The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Host C-USA Championship
5/9/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2012
GameTracker | Live Video | Live Chat | Championship Central | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –For the first time in program history UAB will host the Conference USA Softball Championship. The second-seeded UAB softball team will take on the No. 7 seed Memphis Tigers on Thursday in the first round.
The Blazers and Tigers will face off at 7 p.m. CT at the UAB Softball Field in the final contest of the tournament’s first day.
Live Coverage
Blazer fans can follow the game via GameTracker, Blazer Vision and an in-game live chat.
UAB At A Glance
UAB (36-19, 17-7 C-USA) has claimed seven of its last 10 games. The Blazers enter the tournament with a No. 39 RPI ranking and their highest-ever tournament seed in program history.
UAB is receiving four votes in the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Blazers finished the regular season in second place for the first time in school history after winning one of three games against regular-season champion Tulsa last weekend.
UAB’s pitching staff is second in C-USA in ERA (2.09), batters struck out (355) and runs allowed (145). The Blazers have collected 13 shutouts, a C-USA best six saves and have held opponents to a .225 batting average.
Lannah Campbell (14-6) has a 1.60 ERA with 28 earned runs allowed through 122.2 innings pitched. She’s struck out a team-best 138 batters and is holding opponents to a .198 batting average.
The Blazers are batting .281, out-scoring opponents 226-145 and out-hitting the opposition 409-314. Mandy Lowman leads the team with a .359 batting average, while Kristen McGrath has registered team-bests with 14 home runs and 39 RBI.
Scouting Memphis
Memphis finished the regular season with a 20-36 overall record and went 8-16 in league play. The Tigers are 3-7 in their last 10 games and recently took one of three games against East Carolina.
As a team, the Tigers are batting .232. Morgan Mosby leads the team with a .335 batting average, 24 runs and 61 hits, while Jessica Phillips has a team-high 11 doubles and 30 RBI.
Five pitchers have seen action for the Tigers, led by Ellen Roberts with a 3.08 ERA. Roberts (11-18) has 145 strikeouts, 85 earned runs allowed and 52 walks in 193.1 innings pitched.
Recent Series History
Earlier this season, the Blazers swept Memphis in the conference-opening series by scores of 3-1, 4-3 and 2-0.
UAB leads the all-time series between the two teams, 14-8. The Blazers have won eight of the last 10 games against the Tigers.
UAB In The C-USA Tournament
This marks the third time that UAB opens the tournament against Memphis. UAB is 1-1 against the Tigers in the tournament with an 8-6 loss in 2008 and an 11-5 win in 2009.
The Blazers have made nine trips to the C-USA tournament and are 4-14 in tournament play.
UAB’s best finish came in 2002 as the runner-up after falling to DePaul, 2-1, in the championship game May 11 at the USF Softball Complex in Tampa, Fla.
