The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Softball Opens 2012 Campaign At FIU Combat Classic
2/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 8, 2012
Gametracker | Tournament Notes | Tournament Schedule | Live Chat
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB softball team will open its 2012 slate Friday at the FIU Combat Classic in Miami, Fla. The Classic features six teams and a total of 15 games will be played over the three-day span.
The Blazers will take on tough competition in No. 25 Louisville and UMass, who is currently receiving votes in the national polls. The Green and Gold are also slated for matchups against first-time opponent Illinois, Michigan State and host FIU.
UAB in the FIU Combat Classic
Feb. 10: UAB vs. UMass - 11 a.m. ET
Feb. 11: UAB vs. No. 25 Louisville - 9 a.m. ET
UAB vs. Illinois - 3 p.m. ET
Feb. 12: UAB vs. Michigan State - 11 a.m.
UAB vs. FIU - 3 p.m. ET
Multimedia
This season UAB will conduct a live in-game chat through CoverItLive for all games. The live chats start 30 minutes before game time and are available on UABSports.com.
Gametracker will be available for all five games of the tournament. The link can be found at UABSports.com.
2012 Blazers
Head coach Marla Townsend, in her 13th season with the Blazers, will guide a 2012 squad that returns 15 letterwinners and six starting position players, including 2011 All-Conference-USA Second Team selection Mandy Lowman and C-USA All-Freshman Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team member Leigh Streetman.
UAB returns four pitchers from last season's 2011 NCAA tournament team in senior Amber Torres, junior Lauren Webster and sophomores Lannah Campbell and Leigh Streetman.
Behind the plate, senior standout Mandy Lowman, who started all 58 games, returns for the Blazers last year, returns as the starter for the 2012 season. The Huntsville, Ala. product owned a .242 batting average, knocked in 20 runs and ranked third in the league with 29 walks. She also tallied the third-most putouts (412) and tied first in runners caught stealing (17) in C-USA.
With six position starters returning and the addition of two newcomers, the Blazers will have plenty of depth in the infield this season.
Senior Erica Sisson returns for the Blazers at first base. Sisson started 42 games primarily at first base last season where she tallied the second-most putouts (212) for UAB and committed just four errors for a .982 fielding percentage.
The Blazers have options at second base with freshman Amy Dennis and Webster competing for the starting job.
At shortstop, there is a three-way competition among senior Catherine Crawford, redshirt-freshman Heather Pearson and freshman Hayley Davis.
At the hot corner, junior Kate Armstrong and sophomore Kristen McGrath will be competing to be the primary starter. Armstrong started all 58 games a season ago, registering a .265 batting average and a .374 slugging percentage.
The outfield will see a lot of competition due to the departures of 2011 seniors Caley Walden and Sallie Van Kirk. Senior Tiffany Smith, junior transfer Whitney Fletcher and junior Hailey Glynn will see time in the grass. Orr and Crawford could also play in the outfield.
Scouting UMass
UMass ended the 2011 campaign 29-19 overall and 14-5 in the Atlantic 10, finishing in second place in the conference. Currently, the Minutewomen are receiving votes in the national polls. This year the Minutewomen return eight of their starters and lost just two from last season, including two-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Sara Plourde.
UAB and UMass have met one time in history. The Blazers won that contest 1-0 in eight innings on March 4, 2011 as part of the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech.
Scouting No. Louisville
Louisville is currently ranked No. 25 in the nation in the USA Today/NFCA Division I preseason poll and is receiving votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Cardinals finished 2011 with a 38-20 overall record and 12-7 mark in the Big East. The Cardinals earned their eighth consecutive NCAA bid, but went 1-2 in regional play.
Louisville leads the all-time series 17-3. UAB fell, 6-1, in the teams' last meeting, which came on March 30, 2005 in Louisville, Ky.
Scouting Illinois
Illinois wrapped up its 2011 season at 27-22 overall, while placing third among Big Ten teams with a 12-8 conference record. The Fighting Illini return five positions starters and two pitchers in 2012.
The Feb. 11 matchup will mark the first between UAB and Illinois.
Scouting Michigan State
The Spartans closed out the 2011 campaign with a 27-27 overall mark and 6-14 Big Ten record. The team returns 13 letterwinners, including senior standout Brett Williams behind the plate. Williams batted .336 with 34 runs, 52 RBI and 13 homers.
The Blazers trail the Spartans 1-0 in the all-time series. The teams' last meeting was on Feb. 15, 2008 in Tallahassee, Fla. as part of the Seminole Classic. UAB dropped that contest 5-1.
Scouting FIU
Tournament host FIU went 31-27 overall and 14-10 in the Sun Belt last season. The Panthers are lead by first-year head coach Jake Schumann and return three all-conference players in senior outfielder/pitcher Ashley McClain and junior infielders Jessy Alfonso and Kayla Burri.
UAB and FIU have competed against each other just once before in Miami, Fla. on Feb. 11, 2005. The Panthers defeated the Blazers, 3-0, in that contest.
Starting Off Right
With just 12 years of competition under its belt, UAB has been able to post an impressive record in season openers. Despite losing the 2011 opener, UAB has an impressive 8-4 record in season openers. The Blazers' only losses in season openers came in 2000 against Auburn, 2001 against Troy, 2009 against LSU and 2011 against Jacksonville State. Between 2002 and 2008 the Blazers were 7-0.
Blazers Picked To Finish Third In C-USA
The Blazers have been picked to finish third in this season's conference race. Tulsa was picked to win the league in 2012, receiving 79 points and seven first-place votes from C-USA's nine head coaches. Houston was chosen to finish as the runner-up with 67 points and one first-place vote, and UAB was picked to round out the top three preseason selections, receiving 60 points and one first-place vote.
