Jag Sports Weekend Preview
Both the Baseball and #21 ranked Softball team will host weekend series on campus this weekend. Read below for the scoop on their opponents.
Softball
After the Jaguar softball team had their 11-game win streak snapped by Southern Miss on Wednesday, they will return to Jaguar Field with the intention of starting a new streak when they host North Dakota State this weekend.
The Jags (32-8) was shut out for the first time since their March 24 loss to #1 LSU. The Eagles scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning on an RBI single to right field.
The loss also snapped Kalen McGill’s consecutive-win streak to give her only her second loss of the season for a 14-2 record. She allowed one earned run on five hits while striking out one.
Farish Beard allowed one walk in one shutout inning of relief.
The only Jaguar hits of the night were Chloe Rathburn’s double and Amanda Herron’s single. Though Emily Messer reached base on each of the Eagle’s three errors on the night.
But now they turn their focus to North Dakota State in their final home-series of the regular season. Though it’s a non-conference series, North Dakota State gives the Jaguars a great opportunity against team with an RPI of 51 after losing to the Golden Eagles who had an RPI of 221.
NDSU enters the game with a 36-8 record after splitting a doubleheader at #10 Minnesota on Wednesday. They hold a 2-2 record on the season against ranked opponents after a 6-5 win over #17 Washington back in February and a run-rule loss to #11 Tennessee on March 7.
They will open the series Friday night at 6pm and conclude the series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 2pm.
Baseball
The Jags baseball team split a pair of games against Jacksonville State on the road to put their record at 26-16 overall and 11-7 in conference play.
This weekend they host Georgia State for a three-game series beginning at 6:30pm on Friday night at Eddie Stanky Field.
The Panthers (26-15, 13-3 SBC) enters the game as the conference leader with the best winning percentage in the conference.
Kevin Hill (6-0) will start the first game as he ranks second in the conference with six win, ranks fifth in ERA (2.45) and seventh in strikeouts (51) and opposing batting average (.231).
Austin Bembnowski (2-3) will start on Saturday and Jared Gates (3-2) will start the finale on Sunday.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Update – Softball Series Cancelled, Women’s Tennis Win Championship
Here is the weekend roundup of South Alabama Sports, despite the weather wreaking havoc with several sports in the Gulf Coast Area.
Women’s Tennis
Junior Michaela Meszarosova was able to pull out a marathon three-set match to give her team a 4-3 win over Texas-Arlington and its first Sun Belt Conference title since 2003. It is their 17th title overall, the most in conference history, and will receive the SBC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 21-2 overall record.
Men’s Tennis
The Men’s team did not fare as well as the women. After making their way into the SBC Finals and facing top-seed Troy, the Jags fell 4-1 to the Trojans.
The Jags fall to 16-9 on the season as they are ranked 69th in the nation. Troy improves their record to 25-6 as they are ranked 60th in the nation.
USA started off strong as Daniel Leitner and Gerhard Gruindelingh took the first doubles match 8-5, but that would be the only match the team won as Troy would win the next four.
Softball
The #22 ranked Jaguar softball team was supposed to host Texas State for their final conference home series of the regular season, however the rescheduled doubleheader for Sunday was cancelled due to field conditions which were made unplayable by heavy rains in the area throughout the week.
No make up date will be scheduled.
The Jaguars will travel to Hattiesburg, MS on Wednesday to face Southern Miss. They defeated the Eagles 9-1 in six innings in Mobile on March 18.
Men’s Golf
The opening day of the Sun Belt Conference Championships were called off on Sunday due to course conditions at the Sandestin Golf Resort Raven Course.
Weather permitting, the tournament will begin monday morning at 7:30am and will consist of 36 holes. The final round would still be played on Tuesday.
Baseball
The Jags traveled to Evansville, Indiana to face the Evansville University over the weekend.
In game one on Friday, it was Ben Gann’s grand slam in the third inning that led the Jaguars to a 7-3 win.
EU took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out two-run home run.
The Jags answered with four runs in the top of the third on the Grand Slam. But Evansville would cut the lead to one run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-out RBI single to center field.
In the top of the fifth, USA answered with a run to regain their two run lead. They would add two more insurance runs before the end of the game.
Kevin Hill (6-0) allowed three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts against three walks for his sixth consecutive win.
Evansville then swept a Saturday doubleheader to take the series from the Jags. They won the first game 6-5 then took the series with a 9-5 win in the finale.
USA will host Jacksonville State to a two-game series this week with the first game on Tuesday night starting at 6pm and the second game on Wednesday slated to start at 3pm.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Preview
South Alabama teams will be competing in several sports this weekend, some trying to win Conference titles while others are trying to position themselves to make a run at their Conference tournaments. Below is a rundown of the weekend events.
Softball
The #22 Softball team will host their final Sun Belt Conference series at home this weekend when Texas State comes to town.
The Jags roll into the weekend after going to Starkville to defeat Mississippi State 3-2 on Tuesday night and having won their last 11 games.
The Jags (32-7, 14-3 SBC) currently sits in second place in the conference behind Louisiana-Lafayette (32-5, 15-3 SBC). Texas State is in third place in the conference behind the Jaguars with a 25-19 record overall and an 8-6 record in conference play and enter the weekend with a three-game win streak.
The Jags and Bobcats are scheduled to begin with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1pm at Jaguar Field and the Sunday finale is scheduled for 1pm at Jaguar Field as well.
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team steps out of conference play this weekend to face Evansville in a three game series in Evansville, Indiana.
USA (24-13) will start right-hander Kevin Hill (5-0) for his seventh start of the year in the season opener. He has won his last five starts. Austin Bembnowski (2-3) will start his sixth game of the season on Saturday. Southpaw Jared Gates (3-1) will start the series finale set for Sunday.
Evansville (18-15) defeated Indiana 2-1 in 14 innings on Wednesday.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Both the men and women will be competing for Sun Belt Conference Titles this weekend. The Women’s squad is the #1 seed and will began action at 8am on Friday morning. The Men’s team is the #3 seed and will begin play on Friday afternoon against Appalachian State.
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field
The Track and Field team will return to action at the War Eagle Invitational. This will be their second trip to Auburn this spring. A total of 12 teams will be competing including Auburn, Mississippi State, Troy and Kent State.
Jaguar Softball Defeats Mississippi State 3-2 In Starkville
The #22 ranked South Alabama Jaguars traveled to Starkville, MS to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs Wednesday night and came away with a 3-2 win after turning away three rally attempts by the Bulldogs.
South Alabama put the first run on the board in the top of the fourth inning after senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith led off the inning with a double to left field. She would move to third base on Amanda Minahan’s infield base hit. Blair Johnson would bring Griffith home on an RBI groundout to second base to take a 1-0 lead.
The Jags added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning after Kristian Foster drew a walk. Stephanie Pilkington got on base on a fielder’s choice and was followed by Griffith drawing a walk to put two Jaguars on base. Sophomore Chloe Rathburn then hit a two-run single that fell just short of clearing the outfield wall and the bases, to put the Jags up 3-0.
Then MSU tried to rally. Bulldog center fielder Loryn Nichols reached base on a Jag throwing error to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. She would later score on a two-out single up the middle to cut the Jaguar lead to 3-1 through five complete innings.
The Jags went down in order in the top of the sixth inning, but the Bulldogs continued their attempted rally with back-to-back singles. Jaguar head coach Becky Clark then brough in Farish Beard to relieve starter Kalen McGill. Beard struck out the first batter before shortstop Kayla Winkfield hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in their second run of the game and cutting the Jaguar lead to only one run, 3-2.
Beard opened the seventh inning with a strikeout, then followed with a walk before forcing a pop out to first. Another walk put two Bulldogs on base, but Beard sealed with win after knocking down a bouncer up the middle and throwing them out at first base.
McGill (14-1) pitched a no-hitter for 3 1/3 innings to earn her seventh victory in a row. She struck out three and walked one allowing two runs, only one earned, on four hits in five innings pitched. Beard, who came in as relief, allowed no runs, struck out three with a pair of walks in two innings as she earned the save.
Rathburn went 1-for-3 with two RBI as she recorded her team-leading 15th multiple-RBI game this season. Kaitlyn Griffith went 1-for-3 with a run scored while Pilkington went 1-for-4 with a run scored as well.
Mississippi State’s Alexis Silkwood (22-10) is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Week over the last two voting period took the loss after allowing three runs, all earned, on four Jaguar hits in a complete-game effort.
“This was a really well-played game tonight. It kind of had a postseason feel to it,” said coach Clark. “It was a great win for us on the road. I felt like our kids were prepared, I felt like they competed, and I felt like they were composed the entire game. I’m proud of our effort tonight.”
The Jags improve their overall record to 32-7, their road record to 10-2 on teh season, and thier record against SEC opponents to 2-2 on the season. The Jags have now won the the last four meetings against the Bulldogs to hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series.
USA will return to Sun Belt Conference play this weekend when they host Texas State in the final regular-season conference home series of the season. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1pm as well as Sunday’s finale.
Jaguar Softball’s Farish Beard Named One of 10 Finalists for Senior CLASS Award
Beard was selected as only one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award to be awarded during the 2015 Women’s College World Series. It honors a student-athlete who excels on and off the field. Fan voting is open now through May 11. | Photo usajaguars.com
South Alabama softball senior pitcher Farish Beard earned another distinction on Tuesday when she was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. The Senior CLASS Award honors student-athletes that excel on and off the field.
CLASS is an acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty, and Achievement for Staying in School”. The award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages them to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Ballots will be distributed nationwide to media, coaches and fans who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four “C’s” of Community, Classroom, Character and Competition.
Fan voting is available online through May 11 at www.seniorCLASSaward.com with the winner being announced during the 2015 Women’s College World Series.
Beard has a 3.4 GPA and was named the 2013-14 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athlete. She was also part of the 2014 Jaguar team that earned the Sun Belt Conference Team Academic Award with a 3.36 overall GPA.
On the field, Beard is 5-2 on the season with a team-low 1.40 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 19 walks with only nine earned runs in 45 innings pitched.
She was a top-25 finalist for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, was named to the NFCA All-South Regional Second Team and the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. She led the NCAA in ERA for three weeks and topped the country in hits allowed per seven inning for two weeks. She finished fifth in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings (3.40), sixth in ERA (1.23) and ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (9.5).
Beard has been a three-time SBC pitcher of the week and has led the SBC in opposing batting average (.141), strikeouts (224), hits allowed (80), runs allowed (40) and doubles allowed (9), ranking among the top four in ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts looking, wins and fewest earned runs, walks, triples and home runs allowed. She even held opposing batters to the second-lowest average in a season in program history while recording the second-best strikeouts-per-seven-innings ratio in school history. Her win and shutout totals were third-most in a single season for a US pitcher.
Congratulations Farish!
Jaguar fans, go vote at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/ and help Farish bring home the award for her hard work both on and off the field!
Farish Beard Becomes Second Female Student-Athlete Drafted In Jaguar History
Farish Beard was selected in the sixth round of the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch Draft. She becomes only the second female student-athlete in school history to be selected in a professional draft. Former Jaguar Hannah Campbell was the first last season. | Photo usajaguars.com
For the second consecutive season the South Alabama Jaguar softball team has a player drafted in the National Pro Fastpitch Draft. Farish Beard was selected in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Dallas Charge on Wednesday.
Beard is only the second Jaguar softball student-athlete selected in the draft and only the second female in school history to be selected in a professional draft. Hannah Campbell was the first to accomplish that feat last season when she was selected third overall by the Akron Racers.
Beard, a Fairhope, Alabama native, has a 56-11 career record at South Alabama and is a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region selected. She was a 2014 Top-25 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player-of-the-Year award. She currently holds program records in Lowest ERA (1.34), Lowest Opponent Batting Average (.144), and Most Strikeouts per Seven Innings (9.46).
The NPF College Draft features four rounds of five selections, one round of six and one round of seven picks for a total of 33 overall draftees in the 2015 rookie class. Drafting an athlete give an NPF affiliate team rights to that athlete for two full seasons.
However, due to NCAA regulations, an active college senior-athlete may not sign with her respective franchise until after their 2015 college season is over.
“This is truly an honor, and it goes to show that hard work does pay off,” Beard said after the announcement. “[South Alabama head] Coach [Becky] Clark has helped me grow in my time here, both mentally and physically, and this honor brings much-deserved publicity to the Jaguar softball program.”
“This is a great honor for both Farish and our program,” head coach Becky Clark stated. “When you look at her body of work, it’s obvious what she has meant to South Alabama softball and shows she is definitely deserving of being drafted. She is such a competitor and plays the game with so much heart. I am extremely proud of her and all of her hard work; she has definitely earned her success.”
The National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch and Women’s Pro Softball League. NPF is the official development partner of Major League Baseball in the category of Women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.
Congratulations Farish! Go Jags!
Jags Defeat Mississippi State in Walk-Off Fashion in Extra Innings
The University of South Alabama baseball team toppled their third SEC opponent Tuesday night on a walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th inning to win 8-7.
The Jaguars fell behind 5-0 after the top half of the first inning. But they answered with two runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Cole Billingsley reached on an infield bunt to first base. He stole second and would later score on a two-out RBI single by Danny Martinez. A fielding error on a ball hit up the box by Cole Gleason allowed Jared Barnes, who reached base on a two-out walk, to score from second base to cut the Bulldog lead to 5-2. Adam Ballew drew a walk to load the bases, but a strikeout ended the inning without any more damage by the Jags.
USA tied the game in the bottom of the second inning after Ryan Raspino leadoff with a single. Later in the inning Matt Bolger hit a two-run triple to right-center field to cut the deficit to just one run. Barnes would groundout to second base but would plate Bolger to tie the game at 5-each.
The Bulldogs would retake the lead on a two-out two-run homer in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth the Jags would tie the game again on a one-out, two run homer by Benn Gann, the first of his Jaguar career.
In the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs loaded the bases on three-consecutive one-out singles, but Jaguar righty Ben Taylor struck out the next batter then induced an inning-ending groundout to short.
The Bulldogs threatened again in the top of the 10th after a leadoff single by Brown and moving to second base on a sacrifice bunt. The Jags intentionally walked Gavin Collins to pitch to Humphreys, which grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the 11th, Cameron Cummings and Adam Ballew drew back-to-back one-out walks. Then Gann smashed an 0-1 pitch to left-center field to score Cummings for the game winner.
Cody Van Aken threw two scoreless innings in relief to earn his second win of the season. He struck out two and issued only one walk. The Jags record improves to 19-10 while the Bulldogs fall to 19-12.
Gann went 2-for-6 with a double, a home run and a career high three RBI and one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate. Bolger finished 2-for-6 with a double, a triple, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Barnes hit a double, an RBI and a run scored. Billingsley had a pair of hits with a run scored and a stolen base.
South Alabama will face Jackson State on Wednesday at Eddie Stanky Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:30pm.
South Alabama Splits a Pair of High Profile Games Tuesday Evening
South Alabama played a pair of high-profile games on Tuesday, both were shutouts, but only one was a win for the Red, White and Blue.
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team shut out Alabama 3-0 at Eddie Stanky Field. Three Jag pitchers combined in the effor with right-hander Austin Bembnowsky (2-2) getting the start and throwing five scoreless innings with only two hits allowed while striking out five and only issuing one walk. Ben Taylor threw four scoreless innings in relief and struck out a career-high eight batters with only one walk and four hits to earn his second save of the season.
The Jags (16-9) took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Matt Bolger led off the inning with a double then advanced to third on a throwing error to second. Ryan Raspino hit an RBI groundout to short to bring Bolger home.
They doubled the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning after Bud Collura reached base with a leadoff single to left field. He advanced to second when the throw to second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Adam Ballew sailed wide of the base. Danny Martinez advanced both runners into scoring position with a groundout to short for the first out of the inning. Then Cole Gleason hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Collura home for the 2-0 lead.
The Jags threatened to add to their total in the bottom of the fifth when they loaded the bases, but an inning ending popup to short allowed the Crimson Tide to escape the threat.
It was Alabama’s turn to load the bases in the top of the sixth after a leadoff single and consecutive walks by Jag lefty Austin Stephens. Ben Taylor then came in and recorded consecutive strikeouts followed by an inning ending groundout to short to preserve the Jaguar lead.
The Jags added one more in the bottom of the sixth after Gleason reached on a one-out double to right center field. He would score one batter later when Bolger hit an RBI single to center.
Bolger was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored to lead the Jags batting. Collura added two hits and Martinez and Raspino both added a hit and RBI each.
South Alabama will travel to Louisiana-Monroe for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with the Warhawks.
Softball
The #24 ranked Jaguar softball team did not fare as well as the baseball team when they traveled to Baton Rouge to face the #1 ranked LSU Tigers.
Read more
Tuesday Night Has a Pair of Big Games For Jaguars Baseball, Softball
Tuesday night is a big night of sports for South Alabama.
The Jaguar baseball team (15-9) will host the University of Alabama (13-9) for a 6:30pm game at Eddie Stanky Field. UA holds a 56-48 all-time lead in the series which started in 1967 but they have not met since April 3, 2012 at Eddie Stanky Field and they have won the last three meetings between the two teams. The last win was in 2011 in former head coach Steve Kittrell’s final season at the helm.
The Jaguar softball team will face #1 ranked LSU in Baton Rouge. The Jags (21-6) is 0-2 all-time against top-ranked opponents after falling 4-0 to then #1 Alabama in 2013 and 13-0 in five innings against #1 Florida in 2009.
LSU leads the Jaguars in their all-time series 6-2. USA and LSU split two games in Baton Rouge last year though.
The Tigers are 23-0 at home this season and 30-1 on the season.
Jaguar Sports Weekend Update
Men’s Basketball
Fresh off of clinching a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in New Orleans, South Alabama Men’s basketball team returned home for Senior Night to host the Troy Trojans. A big scoring night by Ken Williams and Barrington Stevens III led the Jaguars to a 96-93 win at the Mitchell Center.
The Jags finish the regular season with back-to-back wins to improve their record to 11-20 overall and 9-11 in conference play. Troy ends the season with a 10-19 mark overall and a 5-15 mark in conference play.
Troy’s Musa Abdul-Aleem scored 37 points with eight 3-pointers against the Jaguars while Wesley Person added 25 points. But it was the Jaguars offensive surge in about midway through the second half that propelled the Jaguars to victory.
Dionte Ferguson played 36 minutes with 19 points and 14 rebounds for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season. In the second half alone, he had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Williams was a point shy of equally his career high with 28 points and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Stevens III set a new personal record with 19 points and five 3-pointers. Both Williams and Stevens combined to score all five points for the Jags in the final 25 seconds.
With the win, the Jaguars earn the #6 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and will play Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday night at 7:30pm.
Softball
The #24 ranked Jaguar softball team dropped both games of a Saturday double-header to #7 ranked Lousiana-Lafayette by scores of 3-2 in Game 1 and 9-3 in game 2.
The Jags rally came up short after scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning but could not overcome the one run deficit their next time up in the bottom of the seventh.
Emily Messer led off the inning with an infield single followed by freshman Kristian Foster being hit by a pitch. Kaleigh Todd came on to pinch run for Foster. Messer scored from third on Rathburn’s RBI single and Todd would score on Amanda Minihan’s two-out bases-loaded walk before Amanda Herron popped out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the seventh Messer drew a one-out walk but Todd struck out swinging and Stephanie Pilkington flied out to left field. Messer was 2-for-3 in the game with a run scored while Rathburn was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Devin Brown gave up two earned runs on two hits while striking out three with five walks in 3 2/3 innings. McGill threw 3 1/3 innings of relief and gave up one unearned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks.
In game two on Saturday the Cajuns scored in all but one inning including a three-run second inning and a two-run seventh inning.
Messer was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Pilkington went 2-for-3 whiel Rathburn went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Brown took the loss in game two as well.
In the third and final game of the series on Sunday, the Jaguars took a 4-3 lead in the third inning then followed up with a three-run fifth inning and an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the Cajuns 8-5.
Blair Johnson went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Pilkington went 1-for-4 with two RBI, Rathburn went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI while Kaitlyn Griffith went 1-for-2 with a run scored and three RBI.
Devin Brown earned the win to run her record to 8-4 on the season with Kalen McGill earning her third save of the season.
The Jags record sits at 16-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Baseball
After falling to UALR in the opening game 4-3 the Jags came back and won the next two games to win the series with scores of 1-0 and 3-2.
In game one Cole Billingsley went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a walk as Kevin Hill went 5 innings and allowing one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks.
In the second game, USA and UALR were scoreless through seven-and-a-half innings before the Jaguars scratched the one and only run across the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Daniel Martinez got the game winning RBI.
In the third and final game of the series, the Jags scored in the bottom of the 11th inning on an error to win the game.
Martinez led off the inning with a single to right field followed by Garrett DeGallier drawing a walk. Pinch hitter Cameron Cummings grounded to shortstop who threw wide of third base trying to get a forced out but instead allowed Martinez to score the game-winning run.
The Jags improve to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in SBC play. UALR falls to 4-7 overall and 1-2 in SBC play.