Jag Softball’s Kalen McGill Earns Pitcher of the Week Honors
Freshman right handed pitcher Kalen McGill earned her first Pitcher of the Week honor on April 6. McGill has won her last five outings, and picked up two wins last week in relief. | Photo credit: usajaguars.com
South Alabama Softball freshman Kalen McGill earned Pitcher of the Week honors from the Sun Belt Conference Office on Monday. McGill helped the Jaguars claim a pair of wins in relief last week. She has won five straight outings.
She is the fourth Jaguar to earn a weekly honor from the conference office. Fellow freshman Devin Brown earned Pitcher of the Week on February 9 and March 2, senior Farish Beard earned the same honor on March 23, and senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith earned Player of the Week honor on February 23.
McGill (12-1) is tied for second place in the Sun Belt Conference with 12 win, is in fourth place in the conference in ERA (2.18), is tied for third fewest in walks allowed (14) and fifth in earned runs allowed (24). She is also 28th in the nation with fewest walks allowed per seven innings with 1.27.
“Kalen has been huge for us these past two series, so I am excited that she is being recognized for her efforts,” Jaguar head coach Becky Clark said. “She is such a competitor and wants the ball in tough situations. She has done a great job of attacking the zone, and our defense has done a great job of making the plays behind her.”
South Alabama will host Nicholls State on Wednesday evening with first pitch slated for 5pm at Jaguar Field. They will then host Georgia Southern for a weekend series with a double header on Saturday beginning at 1pm and the finale on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1pm as well.
Jags Softball Sweep Texas-Arlington; Baseball Win Series against Arkansas State
Softball
The #22 ranked South Alabama Jaguar softball team swept Texas-Arlington over the weekend in Texas. This was their third consecutive conference series sweep.
On Friday, the Jags opened the double-header with a 6-3 win behind Farish Beard’s season-high-tying 12 batters with three run allowed (two earned) on four hits in a complete game effort.
The Mavericks jumped out to an early lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out, two-run double to right field. The runners reached base on a throwing error and a walk.
But the Jaguars would respond with six runs spread across the fourth and fifth innings. Kaitlyn Griffith led off the fourth inning with a solo homer to left field. Blair Johnson scored to tie the game 2-2 when freshman Haleigh Lowe singled. Amanda Herron homered to center field to put the Jags ahead 4-2.
In the fifth inning Griffith and Johnson hit back-to-bak solo homers to put the Jaguars lead at 6-2.
UTA catcher Kacey Everett led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo homer to right but Beard would retire the next three batters in order to put the game in the books.
Griffith finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored on two solo home runs. Johnson also finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, one of her hits being a home run. Lowe finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Amanda Minahan was 2-for-4 in the game as well.
In the second game of the double header the Jags hot bats continued by scoring three runs in the top half of the first inning. Chloe Rathburn started it with a two-run single then Johnson added a two-out RBI base hit later in the inning.
But the Mavericks took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when they put up 4 runs.
The Jags would score five unanswered runs to seal th win.
In the top of the third, Stephanie Pilkington reached on a fielder’s choice then stole second base. Rathburn hit a two-out single through the left side of the infield to score Pilkington and tie the game at 4-4.
In the top of the fifth inning, Griffith drew a leadoff walk then Johnson reached base on a hit. Herron then hit a two-run single to put the Jags ahead 6-4. Herron also led off the top of the seventh with a solo homer to right field. Kristian Foster hit a double and was pinch ran for by Kaleigh Todd, then Pilkington hit an RBI double to score Todd.
Freshman Devin Brown got the start but was replaced by Kalen McGill in the second inning after Brown gave up four unearned runs on one hit with four walks and two strikeouts.
In the finale on Saturday, the Jags cruised to a 9-1 win over the Mavericks after never trailing in the game and pounding out 18 hits, falling one hit short of tying a program record.
McGill earned her fifth consecutive voctory after pitching five innings of shutout relief to improve her record to 12-1 on the season. She struck out four and scattered four hits.
USA opened the scoring in the top of the second when Griffith hit a solo home run, her third homer of the weekend. Johnson drew a walk and scored when Alyssa Linn hit a two-out single down the left field line.
In the top of the third inning Pilkington hit a one-out solo homer to straightaway center field put the Jags ahead 3-0.
The Mavericks answered in the bottom of the third with their only run of the game. Beard allowed a leadoff walk and a single before being replaced by McGill. McGill would load the bases after hitting a batter then a single up the middle would score the only run.
In the top of the fifth, Herron would hit a two-out RBI double to score Griffith and put the Jaguars ahead 5-1.
McGill would load the bases in the bottom of the sixth but a fielder’s choice would get the Jags out of the situation without allowed a run.
In the top of the seventh, Johnson led off with an infield single and was followed by freshman Taylor Bahos with a pinch-hit. Herron loaded the bases with a hit through the left side. Minahan would single up the middle to score Johnson for a 6-1 lead.
Emily Messer would get a base hit to score Lowe, then Foster would drive in Minahan to make it 8-1. Finally Pilkington finished off the scoring with a base hit to left field to score Messer.
USA improved their record to 27-7 on the season. Texas-Arlington falls to 22-18 on the season.
USA will play host Nicolls State on Wednesday.
Baseball
The South Alabama baseball team took two of the three games agaisnt Arkansas State to win their third-consecutive Sun Belt Conference series.
The Jags scored 10 runs in the first three innings and cruised to a 13-10 to open the series. Every Jaguar starter recorded at least one hit. Matt Bolger led the team with a career high three hits by going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBi and a run scored. Gann added two hits, one being a double, with two RBI and two runs scored.
Kevin Hill earned his fourth win of the season, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits while striking out six and issuing one walk.
Arkansas State evened the series with a 4-1 win over the Jags in the second game of the series. Austin Bembnowski (2-3) allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks in the loss.
On Sunday, Jared Gates pitched the Jags to the 2-1 series win over the Red Wolves. He struck out a career-high nine batters after pitching 8 1/3 innings. He allowed only four hits and one unearned runs while walking eight.
Ben Taylor threw 2/3 of an inning of relief for his fourth save of the season.
The Jags opened with two runs in the top of the first inning after Cole Billingsley singled to center field then stole second base. Adam Ballew reached on a two-out walk then Danny Martinez hit a two-run double to right field to score the Jags only runs of the game.
The Red Wolves would load the bases three times against Gates, but each time he would pitch out of the situation.
The Jags improve their record to 22-11 overall and 9-6 in conference play. ASu falls to 13-17 overall and 4-10 in conference play.
The Jags will travel to Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday for a mid-week matchup.
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 Shut Out Jackson State 2-0
The Jaguar baseball team followed up their win over Mississippi State on Tuesday night with a 2-0 shutout victory over Jackson State Wednesday night at Eddie Stanky Field.
Right handers Ryne Long and Cody Van Aken combined for the shutout. Long (2-2) walked two and struck out five and allowed only three hits in seven innings pitched to earn his second win of the season. Van Aken threw two scoreless innings of relief with one strikeout to earn his third save of the season.
The win was USA’s fourth shutout of the season and the third time they have shut out an opponent with Long as the starter.
South Alabama (20-10) scored the game’s only runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Raspino reached base on a one-out single, which extended his hitting streak to nine games. Bud Collura hit a two-out RBI single to right field to score Raspino. Then Cole Billingsley followed with an RBI single to center field to score Collura and double the Jags advantage to 2-0.
After that point, Long retired Jackson State in order over his final two innings on the mound.
Danny Martinez went 2-for-4 with a double. Collura and Billingsley both had a hit and an RBI each.
South Alabama will play this weekend when they travel to Jonesboro, Arkansas for a three-game series against Arkansas State.
Currently the Jags sit in fifth place in the Sun Belt standings with a 7-5 conference record. Georgia State is currently on top of the rankings with a 6-2 conference record and riding a three-game winning streak. USA is a game back in the loss column to UL-Lafayette and Arkansas-Little Rock (both 7-4) and a full game back from second place Texas State (8-4).
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.
Jaguar Weekend Update
Softball
The #24 ranked Jags improved their record to 24-7 overall and 8-3 in the conference after the weekend sweep of Georgia State.
Saturday’s doubleheader against Georgia State to open the series was a slugfest. The Jags took both games, but not without putting up some big numbers.
In the first game, the Jags came back from a 5-1 deficit through two innings to take a 6-5 lead after the top of the fourth inning. After adding an additional run in the top of the sixth, the Pathers tied it up a 7-each in the bottom of the sixth.
But the Jaguars manufactured another run in the top of the seventh and held it in the bottom of the frame to win the first game 8-7.
Kaleigh Todd went 3-of-4 with two runs scored to lead the Jaguars at the plate. Amanda Minahan was 2-of-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Stephanie Pilkington went 2-of-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Emily Messer went 1-of-5 with a run scored.
Game two of just a continuation of the story from game one.
USA scored two runs in the top of the first to go up 2-0 but the Panthers responded with a five-spot in the bottom half of the inning. Through two innings the Jags were facing a 7-3 deficit.
After cutting the lead by two runs in the top half of the third inning when Chloe Rathburn and Kaitlyn Griffith both hit solo homers to left field.
USA finally took the lead in the top half of the fourth inning when they put up a 5-spot of their own. Amanda Herron led off the inning with a double to right center then replaced by pinch runner Alyssa Linn. Minahan hit a double to left center field to score Linn. Pilkington then hit a homer to right field as the Jags took an 8-7 lead but were not done scoring. Rathburn walked and Blair Johnson hit a two-out two-run homer to center field to put the Jags ahead 10-7.
Georgia State answered with a three-run game-tying bottom of the fourth inning. A solo homer began the scoring then a single followed by a triple scored the second run but a throwing error allowed the Panthers to tie the game at 10-each.
The Jags fifth inning scoring began with Rathburn hitting a two-run double to score Minahan, who had reached base on a fielders choice, and Pilkington, who hit a double. Johnson then doubled up the middle to score Rathburn for a 13-10 advantage.
The Panthers would only score a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 13-11, but Kalen McGill retired three straight to snuff out the rally attempt.
Amanda Minahan led the Jags by going 2-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Stephanie Pilkington went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Rathburn went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Blair Johnson went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored.
McGill earned the win in both games. Devin Brown allowed seven runs, all earned, on five hits with two strikeouts in the opening inning. Kaleigh Floore gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits with a strikeout in three innings of relief.
Meanwhile, Johnson moved into second place in Jaguar history books with her 37th double, good for second all-time. She also moved into third place in career RBI with her 109th.
In the third and final game of the series the Jags fell behind after the first inning after the Panthers put one on the board but then hit their stride in the second frame.
Freshman righty Kalen McGill recorded her first career complete-game victory after holding GSU to three runs, all earned, on nine hits with a walk and a strikeout in seven innings. Her record improved to 10-1 after being credited with all three wins over the weekend.
Minahan led the Jags at the plate again on Sunday by going 3-of-4 with three RBI and a run scored including a solo homer in the top of the fourth. Haleigh Lowe and Amanda Herron both went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and one RBI with two walks. Kristian Foster went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles. Griffith added a run and Messer added an RBI in the effort.
South Alabama will travel to Arlington, Texas to face the Mavericks in a three-game series that gets underway on Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 4pm and concludes on Saturday at 1pm.
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team took two out of three against Louisiana-Monroe over the weekend at the Warhawks.
The Jags opened the series with a 12-4 win behind Kevin Hill’s six scorless inning. he scattered 10 hits while striking out six and only issuing a walk. That extended his consecutive scoreless streak to 15 innings and earned his third win of the season.
Every Jag started earned at least one hit. Garrett DeGallier led the team by going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Cole Billingsley went 3-fo-6 with two RBI and a run scored. Matt Bolger added two hits, two RBI and three runs scored.
The Jags clinched the series with a 9-4 win on Saturday after the Jags collected 14 hits and two three-run innings to defeat the Warhawks.
ULM jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Jags would answer in the top of the second with a run but would take the lead in the top of the fourth after Martinez hit a two-out three-run homer.
Mike Dolloff earned his third win of the season after 5 1/3 innings of relief where he allowed two runs on two hits and three walks.
Eight Jaguars recorded at least one hit in the game with Martinez leading the way with career highs in hits and RBI after going 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored.
In the third game the Jags were unable to complete the sweep after falling to ULM 4-3. USA threatened in the top of the seventh after they loaded the bases but an inning-ending double play ended the threat.
USA cut the lead to one run in the top of the eighth, but were unable to tie the game.
Cole Billingsley led the team after going 3-for-5. USA’s record improved to 18-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play after the weekend.
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.
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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.
Jones Pleased With Team Intensity in Monday’s Practice
The South Alabama football team held their fifth practice of the spring on Monday at the Jaguar Practice Facility in full pads.
The first team period, which lasted just under 10 minutes, covered almost 30 plays and saw the offense working against blitzes at its own 40 yard line. The second team period lasted about 20 minutes and had all three offensive units starting from the same yard marker and moving the ball while running almost 50 more plays.
Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent selected wide receiver D.J. Vinson Jr as the offensive player of the day. Vincent mentioned that Vinson did well at the ‘A’ receiver position and that he is settling in at his new position. Last season he played running back for the Blazers.
Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson selected cornerback Antonio Carter Jr. as the defensive player of the day. Pearson was very pleased with his play on Monday. He said that Carter is playing very fast and is having a very good spring so far.
Play of the day went to Hunter Vaughn and Vinson. Vaughn found Vinson in stride for a gain of over 20 yards.
Head coach Joey Jones was pleased with the intensity in the first practice of the week on Monday. He said, “I was proud of their attitude. We’re starting to get a little sharper out there on both sides of the ball, especially with the defense starting to come together. We just have to keep working with that mentality.”
He also talked about the goals for the second week of spring practice. “We discussed our full personnel for the first time, looking at guys from top to bottom,” Jones said. “We’re still going to give everyone chances, but we have to start formulating a depth chart. We have to find the guys who are going to be playing and start working them to make sure they get reps in practice to get ready for next season. Every rep is valuable.”
Jones also mentioned that the teams conditioning has them in pretty good shape this spring. “I think they are in pretty good shape. We’re rotating guys in a lot, they’re not staying in a ton, but I haven’t noticed any guys not in shape. Usually at this time of year they’re not in as good cardiovascular shape because they’ve been lifting weights, it normally takes the summer to get ready, but as long as we continue with this pace we will practice ourselves into shape.”
The Jags will return to the practice fields on Wednesday afternoon from 3-5pm.
Farish Beard Earns Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week
The right-handed senior from Fairhope, AL went 3-0 this week with a win over Southern Miss and a pair of wins against conference foe Appalachian State to earn Pitcher of the Week honors. | Photo usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Farish Beard was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after recording three wins over that time period the Conference office announced on Monday.
Beard, who just returned to the lineup from an injury that had her resting for several weeks, went 3-0 with a pair of wins over conference opponent Appalachian State over the weekend and a non-conference win over Conference USA’s Southern Miss midweek.
She struck out 21 batters to four walks and only one earned run on nine hits in 18 innings pitched. She allowed only two hits to the Golden Eagles on Wednesday and Appalachian State in game one of a Saturday doubleheader. She had a no-hitter going against the Mountaineers until the fourth inning when they got a pair of hits. She responded by retiring six of the final seven batters faced.
Currently Beard is ranked second in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven inning (2.68), third in the nation in ERA (0.41), she leads the SBC in ERA, fewest hits allowed (13), fewest runs allowed (4), fewest earned runs allowed (2) and is tied for the conference lead in fewest home runs allowed (1). She also ranks second in the conference in opposing batting average (.120) and third in fewest walks allowed (10).
Out of seven voting periods this year, the Jaguars have had a honoree four times. Freshman Devin Brown was selected pitcher of the week on February 9 and March 2 and senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith was named Player of the Week on February 23.