Date: 2/7
Position: Infielders

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats):  Wells Davis (57 GP, 55 GS, .293, 7 2B, 14 HR, 57 RBIs, 50 R, .532 SLG%, .412 OBP);  Brendan Donovan (54 GP, 54 GS, .336, 17 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 46 RBIs, 52 R, .564 SLG%, .448 OBP, 8 SB);  Drew LaBounty (53 GP, 53 GS, .301, 16 2B, 4 HR, 42 RBIs, 47 R, 50 BB, .447 OBP, 7 SB);  Will Luft (60 GP, 59 GS, .269, 9 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 30 RBIs, 40 R);  Carter Perkins (41 GP, 26 GS, .250, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBIs, 18 R);  Paul Russo (38 GP, 22 GS, .286, 6 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBIs, 17 R, 1 SB);  Hunter Stokes (48 GP, 37 GS, .302, 4 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 31 R, .452 SLG%, .426 OBP).

Letterwinners lost (Key stats):  Jared Barnes (51 GP, 48 GS, .320, 10 2B, 13 HR, 50 RBIs, 38 R, .605 SLG%, .416 OBP, 2 SB);  Matt Bolger (29 GP, 4 GS, .231, 1 2B, 6 RBIs, 8 R, .412 OBP);  Cam Cummings (28 GP, 9 GS, .220, 3 2B, 7 RBIs, 13 R, .429 OBP);  Adam Wolfe (17 GP, 7 GS, .174, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 6 R, .565 SLG%, 1 SB)

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school):  Felix Aberouette (Jr., Skyline [Calif.] CC);  Hunter Brittain (Fr., T.R. Miller [Ala.] HS);  Cyrus Grimes (Fr., Navarre [Fla.] HS);  Reid Powers (Fr., Sparkman [Ala.] HS);  Evan Richards (So., West Hills [Calif.] CC);  Deyvid Silva (Jr., Tallahassee [Fla.] CC).

Miscellaneous Notes
- South Alabama set a new program single-season record for fielding percentage (.980) last season, which ranked 11th nationally. 
- Drew LaBounty was named 2018 preseason all- Sun Belt Conference at shortstop, and was a 2017 first-team all-SBC selection. He is expected to miss the season due to injury. He led the SBC and ranked ninth nationally in walks per game (0.94). LaBounty finished second in the league in walks (50) last year, which ranked 13th nationally, and ranks second in career walks (149) at USA. He fielded .970 with just seven errors in 232 total chances at shortstop last season.
- Wells Davis was voted 2018 preseason all-SBC at first base. Davis led the conference in RBI (46) in league games last season, tied for the league lead in home runs (10) in SBC contests, and ranked tied for second in sacrifice flies in conference games. He was a second-team all-SBC selection as a sophomore last year, and was one of three finalists for the American Baseball Coaches Association / Rawlings Gold Glove Award at first base after committing just one error in 477 total chances. 
- Davis batted .500 with two home runs, two RBI and two runs scored in three games to earn NCAA Hattiesburg (Miss.) all-Regional team honors.
- Brendan Donovan was voted a 2018 preseason all-conference selection as an outfielder, but is expected to see significant time as an infielder this year. Donovan led the SBC in runs scored (36) in league games, and ranked second in RBI (34) and doubles (11), and third in walks (25). He hit safely in 41 of 54 games played last year. He was voted the SBC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2017 after batting .438 with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and two runs scored in three games, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning against Georgia Southern to capture the tournament title.
- The Jaguars hit seven grand slams in 2017, with Wells Davis recording two, and Jared Barnes and Will Luft hitting one apiece.
- Carter Perkins was named to the SBC all-Tournament team after batting .385 with two doubles, one RBI, one run scored, a .538 slugging percentage and .429 OBP in three games.
- Jared Barnes led the SBC in slugging percentage (.768) and tied for the SBC lead in home runs (10) in league games, ranked second in OBP (.504) and third in RBI (32). Barnes, a first-team all-SBC and second-team all-region selection, was selected in the eighth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Miami Marlins.
- Freshman catcher Hunter Brittain was selected in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
- Junior catcher Felix Aberouette was a 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient as a sophomore at Skyline Community College in San Bruno, Calif.
- Freshman catcher Reid Powers earned class 7A second-team all-state honors as a senior last season at Sparkman High School in Harvest, Ala.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
-On the depth on the infield:
"I like our depth from a recruiting standpoint. We're always going to err on the side of defense and pitching. We have depth there, and several guys who aren't necessarily locked in to one position – they play multiple infield positions. With the injury to Drew (LaBounty), nothing is ever ideal when you lose your starting shortstop. But all the guys who are candidates to play there were shortstops in high school or junior college; all of them have played the position so it's not like you have to teach somebody how to play shortstop. We have depth and some versatility. Hunter Stokes and Paul Russo were both shortstops, they have just been playing second base for us because nobody was beating Drew out at shortstop. So we can move those guys around. Will Luft played shortstop in high school, and played second and third base for us last year as well as first base. Deyvid Silva was a shortstop growing up and at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, and we have slid he and (Brendan) Donovan over to shortstop; those are the two leading candidates right now. So we have some versatility without the deer-in-headlights look. And that's a testimony to the recruiting philosophy, and to (assistant) Coach (Alan) Luckie in preparing guys to play multiple positions in bad scenarios. I like the depth and experience in our infield. There are some steady guys who understand how important the routine play is and how important it is to take care of the baseball. I feel good with that."

-On Brendan Donovan's increased playing time on the infield this season:
"With the emergence of Michael Sandle, Andrew Bates and Colton Thomas in the outfield, it has lengthened our lineup. Brendan Donovan is arguably one of our best players everywhere; he's one of our best outfielders and infielders. Brendan was supposed to play third base last year, and we were a little bit short defensively in the outfield. We had the best of both worlds – a defender out there who could hit. And we had a solid defender and steady player in Will Luft who hit .280 to .300 for the better part of the year for us. It lengthened the lineup and we were very solid defensively in the outfield and at third base at that time. I always think defense first. If we didn't have a couple of guys who weren't good in right field, then I would have Brendan back out there. But Sandle and Bates are really good outfielders. It helps the lineup, and I think defensively we don't necessarily lose anything in right field. Donovan is the kind of kid who will play wherever you put him and give you his all. I feel good with it. We'll make the best of a tough situation. We have options who will go out there and do well, not just be a body and fill-in at shortstop."

- On Deyvid Silva:
"Deyvid Silva will find his way into the mix at shortstop or third. He had a very good freshman year at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, and had a very good high school career down in Miami. He went through a rough sophomore season last year due to some injuries, and missed most of this past fall with a hamstring issue. In the last month I have seen a sense of calm over Deyvid, just from a standpoint of seeming more comfortable in his surroundings. He's a great kid, but very quiet so it has been good to see him settle in and get comfortable with himself and his surroundings. I think he is going to be a really good player here. Deyvid really knows the game; he is a really smart baseball player. We have a lot of confidence in him, as well as our infielders and this team. But I have a lot of confidence in Deyvid and who he is as a person and player. I think he is going to do just fine for us."

-On the depth at catcher:
"When (Jared) Barnes went down last year (due to injury), it was uncomfortable at the time but it also gave us a chance to look into the future. I know I felt a lot more comfortable coming into this year by seeing what I saw from Carter Perkins the last eight games. I always knew who he was as a kid. You saw all of the work he put in and what a great teammate he was. Then it came to fruition and we got to see him as an everyday player. I feel very comfortable with the two juniors, Carter and Felix (Aberouette), looking at it from a defensive standpoint. And we have the two freshmen – Reid Powers and Hunter Brittain. Hunter missed most of the fall with a staph infection in his hand, but he is going to be a really good player. Reid Powers has really come on; he has made a lot of strides both offensively and defensively. He is a big, strong freshman. I think both of those freshmen are going to be impact players in this program down the line, and it wouldn't shock me if they get some reps this year and have an impact on the program this year. I like our two older guys and our two younger guys. Our future is bright behind the plate. For the most part, two guys are going to carry the load. We'll share the workload so no one gets worn down. There will be somebody who will be left out or not get the playing time they want, and you just have to keep working while you wait – that's the bottom line. Whoever that person or persons may be, their time will come."

Catcher Carter Perkins
- On stepping into the starting role after Jared Barnes' injury toward the end of the 2017 regular season:
"I knew that I had to stay ready at all times, and that I couldn't take the offseason off – I just had to stay ready, because you have to be ready to go at all times. There wasn't much of a drop-off because Coach Calvi kept me ready. No one has really seen me catch as much as I would like, so I knew I would have to make defensive plays behind the plate."

- On his strengths as a catcher:
"I receive well, I have improved my blocking and I am pretty accurate in my throws to second base."

- On what he gained from playing with Jared Barnes:
"He just showed me footwork on certain pitches when I block or throw to second, and taught me how to receive certain pitches off the plate. He was the guy I went to if I didn't want to go to Coach Calvi with something."

- On the depth at catcher:
"We have become close as a group, and we have all gotten a lot better since the start of the fall. We have worked a lot together, and we help each other out with certain things."

Second Baseman Paul Russo
- On his injury and when he felt 100 percent healthy last season:
"I tore my ACL and had full reconstruction in June 2016. So I missed the whole fall when I got here, and knew that I was going to have to get in the best possible shape to get ready to contribute at any point in the season. I struggled with some hamstring tightness the whole year, and really wasn't able to bring all of my attributes – fielding, bunting and doing all of that stuff – because it was difficult for me to run; I had a lot of pain. I started feeling about 80 or 90 percent in the (NCAA) regional. I would say I wasn't 100 percent until the middle of the summer, about a year after surgery in late June or early July. I felt back to myself again, and had a productive fall stealing bases and stuff like that again. Now that I'm healthy, I think it will be a different story."

- On things he was able to do in the fall that were hindered last spring due to injury:
"My range at second base came back, being able to bunt and leg out a base hit from it, stealing bases, going first to third – just little things like that stood out the most that showed me that I was back to myself. My legs are back under me, and even at the plate it felt different – I felt like I had more power. There wasn't any pain or anything hindering me from what I am supposed to do on the field."

- On what he gained from his experience last season:
"After Coach and I talked, I knew that I was going to be the first guy off the bench in big situations to come in and hit. I kind of took on that role at the end of the year and stepped in to some big situations, and I was able to produce which was nice." 

- On the depth on the infield:
"Losing Drew (LaBounty) is going to be worse mentally for us. Drew is a captain on the field. He is one of the smartest guys I have ever played with, and he knows the game better than anyone I have ever played with. We're going to lose that leader aspect on the field. But we have guys who can step in over there, and our coaching staff is going to put us in a position to succeed regardless. We can't replace Drew and what he brings to the table offensively, defensively and from a leadership standpoint, but the bottom line is we have to still get to work. We have to do that for Drew. Playing well is the only thing we can do for him right now."

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