The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Faces Houston In Opening Round Of C-USA Championship
5/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 12, 2010
Gametracker | Watch Live
Championship Central | Tournament Notes 
HOUSTON --- The UAB softball team will face Houston Thursday in the opening round of the 2010 Conference USA Softball Championship held May 13-15 in Houston, Texas. First pitch between the No. 4 Blazers and the No. 5 Cougars is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Cougar Softball Stadium.
Blazer fans will be able to follow Thursday's action through Gametracker live stats and All-Access live video streaming.
In other opening round action, No. 2 Tulsa (31-20, 14-6 C-USA) will take on No. 7 Memphis (24-25, 8-15 C-USA) at 11 a.m. Following in game two at 1:30 p.m., third-seeded UCF (33-20, 16-7 C-USA) will face sixth-seeded UTEP (31-23, 11-13 C-USA). No. 1 East Carolina (39-16, 16-5 C-USA) will play No. 8 Southern Miss (25-27, 7-17 C-USA) in game three at 4:30 p.m.
UAB (36-19, 15-9 C-USA) ranks fourth in C-USA and owns the second-highest overall winning percentage (.655). In the latest RPI released on May 12, UAB is No. 38, with C-USA foes UCF and East Carolina close behind at No. 39 and 40, respectively.
The Blazers own an all-time record of 5-12 at the C-USA Championship. UAB reached the championship game in 2002, but fell to DePaul, 2-1, to finish runner-up.
UAB center fielder Martina Landrum is ranked 18th in the nation and leads C-USA with 35 steals. The Sweet Water, Ala., product boasts a .376 batting average and has recorded 67 hits, the most in C-USA. In league action, Landrum ranks first in batting average (.395), slugging percentage (.632), runs scored (24), hits (30), triples (3) and stolen bases (18). She has also broken the UAB total base, triple and run single-season records this season.
Catcher Mandy Lowman and shortstop Kayla Orr have both notched 40 RBI to set a new UAB single-season record. Lowman has blasted a team-high nine home runs, while Orr has posted a team-high 10 multiple hit games. Landrum, Lowman and Orr were all first-team All-C-USA selections.
In the circle for the Blazers, Lauren Webster (17-5) owns a 1.81 ERA and was a perfect 7-0 in C-USA action this season. C-USA's Freshman of the Year has held opponents to a .198 batting average and recorded a league-leading four saves. Alisha Smith (13-11), who was tabbed C-USA's Newcomer of the Year, has struck out 156 batters, posted a pair of saves and owns a 2.03 ERA.
Houston leads the all-time series against UAB, 21-9. Earlier this season, the Blazers swept the Cougars in a three-game series at UAB Softball Field. UAB edged Houston, 3-2, in the series opener, before downing them, 8-2, in the nightcap. During Sunday's finale, Landrum's grand slam capped off an eight-run first inning for the Blaz¬ers en route to an 11-3 run-rule victory.
Houston (29-23-1) holds the No. 5 spot in C-USA with a 12-10-1 league record. The Cougars are No. 51 in the latest RPI, and are the only other team in C-USA besides UAB to take two games from league-leader East Carolina this season.
Center fielder Ashleigh Jones leads the team with a .333 batting average and 59 hits. Catcher Melissa Gregson has notched a team-high 32 RBI, while shortstop Brooke Lathan has blasted 18 extra-base hits, including 11 home runs.
Bailey Watts (13-10) and Amanda Crabtree (12-10) head the Cougar pitching staff. Watts has thrown five shutouts and picked up two saves in 31 appearances. Crabtree has struck out 177 batters and held opponents to a .196 batting average in 145.2 innings of work.
The winner of Thursday's matchup will advance to the semifinals and play at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The tournament will conclude with the championship game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Saturday's championship will be televised on CBS College Sports.
