Date: 1/29
Position: Outfielders
Position Coach: Taryn Gray

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Brittani Reid, Jr. (55-51 GP-GS, .296 avg, 47 hits, 27 runs, 8 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 8 HRs, 28 RBI, 85 total bases, .535 SLG%), MC Nichols, Jr. (56-56 GP-GS, 28 hits, 21 runs, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 4-5 SBs), Megan Harris, Jr. (35-33 GP-GS, .288 avg, 17 hits, 10 runs, 1 2B, 7 RBI), Dayla Gulledge, Sr. (27-7 GP-GS, .200 avg, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1-1 SBs), Amanda Flynn, So. (40-4 GP-GS, .167 avg, 2 hits, 9 runs)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Haleigh Lowe (47-42 GP-GS, .304 avg, 42 hits, 20 runs, 7 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 4 HRs, 31 RBI, 67 total bases, .486 SLG%).

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): Victoria Ortiz (Fr., Baker High School).

Miscellaneous Notes
- South will look to replace graduated senior Haleigh Lowe – a second-team all-Sun Belt selection a year ago – who batted .304 with 14 extra-base hits and led the club with 31 RBI.
- MC Nichols started all 56 games in centerfield during the 2018 season and she was successful in four of her five stolen base attempts. Her four stolen bases are the most among returners.
- In her first season in a Jaguar uniform, Brittani Reid led the team in extra-base hits (19), total bases (85), slugging percentage (.535) and tied for the team lead in home runs (8) and triples (3), while also ranking second on the club in hits, runs (27), doubles (8), walks (14) and third in average.
- B. Reid ranked among the top 10 in the Sun Belt in triples (T-third), sacrifice hits (T-sixth), total bases (T-eighth), slugging percentage (ninth) and home runs (T-ninth).
- Victoria Ortiz is the lone freshman in this position group.  Ortiz lettered six years at Baker High School in Mobile, Ala. – one of the premier programs in the state.  During her prep career, she was a three-time all-state and all-region selection accumulating 57 home runs and 309 RBI during that time, both program records.
- As a senior, Ortiz, hit .515 for the Honeybees with 16 homers and 78 RBI, while also adding 26 doubles and was 15 of 17 in stolen base attempts.
- Ortiz was a second-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American, as well as a first-team all-region selection by the organization as a senior, earning multiple in-state postseason honors following her final prep season as she was a first-team AL.com Coastal Alabama All-Region selection, as well as being named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association Super 10 All-State Softball team, and named to the 2018 AL.com High School Prep 100 List, and was ranked 88th on the list, while finishing seventh in the 2018 Miss Softball voting.

Volunteer Assistant Coach Taryn Gray
-On the returning experience in the outfield: "Having the experience in our upper classmen is very exciting. MC [Nichols] and Megan [Harris] have been in our system for over three years now and know what to expect in games and in practices. They can share their knowledge and expectations with the under classmen, which obviously makes the entire unit stronger."

-On MC Nichols' development over the past few seasons: "MC came into the program fast and athletic. We are continuing to watch her grow in her mental game. She is learning everyday how to slow the game down mentally while keeping her speed and aggressiveness which makes her so valuable to the outfield."

-On replacing all-conference performer Haleigh Lowe: "Haleigh Lowe was very talented and was a solid left fielder for us. In the outfield, we are always talking about players stepping up into big roles. We have an expectation that anyone could go in at any time, at any one of the positions. It is a long season and as a group have to be ready to come in and perform at a high level. I anticipate Amanda Flynn helping fill the void left by Lowe. She has taken some huge steps forward from both a mental standpoint and an overall adjusting to the speed of the game. She has the physical tools and will continue to grow as she gets game experience."

-On her expectations for Brittani Reid after a solid sophomore season: "Britt is an incredibly talented player and has the athletic ability to play both infield and outfield. She got more work with the infield during the fall, but that does not mean she is not an option in the outfield. We will be looking to get as many bats as possible into the lineup so we like for players to be able to play multiple positions. As we get closer to our season opener, those things will start to work themselves out."

-On Victoria Ortiz: "Victoria Ortiz comes in with a highly competitive spirit. This kid wants to win.  She works hard, pushes herself and her teammates. She brings a lot of passion onto the field and a big bat as well. We are excited to see what she is capable of this season."

Junior MC Nichols
-On being the leader of the outfield as the centerfielder: "It's definitely a challenge, but I like taking on challenges. It's a fun position to play and it's cool to be able to work with people on both sides of you so communication is important. There's a lot of stuff that goes into playing the position and there's a lot of hard work put into it."

-On what she's worked on since the end of last season: "[Defensively] I've really tried to work on my throws and line up with each bag. I want to be able to get behind the ball more so I get more on my throws. I felt that last season I had good throws, but I didn't have a lot behind them to get them there and get that out, so I've really been working on that. [At the plate] I've really worked hard on my stand up hitting a lot more so I can be more of a dynamic play and help my team in ways other than just getting on base. If I come up with runners on base, I want to be able to drive them in."

-On playing with her sister: ""It's been cool to be back out there with her. Most of the time we try to partner up with each other because we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We can help each other get better in areas that we need to improve in. When she's playing on the infield, I already know what she's going to be able to get to in the outfield and how she's going to react to things. It's been really cool to share this experience with her and I think it's brought us together and made us a lot closer."

-On what the returning experience of the outfield unit and the newcomers: "This year, I can really say that the outfield unit has really stepped things up. Everyone's been working really hard and grinding out there at practice. Even in our warm ups, I can tell that there is such a difference from last season. Amanda [Flynn] has really stepped up this year and she's been more aggressive and come out of her shell; I can really tell that she's improved. We also have 'Vic' [Victoria Ortiz] who helps us in the lineup offensively, but she's also improved [in the outfield] a lot since she arrived on campus. Meghan [Harris] has been out there with me the last two or three years and it's cool to see how we understand each other out there now. We've been together for so long that our communication is solid and we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. The outfield has improved a lot this year."

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