University of South Alabama Athletics

Former University of South Alabama softball All-American pitcher Hannah Campbell enters her 10th season as a member of the coaching staff. Campbell was named assistant coach for Jaguar softball on Aug. 19, 2015, and on September 1, 2023, she was promoted to senior associate head coach.

Campbell returned to the program in her first coaching role after finishing her second season with the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch.

At South, Campbell oversees pitcher development at South Alabama and assists with pitch calling and strategy.  She also assists Jaguar head coach Becky Clark in all phases of game-day strategy, player development, film break down and scouting.

Among her other responsibilities are recruiting, oversight of the program’s alumni database, while coordinating systematic correspondences with alumni.  Campbell also oversees the program’s social media accounts, assists with camp organization and team travel when needed.

Campbell, along with her former teammate Brittany Fowler (Kessler), became the first two members from the Jaguar softball program to be selected to the University of South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame as they joined the 2019 induction class.

Under her tutelage, the Jaguar pitching staff has had 20 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week selections, as well as one Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week and one DISoftball Freshman of the Week selection honorees. Two pitchers – Devin Brown (2016) and Olivia Lackie (2021-23) – have earned National Coaches Fastpitch Association all-South Region honors. Two pitchers have received six first-team selections, while three more have also earned second-team all-league accolades. Olivia Lackie became just the second player in program history to earn NFCA All-American (second team) honors in 2024, joining Campbell in that category.

Lackie also earned second-team all-South Region and first-team all-SBC where she became the first player to do so in both categories. The Walker, La., native set the career shutouts mark at South during the season and became just the second player in program history to reach the 900-strikeout mark for her career . She finished second all-time at South in the category and sixth all-time among SBC pitchers with 903. Her 41 total shutouts were also second-most by a SBC pitcher, and her 14 SBC Pitcher of the Week selections were a program record at South and tied for second-most of any pitcher in league history.

Lackie recorded four wins over teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at the time – at Alabama, at South Carolina, at Arkansas and versus Texas State – in 2024, while also picking up a save in South’s road victory at Mississippi State.  In those five contests, Lackie allowed just two earned runs in 23.1 innings of work, while also tossing four scoreless innings versus Arizona, a game in which the Jaguars tied the Wildcats.

Lackie ranked first in the Sun Belt in opposing batting average and strikeouts, while finishing second in the league in innings pitched, earned run average, wins and strikeouts looking. She also ranked among the NCAA leaders in complete games (second), innings pitched (third), shutouts (fourth), strikeouts (ninth), wins (ninth) and ERA (18th), shutouts (27th), while as a staff the pitching unit ranked in the Top 50 in ERA and strikeouts-to-walks. 

The 2023 campaign was one of the best in the circle for the Jag pitching staff as the duo of Olivia Lackie and Jenna Hardy was one of the most formidable tandems in the country, as well as the Sun Belt. Lackie became the first player in program history to be named the Sun Belt’s Pitcher of the Year and earned first-team all-league honors for the third-straight season, while Hardy received second-team accolades for the second-straight time. The individual award for Lackie marked the first for a Jag in over 10 seasons, and the Walker, La., native was named to the NFCA all-South Region second team.

South Alabama captured seven of the 13 pitcher of the week accolades with Lackie breaking Devin Brown’s single-season mark with six selections during the season. The six selections for Lackie were tied for fourth-most in a season by a Sun Belt pitcher and the seven total weekly honors were only one shy of matching the conference’s all-time mark.

Lackie ranked among the NCAA leaders in shutouts (second) with 12, just one shy of the national leader in the category, while also ranking among leaders in strikeouts (17th), wins (t23rd), ERA (23rd) and strike-to-walk ratio (27th). 

As a staff, the Jags were second in the Sun Belt in ERA (1.63), shutouts (19), third in strikeouts (361) and strikeouts looking (105), while allowing the fewest runs (91) and earned runs (81) in the league. South also ranked among the national leaders in several categories: sixth in ERA, 10th in strike-to-walk ratio (3.97), tied Clemson, Washington and South Dakota State for 11th in shutouts and tied for 25th in strikeouts. The 19 shutouts were the second-most in a season in program history.

The 105 strikeouts looking tied the 2022 club for the second-most in program history, while both the 1.63 ERA and the .199 opponent batting average were both third-lowest for a season at South. The 91 runs allowed were just one shy of matching the 2013 team for the fewest allowed by a Jaguar staff.

South Alabama also recorded three no-hitters during the 2023 season with the first coming on a combined effort, the first in program history, by Lackie and Madison Lagle versus Mississippi Valley State (2/17). Lackie also tossed a no-hitter a day later against Missouri State (2/18), while Hardy recorded the first of her career a few weeks later against Bowling Green (3/4) at the Jane B. Moore Memorial in Auburn, Ala. 

Led in the circle by all-conference hurlers Lackie (first team) and Hardy (second team), the South Alabama pitching staff ranked second in the league in opponent’s batting average (.210) and third in ERA (2.59). They also allowed the fewest runs (133) and issued the fewest walks (87) in the Sun Belt.

The 105 strikeouts looking by the staff were the second most recorded in a single season, while the 237 hits allowed and the 87 walks issued were the second fewest. 

Lackie earned third-team NFCA all-South Region honors for the second straight season, while she was named SBC Pitcher of the Week for her work in the UTA series sweep to start league play. Against the Mavericks, Lackie tossed the program’s 19th no-hitter in the series opener. 

She was named to 2022 Extra Elite 100 College Player Rankings during the preseason and went on to rank among the league leaders in the Sun Belt  in earned run average and opposing batting average (second), strikeouts and strikeouts looking — 69 (third), while her three saves were the most among any pitcher. She ranked in the top 50 nationally in several categories — hits allowed per seven innings (4.14 - 15th), strikeouts per seven innings (9.4 - 29th), shutouts (30th), saves (36th) 
 
Lackie lowered her ERA to 1.61 in conference play and held opponents to a .149 batting average, and tossed six shutouts, and had a nearly 10:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio against league competition (129-25).

Hardy finished in the top 10 among league pitchers in ERA and strikeouts looking (30 - 10th), while her 17 walks allowed were third fewest. She also ranked in the top 50 nationally in walks allowed per seven innings (1.11 - 23rd) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.94 - 42nd).

During the 2021 season, Olivia Lackie a earned first-team all-SBC accolades, while also receiving third-team NFCA all-region honors. Lackie was also selected as one of 30 freshmen from around the country as a candidate for the 2021 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award.

Lackie became just the second pitcher in program history to earn Sun Belt Conference weekly accolades four or more times in a season, joining Devin Brown who did so five times during the 2016 season, while the Lackie was selected as the Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week (3/9) and the DISoftball Freshman of the Week (3/8) after her complete-game shutout victory at Alabama.

The Walker, La., native set a freshman record for strikeouts in a season and her 250 K’s were the second most for a season by a Jaguar pitcher. She led the Sun Belt in innings pitched, and was second in strikeouts and tied for second in saves. Lackie also finished the season sitting among the NCAA leaders in both strikeouts (14th) and saves (T-14th) .

In 2018, Brown – who all ready owned the double-digit strikeout games mark (39) – picked up two more milestones during her final collegiate season as she became the program’s all-time strikeouts (932) and complete games (31) leader.  The Jag senior also concluded her career ranked fourth all-time among Sun Belt Conference pitchers in strikeouts and was one of just five players to ever eclipse the 900-strikeout mark for their careers.  Brown became one of two players in program history to earn first-team all-league honors three times  during their career.  

Brown also finished atop the Sun Belt leaders in several different categories at the end of the 2018 season, ranking second in both strikeouts (231) and strikeouts looking (66), while also finishing third in earned run average, opponent’s batting average and innings pitched.  Brown’s strikeout tally also ranked 25th-best in the NCAA in the final statistical rankings.

Brown also joined Campbell in another category as she became one of four South Alabama players to be drafted professionally in program history.  Brown was 29th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2018 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft by the Cleveland Comets, which were formerly known as the Akron Racers – Campbell’s previous team – before relocating.

As a staff, the Jaguars gave up the fewest home runs in the Sun Belt Conference, while ranking second in the league in strikeouts looking (89), and third in strikeouts (312), earned run average (2.58) and opposing batting average (.229).  Alexis Reid also became the 17th player in program history to record a no-hitter, doing so against Butler (2/11/18) at the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational in Winter Springs, Fla.  Brown (3/13) and Reid (3/27) also earned Community Coffee Pitcher of the Week honors during the 2018 season.  In her three seasons at USA, South has had 10 weekly pitcher of the week selections by the conference.

During the 2017 campaign, South Alabama continued to rank as one of the top staffs in the circle as the Jaguars were third in the Sun Belt in earned run average (.2.31), opposing batting average (.224), strikeouts (300), fewest hits allowed (313), fewest runs allowed (145), fewest earned runs allowed (123) and fewest walks (120).  South Alabama also ranked 33rd nationally in team ERA.

Brown (first) and Destin Vicknair (second) both earned all-league honors, while Brown was also named to the Sun Belt’s all-tournament team.  

Brown – who earned SBC Pitcher of the Week honors four times throughout the season – tossed her fourth career no-hitter on Feb. 24 against Tennessee Tech after striking out 15 Golden Eagle batters.  During the preseason, Brown was named to a pair of All-American teams while also being rated No. 5 on the FastPitch News Preseason Top-50 Pitchers List.  Her 12 shutouts were fourth-most in the NCAA and also set a new single-season program mark.

Brown ranked second in the Sun Belt in earned run average (1.51) and strikeouts (194) and her .184 opposing batting average was lowest in the league.  She also ranked among the NCAA leaders in fewest hits allowed (120 – 28th), ERA (30th), strikeouts (34th) and strikeouts per seven innings (44th).

During the season, Brown passed Campbell to move into second place on the program’s career strikeout list and in her second start versus UL Monroe in the SBC tourney, she became just the second pitcher to eclipse the 700-strikeout mark for her career as she had six strikeouts in the win.

In her first season with the Jaguar pitching staff, South Alabama led the Sun Belt in opponent’s batting average (.204), hits allowed (256) and batters struck out looking (120), while ranking second in earned-run average (2.12), strikeouts (427) and runs allowed (128).  As a staff, USA also ranked 14th in the NCAA in ERA that same season.

Brown continued to develop as one of the top pitchers in the conference in ’16.  Brown – a five-time SBC Pitcher of the Week selection during the ’16 season – tied for the league lead in ERA (1.66), while her .165 opponent’s batting average was also a top mark in the Sun Belt.  Brown recorded three no-hitters during her sophomore season, including the just the third perfect game in program history against UL Monroe (3/20/16).  For her gem in the circle, Brown was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Co-Pitcher of the Week.

During the 2016 season, Brown also ranked among the top 25 nationally in several categories – strikeouts per 7 innings (second, 11.0), shutouts (third, 11), strikeouts (fourth, 324), hits allowed per 7 innings (11th, 4.13) and ERA (23rd, 1.66).  Following the season, Brown was named first-team all-Sun Belt and second-team all-South Region for her efforts.

The Satsuma, Ala., native twice earned All-American distinction from the NFCA during her collegiate career (2011-14), in addition to being named an all-South Region recipient all four seasons at the university.  She was a first-team all-region selection each of her last three seasons and earned second-team honors as a freshman.

Campbell was drafted third overall in the 2014 NPF Draft, becoming the first-ever Jaguar softball player to advance to the professional stage and the first-ever South Alabama female student-athlete to be drafted professionally.  

The left-hander was a two-time first-team all-Sun Belt Conference honoree and was a Top 25 finalist for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award as a senior after finishing the campaign with the third-best ERA in the NCAA, which helped the Jaguars claim the national ERA title that year as they allowed just 1.29 runs.  Campbell also led the SBC in ERA, allowing just 0.95 runs per seven innings.

Campbell was earned first-team all-conference accolades during her junior and senior seasons, while earning second-team honors at the conclusion of her freshman and sophomore seasons.  She was also named the league’s freshman of the year in 2011 and was twice selected as the Sun Belt Conference Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player picking up the honor after leading the Jaguars to the 2012 and 2013 league tournament title.  She was also a member of three NCAA Regional teams at USA, doing so each of her final three seasons.

In 2013, Campbell led the Sun Belt and ranked second in the NCAA in ERA (1.08).  As a staff, USA was third nationally in ERA (1.43).  Her 10 shutouts were tied for 11th in the NCAA and her six saves were fourth. 

Campbell appeared in 149 games in the circle and ended her career with an 83-34 overall record, 93 complete games, 35 shutouts (28 solo – 7 combined), 16 saves, 666 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA in 791.1 innings of work.

At the end of her time in Mobile, she ranked among the top 10 in several career categories – first in wins, saves, appearances, complete games, shutouts and innings pitched, second in strikeouts, combined shutouts, starts (112) and fewest walks allowed per seven innings (1.24), fourth in opponent’s batting average (.217) and sixth in strikeouts per seven innings (5.89).

She also holds the program’s single-season marks for lowest ERA (0.95, 2014), fewest walks per seven innings (0.76, 2014), wins (24, 2014), saves (6, 2013), starts (34, 2012) and complete games (28, 2012).

Campbell earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from South Alabama in 2014.