The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Friday, February 9
Tampa, FL
9:00 AM
UAB
vs
University of Michigan
UAB Starts The 2018 Season At The USF DeMarini Tournament
2/8/2018 5:56:00 PM | Softball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 2018 season gets underway for UAB softball as it travels to Tampa, Fla. to compete in the USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament. The Blazers kickoff the season and tournament against No. 18 Michigan on Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. CT at the USF Softball Stadium.
UAB will play a second game on Feb. 9 against Illinois State with first pitch coming at 1:30 p.m. CT. On day two, the Green and Gold play just once against USF at 7:30 p.m. CT before wrapping up tournament play on Feb. 11 with two games, the first coming against Georgia State at 10:15 a.m. CT and the final game against last season's WCWS runner up No. 2 Florida.
Every game of the tournament will be played at the USF Softball Stadium.
Coming off a 21-33 (12-12 C-USA) season a year ago, UAB begins a new era under first-year head coach Amanda Ellis after long-time head coach Marla Townsend was promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Initiatives and Engagement.
Ellis, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach for UAB, played catcher for the Blazers from 2001-04.
"This is a really strong tournament and a great way for us to start the season," Ellis said. "Obviously when you start out playing two teams that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago it gives you a little extra energy and I believe the whole team is fired up and ready to go."
Ellis takes over a squad with a healthy mix of veteran talent and youthful energy that was picked to finish 6th in the conference by the league's head coaches. The Blazers return three players that were named to All-Conference Teams last season in catcher Molli Garcia who earned Second Team All-Conference honors and left-handed pitcher Claire Blount and outfielder Destini England who both were named to the All-Conference Freshman team.
England is UAB's leading hitter returning from a year ago. She hit .279 and led the team in runs scored (27), triples (7) and tied for the team lead in steals (9). Blount was the Blazers' leading pitcher a year ago with a team high in wins (9), ERA (2.94), strikeouts (126), innings pitched (162.0), appearances (33) and shutouts (3).
UAB also returns four starters from last season in Analyse Petree, Natalie Erwin, Madison Millsaps, and Rachel Rogers. They have also welcomed five newcomers, freshman Bailie Barnes, Raina Cooper, Sarah Crawford, Emily Kachel and Rachel Owens.
The Blazers will meet No. 18 Michigan and Illinois State for the first time in program history. The Blazers have a long history with tournament host USF dating back to USF's time as a member of Conference USA.
The Bulls hold the advantage in the all-time series 14-9, however, UAB won the last two meetings on Feb. 25, 2007, 2-1 and Feb. 18, 2011, 6-2.
Against Georgia State, the Blazers have the advantage 9-5 and have won the last two meeting by a combined score of 21-6. The final opponent on the weekend, No. 2 Florida, leads the all-time series 3-0 with the last meeting coming on Feb. 19, 2016.
UAB and No. 2 Florida first met in 2013 in the NCAA Super Regional hosted by the Gators in Gainesville, Fla. The Blazers fell in two games of the three-game series by final scores of 4-3 and 1-0.
The Blazers will open up at home on Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. CT against in-state foe Alabama.
For tickets, UAB fans have the opportunity to purchase a Gold Card which allows access to six different sports, including women's basketball, baseball and softball, throughout the upcoming season.
A single admission Gold Card is $65, while a dual admission card can be purchased for $120, admission for three is $165, and a 4-pack of Gold Cards is $200. Fans who purchase a Gold Card will be given a membership card they show to gain admission into each specific event. Fans can purchase a Gold Card at the UAB Athletics Ticket Office located at Bartow Arena, or by calling 205-975-UAB1.
Players Mentioned
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