LIVE STATS
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The 18th-ranked University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team will make its 18th appearance in the Gulf South Conference Softball Championships when it opens up the 2013 edition of the tournament on Friday against West Georgia. First pitch between the top-seeded Chargers (35-13) and the No. 8 seed Wolves (15-34) is slated for 11 a.m. at Greenbrook Park in Southaven, Miss.
UAH enters the weekend as the No. 1 seed after registering a 23-6 mark in conference play this season. The top three seeds for the tournament were undecided heading into the final weekend of conference play, and the Chargers used a two-game sweep of North Alabama to remain ahead of Valdosta State who will hold the second seed. UNA is the No. 3 seed.
Boasting a league-high six all-conference selections including Freshman and Pitcher of the Year
Kimberly Jack, the Chargers are currently riding a seven-game winning streak, and the team has gone on quite the turnaround since opening the season 8-8.
Since that point, the Chargers – under the direction of the 2013 and eight-time Coach of the Year
Les Stuedeman – have gone on a torrid 27-5 stretch during which UAH has scored more than nine runs per game while hitting at a .349 clip. The pitching staff has also been strong, registering a 2.06 ERA that is bolstered by Jack's 11-1 record and 0.73 ERA during the period.
With the sweep of then-No. 10 North Alabama capping off the run, the Chargers finally broke into the national rankings in the final regular season edition of the poll when UAH placed No. 18 in the country. In the more-important NCAA regional rankings, UAH placed No. 2 in the latest installment. Those standings will be used to seed the upcoming NCAA South Regional, and the top two teams will host the South Region 1 and South Region 2 tournaments.
UAH was only able to complete all four scheduled games against five of the nine GSC teams on the regular season slate, and Friday's first opponent West Georgia is one of them.
Led by all-GSC selection
Mary Kelley's 10, the Chargers pounded out 44 hits against the Wolves in the four contests while scoring 43 times.
Cortney McNett – who hit .778 in the season series – and
Abby MacKay both knocked in nine runs, with seven of McNett's coming in one game to match a program record for RBI in a contest.
Jack recorded three of the wins in the circle while
Whitney Gilbert picked up the remaining victory, and the staff notched a 0.95 ERA against UWG in the four contests as it also limited West Georgia to only 19 hits.
Three-time all-GSC honoree Nicole Yancey is West Georgia's leader as she ranks second on the team with a .347 batting average while collecting 10 homers and knocking in 32 runs, but she is just one of only three UWG regulars who are hitting over .300 on the season as the team collectively bats .266.
The team's pitching staff owns a 5.40 ERA on the season as Katie Shultes as a team-best 11 wins with Megan Roberts pacing the team with 84 strikeouts.
Live stats for the West Georgia contest will be available at uahchargers.com.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Chargers on Facebook (facebook.com/uahchargers) and on Twitter (@uahchargers), and supporters of the Blue and White may sign up for text and e-mail updates at uahchargers.com.
