2013 Sun Belt Conference Media Day Today
Sun Belt Conference Media Day will be held today in New Orleans. ESPN3 and the SBC has partnered together for the second consecutive year to bring the SBC Media Day live to viewers.
Media Day will begin at 1pm CST and will include interviews from all eight conference coaches and an interview with SBC Commissioner Karl Benson. Also, there will be interviews with four future SBC head coaches that are expected to enter the conference on July 1, 2014. Paul Petrino of Idaho, Doug Martin of New Mexico State, Jeff Monken of Georgia Southern and Scott Satterfield of Appalachian State will be representing the future SBC members.
Cole Wright will serve as the host for the event and Sun Belt Network football commentator Cole Cubelic will be the shows analyst.
Four teams have left the conference this season while two new schools have joined the conference. This season will see South Alabama, Arkansas State, Georgia State, Troy, UL-Monroe, UL-Lafayette, Texas State and Western Kentucky competing in the new Sun Belt.
The interview schedule is as follows:
- 1:00pm – SBC Commissioner Karl Benson
- 1:10pm – ULL Head Coach Mark Hudspeth
- 1:20pm – South Alabama head coach Joey Jones
- 1:28pm – Western Kentucky head coach Bobby Petrino
- 1:38pm – Idaho head coach Paul Petrino
- 1:45pm – New Mexico State head coach Doug Martin
- 1:52pm – Georgia State head coach Trent Miles
- 2:00pm – ULL head coach Todd Berry
- 2:10pm – Arkansas State head coach Bryan Harsin
- 2:20pm – Troy Head Coach Larry Blakeney
- 2:30pm – Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione
- 2:40pm – Georgia Southern head coach Jeff Monken
- 2:47pm – Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield
ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network. It delivers thousands of global sports events annually and accessible online via WatchESPN.com and ESPN3.com. It is also available to view on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. It is available to more than 86 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million US college students and US-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
Former Lady Jag Head Coach Lands At Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State University has hired another former South Alabama coach for their sports program. Rick Pietri was named the women’s head basketball coach by JSU athletic director Warren Koegel on Monday.
Pietri was the head coach at South Alabama for 13 seasons and turned the Lady Jaguar team into a contender in the Sun Belt Conference. He led the team to back-to-back Sun Belt West Division titles in 2003 and 2004.
The Jags made consecutive WNIT postseason appearances in 2003 and 2004 and is the all-time winningest coach in Lady Jaguars history with a career record of 220-167. Prior to Pietri’s arrival, the Lady Jags had posted 10 consecutive losing seasons.
In Pietri’s first season in the 2000-01 season the Jags posted and improved 13-16 record and was the most by the program in over 10 years and was just two wins fewer than the 15 wins combined over the previous two seasons. In his second season, the Lady Jags started out 16-5 in its first 21 games of the season while posting the first winning season since the 1989-90 season with a 17-11 record. Then the third season the Lady Jags finished 22-7 after opening the season 14-1 to win the division championship for the second consecutive year.
The Lady Jags had a 130-54 record overall at home. He led the Lady Jags to a winning season in five of his last six seasons at South Alabama.
Pietri is a South Alabama Alum and began his collegiate coaching career as a men’s assistant at Spring Hill College for four season from 1989 through 1993. He then joined Duane Reboul’s staff at Birmingham Southern for 1993-94. He began his head coaching career as the boys’ coach at B.C. Rain High School from 1994-98 where he went 106-32 over four seasons and making four consecutive final four appearances and earning 5A Coach of the Year honors in 1998. He then spent two seasons coaching the boys at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile before becoming the head coach at South Alabama in April of 2000.
Pietri takes over a team that finished just 1-27 overall and 1-15 in their conference last season.
Back in December, JSU announced the hiring of former South Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Clark as their head football coach. Clark brought Duwan Walker with his to be his defensive coordinator and also hired former South Alabama assistant coach Chuck Dunn to coach the inside linebackers and to serve as the Strength and conditioning coach.
Melvin Meggs To Miss 2013 Season; First Three Kickoff Times Announced
Shaun Artz (73) and Melvin Meggs (77) practice run blocking during the preseason camp in 2012. Meggs will miss the 2013 season with a torn ACL.
South Alabama’s most experienced offensive lineman, Melvin Meggs, will miss the 2013 season due to a torn ACL suffered in offseason workouts head coach Joey Jones announced on Monday.
Meggs, a 6’3″ 310-pound junior from Petal, Mississippi, had been earning plenty of preseason attention as the 2013 season approached but will miss entire season with his injury.
Meggs came to South Alabama from Petal High School and signed with the Jaguars when they were unclassified by the NCAA. Thus he had the opportunity to play all five seasons, including what is considered his redshirt season. Which means he cannot claim the 2013 season as a redshirt season, however he will be able to return for his senior season in 2014.
Meggs was credited with 76 knockdown blocks and graded 90 percent or better in six of the Jaguars 13 games last season including a 94 percent grade against Middle Tennessee State.
Meggs was one of two offensive players who started all 13 games last season. He was on the field for all but 15 of the Jaguars’ 938 offensive plays while only allowing one sack. He was not called for a holding or false start penalty all season.
Coach Jones said that losing an experienced player on offense will be a tough blow. But his surgery went well and is expected to be ready in six months. Though they never want to lose an experienced player like Melvin, Jones did say that they have more depth than the program has ever had in it’s short history. He said most of that depth is coming from the Jaguars redshirt freshmen class.
Additionally, Clay Machen will miss about four weeks with surgery to correct a torn meniscus but will be ready when camp begins this summer.
The University announced kickoff times for the first three contests late last week. The Jags season opener against Southern Utah will kick off on Thursday, August 29 at 6:30pm. The Jags road game in New Orleans on September 7 will kick off at 2:30pm and the Jags first Sun Belt Conference game of the season on September 14 against Western Kentucky will kick off at 6:30pm.
They did not announce if any of the first three games will be available on television. The kickoff times for remaining nine games of the 2013 schedule will be announced at a later date.
Four Jags Selected In MLB Draft
The University of South Alabama baseball program had four players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft over the weekend.
On the second day of the draft the Colorado Rockies chose Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Jordan Patterson with the third pick of the fourth round, the 109th pick overall. Kyle Bartsch was chosen by the Kansas City Royals with the eighth pick of the seventh round, which was the 204th overall pick.
Dylan Stamey was chosen by the Colorado Rockies with the third pick of the 14th round, the 409th pick overall. Also Nolan Earley was selected in the 22nd round by the Chicago White Sox for the 663rd pick overall.
Patterson was named to the first-team all-conference team as a utility player this spring. He was sixth in the Sun Belt with a .352 batting average. He collected 82 hits, 25 doubles, 69 runs scored and 49 RBI. The junior from Mobile was walked 41 times and hit by a pitch 21 times. He also had a .485 on-base percentage to lead the conference and was tied for the conference lead in doubles while finishing second in runs.
Patterson also earned a 1.84 ERA on the mound with two saves and 17 strikeouts with only six walks in 14 2/3 innings pitched. Patterson is the highest Jaguar selection since Adam Lind was selected in the third round in 2004.
Bartsch, a Hurst, Texas native, had a 3-0 record with 12 saves and a 3.12 ERA in 22 appearances this past season, all in relief. He was voted to the Second-team All-SBC team as he struck out 35 batters in 26 innings of work. He only walked 11 and held opponents to only a .189 batting average.
Bartsch finished second in the conference in saves while tying the school record in the category that was originally set by former All-American Mike Nakamura in 1998. He is the first Jaguar in program history to earn 10 or more saves in back-to-back seasons. He leaves the program as the all-time leader with 22 saves in two seasons.
Stamey made 24 appearances in relief as he went 5-2 with a 2.17 ERA and four saves. He struck out 62 batters and walked only nine. He finished second on the team in strikeouts with only 37 1/3 innings of work. He held opponents to a .209 batting average in his junior season, his first with the Jaguars.
Earley, a senior last season from Anderson, Indiana, led the Jags with 59 RBI with a .323 batting average with 19 doubles and 50 runs scored. He finished second on the team with 76 base hits and had a .411 on-base percentage with 36 walks. He was fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in RBI and among the top 10 in doubles.
The Jags finished 43-20 overall and 20-10 in Sun Belt play on the season and advanced to the NCAA Regional for the first time since 2004.
Jaguar Softball’s Hannah Campbell Becomes Program’s First All-American Selection
Hannah Campbell became the first USA Softball player to be selected as an All-American | usajaguars.com
On Wednesday, Hannah Campbell became the first South Alabama Jaguar to be named as an All-American. She was named to the second team of the 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Division I All-American team.
Campbell earned NFCA First-Team All-South Region honors just two weeks ago. She was also named to the First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference team and the SBC Tournament MVP among other honors.
She finished the season with a 22-9 record and a 1.08 ERA. She struck out 168 batters in 207 2/3 innings pitched with 10 solo shutouts. She limited her opposition to a mere batting average of .184. She also set a new Jaguar record for saves in a single season with six.
Campbell hails from Satsuma, Alabama.
NFCA Division I All-American Teams
First Team
P Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma
P Blaire Luna, Texas
P Hannah Rogers, Florida
C Amber Freeman, Arizona State
1B Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma
2B Lauren Gibson, Tennessee
3B Raven Chavanne, Tennessee
SS Madison Shipman, Tennessee
OF Janie Takeda, Oregon
OF Cassidy Bell, Penn State
OF Kayla Braud, Alabama
UT/P Kaitlin Inglesby, Washington
UT/Non-P or DP Alexa Peterson, Oregon
At-Large/P Chelsea Thomas, Missouri
At-Large/UT-P Lauren Haeger, Florida
At-Large/3B Taylor Hoagland, Texas
At-Large/P Rachele Fico, LSU
At-Large/P Jessica Moore, Oregon
Second Team
P Olivia Galati, Hofstra
P Dallas Escobedo, Arizona State
P Jolene Henderson, UC-Berkeley
C Megan Baltzell, Longwood
1B Alicja Wolny, Louisville
2B Katie Keller, Louisville
3B Shelby Pendley, Oklahoma
SS Cheyenne Coyle, Arizona State
OF Haylie McCleney, Alabama
OF B.B. Bates, UCLA
OF Brianna Turang, Oklahoma
UT/P Tatum Edwards, Nebraska
UT/Non-P or DP Cali Lanphear, Texas A&M
At-Large/SS Sierra Romero, Michigan
At-Large/2B Kaila Hunt, Alabama
At-Large/OF Emilee Koerner, Notre Dame
At-Large/OF Brianna Cherry, ULL
At-Large/P Hannah Campbell, South Alabama
Third Team
P Kaia Parnaby, Hawaii
P Aimee Creger, Tulsa
P Lacey Waldrop, Florida State
C Sarah Draheim, ULL
1B Geri Ann Glasco, Georgia
2B Kaylan Howard, Oregon
3B Kaitlyn Richardson, Minnesota
SS Taylor Thom, Texas
OF Tomeka Watson, Elon
OF Maggie Hull, Kansas
OF A.J. Andrews, LSU
UT/P Jackie Traina, Alabama
UT/Non-P or DP Brooke Short, Longwood
At-Large/P Sara Nevins, South Florida
At-Large/OF Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State
At-Large/C Stephanie Pasquale, Temple
At-Large/2B Ashley Lane, Michigan
At-Large/UT-P Mel Dumezich, Texas A&M
Jaguar Football Away Tickets On Sale Today
South Paw watches warmups at Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville, MS in 2012.
South Alabama Athletic ticket office announced on Wednesday that road game tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday morning.
2013 South Alabama Football Road Ticket Prices
- Tulane (Sept.7) – $35
- Tennessee (Sept. 28) – $45
- Troy (Oct. 5) – $24
- Texas State (Oct. 26) – $20
- Navy (Nov. 16) – $38
- Georgia State (Nov. 30) – $15
Call the USA Ticket office at 251.461.1USA to order your away tickets today. Orders made through the USA ticket office will be assigned based upon Jaguar Athletic Fund priority points. Tickets for the Jags game against Tennessee will only be available to Season ticket holders in order to be eligibile to purchase tickets for the game.
You can choose to pick up your tickets at the Mitchell Center ticket office at a date yet to be determined or at South Alabama’s Will Call on the day of the game at the host stadium. No tickets will be mailed this year.
Sun Belt Officials Release New Logos
The Sun Belt Conference introduced two new logos for the conference on Tuesday that will begin being used on July 1, 2013. This will replace the existing conference logo that has been in place since 1997.
Along with the new primary and secondary logo, they also introduced a new mantra for the conference which will be the foundation and essece of the new logo, “Together We Rise”.
The new primary logo for the Sun Belt Conference beginning on July 1, 2013.
The new secondary Sun Belt Conference logo that will begin being used on July 1, 2013.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium To Get New Turf For 2013 Season
The Jaguar offense looks to the sideline for play adjustments against UTSA in August of 2012.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium will get new turf installed this summer prior to South Alabama’s 2013 football season opener on August 29.
The Mobile City Council voted unanimously for a $311,168 contract with Field Turf to replace Ladd-Peebles aging current turf. Mobile City Attorney Larry Wettermark estimated that the original installation was eight to 10 years old and is approaching it’s end of life. He was worried that if a Senior Bowl player was to get injured by faulty turf, it would jeopardize the event in Mobile.
The city will pay for the turf from the city’s capital escrow account, which is one of the accounts that receives revenues from the penny sales tax that was passed by the city council in October of last year.
Field Turf was the low bidder. Field Turf’s base bid was $295,168 and $6,000 to maintain certain equipment on the field plus $10,000 in contingency funds. Hellas Sports Construction’s base bid was $343,435.
Field Turf has had some issues recently with turf degradation and has admitted to replacing some fields across the nation, including some in Florida. The company believes the problem stems from a supply of defective fiber. The city council did not discuss any of the companies issues during its meeting. But the contract includes an eight-year warranty for defects in materials and workmanship.
Wettermark said that both products from the two bidders were of equal quality and noted that the city’s recommendation was to accept the lowest bidder.
The contract also includes two new goal posts which will be paid for by the Ladd-Peebles Stadium Board. Wettermark introduced the extra expenditure for the first time during the city council meeting and expressed that the timing of the expenditure was important due to the short window before the Jaguars football season.
Work is expected to begin on May 21 and should be completed in July.
City Council President Reggie Copeland’s only concern was that the contract meets the NFL requirements for the Senior Bowl with striping that would be adequate to take care of the needs for the Senior Bowl, South Alabama and GoDaddy.com Bowl.
Copeland also indicated that, if properly maintained with the equipment, they should be a longer life than they did with the previous turf installation.
Dustin Dalken Named SBC Player Of The Week
Senior Dustin Dalken earns his first SBC Player of the Week honor. Photo by Bobby McDuffie | usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Dustin Dalken was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
Dalken, a 6’6″ Senior from Gainesville, Georgia, went 7-for-13 with a double and two home runs, six RBI, three runs scored and a .571 on-base percentage as he led the Jags to a 3-1 record last week. He got a hit in all four games and recorded two multi-hit games and two multi-RBI games. He also extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games, a career-best.
Dalken went 6-for-12 against Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend with a double, two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored with 13 total bases.
This is Dalken’s first Player of the Week honor and the third Jag this season.
Lady Jaguars Defeat WKU 2-0 To Earn Second Consecutive SBC Tournament Title
The 2013 South Alabama Softball Team earned their second consecutive SBC Tournament title after defeated WKU 2-0 on Saturday, May 11, 2013 | sunbeltsports.org
South Alabama’s Hannah Campbell pitched a complete-game shutout as the #18 ranked Jaguars defeated Western Kentucky 2-0 in the championship game to earn it’s second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament title.
Hannah was not only named the Player of the Game, but also the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row. She struck out three and did not allow a walk in the win.
Brittany Fowler reached base in all four of her appearances at the plate on Saturday. She went 2-for-2 with a single and a double and two walks and an RBI.
Alex Breeden delivered her first RBI in five games in the top of the fifth and the Jags really needed it. She singled to left field and drove in Stephanie Pilkington, who was pinch running for Haley Fagan, to put the Jaguars up 2-0. Just before Breeden delivered her hit, she made solid contact on the first pitch from the WKU pitcher which broke the bat with a piece flying towards the pitchers circle.
Emily Rousseau, who was named pitcher of the year in the Sun Belt Conference prior to the tournament, gave Western Kentucky all she had to get into the championship game. The WKU ace threw all 10 innings in a 7-4 win over ULL to earn their spot in the championship game for the first time since 2005. Which led to WKU putting their number-two starter Mallorie Sulaski in the circle to pitch at the last minute.
Sulaski, a senior, did well against the Jags through four innings by only allowing tow hits and pitching herself out of three separate situations where Jags were in scoring position.
Hannah Campbell retired the final four WKU batters as the Jags cruised to their 16th consecutive win and improving her record to 21-7 on the season. She also lowered her NCAA-leading ERA to 0.86 and she has not allowed a run in the last 18 1/3 innings. She and Farish Beard and the rest of the Jaguar pitching staff has combined to not allow a run in the last 15 1/3 innings.
The Jags batted .216 in the tournament while holding their opponents to a .135 average.
Along with Hannah’s honor as Most Outstanding Player, Britany Campbell, Brittany Fowler and Kaitlyn Griffith were all named to the 2013 Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team.
The NCAA softball selection show will air live on ESPNU at 9pm Central time on Sunday. The Jags will host a viewing party at Heroes Sports Grill on Hillcrest just off of Old Shell Road on Sunday from 8-10pm. Friends, Family and Fans are all welcome to join the team as they anxiously await word of who they will be playing and if they will be selected to host a Regional tournament.
GO JAGS!!