The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Set to Open Season at Plainsman Invite
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Friday, Feb. 6 | UAB vs. Appalachian State | 4:45 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 | UAB at No. 20 Auburn | 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 | UAB vs. Chattanooga | 1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 | UAB vs. George Washington | 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 8 | UAB vs. Evansville | 9 a.m.
Details: Jane B. Moore Field | Auburn, Ala.
Live Stats: Friday: Appalachian State | Auburn | Saturday: Chattanooga | George Washington | Sunday: Evansville
UAB at No. 20 Auburn Broadcast: SEC Network+
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB softball team begins its 2015 campaign this weekend with a trip to Auburn, Ala. to play five games at the Plainsman Invite.
The Blazers will open the season on Friday with a 4:45 p.m. CT matchup against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, before taking on the hosts, the No. 20 Auburn Tigers, at 7 p.m. CT.
Friday night's game against Auburn will be televised on SEC Network+ and is available through WatchESPN.com. Brit Bowen will handle the play-by-play duties, while Jessi Duval will serve as the analyst.
UAB will play two more on Saturday, with the first matchup coming against the Chattanooga Mocs at 1 p.m. CT, and the second against the George Washington Colonials at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Blazers will wrap up their first tournament of the season with a 9 a.m. CT meeting with the Evansville Purple Aces on Sunday.
Live stats will be available at UABSports.com.
Blazers with Success in Season Openers
Since the UAB softball program began in 2000, the Blazers hold a 10-5 record in season openers. UAB's last win in an opener came two seasons ago, when the Blazers knocked off No. 16 Washington, 4-3.
Blazers the Co-Favorite in Conference USA
The UAB softball team was selected as the co-favorite to win Conference USA in a poll by league coaches. UAB and co-favorite FIU received five votes apiece. The Blazers are coming off five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and are returning 15 players, including seven of nine regulars from last season's lineups. 2013 Conference-USA Coach of the Year Marla Townsend enters her 16th season at the helm of the UAB softball program, and holds a career record of 452-423.
Attfield on 2015 C-USA Softball Preseason Team
Highlighting the returning players is junior infielder Caitlin Attfield, who was selected to the preseason C-USA All-Conference Team. Attfield set several single-season school records in 2014, including batting average (.425), hits (88), total bases (120), on-base percentage (.473) and assists (140).
Over her career, Attfield has made four All-Conference USA teams (Second Team and All-Academic Team in 2014; First Team and All-Freshman Team in 2013) and won C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2013. The Niagara Falls, N.Y. native is also a two-time honoree on the NFCA Mideast Region Second Team and the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.
UAB Opens Season with Four February Tournaments
Each weekend in February, the UAB softball team will hit the road for a tournament. After this weekend's Plainsman Invite, the Blazers will prepare for the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Tournament, which begins on Feb. 13. The Blazers will bookend the month of February with the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational (Feb. 20-22) and the Woo Pig Classic at the University of Arkansas (Feb. 27-March 1). In between tournaments, UAB will host No. 3 Alabama on Feb. 17, and Mississippi State on Feb. 24.
Scouting the Tournament Field
UAB's opening game of the season will be its first ever meeting with Appalachian State, who finished last season 19-32 and finished seventh in its conference. The Mountaineers return six starters from last season and nine letterwinners overall. Janice Savage, who owns a career record of 57-52, will begin her first season as head coach at Appalachian State.
The Blazers will face a ranked opponent for the first time this season when they take on the No. 20 Auburn Tigers on Friday night. After finishing last season 42-19-1 overall and eighth in the SEC, the Tigers return 16 letterwinners and each of their three pitchers. In the all-time series, UAB holds a 2-9 record against the Tigers.
After meeting last year in the NCAA Athens Regional, UAB will face Chattanooga at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. In last season's meeting, the Blazers defeated the Mocs, 9-2, behind 13 hits and three home runs. Saturday's meeting marks the 24th between the two schools, with the Blazers holding a 14-9 advantage in the all-time series. The Blazers will face the Mocs again on April 18 for a doubleheader in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Blazers' second opponent on Saturday is George Washington, with first pitch set for 7:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's matchup marks UAB's first meeting with the Colonials, who finished their 2014 slate 18-31-1. George Washington returns 14 letterwinners from last year's team.
UAB will wrap up its trip to Auburn with a 9 a.m. CT matchup with Evansville on Sunday. The Blazers will be playing their third matchup with Evansville, and have defeated the Purple Aces in both previous tries. Evansville finished last season with a record of 19-32.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For an in-depth look into the UAB softball program, follow @uabsoftball on Twitter.
