Six seniors are listed among the 2022 South Alabama softball roster, and each Monday throughout the 2022 season, one will give fans a view through their eyes as they recap the previous week. On tap this week is infielder Meredith Keel.

Hi everybody it's Meredith Keel, senior third baseman. I hope you all enjoy this small glimpse inside the week of a Jag softball player. 

WEDNESDAY – AKA "TRAVEL DAY'
Travel days always consist of a little chaos and lots and lots of sleep. One of my favorite ways to start a long travel day is by making a routine YellowHammer coffee trip with Janeah [Finney]. After the caffeine hits, the packing starts. For some reason packing the bus before we travel is always so chaotic. Buckets of balls everywhere, uniforms and travel bags scattered in the locker room, and of course the endless amount of snacks we pack to keep us girls happy and fueled. Once the bus was packed and ready to go we set off for Shreveport, Louisiana. Usually long bus rides call for long naps, but today I completed most of my homework for the week and watched my teammates play card games. The best part of the drive was the beautiful sunset we saw while driving through Louisiana. We finished the night with a good meal at the hotel. 

THURSDAY – TRAVEL DAY 2.0
This morning we woke up and finished our drive to Arlington, Texas. We stopped at a fan favorite Chipotle for lunch. Once we got to the hotel, we had time to rest and relax. Our team went on a walk and a lot of us stopped at Starbucks to get some caffeine before practice. We finished the evening with practice on UTA's field and dinner at McCallister's Deli. 

FRIDAY
Today was supposed to be the first game of our three-game series against UTA, but due to cold weather they postponed our game until Saturday. So instead of a game, Coach Lo [Lauren Collier] ran us through a workout and we had a short hitting session. After our practice, Coach [Becky] Clark planned a fun day for us. We went to Dave & Busters and enjoyed lunch and an afternoon full of games. It was fun watching Kamdyn [Kvistad] and [student manager] Andi [Manship] play Guitar Hero before getting my butt kicked in basketball by Coach Clark. Some of our other favorite games were Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Air Hockey, Let's Bounce, and Hyper Pitch. Before dinner we did a recovery workout in the pool. For some this is a time to stretch out our muscles and for others (such as Bailey [Welch], Belle [Wolfenden], and Janeah) it calls for performing cheerleading stunts in the pool. For dinner, the hotel made us chicken, Alfredo pasta, vegetables and Texas toast. 
 

SATURDAY – AKA GAME DAY
Game day is my absolute favorite. I love wearing South Alabama across my chest and getting to compete with my best friends. One of our big goals the past few weeks has been to score early and we definitely accomplished that this weekend. In the first game against UTA, Liv [Olivia Lackie] threw a no hitter and our offense applied a lot of pressure, which resulted in a five-inning run-rule win.  Game two came around and we continued to have our foot on the gas. Vic [Ortiz] and Gabby [Stagner] both hit big home runs in the first inning. Later in the game Coach Clark got put into ejection jail. She fought for us, so we fought for her and finished the game winning 9-3. To end our great day, we went to Torchy Taco's and ate our weight in chips and queso as well as many tacos. 

SUNDAY
After two great wins on Saturday, we knew waking up today that we were going to have to come out fighting.  We also wanted to give Coach Clark the best birthday present. The game started out close but our home run queens Vic and Gabby helped us quickly turn things around. Jenna Bean [Jenna Hardy] pitched a great game and we left UTA with a series sweep. To make our day even better Coach Clark let us stop at In-N-Out Burger. After our lunch prepared for a long trip home which quickly came to a halt. Before we could get out of Dallas, our bus was involved in an accident on the interstate. Thankfully, our beloved driver Randa saved us from what could have been a bad accident. Praise the Lord that we all walked away unharmed. The accident set us back a bit, but we eventually continued on our trip home. Although our last day was chaotic, our trip to UTA will never be forgotten. 

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.

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