NEW ORLEANS – University of South Alabama softball players Jenna Hardy and Gabby Stagner played instrumental roles over the weekend to help the Jaguars pick up a Sun Belt Conference road sweep and were named the league's pitcher and player of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

The honors mark the 47th and 48th times in program history that South has had a player earn a weekly honor from the Sun Belt – Pitcher of the Week (28) and Player of the Week (20). The last time South Alabama swept the league's weekly player of the week awards came when Kamdyn Kvistad and Alexis Reid received the honor on March 27, 2018. It has only happened a total of three times.

Hardy had her most productive weekend in the circle for the Jaguars as she was responsible for two of the three series wins at UTA. In her 12 innings of work, she scattered eight hits, walked three and struck out six, while not allowing a run to score (0.00 ERA).

On Saturday with UTA in the midst of attempting to rally back with runners at first and second in the bottom of the fourth, Hardy was able to get Jadyn Erickson looking and then a fielder's choice to end the inning and keep the Mavericks off the board for the first time. UTA placed runners at first and second after back-to-back one-out hits in the fifth, but Hardy was able to get a double play to end the frame and maintain the three-run lead. The junior tossed five innings of four-hit scoreless relief to pick up her second win of the spring and clinch the series for South.

In Sunday's finale, Hardy got the starting nod where again she was outstanding, tossing another four-hitter and picking up her first career shutout. UTA had a scoring opportunity in its half of the second placing runners at second and third with two outs, but Hardy was able to get a strikeout looking to end the inning. The Mavericks had the leadoff batter reach base in three of the first four innings, but were unable to manufacture anything.

Trailing by six, UTA got a pair aboard and moved them into scoring position in the bottom of the sixth, but Hardy was able to induce a ground out to second to keep the Mavs off the board. Of the 21 put outs recorded by Hardy, 14 came on ground outs.

Stagner was instrumental in powering the South Alabama offense this weekend at UT Arlington. In her three games, the freshman batted .444 with a 1.111 slugging percentage with a pair of grand slams. She drove in nine and recorded 10 total bases.  Coming into the weekend, South had recorded just 47 runs scored through the first 19 games of the spring, but put up 27 in the three-game series.

Stagner drove in a run in the opener and then blasted her first grand slam of the weekend in the first inning of game 2 of the series capping off a six-run frame for the Jaguars. In Sunday's finale, Stagner did it again as her seventh-inning grand slam banged off the top of the left field foul pole to put an exclamation mark on the 10-0 series clinching victory.

After starting the first two games of the series at the designated player spot, Stagner recorded 12 putouts at first on Sunday and didn't commit an error.

The grand slam in game two of the series was the first for the program since 2019, and on Sunday, she became just the fourth player in program history to record two for her career.

South Alabama (9-13, 3-0 SBC) will hosts Nicholls State on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. at Jaguar Field to start a four-game home, which will see the Jaguars welcome Texas State to Mobile over the weekend. 

Sweep Player/Pitcher of the Week Honors
GABBY STAGNER/JENNA HARDY (3/15/22)
Kamdyn Kvistad/Alexis Reid (3/27/18)
MC Nichols/Devin Brown (2/28/17)

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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