The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Softball Team's 2004 Season Outlook
1/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 27, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- With the 2004 season closing in, the UAB softball team is putting the final touches on its practice routine and getting prepared to open its spring campaign at the Paradise Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii on Feb. 5, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The four-day competition will kick off the Blazers' highly-competitive season and the following preview highlights what to expect from the 2004 version of the UAB softball team.
FINDING THE RIGHT MIX
The 2004 Blazers are a Blend of Veteran Starters and a Crop of Talented Newcomers
Heading into its fifth season of existence, the UAB softball program is poised to take advantage of an outstanding combination of upperclassmen and a phenomenal group of newcomers that is looking to make waves in not only the Conference USA standings, but on the national scene as well. Head coach Marla Townsend and assistant coaches Mick Hokanson and Lucy Bass have concocted a quality core of players that possess the physical abilities to contend for the conference title and return to the C-USA Championship game.
With only three seniors and four juniors on its 2004 roster, the UAB softball team lacks an overabundance of upperclassmen, but this year's Blazer squad makes up for its deficiency of seniors by mixing in six returning starters and a top-notch recruiting class.
"I think that we have more depth at each position this season than we've ever had here at UAB," said Townsend. "If you look at our entire roster, there is not a drastic change in ability from the starters to the backups."
The UAB coaching staff has also been impressed with this squad's ability to strive for perfection and its good team chemistry. With all of the factors in place for a successful season, the Blazer faithful are confident that the 2004 version of the UAB softball team has "Found the Right Mix."
EXPECTATIONS
After breaking out for a stellar 39-22 record during the 2002 campaign, UAB underwent a mildly disappointing year last season as the Blazers finished with an even 28-28 overall record and a 10-14 mark against C-USA opponents. Despite losing eight, one-run games, the Blazers posted their fourth-consecutive 20-win campaign and advanced to the C-USA Tournament for a fourth straight season.
UAB ended the year with 28 overall victories and posted a groundbreaking 6-5 win over the eighth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The momentous victory over the Sooners in Norman, Okla., marked the Blazers' first win versus a top-25 ranked opponent and signified the program's first defeat of a former NCAA National Champion.
As the Blazers head into the upcoming 2004 campaign, they will rely on the skills and abilities of their three senior leaders: Amanda Ellis, Tara Higashino and Beth Mullins. Higashino, who transferred to UAB from Cosumnes River College prior to last season, will head-up the Blazers' pitching staff, while Beth Mullins will continue to solidify the infield at second base and Ellis will once again start behind the plate.
"We have a great group of seniors again this season," Townsend said. "They all work extremely hard and are great leaders. Beth came in her first year and just stepped in the role of second base and she has also been one of our top clutch hitters at the plate. Amanda, who is one of the top catchers in not only Conference USA but also in the entire Southeast, has the type of work-ethic that guarantees that she will be successful, and Tara is going to be our senior pitcher this season. We have very high expectations for her coming into this year and she is really good at mixing it up. She can keep the batters off-guard and is good at letting the defense do the work behind her."
With 11 players returning from last season's squad and 10 newcomers joining the team over the summer, one of the major concerns of the UAB coaching staff was whether or not the team would have time to gel prior to its highly competitive spring schedule. During the fall tournament season, the Blazers registered an unblemished 8-0 overall record and earned the championship titles of both the 2003 Samford Fall Tournament and the 2003 UAB Fall Tournament. In its eight games during the fall season, UAB outscored its opponents by a total score of 58-9.
"We're definitely excited about this season and ready to get on the field," said Townsend. "This group of players came together in the fall with 11 returnees and 10 newcomers and has acted as if they've played together for several years. They are all very competitive. Everything that they do is in a competitive fashion and that's going to work out for the benefit of the team. They are challenging each other every day and that is what's going to make everyone better."
SCHEDULE
The Blazers' 2004 schedule is a good mix of early-season tournaments, historic rivalries and a competitive slate of conference games. UAB opens the 2004 campaign on Feb. 5, in the Paradise Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. The four-day event begins with round-robin play, ends with a single-elimination tournament and is comprised of BYU, Hawaii, No. 23 Oregon State, Saint Mary's and the 25th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
"We are ready to get on the field and face the toughest competition that we can possibly face," Townsend said. "We start out by playing a very good team in Hawaii. They finished with the 39th-ranked RPI in the nation last year and they are going to be a tough challenge for us, especially playing on their home field. As we head into that, we have to stay focused, because we are going to be surrounded by beauty. That's what we wanted. We made the decision to start off against some tough competition and that's what we did."
After returning to the mainland, UAB will square off against three in-state rivals in Troy State, Auburn and Jacksonville State, prior to competing in the 2004 Tulsa Festival hosted by the University of Tulsa on Feb. 27-29. The five-team tournament will consist of Centenary, Drake, Texas Tech, Tulsa and C-USA-rival Saint Louis.
The following week, UAB returns home to host intra-city rivals Birmingham-Southern and Samford in the third-annual Magic City Tournament held at George Ward Park. Then, on Mar. 9, the Blazers remain at home and host the Charlotte 49ers in a C-USA-opening series before departing on a 10-game road trip to the Cougar Classic and a series at East Carolina. Also competing in the Cougar Classic hosted by the College of Charleston will be Bowling Green, East Carolina and Savannah State.
"Our schedule is a good mix of playing against teams that we have never faced before and matchups against some of our oldest rivals," said Townsend. "During the early part of the season, we go to some really good tournaments and then we also face our in-state rivals like Troy State, Auburn and Jacksonville State. It will be really good for us to see where we stand against those teams and it will also help us to know what we will need to work on."
After a pair of non-conference doubleheaders against both Chattanooga and Middle Tennessee, UAB delves into the heart of its C-USA schedule with three-consecutive series' against Louisville, Southern Miss and Houston. The nine-game stretch will prove to be critical for the Blazers as the aforementioned teams finished the regular season in the three positions directly ahead of UAB in the 2003 C-USA standings.
The Blazers host Chattanooga on Tuesday, April 13, prior to a three-game series on the road against USF, non-conference matchups versus Tennessee Tech, Samford, Mississippi State and then a final home series against the Saint Louis Billikens. UAB will close out its 2004 regular-season schedule on the road versus the defending C-USA champion and preseason 14th-ranked DePaul Blue Demons on May 8-9. The 2004 C-USA Tournament will be held in Louisville, Ky., on May 13-15, and will consist of the top-six teams in conference play. This year, UAB will attempt to qualify for the prestigious postseason event for a fifth-consecutive season.
PLAYERS
The senior class comprised of Ellis, Higashino and Mullins will anchor the 2004 Blazers and will be supplemented by returning starters Chelsea McCall, Sara Christophel, Kris Lara and Amanda Byrne. McCall, UAB's sophomore outfielder from Gresham, Ore., started in 26 games as a freshman last season and finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. She will be once again joined in the outfield by Christophel who led the Blazers in batting average (.307), hits (50) and triples (2) last season.
"In the outfield, we have Chelsea McCall coming back and she was one of our top outfielders last season," Townsend said. "We also have Sara Christophel returning and she led the team in hitting. She is also a solid defensive player and we should be in really good shape with those two leading the outfield."
Lara and Byrne, who started at the corners last season, will also be vital components on the 2004 Blazer squad. They each possess the game experience and previous playing time that is needed during tough C-USA competition. Lara, a junior from Elk Grove, Calif., started in all 56 games last season and was one of UAB's primary leaders at the first-base position. At third base, Byrne excelled in the Blazers' system and was named to the 2003 C-USA All-Freshman Team after posting a stellar .340 on-base percentage. Carrie Christophel, a sophomore third baseman, will also see a significant portion of playing time in the Blazers' infield during the 2003 season.
After losing two of the most prolific pitchers in UAB history due to graduation last season, the 2004 Blazer pitching staff will be headlined by Higashino, junior college transfer Erica Mascarenas and freshman standout Brittany Hodge. Higashino, who was used sparingly in the circle a year ago, finished the season with a 1-1 overall record and a 4.67 earned run average.
Mascarenas, the Dixie State College Player of the Year in both 2003 and 2002, is expected to see a primary portion of the pitching duties this season. In two years at Dixie State College, Mascarenas compiled a 37-13 overall record and set the school's single-season records in both strikeouts (179) and earned run average (1.56).
Hodge, a home-grown product from Edgewood High School, also comes to UAB with a proven track record. She finished her senior season with an unblemished 29-0 record, accumulated 332 strikeouts and registered a near-perfect 0.08 ERA. During her four seasons at Edgewood High School, she led her team to three-consecutive Alabama State championships and was named the tournament MVP all three seasons.
"We really look forward to this year's pitching staff coming in and doing their job," said Townsend. "We're not putting the game on their shoulders and expecting them to single-handedly win it for us. We are going to rely on our bats to do the scoring and our defense to do a predominant portion of the work, so it's really going to help the team."
On offense, the Blazers welcome the services of freshman Holly Krzan. Krzan, one of the highest-touted recruits in UAB history, was a member of the 2003 USA Junior National Team and was chosen as one of only 17 players to represent the U.S. at the 2003 International Softball Federation's Junior Women's World Championships. She owns Hanford High School's career records in the following seven offensive categories: hits (171), triples (15), home runs (24), RBI (116), stolen bases (74), walks (55) and runs (146), and set the following single-season records as a senior: highest batting average (.615), home runs (16), hits (56), runs (52) and RBI (45).
"We went through the entire fall season and were very successful without the play of Holly Krzan," stated Townsend. "She was overseas playing with the U.S. Junior National team in China, so if you look at the success that we had in the fall and then add Holly into the equation, it is going to be very exciting. We know that she is going to work hard, fill into her role, regardless of what it is, and that's going to benefit the team. She is going to come in and make a difference. At the plate, we really expect her to perform and not play as a freshman, but to go up there and do some damage."
Several other newcomers are also expected to make significant contributions next season. Dusti Roberts, a junior college transfer from Dixie State College, is expected to help solidify the Blazers' infield at the shortstop position and will be joined in seeing a lot of playing time along with freshman infielder Nicole Whitlock.
"Dusti Roberts is also another transfer who has really impressed me this fall," Townsend noted. "She is definitely a student of the game and is constantly trying to learn. She is always looking to improve and wants to know everything that she can about the game. We also have a good local kid in Nicole Whitlock coming in and her hitting has improved tremendously. She is seeing the ball so much better right now and we expect her to improve even further with every at-bat."
Providing key depth for UAB this season will be Kitty Hayes at catcher, Lindsay Stanley and Allison Davis in the outfield, as well as underclassmen Meredith Giangrosso, Andrea Pierson, Jenna Robison, Lauren Terry and Ty Thomas.
COACHING STAFF
For a third-consecutive season, the UAB softball program returns the core components of its coaching staff. Townsend, who has been the head coach since the team's inception in 1998, is once again joined by assistant coaches Mick Hokanson and Lucy Bass, as well as volunteer assistant coach Megan Stephenson. Hokanson, in his third year at UAB, serves as the hitting and infield instructor for the Blazers and is also the out-of-state recruiting coordinator. Bass, in her first season as an assistant coach, competed as a utility player for two seasons at UAB and acted as the administrative assistant a year ago.
"As a coaching staff, we are definitely on the same page and we need to stay focused this season in challenging this team," said Townsend. "This year's squad is extremely focused and they want to be the best athletes possible, so the thing that we have to do is challenge them."
The UAB softball team will begin its 2004 season on Feb. 5, as the Blazers travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, to compete in the Paradise Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii. The four-day tournament will also consist of BYU, Oregon State, Saint Mary's and Tennessee.
