Sand Dollar Classic Tournament Central
Games 1-5: Sand Dollar Classic Game Notes.pdf
MOBILE, Ala. – After a month of preparation, the University of South Alabama softball team will open up the 2017 season this week with five games at Jaguar Field. USA will host Central Arkansas on Thursday night at 5 p.m. and then participate in the Sand Dollar Classic.
The Jags will take on the Sycamores again at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and then host Houston Baptist (12:30 p.m.) and Jacksonville State (5:30 p.m.) on Saturday before closing out the weekend against Alabama State on Sunday at 3 p.m.
"We will be facing quality teams right out of the gate," South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said. "All of these teams are well-coached and two of them were postseason participants last year so we know we will have our hands full. I think this is a great way to start our season; you want to play quality teams and the field for opening weekend is definitely a good one."
Live stats for every game of the Sand Dollar Classic can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com, while only games with the Jaguars competing will be live streamed on JagNation TV. Ticket prices for Thursday's single game against UCA are $8 for reserved seating and $5 for general admission seating. Fans can purchase tickets Friday-Sunday and that ticket will cover all games played on that particular day. Tournament seating is $15 for reserved seating and $10 for general admission.
South Alabama comes into the season after finishing second during the regular season in the Sun Belt a year ago with a 33-18 overall record and a 17-6 mark in the league. The Jaguars were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll.
USA returns three starters who played in 40 or more games a year ago. The Jags also return five other players who started a majority of their appearances during the 2016 season, while welcoming nine newcomers.
Clark is looking for a few things out of her club during this opening weekend of play.
"Because of our mix of youth and experience, we have worked incredibly hard in the preseason to get everyone up to speed and on the same page," Clark said. "I expect us first and foremost to compete every pitch and bring a consistent mental and physical effort. We talk a lot about taking care of the little things so I expect us to pay attention to detail and play fundamental softball."
Highlighting the list of players returning offensively for the Jaguars are a trio of all-conference players – Kaleigh Todd, Haleigh Lane and Haleigh Lowe.
Todd, who also received preseason all-SBC honors and a honorable mention All-American accolades last month. Todd ranked third in the conference last season in batting (.415), while also finishing in the top 10 in the league in stolen bases (fourth – 22), on-base percentage (fourth – .495) and hits (seventh – 68)
Both Lowe and Lane also had solid seasons for the Jags at the plate a year ago with each hitting above .300. Lowe posted a .330 average, recording 47 hits and 28 RBI. Her 28 RBIs still ranked second on the club despite her missing the final nine games due to injury. Lane posted a .315 batting average and registered 47 hits, 27 runs scored, 26 RBI and 58 total bases.
Senior outfielder Amanda Minahan missed 16 games during the early part of the 2016 campaign due to injury and returned to action at the start of Sun Belt play. Minahan still managed to lead the Jaguars with five home runs. Coming into the season, she ranks in the top 10 of five different career offensive categories.
As it has been over the past several seasons, one of the strengths for South this season should be in the circle as both junior Devin Brown and senior Destin Vicknair. Since 2012, South Alabama has ranked in the top three of the Sun Belt in earned run average, opponent's batting average, strikeouts, hits allowed and runs allowed.
Brown (20-12) had her strongest season in a Jag uniform as a sophomore as she registered 324 strikeouts in 206.2 innings of work, while her 10.97 batters struck out per seven innings ranked second in the NCAA. She also held opponents to just a .165 batting average and recorded 27 complete games, 11 shutouts, three no-hitters, including a five-inning perfect game at Louisiana-Monroe.
Brown was third nationally in shutouts, fourth in strikeouts and 11th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.13) and earned first-team all-SBC and NFCA second-team all-South Region honors. The Mobile, Ala. native has been named to two preseason All-American teams (FastPitch News – Second Team and CollegeSportsMadness – Fourth Team) and ranked as the No. 5 pitcher on FastPitch News' Top 50 list.
In 119.1 innings of work, Vicknair posted a 13-5 overall record, 11 complete games, three shutouts and 99 strikeouts.
Central Arkansas closed out last season with five-straight losses to finish with a 35-22 overall record and a 16-11 mark in the Southland. The Sugar Bears return six starters, three pitchers and a total of 14 letterwinners from last season's squad. Like the Jags, UCA will have a lot of young talent as it welcomes nine freshmen.
Leading the way offensively for the Sugar Bears is senior outfielder Briana Whisenhunt who led the team in batting average (.312), hits (54), runs (40) and stolen bases (25). She ranked fourth in the SLC in stolen bases, which was the sixth-best single-season total in program history, and her 40 runs scored where seventh-most in the league and fifth a single-season in program history.
Whisenhunt ranks in the top 10 in program history in career stolen bases (third, 66), runs scored (fifth, 111), on-base percentage (sixth, .395), hits (seventh, 171) and batting average (ninth, .325). Whisenhunt was named preseason second-team all-Southland Conference prior to the start of the 2017 season.
In the circle, senior right-hander Kayla Gomness is the top returner as she finished with a team-best 2.29 earned-run average to go along with am 11-5 record. She recorded 10 complete games and four shutouts in her 18 starts a year ago. Gomness will be looked upon to replace 20-game winner Shivaun Landeros who had 20 complete-game efforts and five shutouts in addition to her 114 strikeouts.
Houston Baptist enters the season looking to bounce back from a 15-29 campaign a year ago. The Huskies return five starters and a total of seven letterwinners from last season's squad. Of the 13 players listed on HBU's roster coming into this weekend's action, six will be seeing their first action in a Husky uniform.
Junior shortstop Libby Brown tied with Savana Guidry and Shay Orsak for the team lead with a .313 batting average. Her 42 hits were also tied with Guidry for the team lead, while her 20 runs scored, .433 slugging percentage and eight doubles were tied for second most on the club. Brown started all 44 games last season and she had 15 RBI and 58 total bases.
Fellow infielder Demi Janak also returns for the Huskies this season after leading the team with eight home runs, 27 RBI and a .562 slugging percentage.
Senior right-hander Emily Mueller is the lone returner with any experience in the circle for Houston Baptist. In 11 appearances, Mueller made four starts, and allowed 29 runs – 19 earned – in 25 innings of work. Mueller also saw two games of action in the outfield for HBU last season.
Jacksonville State will enter the 2017 campaign looking to duplicate its performance from a year ago as the Gamecocks recorded the best season in Ohio Valley Conference history finishing with a 43-17 overall mark and a perfect 26-0 league record.
The Gamecocks were picked to repeat as league champs and enter with a 30-game conference win streak which is the longest active streak in Division I.
The conference titles for JSU last season were fifth regular season and fifth OVC tournament title, while the postseason appearance was the seventh NCAA Regional appearance in program history under head coach Jana McGinnis.
The Gamecocks advanced to the regional final of the Auburn Regional before falling to the national runner-up Tigers. Jacksonville State returns seven of its nine starters in the offensive line up and a total of 17 players from last season's championship squad.
Last season, JSU had seven hitters record a .300 or better average led by graduated players Ella Denes [OVC Player of the Year] (.368) and Jordan Bullock (.355).
Stephanie Lewis is the leading returning hitter for the Gamecocks this season. Lewis started all but one of JSU's 60 games and posted a .337 batting average. She also had 60 hits, 16 of which went for extra bases. Lewis' 11 doubles were tied for second-most on the Jacksonville State roster.
Junior outfielder Emily Woodruff (.331) and sophomore infielder Anna Chisolm (.327) combined to record 82 hits last season.
The Gamecocks also return their leading power-hitter in Emily Church. Church hit .311 for JSU and finished with 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 41 runs batted in. Church led the club in homers and tied with Denes for the team RBI lead.
Jacksonville State also returns its top two pitchers in the circle from last season's NCAA Regional team. Junior right-hander Whitney Gillespie was named OVC Pitcher of the Year, all-OVC First Team and to the OVC all-tournament team while also being selected to the NFCA All-Region Third Team.
Gillespie compiled a 16-4 record and a 1.13 ERA in 155.0 innings of work, while recording a team-high 127 strikeouts. She also tossed 18 complete games and nine shutouts and finished with a 14-0 record and a 0.85 ERA in OVC action.
West appeared in 28 games in the circle for the Gamecocks as a junior and threw 122.2 innings en route to a 17-5 record and a 2.85 ERA. She was also named to the OVC all-tournament team and earned Second-team all-OVC honors.
Along with Gillespie, Jamie McGuire, Woodruff and Church, were selected First-Team all-OVC, while West earned Second-Team all-OVC honors.
Alabama State enters the 2016 season looking to continue its momentum from a year ago. Last season, the Hornets won their first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in school history and advanced to the NCAA Regional in Gainesville, Fla.
Last month, ASU was picked to by the SWAC coaches to repeat as the East Division title. The Hornets finished 15-3 in the SWAC a year ago and were the top seed in the league tournament where they swept through and defeated Texas Southern in the championship game.
The Lady Hornets will have to replace eight seniors from last year's championship team, including SWAC Pitcher of the Year Maddie Phelps, while also replacing four other all-SWAC selections from a season ago.
ASU will have a good mix of new and old as it has eight seniors and eight newcomers on its 2017 roster.
Kendall Core was selected as the 2017 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year after posting a .348 batting average, 10 home runs and 43 runs batted in. The senior third baseman was also selected as the Most Valuable Player at the SWAC Championships. Core led the SWAC in doubles (13) and total bases (100), while ranking tied for second in RBI (42), third in home runs, fourth in hits (57) and sixth in slugging percentage (.610).
Fellow senior shortstop Laura Aguilar also earned SWAC first-team preseason honors last month after setting the school's single-season record for hits in a season (70). Aguilar batted .385, which was ninth-best in the league, while she also had 10 doubles and 88 total bases and 33 runs scored.
Also earning preseason all-conference accolades for Alabama State this spring were Valerie Centeno and Charlene Castro, both named to the league's second team.
Castro saw time both in the circle and at the designated player position during the '16 season. Castro was a weapon at the plate for the Hornets as she batted .390, which was seventh in the SWAC. The sophomore 60 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs and tied for the team lead with 43 runs driven in. Castro had 95 total bases and her .617 slugging percentage was sixth-highest in the conference.
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).
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