The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Frazier, Smith Selected for C-USA Preseason Team
1/26/2023 1:05:00 PM | Softball
DALLAS – UAB Softball enters the 2023 season with a fifth-place spot in the preseason poll. The Blazers, who finished third in C-USA last season with a 24-25 record in 2022, is slated to share the No. 5 spot with Florida Atlantic.
"We aren't concerned with preseason polls. We are more concerned with what we need to do to finish where we want to finish," said head coach AJ Daugherty on the team's placement in the polls. "Conference USA is a challenging league with quality programs and we know that we will need to improve throughout the season to have an opportunity to be where we want to be, in the end."
The Blazers had more nods in the preseason polls, with catcher Sierra Frazier and infielder Lindsey Smith joining the C-USA All-Conference Preseason Team.
Frazier, who received a First Team All-Conference honor in 2022, came off a solid campaign for the Blazers in her junior year. Of the 49 games played, she started all but one. Frazier had a .326 batting average, with a .433 batting average in conference play. As a catcher, she totaled 210 putouts and 31 assists.
Smith closed out her first year as a Blazer with a C-USA All-Freshman Team selection. Starting all 49 games, she totaled 41 putouts at third base, 38 hits, 11 doubles, a triple, four homers, and a grand slam. Smith finished second overall in the conference in total assists.
"Sierra and Lindsey deserve to be mentioned in these conversations. They are both hard workers and leaders on our team. We are proud to have them in our program and look forward to watching them contribute to our team's overall success." said Daugherty.
C-USA SOFTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
|
Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
|
Kalei Christensen, North Texas |
Jr. |
C |
McKinney, Texas |
|
Sierra Frazier, UAB* |
Sr. |
C |
Corona, Calif. |
|
Ella Chancey, Charlotte* |
So. |
IF |
Athens, Ga. |
|
Kailey Gamble, North Texas* |
Jr. |
IF |
Oklahoma City, Okla. |
|
Amanda Gonzalez, LA Tech* |
Sr. |
IF |
Santa Monica, Calif. |
|
Kat Ibarra, UTSA* |
Jr. |
IF |
Katy, Texas |
|
Lindsey Smith, UAB |
So. |
IF |
Hayden, Ala. |
|
Sara Berthiaume, Florida Atlantic* |
Sr. |
OF |
Coconut Creek, Fla. |
|
Lexi Cobb, North Texas* |
Jr. |
OF |
Silver Lake, Kan. |
|
Taylor Davis, WKU* |
Sr. |
OF |
Madison, Ala. |
|
Sierra Sacco, LA Tech* |
So. |
OF |
Marrero, La. |
|
Bailey Vannoy, Charlotte* |
Gr. |
OF |
Leander, Texas |
|
Marena Estell, UTSA |
Gr. |
DP/UT |
Hooks, Texas |
|
Lynn Gardner, Florida Atlantic* |
Gr. |
P |
Mobile, Ala. |
|
Ashley Peters, North Texas* |
Sr. |
P |
Rock Island, Ill. |
|
Skylar Savage, North Texas* |
So. |
P |
Van, Texas |
" * " denotes 2022 All-Conference Selection
C-USA SOFTBALL PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bailey Vannoy, Charlotte
C-USA SOFTBALL PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Ashley Peters, North Texas
2023 C-USA SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
|
Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Total |
|
1. |
North Texas (9) |
99 |
|
2. |
WKU |
82 |
|
3. |
Charlotte (1) |
78 |
|
4. |
LA Tech |
74 |
|
T5. |
Florida Atlantic |
56 |
|
T5. |
UAB |
56 |
|
7. |
UTSA |
39 |
|
8. |
FIU |
25 |
|
9. |
Middle Tennessee |
25 |
|
10. |
UTEP |
16 |
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2022-23 GOLD CARD
Softball season tickets are currently available by purchasing the 2022-23 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card will allow you to gain access to all home events for Women's Basketball, as well as Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Baseball, and Softball. Fans can purchase a Gold Card by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1. For questions, email tickets@uab.edu.
