-Lafayette, the preseason choice to win the conference title, who are ranked 23rd.
The team travels to Boca Raton, Florida for the Parents’ Weekend Tournament at Florida Atlantic University this weekend.
The 2014 South Alabama Football Schedule Has Been Released
The Jaguars rally at mid field after they enter the field to just prior to kickoff against Western Kentucky on Saturday, September 14, 2013.
This morning the Sun Belt Conference released the conference schedule. We already knew the Jags non-conference schedule but the SBC schedule was still up in the air at to who the team would be facing.
There are two SEC schools on the schedule and no FCS opponents.
The departure of Western Kentucky and the additions of Georgia Southern and Appalachian State as full members and New Mexico State and Idaho as football only members shuffled the schedules somewhat.
You will notice the Jags do not play ULM or New Mexico State this season, but they do travel to App. State and Idaho while hosting Georgia Southern.
After hosting Kent State, the will return to Ohio to face them again. The Jags will wrap up the season with two non-conference games against an SEC opponent in South Carolina and the Naval Academy.
Below is the full schedule for the Jags this season. Mark your calendars and get those tailgating and traveling plans started. We are just over six months away from kickoff of the 2014 season!
9/6 South Alabama @ Kent State
9/13 Miss. State @ South Alabama
9/20 Georgia Southern @ South Alabama
9/27 South Alabama @ Idaho
10/4 South Alabama @ Appalachian State
10/11 OPEN
10/18 Georgia State @ South Alabama
10/25 Troy @ South Alabama
11/1 South Alabama @ Louisiana-Lafayette
11/8 South Alabama @ Arkansas State
11/15 Texas State @ South Alabama
11/22 South Alabama @ South Carolina
11/28 Navy @ South Alabama
*NOTE: Kickoff times have not yet been announced.
“We are extremely excited about our 2014 schedule. Most people have pointed to this year since the beginning of the football program as one with peaked interest and enthusiasm,” Athletics Director Joel Erdmannstated. “The home portion of the schedule brings a type and level of college football experience to Mobile that has not been here before. Each opponent provides a unique attractiveness to that particular game. Adding even more intrigue is the continued development of our program against quality opponents both at home and on the road, as we will once again be facing multiple programs that have participated in a bowl game the last couple years.”
“Our crowds have continued to ‘mature’ and grow traditions, tailgating a certain way, cheering a certain way in various situations and ultimately creating a home field advantage which is vital to our program’s success. This year’s schedule brings a great opportunity for our loyal fans to renew their season tickets and to bring new people into the Jaguar Nation.”
“We are excited by the types of teams we are playing, obviously it will be very challenging. It’s probably the most challenging schedule we have played to date,” head coach Joey Jones said. “It’s a very challenging schedule, but it’s one that when our players look at it they get excited.”
“A lot of schools play four non-conference teams early in their schedule,” Jones stated. “I like the fact that Navy is at the end of ours.”
“We are going to have to watch how we practice and monitor our players,” Jones said about having five straight games before an off date. “We’re playing all Division I teams with some road games in that stretch, so we are going to have to be smart about how we handle these young men during the season. We have a lot of seniors who will be mentally tough enough to handle this, but we have to make sure that we do things and make decisions throughout the season where we are not wearing our players out.”
“I see Troy, Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Texas State all in a row, that’s a tough road right there,” Jones continued. “But, it’s exciting to have Georgia Southern, a team that beat Florida last year, for our opening home conference game, there should be a lot of buzz around that game. Then we go to Idaho and Appalachian State which is two long trips in a row. I don’t know that you can ever design a schedule that is going to be perfect, so the bottom line is we are going to have to get ready each week to win ball games. That’s the mindset that we are going to have.”
Of the 12 teams on the schedule this season, five of them played in bowl games last season with each of them winning their game. Eight of the 12 teams had a winning season last year as well.
USA Softball Move Up In Polls
After going 5-0 in the 2014 Mardi Gras Invitational and defeating the then #21 ranked UAB Blazer, the South Alabama softball team has moved up in both polls that were released on Tuesday.
USA moved up from #20 to #18 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll and also moved up from #22 to #19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
South Alabama is now the highest ranked team from the Sun Belt Conference after Louisiana-Lafayette fell from #13 to #20 in the USA Today Poll and from #15 to #20 in the ESPN.com poll.
UAB fell out of the of the poll after falling 8-0 to South Alabama in the opening game of the tournament and finished 1-3 for the weekend. The University of Alabama up to #4 from #6 in the USA Today poll and remained #6 in the ESPN.com poll to continue to be the highest ranked school from the state of Alabama in the latest polls.
The Jaguars travel to Athens, Georgia this weekend for the Bulldog Invitational. They will begin play at 9am on Friday against Ohio University then again at 11:30am against Mercer. On Saturday they will play Furman at 8am and Georgia at 1pm. Sunday they will play Georgia once more at 1pm.
Georgia is ranked #19 in the USA Today Poll, one spot behind the Jaguars, and #17 in the ESPN.com, one spot ahead of the Jaguars.
USA Softball Ranked In Another Poll; Hannah Campbell Named To Watch List
Hannah Campbell was selected to the Top-50 Watch List for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. | usajaguars.com
The Jaguar softball team received two more honors as the season quickly approaches.
Hannah Campbell was selected to the Top-50 “Watch List” for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award as announced by the Amateur Softball Association of America and USA Softball.
This is the 13th year the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be given by the National Governing Body for softball in the United States. It is designed to recognize the outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
Campbell is a native of Satsuma, Alabama and finished last season with a 22-9 record and had the nation’s second-best ERA of 1.08. She was selected as a Second-Team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the program’s first-ever All-American.
She was named the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row after leading the Jaguars to back-to-back conference tournament titles. She recorded six saves and 10 shutouts last year, both single-season records for USA.
She throw three no-hitters, including a perfect game against Mississippi Valley State in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Mobile Regional hosted by South Alabama.
The preseason watch list includes 24 seniors, 20 juniors and six sophomores. Freshmen are ineligible.
Also, the Jags were ranked 22nd in the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top-25 poll. The announcement came from the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and USA Softball.
Last week they were ranked 20th in the USA Today/National Fastpick Coaches Association Division I Preseason Top-25 Poll.
Both are firsts for the program.
The same six opponents that were ranked last week were also ranked in this poll. UAB was 21, Georgia was 23, Baylor was 18, Lousiana-Lafayette was 13 and LSU was 17.
Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky received votes but were not ranked.