The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Opens Fall Practice
9/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sept. 4, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The 2008 UAB softball team began its fall practice Tuesday with nine returnees and nine newcomers joining head coach Marla Townsend's team that finished 31-27 last season and finished ranked 50th out of 277 teams in the NCAA RPI.
With four valuable players returning for the Blazers, as well as the addition of a talented group of incoming players and veterans, the team's goal is simple.
"We want to have the best year ever," Townsend said.
Even though Townsend, now entering her tenth season as head coach, is excited to be back on the diamond, she realizes that there is plenty of work that needs to be done before her team reaches that goal.
"Fall is the time to win championships," she said. "This is the time to work hard and find out what you and you're teammates are made of."
Throughout the next few weeks, the Blazers, who won 30-plus games in two consecutive years for the first time last season, will be evaluated by Townsend and her coaching staff and will participate in some off the field team building activities.
"Right now we want to see where everyone is at," she said. "We want to have an idea about what they need to work on, so when we leave fall practice we'll know what each individual needs to work on to improve."
Nine players, including three key players, return for the 2008 season hoping to achieve the best season in the program's history. Holly Krzan and Andrea Rogers, return to the middle of the line up, while Jennifer Nelson anchors a talented pitching staff.
Krzan earned all-conference honors in 2007, while Rogers set the career home run mark in just her second year. Nelson set UAB's single-season ERA mark at 1.43 and was also earned all-conference honors.
Although the amount of the time the team has spent together has been short, it's clear that the veteran's influence is already rubbing off on the incoming players, something that hopes to be continued during fall practice.
"We're expecting a lot of leadership from our returning players," Townsend said. "It's already started to show in the weight room. It's going to be really exciting, because we have some younger athletes who want to learn and want to get better and I think they have what it takes."
Of the nine new faces, eight are freshmen and one a junior college transfer. It's is the largest recruiting class Townsend has brought in to UAB since the initial class in 2000.
"We're glad to be out here sweating," Townsend said. "It's a good group of young ladies and we're very excited to have them on the field for the first time."
The Blazers will hold their sixth-annual Blazer Bash on Friday Sept. 14, which will feature an alumni game on Saturday Sept. 15 at George Ward Park Field 6 and will be hosting a fall tournament on October 6.
