The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Tuesday, April 30
Birmingham, Ala.
6 P.M.
UAB
at
Samford
Blazers Set for Packed Final Week of Regular Season Away from Home
4/29/2019 10:01:00 PM | Softball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB softball team will wrap up its regular season slate this week with a loaded schedule, featuring five road games beginning Tuesday and ending on Sunday.
The Blazers will first travel over the mountain for another crosstown matchup with Samford, this time at Joe Lee Griffin Field on Tuesday at 6 p.m. UAB will next head to Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Thursday to battle Middle Tennessee at 6 p.m. at the Blue Raider Softball Field in a rubber match that was scheduled for April 7, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather. The Blazers will then wrap up the season in Charlotte, N.C., as they conclude their final conference series against the 49ers. UAB and Charlotte are scheduled to compete in a double header on Saturday with games at noon and 2 p.m., then play in the regular season finale at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium. Links to live streams and live stats for each game will be provided on UAB softball's schedule page, and all times listed are central unless otherwise noted.
The Blazers (15-30, 5-15 C-USA) head into the week following a rough stretch as of late. Despite taking No. 18 Ole Miss to the brink in extra innings and falling by just a run against Mississippi State in the most recent midweek contests, UAB was swept by North Texas over the weekend. Junior outfielder Destini England was a bright spot for the Blazers though, going 6-for-10 at the plate over the weekend while scoring a pair of runs and making some highlight-reel catches in center field. In the circle, freshman Sarah Cespedes also performed well, pitching a total of 8.2 innings in relief and giving up just two runs on three hits with four strikeouts.
UAB held some of the best batting numbers in the conference throughout much of the season. After leading the conference in batting average and doubles per game a few weeks straight, the Blazers continues to lead the conference in doubles per game and come in at No. 30 in the country with a 1.56 average. In the field, the Blazers have also shined as their 0.51 double plays per game ranks third in the conference and 16th in the nation.
Individually, freshman Faith Hegh leads the charge in doubles, averaging 0.30 per game to rank fourth in the conference. Sophomore outfielder Jenna Olszewski has also maintained a high-ranking mark this season, coming in at fourth in the conference and No. 68 in the NCAA in triples on the season with four to date. UAB has also proven to be one of the more pesky bunches at the plate for opposing pitchers as the Blazers own the top four rankings in the conference in being the most difficult to strike out. Junior infielder Dylinn Stancil currently owns the top spot in the category with six strikeouts in 137 at-bats, ranking first in the conference and No. 33 in the country, followed by England, Olszewski and Hegh to round out the top four. Junior infielder Ashton Clem has also been pegged an average of every third game this season, which comes out to 15 times to rank 15th in the country and third in conference.
Samford (21-26, 10-4 SoCon) enters the matchup after going 6-1 in its most recent string of conference games. The Bulldogs swept Western Carolina and ETSU, then split a doubleheader with Mercer over the weekend. Samford has posted some notable stats within the SoCon as a team, ranking second in the conference in four different categories. Most notably, the Bulldogs are second in the conference and No. 36 in the NCAA in double plays per game with a 0.45 average. The other second-place categories for Samford include fielding percentage (.966), home runs per game (0.85) and triples per game (0.17).
Junior infielder Maddie Dorsett currently sits atop the conference and 25th in the nation in sacrifice hits per game with a 0.24 average, while fellow junior infielder Whitney Hinton is second in the conference in total bases with 90 on the season.
In the all-time series between the two, UAB currently holds a 29-6 advantage. The Blazers won the first meeting, 9-1, in 2014, along with the most recent contest, 6-1, earlier this season. UAB holds the longest win streak of the series after claiming nine straight from the 2009 through the 2012 seasons and also owns three separate win streaks of five or more games. The Blazers are 16-3 at home, 10-3 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites against the Bulldogs.
Middle Tennessee (25-24, 9-11 C-USA) will next host the Blazers in the midst of a rough patch of their own as they've lost seven straight conference games. The most recent win for the Blue Raiders came in the form of a 9-3 win over Florida Atlantic on April 13.
Individually, the Blue Raiders have multiple players with high numbers in conference. Junior infielder Summer Burgess is currently second in the conference in hits with 60 on the season. Junior first baseman Lexi Cushing brings the power, leading the conference in home runs after knocking 14 this season to rank No. 36 in the nation to date. Cushing is third in the conference in total bases with 92 on the season as well. Meanwhile, junior infielder Sydney Heath has exceled in making timely contact, ranking first in the conference and eighth in the nation in sacrifice hits with 0.28 per game this season.
In the all-time series, Middle Tennessee currently holds a 10-7 lead. The Blue Raiders took the first meeting between the two, coming out with an 8-0 win in 2001. UAB took the most recent contest earlier in the year though, downing Middle Tennessee in the second game of a doubleheader, 3-1. There have only been two three-game series for the two squads as they were split with the Blazers taking the most recent series, 2-1.
Charlotte (15-32, 6-14 C-USA) will host the regular season series finale after losing its most recent series to Florida Atlantic, 2-1. The 49ers won their first conference series of the season over FIU, 2-0, the weekend prior.
As a unit, Charlotte is second in the conference in triples per game with a 0.21 average and third in the league in batting average at 0.288, currently. Individually, the 49ers are at or near the top of the conference in multiple categories. Sophomore infielder Katie Manring is currently tied for first in the conference and No. 36 in the nation in home runs with the aforementioned Cushing at 14 home runs on the season, ranks second in the conference in total bases with 97 and is currently third in the conference in RBI per game with a 0.89 average. Senior outfielder Emma Ocker is second in the conference and 18th in the nation in triples with five on the season as well.
UAB currently leads Charlotte in the all-time series, 20-7. The Blazers won the first meeting in 2000, 7-0, and the most recent matchup in 2016, 9-2. The Blazers hold the longest win streak of the series after winning the first eight contests between the two from the 2000 through the 2002 seasons. UAB also won 15 of the first 17 meetings and has won seven of the eight season series the programs have played in, including a 2-1 win in the most recent series in 2016. The Blazers are 11-4 at home, 8-3 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site against the 49ers.
The outcome of this week's five games will determine whether UAB continues its season into the 2019 Conference USA Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by the Blazers on Wednesday, May 8, through Saturday, May 11, at Mary Bowers Field. The tournament bracket will be announced by the conference on Sunday, May 5, following the conclusion of all scheduled games on the day throughout the league. Information regarding coverage and ticket pricing will be announced on a later date should the Blazers qualify for the tournament.
Fans can receive access to the remaining home baseball games for the rest of the 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).
The Blazers will first travel over the mountain for another crosstown matchup with Samford, this time at Joe Lee Griffin Field on Tuesday at 6 p.m. UAB will next head to Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Thursday to battle Middle Tennessee at 6 p.m. at the Blue Raider Softball Field in a rubber match that was scheduled for April 7, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather. The Blazers will then wrap up the season in Charlotte, N.C., as they conclude their final conference series against the 49ers. UAB and Charlotte are scheduled to compete in a double header on Saturday with games at noon and 2 p.m., then play in the regular season finale at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Sue M. Daughtridge Stadium. Links to live streams and live stats for each game will be provided on UAB softball's schedule page, and all times listed are central unless otherwise noted.
The Blazers (15-30, 5-15 C-USA) head into the week following a rough stretch as of late. Despite taking No. 18 Ole Miss to the brink in extra innings and falling by just a run against Mississippi State in the most recent midweek contests, UAB was swept by North Texas over the weekend. Junior outfielder Destini England was a bright spot for the Blazers though, going 6-for-10 at the plate over the weekend while scoring a pair of runs and making some highlight-reel catches in center field. In the circle, freshman Sarah Cespedes also performed well, pitching a total of 8.2 innings in relief and giving up just two runs on three hits with four strikeouts.
UAB held some of the best batting numbers in the conference throughout much of the season. After leading the conference in batting average and doubles per game a few weeks straight, the Blazers continues to lead the conference in doubles per game and come in at No. 30 in the country with a 1.56 average. In the field, the Blazers have also shined as their 0.51 double plays per game ranks third in the conference and 16th in the nation.
Individually, freshman Faith Hegh leads the charge in doubles, averaging 0.30 per game to rank fourth in the conference. Sophomore outfielder Jenna Olszewski has also maintained a high-ranking mark this season, coming in at fourth in the conference and No. 68 in the NCAA in triples on the season with four to date. UAB has also proven to be one of the more pesky bunches at the plate for opposing pitchers as the Blazers own the top four rankings in the conference in being the most difficult to strike out. Junior infielder Dylinn Stancil currently owns the top spot in the category with six strikeouts in 137 at-bats, ranking first in the conference and No. 33 in the country, followed by England, Olszewski and Hegh to round out the top four. Junior infielder Ashton Clem has also been pegged an average of every third game this season, which comes out to 15 times to rank 15th in the country and third in conference.
Samford (21-26, 10-4 SoCon) enters the matchup after going 6-1 in its most recent string of conference games. The Bulldogs swept Western Carolina and ETSU, then split a doubleheader with Mercer over the weekend. Samford has posted some notable stats within the SoCon as a team, ranking second in the conference in four different categories. Most notably, the Bulldogs are second in the conference and No. 36 in the NCAA in double plays per game with a 0.45 average. The other second-place categories for Samford include fielding percentage (.966), home runs per game (0.85) and triples per game (0.17).
Junior infielder Maddie Dorsett currently sits atop the conference and 25th in the nation in sacrifice hits per game with a 0.24 average, while fellow junior infielder Whitney Hinton is second in the conference in total bases with 90 on the season.
In the all-time series between the two, UAB currently holds a 29-6 advantage. The Blazers won the first meeting, 9-1, in 2014, along with the most recent contest, 6-1, earlier this season. UAB holds the longest win streak of the series after claiming nine straight from the 2009 through the 2012 seasons and also owns three separate win streaks of five or more games. The Blazers are 16-3 at home, 10-3 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites against the Bulldogs.
Middle Tennessee (25-24, 9-11 C-USA) will next host the Blazers in the midst of a rough patch of their own as they've lost seven straight conference games. The most recent win for the Blue Raiders came in the form of a 9-3 win over Florida Atlantic on April 13.
Individually, the Blue Raiders have multiple players with high numbers in conference. Junior infielder Summer Burgess is currently second in the conference in hits with 60 on the season. Junior first baseman Lexi Cushing brings the power, leading the conference in home runs after knocking 14 this season to rank No. 36 in the nation to date. Cushing is third in the conference in total bases with 92 on the season as well. Meanwhile, junior infielder Sydney Heath has exceled in making timely contact, ranking first in the conference and eighth in the nation in sacrifice hits with 0.28 per game this season.
In the all-time series, Middle Tennessee currently holds a 10-7 lead. The Blue Raiders took the first meeting between the two, coming out with an 8-0 win in 2001. UAB took the most recent contest earlier in the year though, downing Middle Tennessee in the second game of a doubleheader, 3-1. There have only been two three-game series for the two squads as they were split with the Blazers taking the most recent series, 2-1.
Charlotte (15-32, 6-14 C-USA) will host the regular season series finale after losing its most recent series to Florida Atlantic, 2-1. The 49ers won their first conference series of the season over FIU, 2-0, the weekend prior.
As a unit, Charlotte is second in the conference in triples per game with a 0.21 average and third in the league in batting average at 0.288, currently. Individually, the 49ers are at or near the top of the conference in multiple categories. Sophomore infielder Katie Manring is currently tied for first in the conference and No. 36 in the nation in home runs with the aforementioned Cushing at 14 home runs on the season, ranks second in the conference in total bases with 97 and is currently third in the conference in RBI per game with a 0.89 average. Senior outfielder Emma Ocker is second in the conference and 18th in the nation in triples with five on the season as well.
UAB currently leads Charlotte in the all-time series, 20-7. The Blazers won the first meeting in 2000, 7-0, and the most recent matchup in 2016, 9-2. The Blazers hold the longest win streak of the series after winning the first eight contests between the two from the 2000 through the 2002 seasons. UAB also won 15 of the first 17 meetings and has won seven of the eight season series the programs have played in, including a 2-1 win in the most recent series in 2016. The Blazers are 11-4 at home, 8-3 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site against the 49ers.
The outcome of this week's five games will determine whether UAB continues its season into the 2019 Conference USA Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by the Blazers on Wednesday, May 8, through Saturday, May 11, at Mary Bowers Field. The tournament bracket will be announced by the conference on Sunday, May 5, following the conclusion of all scheduled games on the day throughout the league. Information regarding coverage and ticket pricing will be announced on a later date should the Blazers qualify for the tournament.
Fans can receive access to the remaining home baseball games for the rest of the 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).
Players Mentioned
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