The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Wednesday, May 25
Hattiesburg, Miss.
4 p.m.
UAB
vs
#14 Southern Miss
UAB Opens C-USA Tournament on Wednesday Against Southern Miss
5/24/2022 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The UAB baseball team will make its first postseason appearance since 2018 when the eighth-seeded Blazers face top-seeded Southern Miss in their opening game of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday at Pete Taylor Park.
UAB's opening-round matchup against No. 14 Southern Miss (41-14, 23-7 C-USA) is set to begin at 4 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available for this week's games on StatBroadcast.
With a win in game one, the Blazers (31-23, 13-17 C-USA) will face the winner of fourth-seeded Florida Atlantic and fifth-seeded UTSA at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. With a loss, UAB will face the loser of FAU and UTSA's Wednesday matchup at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
UAB holds a 5-4 record against teams on its side of the bracket, earning series victories over both Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss in conference play. The Blazers dropped a road series at UTSA this past weekend, winning the opening game 18-7 before falling to the Roadrunners in games two and three.
The Blazers own a 4-9 all-time record in Conference USA Tournament games played in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but UAB knocked off Southern Miss 4-0 in the most recent C-USA Tournament matchup played between the two teams at Pete Taylor Park.
Sixth-seeded UAB advanced to the Conference USA Tournament championship game in 2015 after earning an opening-round victory against Southern Miss. UAB then won a pair of games against nationally-ranked Florida Atlantic before the Blazers' run came to an end in the title game with an 8-2 loss to FIU.
Four Blazers – Christian Hall (Second Team), Collin Taylor (Second Team), Henry Hunter (All-Freshman Team) and Thomas Ballard (All-Freshman Team) – earned All-Conference USA honors on Tuesday afternoon. Hall ranks second in Conference USA with a .372 batting average, while Taylor ranks tied for third in the league with eight saves. Hunter led UAB freshmen with a .294 batting average, six home runs and 62 total bases, while Ballard ranked tied for ninth in Conference USA with six pitching victories.
Third baseman Brandon Willoughby was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team on Monday. The first-year Blazer holds a 3.74 GPA as he pursues a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. Willoughby finished the 2022 regular season with a .263 batting average, six doubles, three home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs scored.
UAB will send usual Friday night starter Jackson Reynolds (2-5, 3.69 ERA) to the mound for Wednesday's game against the Golden Eagles. Reynolds tossed 6.1 innings with a strikeout in UAB's 10-6 victory over USM on April 29, helping snap the Golden Eagles' 15-game winning streak.
Leading RBI man Josh Sears has slugged four home runs in his past five games, launching a pair of home runs and knocking in four runs at UTSA on Thursday. Sears ranks fifth in Conference USA with 63 RBI and seventh in the league with 17 home runs entering postseason play.
Fans may also follow this week's action in Hattiesburg by downloading the free TuneIn Radio app, online through Blazers All-Access at UABSports.com, or on the UAB Gameday mobile app. David Crane will be on the call for UAB's games at Pete Taylor Park.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, be sure to follow @UAB_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.
UAB's opening-round matchup against No. 14 Southern Miss (41-14, 23-7 C-USA) is set to begin at 4 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available for this week's games on StatBroadcast.
With a win in game one, the Blazers (31-23, 13-17 C-USA) will face the winner of fourth-seeded Florida Atlantic and fifth-seeded UTSA at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. With a loss, UAB will face the loser of FAU and UTSA's Wednesday matchup at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
UAB holds a 5-4 record against teams on its side of the bracket, earning series victories over both Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss in conference play. The Blazers dropped a road series at UTSA this past weekend, winning the opening game 18-7 before falling to the Roadrunners in games two and three.
The Blazers own a 4-9 all-time record in Conference USA Tournament games played in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but UAB knocked off Southern Miss 4-0 in the most recent C-USA Tournament matchup played between the two teams at Pete Taylor Park.
Sixth-seeded UAB advanced to the Conference USA Tournament championship game in 2015 after earning an opening-round victory against Southern Miss. UAB then won a pair of games against nationally-ranked Florida Atlantic before the Blazers' run came to an end in the title game with an 8-2 loss to FIU.
Four Blazers – Christian Hall (Second Team), Collin Taylor (Second Team), Henry Hunter (All-Freshman Team) and Thomas Ballard (All-Freshman Team) – earned All-Conference USA honors on Tuesday afternoon. Hall ranks second in Conference USA with a .372 batting average, while Taylor ranks tied for third in the league with eight saves. Hunter led UAB freshmen with a .294 batting average, six home runs and 62 total bases, while Ballard ranked tied for ninth in Conference USA with six pitching victories.
Third baseman Brandon Willoughby was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team on Monday. The first-year Blazer holds a 3.74 GPA as he pursues a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. Willoughby finished the 2022 regular season with a .263 batting average, six doubles, three home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs scored.
UAB will send usual Friday night starter Jackson Reynolds (2-5, 3.69 ERA) to the mound for Wednesday's game against the Golden Eagles. Reynolds tossed 6.1 innings with a strikeout in UAB's 10-6 victory over USM on April 29, helping snap the Golden Eagles' 15-game winning streak.
Leading RBI man Josh Sears has slugged four home runs in his past five games, launching a pair of home runs and knocking in four runs at UTSA on Thursday. Sears ranks fifth in Conference USA with 63 RBI and seventh in the league with 17 home runs entering postseason play.
Fans may also follow this week's action in Hattiesburg by downloading the free TuneIn Radio app, online through Blazers All-Access at UABSports.com, or on the UAB Gameday mobile app. David Crane will be on the call for UAB's games at Pete Taylor Park.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, be sure to follow @UAB_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.
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