The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2005 UAB Softball Season Preview
2/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 2, 2005
2005 UAB SOFTBALL SEASON PREVIEW
In a span of just five seasons, the UAB softball program has accomplished a great deal. Five straight 20-win seasons and four Conference USA Tournament appearances, including one trip to the C-USA tournament championship game are just a few of the many highlights in the period. But there is reason to believe that all of the prior achievements are just a preview of what is to come, based on the potential which exists within the current UAB team.
The Blazers peaked during the 2002 season, winning 39 games and finishing 14-10 in C-USA play en route to the C-USA tournament final, but fell to 28-28 overall in 2003 and then dropped to 20-36 last season. Despite the drop-off in the last two seasons, sixth-year head coach Marla Townsend has the UAB program on solid footing and poised to have one of its best seasons in history.
UAB returns a multitude of talented players in 2005, highlighted by six returning starters and a wealth of experience off the bench. The Blazers' roster includes a variety of players who can play several positions and an extremely talented freshman class.
PLAYERS
The Blazers will rely on a number of players who possess an abundance of experience and past success this season, and the team will undoubtedly field a potent offense and solid defense. Three of UAB's top hitters from last season - Sara Christophel, Holly Krzan, and Chelsea McCall all return to provide a formidable top of the lineup. All three were starters last season and combined for nine home runs and 44 RBIs. Krzan and McCall each started all 56 games and also combined for 38 extra-base hits.
"Several of our top hitters are returning this season, in Sara Christophel, Holly Krzan, and Chelsea McCall," said Townsend. "They are at the top of our lineup and we are really expecting them to have a really good year."
McCall will be the starter in left field, Christophel in center, and either senior Kris Lara or Lindsay Stanley in right, as the UAB outfield looks strong.
Stanley will also be in the mix this season, whether in the outfield or as the designated player. Stanley saw action in 33 games as a true freshman in 2004, scoring six runs and was successful on six of nine stolen base attempts.
"We look for Lindsay Stanley to be our leadoff hitter after a remarkable fall performance," said Townsend. "She was on base close to 80 percent of her at-bats. She consistently puts the ball in play and with her speed she will definitely be strength."
"In the infield we have Carrie Christophel at third base, Dusti Roberts at shortstop and Holly Krzan will be the starter at second base," said Townsend. "Amanda Antonovich, a freshman, has stepped it up and will be our starter at first base. Holly is recovering from shoulder surgery and just started throwing progressions, so the lineup will change quite frequently," said Townsend.
Carrie Christophel, the twin sister of Sara, hit .221 last season in 35 games and drove in nine runs while scoring six runs. Roberts started 55 games and had 11 runs scored and six RBIs. Krzan had a solid freshman campaign as she split time between shortstop and centerfield and hit .247 while tying departed senior Beth Mullins for the team-lead in home runs with five. Krzan also drove in 20 runs and had 66 total bases and was also named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Sophomore Nicole Whitlock will be UAB's starting catcher with fellow sophomore Allison Davis serving as the backup at the position.
Whitlock played in 46 games last season with 42 starts, splitting time at both shortstop and third base, while Davis played in 13 as mainly a pinch runner, as both players performed in a backup role. Amanda Ellis, last season's starter at catcher, graduated thus leaving the pair of second-year players to battle for the starting nod. Whitlock will also see time in the infield.
The Blazers return their two top pitchers in terms of ERA this season as Brittany Hodge and Erica Mascarenas are back. True freshmen Jennifer Nelson and Antonovich are expected to bolster the staff and make an immediate impact.
Hodge, a sophomore, posted a 3-6 record in her freshman season with a 3.38 ERA. She turned in six complete games in just 10 games started.
Senior Erica Mascarenas had a solid UAB debut in 2004 after transferring from Dixie State College. She went 6-9 with a team-best 2.46 ERA in 99.2 innings of work, despite the fact that the native of Bloomfield, N.M., battled through a rash of injuries and was able to play in just two conference games. Mascarenas allowed a mere 35 earned runs last season, good for sixth in the conference. Also, she held the opposition to a .228 batting average, which ranked eighth in C-USA. She tallied nine complete games and struck out 69 batters while walking only 44.
The freshman class is one that excites Townsend and one she feels will be as good as any she has had at UAB. The Blazers signed five freshmen this past season with four hailing from the state of Alabama, and one out-of-state player in Antonovich, who is a Pasco, Wash., native. The class includes Jessi Allred, Antonovich, Betonya Hunt, Nelson, and Leigh Walker.
Leigh Walker, a native of Clay, Ala., aims to make her presence known in the Blazer infield this season. Walker, a member of both The Birmingham News Super All-State Team and the 6A All-State Team, led her Clay-Chalkville team to a second-place finish at the state tournament last season.
"Leigh so far has been the epitome of what it means to be a softball player, because she wants to learn and she wants to be coached and she wants to know everything she can about the game of softball," said Townsend. "Her work ethic is going to get her in the lineup at some point, whether she is our backup second baseman or just comes in and hits. You look down the road in four years and she is just going to be unbelievable," said Townsend.
"Jennifer Nelson was one of the top high school pitchers in the state and is a left-hander," said Townsend. "She also swings the bat well and has unlimited potential, so it is just up to her and how hard she wants to work, but she will definitely contribute on the mound and hopefully as a hitter as well."
Antonovich will surely see some time on the mound for the Blazers, but will start at first base and is one Townsend expects to be a threat on offense. She was a three-time MVP and four-year letterwinner for her Pasco High squad and helped lead them to their first state playoff appearance in school history in 2003, finishing seventh.
"She is swinging the bat very well and has really found a sweet spot," said Townsend. "On the mound she is a finesse pitcher who will move it around and not blow it by you, but yet she will get the job done."
Allred, a member of the all-area team in 2003 at Cullman High School in Cullman, Ala., and Hunt, Allred's high school teammate, will each provide depth for the Blazers. Allred is projected to see playing time at third base and Hunt in the outfield. Hunt was the all-area Player of the Year and a member of the all-area team in 2004.
Juniors Amanda Byrne and Andrea Pierson will also look for playing time this season. Byrne, a member of the C-USA All-Freshman team in 2003, began last season as the backup at first base and played in 11 games while starting nine before a shoulder injury sidelined her midway through last season. Pierson, a reserve outfielder from Miami, Fla., was also a victim to injuries in the early part of last season.
SCHEDULE
The early portion of the 2005 schedule will be a test of endurance for the Blazers, as the team begins the season in a tournament and plays in three tournaments in the first month alone. UAB opens the season Feb. 4-6 in the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala., as the Blazers will face Georgia Southern, Alabama and Evansville in the three-day event. The Blazers will face Alabama for only the second time in school history when they meet the Crimson Tide at 4 p.m. Feb. 4 in their second game of the tournament. Alabama posted a 7-1 win during the 2000 season in Tuscaloosa, which was the inaugural season for the UAB softball program. UAB meets Georgia Southern at 1:30 p.m. that same day to begin the season.
UAB turns around the next weekend and heads to the FIU Invitational in Miami, Fla., Feb. 11-13. The Blazers will face Fordham and tournament host FIU on the tournament's first day and then play Mercer Feb. 12. The tournament includes a double-elimination format and wraps up Sunday, Feb. 13.
"Softball is a tournament sport; it definitely is," said Townsend. "For some of our freshmen, it will be their first time on a plane when we go down to Miami, and I have been thinking about all the things that some of them will have to do just to get ready for that particular weekend," said Townsend.
The Blazers face Alabama A&M in a doubleheader for their home-opener Feb. 15 at George Ward Park, and then they travel to Auburn for a single game Feb. 16. They will square off with Jacksonville State Feb. 22 in Birmingham before hitting the road again for more tournament play.
UAB will hit the west coast Feb. 25-27 for the Stanford Invitational. The Blazers play Sacramento State and UC Davis Feb. 25 to open the tournament. The next day, UAB meets tournament host Stanford, who finished last season ranked No. 3 in the nation, and then the Blazers face Texas Tech later that day. Finally, UAB will play Auburn for the second time in 11 days as the Blazers wrap up their trip with a 9 a.m. game versus the Tigers Feb. 27.
"The Stanford tournament is probably one of the top tournaments that we have been invited to, and it is an honor for us to go out and play, so hopefully we will have a good showing out there," said Townsend.
UAB plays host to 2004 regional participant Georgia Tech March 2, one of six schools which will come to George Ward Park in 2005 that made the regionals last season, before making its way across town for the annual Magic City Classic on March 5-6 as Samford will host the tournament this season. The Blazers are the three-time defending champions of the event.
"Being the three-time defending champion in this event just gives both Birmingham-Southern and Samford more incentive to win so we will have to swing away and try to get some runs on the board because they like to play low-scoring games."
Conference play begins March 15 when the Blazers welcome East Carolina to Birmingham for a three-game series. The Blazers finish the season with a series at Houston May 7-8.
"We have some good teams coming in this season, we are hosting South Florida who has become one of our biggest rivals and we cannot wait to face them," said Townsend. "DePaul comes here and we are close with them and consider them friends, so to have them come in here will be special. Southern Miss is always a lot of fun as well, and all three of those teams are perennial top 25 teams in the NCAA rankings."
UAB will honor its four seniors on May 1 against Southern Miss, but will play its final home game of the season on May 4 versus Chattanooga. The 2005 schedule will once again be a challenge.
COACHING STAFF
Townsend enters her sixth season in 2005 while assistant coach Mick Hokanson returns for his fourth year. Hokanson serves as UAB's hitting and infield instructor and is the primary out-of-state recruiting coordinator. Kim Unkenholz joins the UAB staff in 2005 as the pitching coach. The Hoover, Ala., native was a standout pitcher at Troy State University from 1999-2002 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the UAB program. Amanda Ellis and Beth Mullins will serve as student assistants this season after both completed their eligibility last season.
