Blazers Welcome Gamecocks for in-State Battle

Wednesday, March 27

Birmingham, Ala. / Mary Bowers Field

5 P.M.

UAB

Jacksonville State

Blazers Welcome Gamecocks for in-State Battle

3/26/2019 4:38:00 PM | Softball

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB softball team will be back at home on Wednesday to host in-state foe Jacksonville State for a midweek contest at Mary Bowers Field. First pitch for the contest is slated for 5 p.m.

UAB (11-19, 2-7 C-USA) comes into the matchup on the heels of its first conference win and conference-series win last weekend as the Blazers took two out of three games from Florida Atlantic on the road in Boca Raton, Fla. The Blazers swept the opening doubleheader, winning game one, 5-3, and game two, 5-1. UAB got off to a hot start in both affairs, driving in three runs in the top of the first in both games, and never looked back. Sophomore pitcher Emily Kachel earned the win for game one, while junior pitcher Claire Blount pitched a near complete game shutout before being relieved in the top of the seventh and later claimed the win. With the series clinched, the Blazers hung around early, but ultimately dropped the final game of the series, 7-3.

Over the course of the season, UAB has maintained some of the best batting numbers in the conference. The Blazers have led the conference in batting average and doubles per game the past few weeks, currently ranking No. 45 in the nation in batting average at .304 and fourth in the country in doubles per game at 1.90 per game.

Individually, freshman outfielder Faith Hegh leads the conference and is ranked No. 51 in the NCAA in doubles per game at 0.36. Going a step further, sophomore outfielder Jenna Olszewski ranks second in the conference and 12^th in the country in triples with four on the season. Junior infielder Dylinn Stancil has proved to be a headache for opposing pitchers as well, coming in as the second most difficult player to strike out in the conference for her current numbers at the plate, also ranking No. 30 in the nation in the category.

Jacksonville State (19-7, 3-1 OVC) will travel to the Magic City after sweeping a doubleheader at Morehead State and splitting another doubleheader at Eastern Kentucky last weekend. The Gamecocks dominated Morehead State, defeating the Eagles 18-3 in game one and 8-0 in game two with both games only lasting five innings. Against Eastern Kentucky, the Gamecocks won game one handedly, 9-2, but dropped the final contest, 10-5. Prior to the most recent loss, Jacksonville State had been on a roll, winning eight games straight. The Gamecocks currently lead the Ohio Valley Conference and are ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA in home runs per game, scoring and slugging percentage.

Senior outfielder Taylor Beshears spearheads the potent Gamecock offense, posting a .453 batting average with 39 hits, seven doubles, nine home runs and 26 RBI. Along with that, Beshears currently boasts an .849 slugging percentage and a .495 on-base percentage. In the circle, senior pitcher Faith Sims leads the way for Jacksonville State, firing 100 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched with 15 starts on the year for a 1.88 ERA to go 12-1 on the season to date.

In the all-time series between the two squads, Jacksonville State holds a narrow edge at 20-18. UAB took the last meeting of the two as the Blazers blanked the Gamecocks, 4-0, on May 2, 2018, on the road in Oxford, Ala. Jacksonville State came out on top in the previous contest with a 4-1 win at Mary Bowers Field on March 28, 2018. UAB's most successful stretch over Jacksonville State came from 2005 to 2010, when the Blazers took five straight. Jacksonville State has the longest unblemished run of the series, winning eight in a row from 2001 to 2005.

The Blazers will next host a weekend series against conference opponent UTEP (9-22, 3-6 C-USA) on Saturday and Sunday at Mary Bowers Field. In a Saturday doubleheader, first pitch for game one is slated for 3 p.m., and game two is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. The series topper is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

General admission tickets are on sale for $5 for adults and $3 for youth and chairback seats are available for $10 for adults and $6 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com, or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Fans can receive access to every softball, women's basketball and baseball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

For more information on the UAB softball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_SB).