USA Baseball Faces #6 Ranked LSU Tigers This Evening
Tonight the Jaguar baseball team will take on the #6 ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Jags leads the all-time series against the Tigers with a 24-14 record. They first met in 1971 and have not met again since 1997 NCAA South Regional in Baton Rouge where the Tigers defeated the Jags twice in regional play and advanced to the College World Series.
USA’s Matt Bell is scheduled to make the start for USA. He is 2-2 on the season with a 5.13 ERA in 26.1 innings pitched with eight walks and 18 strikeouts. LSU lefty Cody Glenn (1-1) will start for the Tigers. He has a 4.79 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched with three walks and 11 strikeouts.
LSU comes into the game after dropping two of their last three games against #3 Vanderbilt.
South Alabama is batting .239 as team with one home run and three steals in 13 attempts. USA is led at the plate by sophomore infielder Hayden Jones, who is hitting .296 with four doubles and seven RBI. Junior infielder Bud Collura is batting .277 with one double and six RBI.
The game can be heard on 105.5 FM WNSP.
Rubit Named To All-District Team For Fourth Time
Rubit sets yet another Jaguar record with his fourth consecutive All-Sun Belt Conference Team honor. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Augustine Rubit was named to the 2014 All-District team for District 24 on Tuesday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This is his fourth consecutive NABC All-District honor for Rubit.
He became the first Jag since 1988, and only the second in the programs history, to lead the team in scoring average three consecutive years. He averaged 17 points per game, which was sixth highest in the Sun Belt. He also became the first player in school history to lead the team in rebounding average for four consecutive years with an average of 9.4 rebounds per game, third best in the conference.
He earned 12 double-doubles, third most in the conference, this season to break the previous school record. He scored a career-high 35 points against then #16 ranked Gonzaga back on December 14. He scored 20 or more points in 10 games this season.
His career school records include rebounds (also a conference record) 1,183, 550 free throws made, 763 free throws attempted.
Head coach Matthew Graves has some big shoes to fill on the recruiting trail.
USA’s Track and Field Both Earn Wins In Battle Of I-65
The South Alabama men’s and women’s track and field teams both won the Battle of I-65 held at Jaguar Track on campus over the weekend.
The men earned wins in all four throwing events. Adam Peterson took the top spot with a 16.23m shot put. Also in the top five were Jarrod Kedzior who finished second with a throw of 15.61m and Jeff Long who finished fourth with a throw of 15.16m.
Jan-Louw Kotze came out on top of the discus throw with a 53.17m mark with Long finished fourth with a toss of 44.93m. Renaldo Frechou took the top spot in the hammer throw with a toss of 60.71m. The Jags claimed all of the top five spots actually with Long was second with a throw of 57.96m, Patterson finishing third with a throw of 56.93m, Kedzior fourth with a toss of 55.53m and Zach Blahnik finishing fifth with a personal record toss of 55.39m competing as an unattached individual.
Robert King won the javelin throw with a personal record of 53.31m.
But it didn’t stop there for the men. They took home the top three spots in the 110-meter hurdles with Ravaughn Pope’s time of 14.88 seconds. Tyler Agee was second with 14.89s, Spencer Anderson third with 15.50s. Anderson also took home the top spot in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.45 seconds.
Mark Watts came in first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.87s as teammate Michael Smith finishing second with a time of 49.04s. Michael Pienaar took the top spot in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.05 with Justin Housley finishing second with a time of 1:57.22.
Jaylon Holt’s 14.55m triple jump was good for first place with Tyson Berron taking second with a 13.77m jump and Lezyon Legarde took third with a 13.58m leap. Legarde took the top spot in the long jump with a 6.74m mark. Holt also finished second in the long jump with a 6.71m jump.
Holt finished second in the high jump with a 2.04m jump that was just shy of equally his personal record.
Cameron Ellis set a new personal record in the mile run to take first place with a time of 4:19.68.
The men won each of the relay races. The 4×100-meter relay saw Tevin Barnett, Holt, Legarde and Smith teaming up for a 42.27s time. The 400-meter relay saw Watts, Barnett, Agee and Smith clock in at 3:22.88.
In all the men won 13 events and gathered 107 total points to crush second place Samford (40pts) and Alabama State (16pts).
For the Women, Leah Hixon set a new personal record in Javelin with a 48.42m throw to take first place. Noelle JOnes also recorded a personal record of 46.42m for second place and Ashton Pennington took fourth with a 40.24m mark.
Tasha Russell took the 100-meter dash with a 14.28s run with Jones coming in second with a 14.35s run.
Phoebe Dowson took first place in the discus throw with a 44.88m toss. Bobbie Williamson finished third with a 39.85m mark and Morgan Jones finished fourth with a 39.83m mark. Williamson finished second in the hammer throw as well with a 56.04 toss.
Tori Lawson won the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:17.37 with Shannen Weyer finishing third with a time of 10:39.23. Joanna McCoy finished third in the women’s mile run with a time of 5:09.39 to lead the team.
In all the women won five events and finished with 74 points as Samford came in second with 68 points and Alabama State in third with 34 points.
The team travels to Tuscaloosa on Friday and Saturday for the Alabama Relays.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Sports – Weekend Roundup
Baseball
Troy righty Tanner Hicks pitched a complete game shutout on Friday night to lead the Trojans over South Alabama 5-0 in the opening game of the series.
Hicks allowed only six hits while striking out five and walking one to even his record for the season at 2-2.
USA righty Kevin Hill tossed 6 1/3 innings allowing three earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Cameron Carleton and Dillon Buhrkuhl combined to pitch 2 2/3rds scoreless innings in relief.
In game two the Jags evened the series but needed an extra inning to do so. Cole Gleason hit a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning to give USA the 2-1 win to even the series.
In the bottom of the 10th, Bud Collura singled up the middle and then advanced to second on a wild pitch to set up Gleason for the game-winner.
Brandon Hallford earned the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He did not allow a hit while striking out one. Locke St. John threw 7 2/3 innings and allowed only one run on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks but got the no decision.
The third game, which was scheduled as a double-header on Saturday due to weather concerns, was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday due to heavy rains. It was scheduled to resume at 1pm on Sunday, but was cancelled due to inclement weather. There is no word about a possible makeup date.
South Alabama will travel to Baton Rouge on Wednesday for a 6:30pm game agaisnt LSU.
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Jones New Deal And More Spring Practice
South Alabama and head coach Joey Jones announced and addendum to his contract that will increase his salary to $435,000 a year and will add a year to the deal, making it run through 2017.
Many of the Jaguar fans remember some of the rumors swirling after the season was over concerning Jones and UAB. However, the talks were underway between USA and Jones concerning this new deal.
Jones’ contract puts him “at the middle of the pack” for the Sun Belt according to South Alabama’s Athletic Director. This is based on the conference lineup for next season which includes the addition of Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Idaho and New Mexico State. It also reflects the departure of Western Kentucky.
Through his five seasons at the helm at USA, Jones has a 31-21 record including a 6-6 record last season where they won their final three games of the season, including a win over Sun Belt Conference Co-Champion Louisiana-Lafayette, to earn bowl eligibility if their first year eligible. Though they were not invited to a bowl game, it was still an impressive feat for a program as young as the Jaguars.
They finished the season with a 4-3 record in conference play, which put them in a tie for third place in the conference.
On Wednesday the Jags hit the practice field for their second practice of their spring schedule. It went for over two hours and the coaches were focused on getting as many reps as possible.
Wednesday saw lots of 7-on-7 drills with Brandon Bridge has entered the spring drills as the top quarterback but Trey Fetner has been impressive through the first practices. Fetner has thrown some deep passes that were right on the mark. But so has Bridge, however Bridge has had problems with his deep out passes in these two early practices.
The Jaguar offense is expected to be a stregth for the 2014 season after returning most of their starters from last season. The defensive side of the ball is where the concern lies early in spring practice. A large group of core contributors graduated, primarly on the defensive line. Players like Romelle Jones and Pat Moore. But also linebackers Clifton Crews, Bryson James and Enrique Williams.
Also the defense also lost their defensive coordinator from last season, Kevin Sherrer. However there will be continuity with Travis Pearson being promoted to defensive coordinator. The inside linebackers were a big strength for the Jags last season under his direction. His priority this spring is to build depth as they get ready for fall practice in a few months.
In the fall they will receive reinforcements. More players competing for playing time will hopefully elevate everyones game and make the team better.
So far Pearson likes the energy he sees from his unit. He has a good core of players to help guide the new incoming players. Jesse Kelley, Jerome McClain, Terrell Brigham, Qudarius Ford, Montell Garner, Roman Buchanan among others will be just as influential as the coaches when the new players arrive. But until then, they will continue to work on fundamentals and to prepare them for the upcoming season. What looks to be the most demanding and challenging schedule yet for the Jaguars.
But this is what they have been working and building towards for the previous several years. And if the final three games of last season is any indication of what the Jaguars are capable of this upcoming season, then this season could be a very bright one for the Jaguars.
USA Baseball Wins Fourth Consecutive Game With 5-1 Win Over USM
Matt Bell tossed 6 1/3 innings while allowing one run on two hits as he led the Jaguars over Southern Miss 5-1 in Hattiesburg Wednesday night.
Bell picked up his second win of the season as he struck out four and walked two to help the Jaguars extend their winning streak to four games. Brandon Hallford threw 1 2/3 perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts to earn his fourth save of the season.
Bell retired the first six batters before walking the leadoff batter in the third inning. A couple batters later Nick Dawson hit a two-out single to give USM a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth inning Drew LaBounty led off with a single to center field then advanced to second when Davis Knapp got on base on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Bud Collura moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt towards third base. Hayden Jones then hit a single to right field to bring both runners home to take a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the ninth, leading 3-1, the Jags added two more insurance runs.
The 9-7 Jaguars will begin Sun Belt play this weekend when they host Troy in a three game series at Eddie Stanky Field. Game one’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm on Friday.
Campbell Tosses Perfect Game As Jags Down Nicholls State 2-0
Hannah Campbell tossed her second career perfect game. It’s also her fifth no-hitter as a Jaguar and 24th shutout of her Jaguar career. | usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Hannah Campbell tossed the second perfect game of her career on Wednesday as she led the Jaguars to a 2-0 win over Nicholls State at Jaguar Field.
Campbell, the only Jaguar to have tossed a perfect game in program history, retired all 21 batters she faced while striking out 12. She improves her record to 6-2 on the season while lowering her ERA to a mere 0.83. This was her second shutout of the season and a program-leading 24th of her career. It was also her fifth no-hitter of her career.
The #14 ranked Jaguars improve to 20-3 on the season as they prepare for their trip to Sillwater, Oklahoma for the Cowgirl Classic on Saturday and Sunday.
In the bottom of the fourth, Amanda Minahan got on base with a walk before advancing to second on a groundout by Blair Johnson. Then Chloe Rathburn smashed a home run through a 22-mile per hour wind to give the Jags their winning margin.
Rathburn tied catcher Alex Breeden in home runs for the season with four. Breeden almost hit one herself earlier in the game but the wind was too strong.
Meghan Dunn Selected To All-Sun Belt Conference Team
Meghan Dunn was selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team on Tuesday for her first postseason All-Conference honor in her career.
She was selected to the third-team by conference coaches and media on Tuesday and she extended the streak to 12-consecutive seasons at least one lady Jaguar was named to the All-Conference team.
In her final game as a Jaguar she recorded 23 points and four steals as she was key in the Jaguars 60-57 overtime win against UT-Arlington. Her four points in the final seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime, where she sunk four free throws to help seal the win in the extra period. She also blocked the game-tying three-point attempt defensively.
She finished the season tied for 10th in the conference in scoring. Even though she was keyed on by opposing defenses, she still managed to score double-digits 20 times this season and 13 of her final 18 Sun Belt games.
With injuries to Brittany Webb and Colby Davis, Dunn was forced to take over the point guard position and managed to average 13.1 points and 3.2 assists per game through the final nine games at that position.
Rubit Earns His Record Setting Fourth Consecutive All-Sun Belt Team Honor
Rubit sets yet another Jaguar record with his fourth consecutive All-Sun Belt Conference Team honor. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Augustine Rubit has not finished adding to his record setting career just yet. He set another school record on Tuesday when he was selected by conference coaches and media to the All-Sun Belt Conference team for the fourth consecutive year.
Rubit, a second-team selection this season, was a third-team selection in 2011 and a first-team selection in 2012 and 2013. This season he was the sixth leading scorer in the conference with an average of 17 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He shot 46.3% from the floor and earned 12 double-doubles. He also finished the season fourth in blocks per game with 1.4. The 12 double-doubles and his rebounding average was third-best in the conference too.
In the Jaguars 31 games this season he scored 20+ points in 10 of them, including a career-high 35 points against #16 Gonzaga. He only failed three times to reach double-digits scoring this season.
He set the schools rebounding record in November, surpassed the 1,000 rebound mark in December and became the Sun Belt Conference’s All-Time leader a week later. He ends his career with 1,183 as well as holds three of the top five spots in the school’s single-season list.
Rubit also set school records with career free throws made (550), career free throws attempted (763), and double-doubles (54). He ranks second in points scored (1,917), fifth in field goals made (673), 3rd in field goals attempted (1,360), third in rebounding average (10.0), 3rd in blocks (139) and tied for 2nd in games played (118).
He was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week six times in his career, most by any player in school history as well.
USA Opens Spring Football Practice
The South Alabama football hit the practice field to begin spring practice on Monday. This was the first of 15 sessions this spring.
The first 45 minutes had both the offense and defense each working on one of the two practice fields. The offense ran a multitude of drills broken down into five minute segments. The defense used a 35-minute segment to work on coverages and blitz packages.
Later in the practice, the offense and defense met in 7-on-7 skeleton passing drills. They then worked on each of the two fields, one artificial and the other natural grass, against each other. Later another 15 minute period of 7-on-7 skeletons.
They ended the practice with a 15 minute segment of 11-on-11 work focusing on normal down and distances.
As expected, Brandon Bridge entered as the first string quarterback with Trey Fetner entering as the #2. Jereme Jones, Shavarez Smith and Marvin Shinn were the #1 receivers. Danny Woodson Jr. is still recovering from his ruptured achilles injury from last season. Wes Saxton and Braedon Bowman both shared time with the 1’s. Melvin Meggs practiced with the 2s at left guard. He was seeing full action after tearing his ACL prior to fall camp last year. Joseph Scelfo started at center for the Jags and Harrison Louden was playing at left tackle. Daniel Aust played center for the 2’s.
However, they used lots of players at several different positions throughout practice.
“I liked the energy out there today, I thought it was really good. We are challenging our guys to come out every day and get better,” head coach Joey Jones said after practice. “And I thought we had great leadership today. That’s something that we have to continue over time. If we’re going to have a great football team we need to have great leadership. That starts with our senior class and has to work its way down.”
“I know it sounds like a broken record every spring, but we have to focus on fundamentals,” Jones continued. “I told the staff we can’t get ahead of ourselves, we’ve got to perfect something and build on it and not get so far ahead where we are trying to compete and worry about who is winning in the spring as opposed to getting better fundamentally. That’s what we’re really concentrating on.”
“We had more competition last year and I thought it helped us,” Jones said. “This year, I think we’ll have as much competition as we’ve ever had at a lot of positions. Right now you can see that on the offensive line, at receiver and quarterback, and on the defensive line. We’ve got depth at certain positions, but we have to find out who our guys are who are going to play. After these 15 practices we have to know who our ones and twos are going to be because once the summer gets here it’s hard to get the other guys a lot of reps.”
The team will be off on Tuesday before returning to the practice fields on Wednesday.