GAMES 1-4 | TIGER CLASSIC
Feb. 11-12, 2022 | Tiger Park | Baton Rouge, La.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11
South Alabama* vs. Central Arkansas 
10 a.m. | --

South Alabama at LSU*
3 p.m. | SECNetwork+

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12
South Alabama vs. Illinois*
10 a.m. | --

South Alabama at LSU*
3 p.m. | SECNetwork+

* Designated HOME team

MEDIA INFORMATION
Television: None
Audio Stream: www.USAJaguars.com
Live Stats: www.USAJaguars.com
Web Broadcast: SECNetwork+ (LSU games only)
(In-Game Updates) Twitter: @WeAreSouth_SB

South Alabama JAGUARS
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: --
RPI: --
Record: 0-0

Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .267 / .398 / .342
Team ERA: 2.97

Central Arkansas BEARS
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: --
RPI: --
Record: 0-0

Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .294 / .428 / .383
Team ERA: 1.92

Illinois ILLINI
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: --
RPI: --
Record: 0-0

Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .277 / .397 / .337
Team ERA: 2.64

LSU TIGERS
NFCA: 14 | USA: 15 | SBA: 16 | D1S: 17
RPI: --
Record: 0-0

Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .269 / .451 / .359
Team ERA: 2.59

A SOUTH ALABAMA WIN VS. UCA ON FRIDAY WOULD...    
– Snap a four-game losing streak in season opening games.
– Be the Jags' first season-opening victory since the 2017 season when they defeated Central Arkansas in the first game of the Sand Dollar Classic in Mobile.
– Extend it's current series win streak to seven versus Central Arkansas.
– Be the program's 469th win and head coach Becky Clark's 625th career coaching victory.

SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS    
– South Alabama enters the season after reaching the Sun Belt Conference Championship game and returning to the national postseason with an appearance at the Gainesville Regional last spring.
– Offensively, South returns five of its top six hitters in the lineup led by Meredith Keel, who earned first-team all-SBC and NFCA all-South Region honors a year ago.
– In her first season with the program, Keel posted a .365 overall batting average and a .429 average in conference play, while she had a team-best 54 hits.    – She ranked among the league leaders in hits (10th), batting average (eighth) and sacrifice hits (T-seventh). 
– Mackenzie Brasher, a preseason all-conference honoree, as well as a second-team all-league and SBC all-tournament team selection in 2021, was right behind Keel at the plate as she was second on the club in batting average (.357), hits (50), multi-hit games (14) and stolen bases (8).
– Brasher ranked ninth in the SBC in batting average and led the team in runs scored with 27.
– Kamdyn Kvistad returns to the lineup and enters the season tied with two other former players for the program lead in career home runs (28).
– Like Brasher and sophomore pitcher Olivia Lackie, Kvistad earned preseason all-Sun Belt honors earlier this month.
– Of her 31 hits last spring, 18 went for extra bases, while she posted a team-best .552 slugging percentage.    – She finished 2021 tied for fourth in the Sun Belt in home runs (10) and of her 27 RBI, 11 came with two outs.
– South Alabama returns all three starters from a year ago, led by Lackie who in addition to the preseason all-SBC honor, was also named to 2022 Extra Elite 100 College Player Rankings by Extra Inning Softball during the preseason.
– Last spring, Lackie earned first-team all-conference accolades and third-team all-region honors after leading the Sun Belt in innings pitched (194.2), and ranking second in strikeouts (250) and tied for second in saves (4).
– She also ranked third in opposing batting average, strikeouts looking, fourth in wins and sixth in ERA and finished the spring ranked among the NCAA leaders in both strikeouts (14th) and saves (T-14th).

APPROACHING JAG MILESTONES    
– Kamdyn Kvistad is 1 home run shy of becoming South Alabama's career home run leader. She is currently tied with former Jags Christin Crocker (2009-12) and Kaitlyn Griffith (2012015).
– Kvistad is 2 extra-base hits away from moving into seventh on the career top 10 list.
– Kvistad is 8 RBI away from moving into a three-way tie for sixth place at South.
– Kvistad is 11 multi-RBI games away from becoming the program's all-time leader in the category.
– Kennedy Cronan is 1 double away from moving into the top 10 in the category at South.
– Cronan is 3 extra-base hits away from moving into the top 10 in the category at South.
– Cronan is 13 multi-RBI games away from moving into first place in the category.
– Olivia Lackie is 1 win away from earning her 20th career win.

IN SEASON OPENERS AND ON OPENING DAY    
– South Alabama holds  7-8 mark all-time in its 15 season previous season openers.
– Additionally, the Jaguars hold a 9-10 record in games played on the opening day of the season.
– Last season, USA fell, 8-3 at Georgia in the opening game of the 14th Annual Red & Black Classic and then held on to pick up a 9-8 win over the Bulldogs in game two.
– The meeting versus Central Arkansas marks the third straight season that the Jaguars have opened the season outside the state of Alabama.
– Of the 15 previous season openers, six have been decided by two runs or less, including five one-run decisions.
– The Jaguars have scored a total of 68 runs (4.53 per game), while allowing 44 (2.93 per game) runs to the opposition for a +24 run differential.
– USA has recorded three shutouts in its season openers, while being shutout three times. 
– South Alabama's last season-opening victory came to start the 2017 season, a 9-3 victory over Central Arkansas on Feb. 9.

SOUTH ALABAMA AT THE TIGER CLASSIC    
– South Alabama has only participated at the Tiger Classic one previous time (2014).
– The Jags posted a 1-1 record at the tournament, falling to Northwestern, 2-1, but defeating LSU, 2-1 in a top 25 match up.

THE SERIES VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS    
– South Alabama and Central Arkansas have met six previous times in the all-time series with the Jaguars taking each of those contest.
– South last faced UCA during the 2017 season where it picked up a pair of series victories at the Sand Dollar Classic held in Mobile.
– The Jaguars won 9-3 on the opening day of the tourney, as they posted a six-run third to take control of the contest.
– South then picked a 2-0 decision the following day behind Devin Brown's one-hit shutout. Amanda Minahan's third-inning two-run home run proved to be the difference.
– The first series meeting came back during the 2010 season.
– Five of the six series meetings have come in Mobile, while all six have been played in Alabama.
– South Alabama has outscored the Bears 47-13 in the six games of the series.
– While the average margin of victory for the Jaguars has been 5.7 runs per game, three contests have been decided by three runs or less.
– The other three games have been either run-rule victories or decided by six-plus runs.

INSIDE THE SERIES VS. THE BEARS    
Series: 6-0 (H: 5-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 1-0)
Extra-Inning Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
Run-Rule Games: 2-0 (H: 1-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 1-0)
NCAA Tournament Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
First Meeting: 2/13/10
Last Meeting: 2/10/17
Longest South Alabama Streak: 6 ('10-'17)
Longest Central Arkansas Streak: --
Current Streak: 6 by South Alabama
Last 5 – 5-0

SOUTH AGAINST THE ASUN    
– South Alabama holds an all-time record of 26-7 (.788) against current Atlantic Sun Conference members.
– The nine meetings versus Lipscomb rank as most for the Jags versus an ASUN opponent, just ahead of Jacksonville State (7) and UCA (6).
– South is also scheduled to face ASUN member Liberty on Feb. 20 at THE Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla.
– The ASUN welcomed two new members to the league this season: Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State, who join after spending time in the Ohio Valley Conference.

THE SERIES VS. ILLINOIS    
– South Alabama and Illinois have met five previous times in the all-time series with the Jaguars taking three of those five meetings.
– USA won the first three series meetings, but Illinois has won the last two and outscored the Jags 16-6 in those two contests.
– The run differential in the series as a whole is much closer with South holding a slim 26-24 advantage in the category.
– South last faced the Illini came during the 2020 season at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic, defeating the Jaguars 5-4 in Clearwater, Fla., at the tourney.
– Four of the five series meetings have come on a neutral field.

INSIDE THE SERIES VS. THE ILLINI    
Series: 3-2 (H: 0-1 / A: 0-0 / N: 3-1)
Extra-Inning Games: 1-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 1-0)
Run-Rule Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
NCAA Tournament Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
First Meeting: 3/8/14
Last Meeting: 2/8/20
Longest South Alabama Streak: 3 ('14-'18) 
Longest Illinois Streak: 2 ('19-'20)
Current Streak: 2 by Illinois

SOUTH AGAINST THE BIG TEN    
– South Alabama holds an all-time record of 8-7 (.533) against current Big Ten Conference members.
– The five meetings versus Illinois are the most against any team from the league, while the four against Purdue rank as second most.
– Of the other 12 members, South has only faced Minnesota (2), Iowa (1), Ohio State (1) and Penn State (1).
– The Jags are also scheduled to face B10 member Ohio State (2/18) at THE Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla.

THE SERIES VS. LSU    
– South Alabama and LSU have met 13 previous times in the all-time series, with the Tigers winning 11 of those  meetings, including the last six in the series.
– The two clubs were scheduled to meet in Mobile last spring, but the game was canceled due to weather.
– The Tigers picked up an 11-1 win in five innings during the 2020 season in Baton Rouge, which was the sixth-straight at Tiger Park.  
– It was also the final of the 2020 season as the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down two days later.
– LSU is 11-1 on its home field with the lone win for the Jaguars in Baton Rouge coming on Feb. 15, 2014, a 2-1 win at the Tiger Classic.
– The Tigers hold eight shutouts in the series, including each of the last four meetings.
– During the six-game win streak in the series, LSU has outscored South Alabama 40-2.  
– In the all-time series, LSU has scored 71 runs, while holding South to 20 runs.  Of the 20 runs scored in the series by the Jags, 12 came in a 12-5 victory in Mobile during the 2013 season.

INSIDE THE SERIES VS. THE TIGERS    
Series: 2-11 (H: 1-0 / A: 1-11 / N: 0-0)
Extra-Inning Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
Run-Rule Games: 0-3 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-3 / N: 0-0)
NCAA Tournament Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
First Meeting: 2/29/08
Last Meeting: 3/10/20
Longest South Alabama Streak: 2 ('13-'14)
Longest LSU Streak: 6 ('14-'20)
Current Streak: 6 by LSU
Last 5 – 0-5
Last 10 – 2-8

SOUTH AGAINST THE SEC    
– South Alabama holds an all-time record of 14-47 (.230) against current Southeastern Conference members.
– Last season, the Jaguars faced six opponents from the league and went 2-4 in those contests.
– In addition to LSU, South is scheduled to face three other SEC opponents this spring: Missouri (2/18), at Mississippi State (2/26-27), at Tennessee (3/5).
– Of the 10 teams South has faced from the SEC, Florida and Missouri are the lone teams from the league that the Jags have yet to pick up a win against as they hold at least one victory over the other seven schools that they have faced. 
– South has yet to face SEC members Arkansas, Kentucky or Texas A&M.
– The 15 meetings against Alabama are the most against any SEC member, while USA has also faced LSU 13 times and MSU 9 times.
– South Alabama has faced at least one SEC team in each of its previous 14 seasons of play since the program began in 2007.

ON THE ROAD AGAINST THE SEC
– South Alabama holds a 9-36 record against SEC foes on their home fields.
– Prior to the start of the 2021 season, the Jaguars had squared off an opponent from the Southeastern Conference on their home field on 40 occasions and come out victorious just seven times.
– Only once (2015) had they picked up more than one SEC road victory in a season, but the 2021 season saw South pick up a pair of road SEC wins over a pair of nationally ranked opponents.
– Of the nine SEC road wins, a third of them have com against Mississippi State.
– USA defeated Georgia in Athens at the 14th Annual Red & Black Classic on the opening weekend of the season last year.
– The Jags also defeated then-second-ranked Alabama, 1-0 in Tuscaloosa at the Easton T-Town Showdown on March 7, the program's first-ever win over the Crimson Tide.

BATTLE TESTED A YEAR AGO
– Last spring, South's strength of schedule ranked 26th nationally entering regional play so the group was battle tested. 
– Quality competition is one thing that the Jaguars have relished facing since the inception of the program under head coach Becky Clark dating back to the inaugural season (2007).
– Of it's 49 regular-season games, 20 came against teams among the NCAA tournament field: Alabama (1-0), Georgia (1-1), Louisiana (0-4), McNeese State, (1-0), Missouri (0-1), Northern Iowa (1-1), Ole Miss (0-1), Texas State (4-0) and Troy (2-2).
– Of those 20 games, 11 were one-run decision in which South went 6-5.

SACRIFICING QUEEN    
– South Alabama second baseman Belle Wolfenden recorded 11 sacrifices last season, which tied for third most in a single season.
– The Cantonment, Fla., native led the Sun Belt and was tied for 11th in the NCAA in the category.
– Her 11 sacrifices were one behind Haley Richards' (2012) tally of 12, which ranked second, and three behind Katie McGuire's single-season standard of 14 set during the 2009 season.

RETURN TO THE POSTSEASON
– After advancing to the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference tournament and ending the regular season with a RPI of 38, South Alabama earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament, the program's fifth appearance and the first since 2015 in the national postseason event.
– Competing at the Gainesville Regional, the Jags opened the regional with a 2-0 victory over second-seeded Baylor. 
– South fell 10-0 to fourth-ranked and regional host Florida and then suffered a 1-0 loss to South Florida in an elimination game.
– The Gainesville Regional marked the first time that South had competed at a regional outside the state of Alabama.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. 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.

—USA—