BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB Softball plays its final three games at Mary Bowers Field, starting Friday, April 24 against the South Florida Bulls. The Blazers sit one game back of Tulsa for eighth place in the American Conference standings, while South Florida looks to gain an edge over Wichita State, currently tied for the conference lead.<\/p>\n
NOTES TO KNOW
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SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA<\/p>\n
\nSERIES HISTORY<\/p>\n
\nA LOOK AROUND THE AMERICAN<\/p>\n
AN EVEN FURTHER LOOK AHEAD<\/p>\n
\n\tUAB is coming off 6-0 loss to #2\/#3 Alabama in front of a sellout crowd at Mary Bowers Field on Tuesday.
\n\tSince moving to the lead-off spot, Ashlyn Shirah<\/a> has hit .447\/.519\/.809 with 21 hits in 47 at-bats. Shirah has 15 RBI, five doubles, six walks, and four homers in the 14-game span.
\n\tOlivia Tindell<\/a> entered the starting lineup due to injuries. She hit her first career home run in the Blazers’ 13-1 win at Tulsa. Tindell had her seven-game hit streak snapped vs Alabama
\n\tUAB ranks 131st of 308 teams in the RPI. UAB is 0-6 in Quad-1 games, 3-3 in Quad-2, 5-11 in Quad-3, and 12-7 in Quad-4.\u00a0
\n\tAshlyn Shirah<\/a> was dubbed an American Conference Honorable Mention two weeks ago. Shirah hit .600 with four doubles against Samford and Memphis.
\n\tOlivia Cummings<\/a> was named an American Conference Honorable Mention on March 30, coming off a two-win week at East Carolina. Cummings allowed just two earned runs and one walk in 10 innings of work at ECU.
\n\tAshlyn Shirah<\/a> leads the Blazers with a .351 batting average and .541 slugging percentage, 35 RBI, seven doubles and seven homers.
\n\tFreshman Charlee Bennett’s<\/a> 30 walks are one away from the 6th most in a UAB single season.
\n\tBennett leads the team with a .417 on-base percentage
<\/p>\n
\n\tSouth Florida took care of business in its midweek matchup, defeating a good FGCU team, 9-0.
\n\tThe Bulls rank the highest among all American squads in the RPI, currently ranked 35th.
\n\tSouth Florida has been on a wild ride in conference play, sweeping Florida Atlantic and Charlotte, but losing series to Tulsa and East Carolina.
\n\tThe Bulls grabbed the last game against East Carolina before winning their midweek vs FGCU, currently riding a two-game winning streak.
\n\tSouth Florida is a stellar defensive team, turning 30 double plays this season, the third most in the nation. The Bulls’ .988 fielding percentage is eighth best in DI.
\n\tAnne Long is South Florida’s ace, boasting 1.55 ERA, the 14th-best in the country. Long won a pair of American Pitcher of the Week awards on April 6 and 13.
<\/p>\n
\n\tUAB trails in the all-time series 12-19, losing the last two matchups lasts season.
\n\tThe Blazers won the series the last time the programs met in Birmingham, taking the opening game and the rubber match in 2024.
\n\tSouth Florida leads all-time in Birmingham, 8-4.
<\/p>\n
\n\tSouth Florida and Wichita State are tied at the top of the standings, both just one game ahead of third-place North Texas.
\n\tUAB sits two games ahead of Memphis for ninth place. Barring multiple upsets, the Blazers are on track for a meeting with Tulsa in the opening round of the American Championships.
<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Blazers close out the American season at Florida Atlantic next weekend. The series will be played Thursday, April 30 through Saturday, May 2 in Boca Raton, Fla.
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