MOBILE, Ala. – As the University of South Alabama men's golf program aims to continue to build on its recent success — including back-to-back at-large berths to an NCAA Regional — head coach Ben Hannan has put together a schedule that will challenge the Jaguars on a consistent basis next season.
Including the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, which USA plays host to in February, the Jags will participate in seven events put on by schools that advanced to NCAA postseason action last month as part of a slate released Wednesday that features 10 regular-season tournaments.
"The schedule is always dictated by a couple of factors," Hannan observed. "One is trying to play the most competitive schedule that we can so that we see teams throughout the year that will help prepare us for postseason play. The second is the timing of events within the season. The calendar shifts every year; and because of our consistent play over the years we were able to get invites into some quality events for the first time. We've got a solid schedule that accomplishes our goals, we are looking forward to competing."
The Jaguars will close the fall season with three events in October hosted by NCAA postseason participants, beginning with Louisiana State's David Toms Intercollegiate in Baton Rouge Oct. 4-5. USA will then take part in the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic, hosted by Georgia State, while two weeks later the fall campaign will come to a close at UNC Greensboro's Bridgestone Golf Collegiate.
In the spring, the Jags will prepare for postseason action with three straight tournaments at schools that qualified for an NCAA Regional. The stretch will begin when USA returns to the Tiger Invitational, hosted by Auburn March 8-10, while the Jaguars will compete at Georgia Southern's Schenkel Invitational March 20-22. After a two-week break, the regular-season will conclude April 6-7 at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, an event conducted by Mississippi State.
"For us, strength of schedule is very important as it gives you opportunities to play on a national stage against teams that will play in the postseason," Hannan explained. "It also helps us prepare for the [Sun Belt] conference championship — which gets deeper and more difficult every year."
In addition, the field of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate Feb. 23-24 — the first tournament of the spring — will include seven schools that advanced to national postseason play in 2014, including an Illinois squad that finished among the top eight at the NCAA Championship to qualify for the match-play segment of the event as well as NCAA Championship participants Auburn and Kentucky. USA, Memphis, Middle Tennessee and MSU all earned invites to an NCAA Regional last season, with the field also featuring Davidson, Illinois State, Louisiana Tech, Michigan State, Mississippi, Southern Mississippi, Texas State and Western Kentucky.
It marks the eighth straight year that the Jaguars will play host to the event, and the sixth in a row that it will be held at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course.
"Any time you can play at home, it's a good thing," said Hannan. "You know the golf course and guys are comfortable. The Mobile Bay Intercollegiate has grown into a premier event and the field will be very strong again this year. We're looking forward to hosting another great field in the Port City in 2015."
The 2014-15 season will begin for the Jaguars once again Sept. 8-9 at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate hosted by Southern Mississippi, with the team set to play at Indiana's Wolf Run Intercollegiate Sept. 20-21. USA will also compete at the Louisiana Classics — conducted by fellow Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana-Lafayette — March 2-3 during the spring campaign.
It will mark the sixth straight season that the Jags will take part in LSU's tournament, and the fifth consecutive year that they will open at USM. USA has participated in Auburn's and Mississippi State's events each of the last two years, and will be returning to Georgia State's tournament for the second time in as many seasons. Prior to last spring, the Jaguars had participated in ULL's competition for three straight years as well.
Postseason play will begin at the SBC Championship April 20-22, with NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championship scheduled to be conducted in May.
Last year, USA earned its first tournament title since 2011 when it claimed the Samford Intercollegiate championship; that was one of six top-three finishes — including a runner-up performance at the league championship — recorded by the program en route to its eighth NCAA Regional appearance. The Jaguars are slated to return four letterwinners from the 2013-14 squad, including first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selections Michael Garretson and Tyler Klava, Ryan Pope — who paced USA at the NCAA East Regional — and Matt Sheehan.
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—
