2016 Fall Intrasquad Schedule

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team will open fall practice Mon., Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. at Stanky Field.

USA will intrasquad every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the fall, and will close fall practice with the annual Red-Blue series Nov. 18-20. 

"I have seen guys become more comfortable as the weeks go on," USA head coach Mark Calvi said. "They have a routine. If we were to have started in September like we usually do, guys would have been in school for right about a month, and they are still getting acclimated to that. I just felt as though it would give all of our new guys a chance to settle in; there's no rush to get in game shape. It gave everyone a solid six weeks in the weight room with strength and conditioning. Last year we started the fall and had a couple of hamstring issues right out of the gate, so hopefully from that standpoint we will stay away from some of the smaller, nagging injuries that can happen when you get into it a little too soon. I also think there is a sense of anticipation built up and looking forward to something over time, so you get to see guys build up some excitement and that is what we have seen.

"The guys have been outstanding in their work ethic; no one has been bored with what we have done. They have given really good effort – I have been pleased with it on the field and in the weight room. (Strength and conditioning) Coach (Joey) Choron has said the same thing about the guys' effort in the weight room. When you have a player comfortable in his surroundings, you usually get a better player. Ultimately, we are looking to get as much accomplished as we can in a short period of time, and I feel as though with some guys who are a little settled in that we can get more accomplished with a later start date with this particular group than if we had started in September."

South Alabama returns 15 letterwinners from last season's Sun Belt Conference champion and NCAA Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional runner-up squad, including Freshman All-American Travis Swaggerty. The Jags must replace 11 pitchers from a year ago, including 2016 SBC Pitcher of the Year and All-American Kevin Hill, as well as three position starters including two-time American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner Cole Billingsley who was selected in the 19th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

The Jaguars will hold their first intrasquad of the fall on Tue., Oct. 11, at 3:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.

"You learn more about a player in a game than you would in practice," Calvi said. "The fall is somewhat of a measuring stick, but you can only learn so much by playing your own team. I really pay attention how the hitters approach the new pitchers, because they haven't seen some of these new guys much like when you play a different team and haven't seen their pitchers. How they do early on will give me some indication of what it might be like when they face somebody else. Once they start to get used to a guy and become familiar with the way a guy pitches, unless he is dominant, you really don't get a true indication of who's who after two or three weeks of playing intrasquad games. 

"I pay close attention to a kid's success and failures the first couple of weeks, and see what areas they excel in and what areas need improvement. And I pay attention to who may be letting their guard down and getting bored the last couple of weeks, which we don't have much of a problem with that here; we try to take care of that on the front-end of recruiting and get kids who are motivated and want to work and win. That's how we have been able to move forward and win the league and get to some postseasons – not as many as I would like – but that's one of the main reasons we have had some success in the last four years. We're looking forward to the fall. The big thing is to stay away from injuries, and see how guys react in certain situations. We're excited to get it going."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).