2011 SBC Championship Bracket

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament a couple of weeks ago, marking the 26th consecutive season it has done so. On Thursday, the Jaguars will open play as a No. 6 seed and will take on No. 3 Louisiana at Lafayette at 11 a.m. at Warhawk Field in Monroe, La., site of the 2011 SBC Championship.

With the new round-robin format, which divides the eight-team field into two four-team pools, schools are guaranteed three games at the championship. The team with the best record in each pool will advance to the SBC Tournament championship game, scheduled for Sun., May 29, at 1 p.m.

The Jags open the tournament Thursday against ULL, and will face No. 2 Florida International Friday at 3 p.m. USA will face No. 7 Arkansas State in a 3 p.m. contest Saturday, who are all in Pool B. Pool A consists of No. 1 Troy, No. 4 Western Kentucky, No. 5 Florida Atlantic and No. 8 UALR.

South Alabama boasts more all-time tournament wins (75) and tournament championships (11) than any other current or former school in the Sun Belt. USA will seek its first SBC Tournament championship since 2005, when the Jags won four straight games in Miami to clinch a spot in an NCAA Regional. USA has qualified for the SBC Tournament every season except one – the 1985 season. In 34 seasons, South Alabama has made the SBC Tournament 33 times.

The Jags are 6-6 all-time against ULL in the Sun Belt Tournament, and fell 8-1 to the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2008 which marked the last time the schools met in the tournament.

South Alabama is 6-4 in the SBC Tournament against FIU. The Jaguars defeated the Golden Panthers 7-1 in last year’s opening round, before FIU rebounded for a 10-9 win in an elimination game.

USA is 7-0 all-time against Arkansas State in the tournament, and last faced the Red Wolves in 2006 when the Jags won 4-3 en route to an NCAA Regional appearance.

The Jags dropped two of three games at Louisiana-Lafayette earlier this season and were swept at FIU, but returned to Stanky Field to sweep Arkansas State.

“We just have to take it game-by-game,” South Alabama head coach Steve Kittrell said. “We are in a pool that has some outstanding pitching, so we have our work cut out for us. But we just need to take it one game at a time and pitch well, play defense and get some timely hitting – that’s what has been hurting us a little lately. We haven’t gotten the big hit when we needed it. But this team is very capable of winning the tournament, and we are excited about the challenge.”

South Alabama (29-25) enters the tournament 7-3 in its last 10 games after dropping two of three to Troy last weekend at Stanky Field. The Jags enter the tournament tied for the second-highest batting average (.299) in the league, while FIU boasts the best average in the conference at .314.

The Golden Panther pitching staff also boasts the league’s best ERA at 3.53. Louisiana-Lafayette ranks third in the conference in ERA (3.75), while Arkansas State enters the tournament ranked fifth with a 4.37 ERA.

South Alabama center fielder Taylor White ranks second in the SBC in hits (83) and stolen bases (19). White leads the nation in at-bats (252) entering the SBC Tournament. Nolan Earley ranks third in doubles (20), while Brent Tanner is tied for fourth in RBI (52).

Shortstop Logan Kirkland leads the Sun Belt Conference with 10 sacrifice flies, and is tied for third nationally.

Right-hander Garrett Harris leads the league in innings pitched (105.2), which ranks eighth nationally. Harris also leads the Sun Belt with 90 strikeouts. Dustin Crenshaw is tied for sixth in the country with two shutouts entering the tournament.

Every South Alabama game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be broadcast live on WNSP 105.5 FM in Mobile, and can be accessed nationwide at www.wnsp.com.

Web streaming and live stats for each game of the tournament are available at www.sunbeltsports.org. Live stats for every South Alabama game will also be available at www.usajaguars.com, by accessing the live stats link.

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