The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Gear Up for 2007 Season
1/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 12, 2007
The UAB softball team kicked off its season this week with the first official practice for the 2007 season.
The Blazers are fresh off their best season in four years, finishing 31-22 overall and 15-9 in Conference USA. Head coach Marla Townsend, the 2006 C-USA Coach of the Year, enters her seventh season at the helm of the Blazers. Only three practices into the season, Townsend already likes what she sees.
"We're very excited," she said. "I had a chance to get everybody together back on the field and they came out working hard. They were hungry and getting ready to get it started."
After finishing second in the conference, the Blazers bring an experienced squad into the upcoming season, returning seven starters to the field. The team features four seniors, including Allison Davis, Brittany Hodge, Lindsay Stanley and Nicole Tumlin. Stanley led the Blazers in batting average (.344) last season while her 32 stolen bases topped the conference and ranked fifth in the nation.
The Blazers also have a solid core of juniors and sophomores taking the field. Junior infielder Holly Krzan, along with Stanley, earned first-team all-conference honors. Junior pitcher Jennifer Nelson and sophomore pitcher Kayla Harris were selected for second team all-conference. Harris, along with sophomore catcher Andrea Rogers, was also named to the C-USA All-Freshman team. In addition, five newcomers will join the Blazers this season.
With the season opener less than a month away, Townsend has her team ready to go.
"The girls came back in excellent shape and we're also very pleased with some of our newcomers," Townsend said. "We're looking at being competitive from the very beginning, from the very first pitch."
