Games 25-27: vs. Coastal Carolina Game Notes.pdf

MOBILE, Ala. – After a stretch of 10-straight games away from Mobile, the University of South Alabama softball team will return home this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against first-year league member Coastal Carolina.  The two teams will open the series with a pair of games on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Jaguar Field and then close out the series on Sunday at noon.

Live stats and the web stream all three games of the series can be accessed at www.USAJaguars.com, while game one can be heard on 99.5 The Jag FM.  Reserved seat tickets can be purchased for $8, while general admission seating is available for $5.  

Game day promotions for Saturday's doubleheader included "Dinner and a Movie Giveaway", "Softball Bingo" and the running of the bases for kids following the second game, while on Sunday Jaguar senior trading cards will be available to the fans along with post-game autographs with the team.

South Alabama (17-7, 0-3 SBC) comes into the second weekend of Sun Belt play looking to snap its current four-game skid.  On Tuesday, the Jags fell 8-3 at UAB, a game in which USA left a season-high 12 runners on base, including 10 in scoring position.  South had runners left stranded at second and third four times.

The game extended the Jags' season-long skid to four games after USA was swept at Georgia State over the weekend.  After the disappointing week, South Alabama head coach Becky Clark feels that there are a couple of key areas for her team as they enter the second weekend of Sun Belt play.

"The answer to me is always play fundamental softball, control the controllables, and compete," Clark said.  "Those three things will always give you a chance to win."

Entering play this weekend, the Jags have three players – MC Nichols (fifth, .407), Kaleigh Todd (sixth, .384) and Kristian Foster (10th, .358) – ranked among the Top 10 in the Sun Belt in batting average.  Both Todd and Foster are coming off solid outings against the Blazers as Todd was 2-for-4 at the plate with a RBI and Foster was 3-for-3 with a walk, and a RBI as well.

Todd also ranks among the league leaders in stolen bases (14, third), triples (2, T-third), hits (28, fifth), runs scored (19, T-seventh).

Amanda Minahan leads the club in home runs (5) and RBI (17).  In USA's Sun Belt opener at Georgia State last weekend, the senior center fielder hit .444 with a pair of home runs.  Foster is second on the club with 11 runs driven in, while third baseman Savanna Mayo is right behind her with 10.  Mayo along with Minahan and Haleigh Lane each has a team-best five doubles on the year.

As a staff, USA holds an earned run average of 1.96 – 34th nationally – and is limiting opponents to a .204 batting average.  South is also second in the Sun Belt in strikeouts with 158.

Devin Brown (7-4) ranks among the league leaders in several pitching categories this spring.  The junior righty leads the Sun Belt in opposing batting average (.165) and runs allowed (16), while she is second in strikeouts (105) and third in ERA (1.32), hits allowed (46) and earned runs allowed (15).  Brown also ranks among the NCAA leaders in shutouts (6, second), strikeouts (17th), strikeouts per seven innings (9.3, 26th), hits allowed (26th) and ERA (58th).

Senior pitcher Destin Vicknair (9-2) is among the Top 10 in the SBC in ERA, opposing batting average, strikeouts, hits allowed and runs allowed.

Coastal Carolina (20-5, 0-2 SBC) comes into this weekend's series versus the Jaguars after earning a 5-3 midweek victory over UMass-Lowell.  This weekend will mark the first road contests of the season for CCU as all of its first 25 games of the season have been on its home field in Conway.

Last weekend, the Chanticleers dropped a pair of games (3-0 and 5-4 [8 inn.]) at home to Texas State.  Game three of the series was canceled due to weather.  

CCU battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the second game, putting up a three-spot of its own in the fourth inning.  In extra innings, the Bobcats took advantage of two CCU errors to score both their runs. In the bottom of the eighth, Amanda Daneker recorded her fifth home run of the season – a solo shot – to cut the deficit to one. Coastal put the tying run on base after a walk, but popped out to end the game.

The Chanticleers have made an impact both in the circle and at the plate in their first season in the Sun Belt.  As a team, Coastal ranks second in slugging percentage (.464), on-base percentage (.388), RBI (119) and home runs (24), while ranking third in batting average (.287), runs scored (123) and stolen bases (33).

"Coastal is a solid team with good pitching and a very balanced offense," Clark said.  "Offensively, they have a good mix of speed and power and they have depth in the circle.  We know that they are a competitive program and look forward to the competition this weekend."

In the circle, the Chants lead the conference in both strikeouts (197) and strikeouts looking (65) and are second in earned run average (1.84).  CCU is 23rd in NCAA in ERA and 30th in home runs per game.

Individually, Taty Forbes has proven to be one of the best hitters in the SBC this spring as she leads the league with a .441 batting average, while also ranking second in stolen bases (17), third in hits (30), sixth in on-base percentage (.472) and tied for seventh in runs scored (19).  Forbes is 12th nationally in stolen bases.

Three other players are batting above .300 coming into the weekend – Timi Tooley (.333), Alexis Alvino (.315) and Amanda Daneker (.315).  Daneker and Kassidy Smith pace the club with five home runs each, which is tied with USA's Minahan for seventh in the Sun Belt.  As a team, Coastal has 53 extra base hits this season.

Kailey Mellen has been hit by pitch eight times; most in the SBC and her 20 RBI are tied for eighth-most.

Sophomores Taylor Rahach (9-2) and Ashley Guillette (5-2) have been outstanding in the circle.  Rahach is tied with USA's Brown and Guillette for fewest runs allowed this spring, while she is also fourth in the Sun Belt in ERA (1.36) and strikeouts (76).  Guillette is tied for first with Texas State's Randi Rupp in strikeouts looking (36) and leads the conference in fewest hits allowed with 33, and third in strikeouts (83).

The duo also sits among the national leaders as they are both in the Top 50 in strikeouts, while Rahach is 14th in shutouts with four and Guillette is seventh in strikeouts per seven innings with 11.0.

Freshman Devin Wallace is also 6-1 in the circle with a 1.98 ERA for CCU.

South Alabama and Coastal Carolina have met two previous times with the Jaguars holding a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series.  The two teams last meet during the 2009 season at the Florida Lipton Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., with USA winning in five innings in both of those contests.  South won 12-1 in the first game on Feb. 13 and then 10-0 on Feb. 15.

In its 10 previous seasons in the Sun Belt Conference, South Alabama holds a 7-3 record in the first game of its home league opener and has won seven of its first 10 home conference series.  Last season, USA swept Louisiana-Monroe 3-0 in its first home SBC series.

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).
    
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub

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