2013 Mobile Regional Tournament Central
2013 Mobile Regional Bracket
Game Notes - USA vs. Mississippi Valley State
MOBILE, Ala. — No. 15 University of South Alabama softball will open the 2013 NCAA Division I Championships with a matchup versus this year’s SWAC Champion, Mississippi Valley State, at 6 p.m. on Friday at Jaguar Field, host venue of the Mobile Regional.
Mississippi State and Florida State will square off at 3:30 p.m., on Friday. All games throughout the weekend can be viewed on ESPN3. Links to video, Live Stats and ticket information can be found via the Tournament Central link listed above.
USA (45-7) will put its 16-game win streak to the test on Friday against the Devilettes, who are making their eighth NCAA Regional appearance. MVSU is 3-16 all-time in regional play, while the Jaguars are 2-2 after defeating Georgia Tech twice and falling to Alabama for the second in last year’s Tuscaloosa Regional final, which marked USA’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
South Alabama captured its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament title last week to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason, defeating Troy, No. 21 Louisiana at Lafayette, North Texas and top-seeded Western Kentucky. The Jaguars outscored their four opponents, 13-1, at the tournament. South Alabama is now 11-8 all-time at the conference championship, winners of eight straight dating back to last year.
The Jaguars were ranked 15
th in both the ESPN.com and NFCA national polls at the beginning of the week and were listed 13
th in NCAA RPI, which guaranteed USA the right to host. Should South Alabama win the Mobile Regional, it would face the winner of the Austin (Texas) Regional, which includes No. 4 Texas, South Carolina, Houston and Army.
Since dropping two games to WKU in its only SBC regular season series loss this year on March 29-30, USA has reeled off 16 straight wins, boasting staggering numbers during the spree. The Jags have scored 121 runs, an average of just over seven-and-a-half per game, batting .365, outhitting their competition, 149-55, and out-homering them, 22-2. USA has slugged .600 and carded a combined on-base percentage of .440.
A testament to well-roundedness, the Jaguar pitching staff has given up only 9 runs during the span, combining for an ERA of 0.49 and striking out 115 in 100 total innings.
USA is 17-3 at Jaguar Field this year, batting .333, slugging .582 and outscoring opponents, 137-39. The Jags have 27 homers in Mobile, and the South Alabama pitching staff boasts a 1.86 home ERA.
Mississippi Valley will be the only team this weekend USA has not faced this season. The Jaguars opened the 2013 campaign with a 3-2 defeat of Mississippi State at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic and shut out Florida State, 4-0, behind the combined efforts of Farish Beard and Hannah Campbell in Mobile on April 24.
South Alabama does, however, own a 3-0 all-time record versus Mississippi Valley State, defeating the Devilettes once in 2007 and twice in 2009, outscoring MVSU, 24-4, 17-3 in Mobile.
Mississippi Valley State won its eighth SWAC Tournament title in the last 10 years last Saturday following an 11-3 victory over Alabama State. It marks the second straight year that MVSU has claimed the title.
Senior shortstop Alexandria Robertson earned SWAC Tournament MVP honors, while catcher Nicole Burr and pitcher Alicia Lorenz were named to the All-Tournament Team. Robertson leads the Devilettes at the plate, batting .386 with 68 hits, including 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 49 RBI. Burr is hitting .347 and has walked 32 times.
Lorenz boasts a 2.51 ERA and 13-16 record in the circle for MVSU. The Devilette ace has struck out 219 in 206.1 innings pitched and has given up 88 runs, 74 of them earned.
Friday’s winners will play on Saturday at 1 p.m., while the loser's bracket begins at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday evening in the double-elimination format.
In addition to watching all Mobile regional games on ESPN3, fans can follow all South Alabama softball games via Twitter through the team's official handle - @SAJagsSftball.
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).
— USA —
