The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Announces 2006 Schedule
10/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Oct. 24, 2005
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB softball team will face six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago and will play 21 home games, all part of the 2006 softball schedule announced Monday by head coach Marla Townsend.
"From day one we have to be ready to play ball," said Townsend. "We need to pick up where we left off in the fall and keep working hard in the off-season. We want to face tough competition because we want to see where we are at. Overall, we play in some good tournaments and five new schools in the conference. In addition, Memphis is in its first year with a program. We are excited to see some new faces and the Northwest Exposure trip provides us with experience against two nationally-ranked opponents."
UAB will play in three non-conference tournaments this year at Centenary College, Chattangooga, and Birmingham-Southern. The Blazers will face Oregon and Oregon State in the Northwest Exposure trip.
The Blazers host Auburn, Troy, Alabama A&M, Nicholl State, and Georgia State as part of the non-conference schedule. UAB faces Memphis, Tulsa, UCF, and Houston in Birmingham this year and faces East Carolina, Marshall, Southern Miss and UTEP on the road.
UAB hosts Auburn on Feb. 21 at George Ward Park for a single game at 6 p.m. in the Blazers home opener. Auburn was 49-16 last year and was ranked as high as No. 20 in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll.
The Blazers return 12 players from last year's 23-37 team including their top three hitters. Junior Lindsay Stanley led UAB with a .335 average in 188 at-bats last year. Chelsea McCall is the only senior for the Blazers. She was the second-leading hitter with a .296 average last year. UAB also returns Leigh Walker and standout Holly Krzan.
"We have been looking at this lineup for a while now," said Townsend. "As far as you go from the leadoff spot through the nine spot, the numbers are there. We have plenty of weapons on offense whether it's the power game; we have the depth need to be successful."
Townsend is in her seventh-year and is the only UAB softball coach in the program's history. She will be joined by second-year assistant coach Kim Unkenholz, a 2002 graduate of Troy, and Jennifer Collins, who joined the program in September after a short stint as head coach at Alabama State.
