Mardi Gras Invitational Schedule

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team will open the 2012 season Thursday evening at 6 p.m. when it takes on Mississippi State in game one of the Mardi Gras Invitational held at Jaguar Field.

"Opening day can never get here fast enough if you’re a player,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “Of course, if you’re a coach all you can think about is preparing your team, and if you are a player all you can think about is getting on the field and playing, but our kids have done a great job of hanging in there with me and doing the work asked of them. Combine their effort with the work of my staff and I feel like we are definitely prepared for opening day."

The Jaguars will play host to five teams – Alabama, Mississippi State, Memphis, Jacksonville State and Lipscomb – in the four-day tournament.

"There's no doubt our tournament is one of the strongest ones we will play in all spring,” Clark said. “I'm excited about the caliber of teams we have coming in and know that it will be a great experience for our student-athletes and fans. We will definitely find out what we are made of right off the bat."

For the first time ever, subscribers to Jaguar All-Access can watch live on USAJaguars.com. Fans can also receive updates for all four Jaguar games via live stats.

USA enters the contest on the heels of a record-breaking 2011 campaign. The Jaguars return eight starting fielders and two pitchers from last season’s squad who posted a program-high 37-17 record, and finished third in the Sun Belt Conference with a school-best 14-10 mark in league play.

As a team, South Alabama finished last season second in the league in pitching, hitting and fielding. The Jags also recorded a program-high 15-game win streak from Feb. 20-March 13.

Key returners include second-team all-conference honorees Brittany Fowler, Haley Hopkins and Haley Richards. USA will also return their ace, Hannah Campbell, who was dubbed the 2011 SBC Freshman of the Year and recorded a team-high 19-7 record and an ERA of 2.51 on the year.

The Jaguars were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll, which is voted on by the league’s coaches. Louisiana-Lafayette is the only team to top USA in the preseason standings. The nationally ranked Ragin’ Cajuns are 23rd in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ poll while holding down the No. 24 spot in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll.

Outfielder Fowler, a junior, and sophomore Campbell, who was also named Sun Belt Conference preseason Pitcher of the Year, earned spots on the 2012 preseason all-SBC team,

The Jaguars’ first opponent of the tournament – Mississippi State – rounded out 2011 with a 24-32 record. USA dropped its only other meeting with the Bulldogs, falling 5-2 at MSU back during the 2009 campaign.

The Bulldogs return seven position starters and all five pitchers from their 2011 roster. Key returners include junior Ka’ili Smith (outfielder) and sophomores Stephanie Becker (pitcher), Sam Lenahan (catcher) and Kylie Vry (pitcher).

Becker and Vry shared time in the circle last year tossing 122.1 and 121 innings, respectively. Becker compiled a 7-11 record with an ERA of 4.41, while Vry went 8-12 with an ERA of 4.11.

Last season, Smith posted a team-high .348 batting average of and scored 31 runs for the Bulldogs, while Lenahan notched a .285 batting average and scored 25 runs.

MSU welcomes five newcomers this season, as well as a new head coach, Vann Stuedeman, who was the pitching coach at perennial powerhouse Alabama for the last 11 seasons.

On Friday, the Jags will go head-to-head with Memphis in game five of the tournament. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. USA will see the Tigers again in the final game of the contest Sunday at 4:15 p.m.

In their only meeting in 2009, the Tigers topped the Jaguars 7-4 at the South Alabama Invitational.

Memphis ended the 2011 season with a 36-14 overall record and a No. 44 ranking in the RPI, earning the Tigers’ first-ever berth into the NCAA Regional.

Memphis returns five fielders and three pitchers from last year’s team, including its ace Carly Hummel, who compiled a 21-8 record and a school-record 1.46 ERA in 168.1 innings of work. Hummel also broke the program record for most shutouts with eight on the season.

The Tigers also welcome back Jessica Phillips, who played first base and posted a .336 batting average – the second highest on the team. Phillips also hit a school-record 15 home runs last season, while also breaking Memphis’s record for most RBI in a season with 44.

There will be seven fresh faces in the dugout for Memphis, including new head coach Natalie Poole.

South Alabama will face nationally ranked Alabama Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Entering the 2012 season, the Crimson Tide holds the No. 2 spot in the USA Softball/ESPN.com preseason poll and the No. 3 spot in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ preseason poll.

Alabama leads the all-time series with South Alabama, 4-0, after defeating the Jaguars 6-0 last season at the Hibbett-Easton All-Alabama Classic in Birmingham, Ala.

Last season, the 53-11 Tide made it to the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series, where they lost to Florida, 9-2.

UA returns nine position starters and two pitchers from last year’s team, while welcoming five newcomers.

Outfielder Kayla Braud, a 2011 NFCA and Easton All-American, leads Alabama into the spring season after ending last year with a team-high .436 batting average.   

Returning to the circle for the Crimson Tide will be Jackie Traina, who was also and NFCA and Easton All-American. Traina tallied a 19-5 record and an ERA of 1.70. Lauren Sewell, who was 5-0 on the year and recorded a 3.69 ERA, also returns for the Alabama’s pitching staff.

In the 11th game of the Invitational, the Jags will square off with Lipscomb at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday. USA has never lost a game to the Lady Bisons as the all-time series stands at 2-0. South Alabama edged Lipscomb 3-2 in the 2010 Mardi Gras Invitational.

The Lady Bisons return seven starters from last year’s 20-30 squad. Outfielder Caroline Mason led LU with a .307 batting average and nine home runs in 2011, and will be back on the field for her senior year.

Senior pitcher Whitney Kiihnl, who racked up a 20-11 record with an ERA of 1.69 for Lipscomb last season, also returns as the Lady Bisons’ ace this spring.       

Following the Mardi Gras Invitational, the Jags will return to action Feb. 17-19 when they travel to Jacksonville, Ala. to take part in the Jacksonville State Invitational at University Field.

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).

Mardi Gras Invitational
Schedule
February 9th – 12th, 2012

Thursday - February 9th

6:00 p.m.       Mississippi State vs. South Alabama

Friday - February 10th

10:00 a.m.     Jacksonville State vs. Lipscomb
12:30 p.m.     Mississippi State vs. Lipscomb
3:00 p.m.       Memphis vs. Alabama
5:30 p.m.       Memphis vs. South Alabama

Saturday - February 11th

10:00 a.m.    Mississippi State vs. Jacksonville State
12:30 p.m.    Memphis vs. Jacksonville State
3:00  p.m.     Alabama vs. Lipscomb
5:30 p.m.      Alabama vs. South Alabama

Sunday - February 12th

10:00 a.m.    Mississippi State vs. Memphis
12:15 p.m.    Lipscomb vs. South Alabama
2:30  p.m.    Jacksonville State vs. Alabama
4:15 p.m.     Memphis vs. South Alabama

*Teams listed first occupies 1B dugout
*Underlined team is home team