Jags Enter Final Week Of Spring Practice Before Spring Game
Offensive lineman Drew Dearman, his father and Offensive Coordinator Robert Matthews after the annual Red & Blue Spring football game in 2012.
The South Alabama football team has only two practice sessions left this spring. The Jags hit the practice field this morning for their final true practice prior to the Red-Blue Spring game on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium that gets underway at 2pm.
Thursday morning the Jags will work out in shorts.
Admission and parking is free to the public and will feature two 10-minute quarters for the first half. Then after a 10-minute break they will return to the field for two 12-minute quarters with a running clock (clock will not stop for normal stoppages in play).
Ladd-Peebles parking lot will open at 10am for tailgating. The USA College of Medicine will hold it’s annual Gumbo & Chili Cookoff in the east parking lot.
Stadium gates will open at 1pm with seating in all but the east stands. Limited concessions will be available in the west concourse.
JagWear, Jag_Gals and the USA Athletic Ticket Office will be in the west concourse as well.
After the game, fans will be allowed on the field for 30 minutes to get autographs and photos with Jaguar players and coaches.
This week, coach Jones will split his staff into two squads and the players will be split by a draft later in the week.
Rubit Earns Honorable Mention All-America Honors From AP
Rubit added another honors to his shelf on Monday. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Augustine Rubit has garnered yet another national honor this off season. This time he was named Honorable Mention All-America by The Associated Press on Monday.
Rubit is the first Jaguar since Terry Catledge in 1984 to receive an All-America status from the Associated Press.
He led the Sun Belt in rebounding with 10.5 per game and was second in scoring with 19.4 points per game and also second in the conference in double-doubles with 16. He is also the first player in Sun Belt history to lead the conference in rebounding for three consecutive years.
Rubit set a new school record for free throws in a season with 198 while ranking third school history for rebounds with 315 and seventh in points with 582 in one season. He also became the first Jaguar to be named to the All-Sun Belt First Team in consecutive seasons since 2008 and is only the sixth to earn all-conference recognition three times.
Congratulations Aug!
WKU to Conference USA
Western Kentucky has been invited to join Conference USA according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. An official announcement is expected on Monday.
WKU will replace Tulsa who who is going to the conference formerly known as the Big East. This has not been officially announced yet.
The Hilltoppers would join C-USA on July 1, 2014.
James Madison and Liberty are reportedly the top candidates to replace Western Kentucky for the Sun Belt.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Update
Baseball
Florida Atlantic had the Jaguars number this weekend in Boca Raton as the #24 were swept in the three game Sun Belt Conference series.
In the opening game on Friday, the Jags jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning after Austin Gomber belted a three-run homer to right. The Owls would cut the lead down to one in the bottom of the first inning after Tyler Rocklein also homered to right field.
In the bottom of the second inning the Owls took the lead 4-3 on consecutive RBI singles. They then extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning to the final score 6-3 as the Jags were unable to get anything going to manufacture runs.
Brandon Boyle suffered the loss in five innings of work by allowing four earned runs on 10 hits with a strikeout and two walks. James Traylor struck out five and only allowed two hits in three shutout innings of relief.
On Saturday, the Owls scored five unanswered runs to defeat the Jags 7-6. Through 4 1/2 innings the Jags led 6-2 before the Owls scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run triple followed by an RBI single to cut the Jaguar lead to 6-5.
The Owls then tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a sac fly. They then scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth on a Jag error that allowed the runner to score from second after reaching on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.
On Sunday, FAU’s Jeremy Strawn threw a complete-game shutout as the Owls completed the series sweep with a 3-0 win over the Jags. Strawn improved his overall record to 2-1 on the season while Jacob Noble suffered his first loss of the season.
FAU scored their first two runs in the bottom of the second inning with the first coming on a Jaguar error at third base. Then their second came on a sacrifice bunt.
The Jags loaded the bases in the top of the third inning but Strawn worked out of it by inducing a grounder for a force out at home plate, then he struck out Jordan Patterson to end the Jaguar threat.
FAU improved to 19-9 on the season and 7-2 in Sun Belt play while the Jaguars fell to 22-7 overall this season and 5-4 in Sun Belt play.
The Jags are in action again on Tuesday evening as they host Mississippi State with first pitch scheduled for 6:30pm.
Softball
The Lady Jaguars split the series opening doubleheader on Friday against Western Kentucky at Jaguar Field.
In the first game the Jags fell 4-3. WKU were the first on the board with a solo home run to left center in the top of the fourth inning, only the fifth homerun given up by Hannah Campbell this season.
The Jags responded in the bottom half of the inning after a Brittany Fowler single and a Haley Fagan double that scored Fowler. Then Julie Moss put down a sacrifice bunt to move Fagan to third base before Kaitlyn Griffith knocked her sixth home run of the year to give the Jags a 3-1 lead.
The next inning the ‘Toppers scored the game-winning two-out single to score both runners on base for the 4-3 margin.
In the second game the Jags responded with an 8-5 win. The Jags opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Both schools scored a run in the fifth inning. Then the Jags scored their final runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth when they extended their lead to 8-3.
WKU would add two more runs for the final score of 8-5.
On Sunday, WKU’s ace pitcher dominated the beginning of the game by retirin gnine of the Jags first 10 batters before Blair Johnson hit a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game up at 1 apiece.
That wouldn’t last long as the ‘Toppers would respond in the top of the next inning with two runs to take a 3-1 advantage.
Britany Campbell would cut the WKU lead to one as she hit a home run over the right field wall, but consecutive fly outs would end the game.
The Lady Jags fell to 29-7 on the season and 6-3 in conference play. Hannah Campbell’s loss dropped her record to 13-7 on the season.
The Lady Jags will return to action on Wednesday with a midweek series against Florida Atlantic. They have a double-header scheduled on Wednesday with the first game set to start at 4pm.
Jags Softball Hosts WKU In Weekend Series
The South Alabama Jaguar Softball team enters this weekend’s series against conference foe Western Kentucky with a #25 ranking and a five game winning streak. They are also coming off of a big 12-5 win over #12 ranked LSU on Wednesday.
The Jags enter the game with a 28-5 record overall and a 5-1 mark in Sun Belt play. They have also won eight of their last nine games. Western Kentucky comes to town with a 17-10 record overall and a 6-2 mark in Sun Belt play.
Western Kentucky has been honored with three Pitcher of the Week honors this season. Emily Rousseau has been honored twice and Mallorie Sulaski has been honored once. They have 13 of the 17 wins for WKU.
Jaguars head coach Becky Clark realizes that WKU’s pitching staff will give them a chance to win this weekend. “They’re going to give us all we can handle,” Clark said. “We’ve got to do a great job of keeping things rolling right now. We’ve got to remain consistent and remember what got us results in the first place. We can enjoy the success we’ve had, but we’ve got to remember where it came from and stay locked in to it.”
The series gets underway Saturday with a doubleheader that begins at 4pm. Game two will begin 20 minutes after game one ends. The final game on Sunday will get underway at noon.
Jags Baseball Travel To FAU This Weekend
The South Alabama Jaguar baseball team looks to extend their current five game winning streak this weekend when they travel to face Florida Atlantic University this weekend.
The series with the Owls will begin tonight with first pitch set for 5:30pm Central time with Brandon Boyle set to take the mound for the Jags. Game two has first pitch set for 3pm Central Time on Saturday with Jacob Noble taking the mound for the Jags. Then the series finale will begin at noon Central time Sunday with Jarron City taking the mound.
The 24th ranked Jags enter the game with a 22-4 record overall and a 5-1 record in Sun Belt play. The Jags pitching staff has a combined ERA of 1.96 with 47 strikeouts and 17 walks in 46 innings during the current winning streak. They have also held their opponents to a .204 batting average.
Offensively the Jags are hitting .330 with three doubles, four home runs, 33 RBI’s and 37 runs scored.
FAU enters with a 16-9 record overall and a 4-2 record in Sun Belt play. They are also coming off of a 6-1 win over Miami (FL) University and enter the weekend with a three game winning streak.
The Owls currently leads the conference in ERA with 3.02 and runs allowed with 105. They also have 205 strikeouts and 71 walks in 223 2/3 innings pitched this season.
All three games will be broadcast live on WNSP 105.5 FM and through their website WNSP.com.
Augustine Rubit Adds To His Season Honors
Rubit adds more honors to his shelf on Wednesday. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
The Jaguars basketball season may be over but Augustine Rubit continues to collect more honors. Rubit has already been named the 2012-2013 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year by the coach and media of the Sun Belt and Sun Belt Player of the year from four different organizations including CollegeInsider.com.
Rubit has also been named to the Lou Henson All-America Team by CollegeInsider.com and All-District 24 First Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was also named to the fourth team All-Mid Major by College Sports Madness.
Rubit is the only representative from the Sun Belt to be named to the Henson All-America team which consists of 25 players from mid-major Division I conferences.
Aug was the leading rebounder in the conference with 10.5 per game and finished second in the conference in scoring with 19.4 points per game, both ranking in the top 10 in the nation. He also earned 16 double-doubles during the season.
25th Ranked Jags Down #12 LSU 12-5 Wednesday Night
The South Alabama Jaguar Softball team delivered a big win over a top 15 ranked team in front of an overflowing crowd of spectators Wednesday night at Jaguar Field. The #25 ranked Jags defeated #12 ranked LSU 12-5 on 15 hits in their first win over the Tigers in six attempts.
The 15 hits by the Jags were the most recorded by USA in a game as well as the most allowed in a game by LSU. It also tied a season-high in runs for a game which was also a season high allowed by LSU.
Haley Fagan had a career-best 4-for-4 performance. Farish Beard and Hannah Campbell combined to strike out 10 Tigers as Beard improved her perfect record on the season to 12-0. Beard pitched 4 2/3rds innings total with two hits and five earned runs with eight strikeouts. Hannah Campbell pitched 2 2/3rds innings and allowed two hits with two strikeouts.
The Jags scored first in the bottom of the second inning when a throwing error trying to force Fagan out at second base sailed wide and allowed Julie Moss to score. The Jags added six more runs in the third inning to make it 7-0 Jaguars heading into the top of the fourth inning.
Four more runs in the fourth inning began with Fagan hitting a solo homerun over the center field wall. Going into the top of the fifth inning, the Jags had a commanding 11-0 lead.
LSU would attempt a rally but the Jags would be able to limit it to five runs before adding an insurance run in the bottom of the frame for the final score of 12-5.
Fagan had three singles to go with her home run while Johnson, Moss, Meghan Collins and Britany Campbell all had two hits each with Johnson and Collins adding two RBI’s each.
The Jags return to action this weekend when they host Western Kentucky for a three game conference series. The Jags and the Hilltoppers will play a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 4pm with game two following 20 minutes after the first game concludes. First pitch for game three is scheduled for noon on Sunday.
Jones Is Pleased With Physical Practice On Tuesday
The Jaguars were greeted with a cool morning for their practice on Tuesday. The practice was marked with physical play in both position drills and team drills as the practice spanned over two hours.
Coach Jones said that the defensive line caught his eye in Tuesdays practice. “It was lively,” Jones said to AL.com about the practice session. “I thought the defensive front really stood out today. I thought the guys across there were playing harder and really put pressure on the quarterback and disrupted the run. I thought they played really well today and it was good to see them get after it.”
With the changes made on the defensive coaching staff in the off-season, the defense is still getting adjusted to the new members of the staff but their progress has been pleasing to Coach Jones. The offense continues to learn and perfect their understanding of the spread offense that was introduced last year by coach Matthews.
Jones praised the leadership he has on the team. He said that they continue to work hard as the number of practices remaining this spring are beginning to dwindle down. Jones said that they have practice on Thursday then a scrimmage on Saturday. Next week the Jags have Tuesday to practice then Thursday is in shorts prior to the Red-Blue Spring Game on Saturday.
“I think offensively, even though we’re doing some different things, I think the fact they have experience helps,” Jones explained to AL.com. “Our offensive line is working really hard. For the first time we’re going to have real depth there. I think we’ll go into next fall with 10 guys who can play once we get our injured guys back (Ucambre Williams, Shaun Artz). So I feel good about that. We’ve got some older receivers, some guys who have been around, some in their fifth year in the program. We’ve got a quarterback who started last year (Ross Metheny) and Brandon Bridge is coming along as well and we’re developing depth there and there’s a tight race. The competition is good.”
With only five practices left, which includes the spring game on April 6th, the Jags will try to get as much physical work in as possible. These will be the practices and scrimmages that will really lend themselves to good video for evaluating players prior to fall camp.
The Jags will return to the practice field on Thursday morning at 6am and again on Saturday for a scrimmage.
Jags Down USM 3-1 In 10 Innings
South Alabama defeated Southern Miss 3-1 on Tuesday, but it took an extra inning to do so.
The Jags and the Golden Eagles were scoreless through five innings but the Jags broke that scoreless tie when Jordan Patterson singled in a run in the top of the sixth inning. USM threatened in the bottom half of the inning but the Jags worked their way out of it.
USM threatened again in the bottom of the eighth inning but again the Jags worked themselves out of it. But in the bottom of the ninth a lead off triple then a hit batter put runners on the corners. THen a single to right field would score the tieing run. The Jags would again work themselves out of the inning to go to the tenth inning.
In the top of the tenth, the Jags would load the bases with no outs. Patterson would reach on an error by the USM shortstop. Then Nolan Earley followed with a single to center field. Then a passed ball would advance both Jags into scoring position. Then Dustin Dalken would draw a walk to load the bases.
Brent Mitchell would fall behind in the count but would work it back to even at 2-2 before he would drive a slider into left field to score Patterson and Earley to give USA a 3-1 lead. Then the Jags held off the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the tenth to preserve the victory.
Jaguar starter Matt Bell threw six shutout innings and allowed only three hits while striking out three with one walk. Dylan Stamey would allow two hits in two shutout innings while striking out four and walking one.
Kyle Bartsch allowed one run on two hits and struck out one to earn his third win of the season. James Traylor would strike out three with one walk and only one hit in one shutout inning for his first save of the season.
“Matt Bell was really good,” Calvi said. “They (USM) put the ball in play, and we played good defense behind him. Stamey was solid again for two innings, and did a nice job with four strikeouts. We went to Bartsch late, he’s our guy. He threw 44 pitches on Saturday, so he only had one shot to get it done and unfortunately he didn’t. But James Traylor did a nice job behind him. It was a team win tonight, a team pitching-staff win for sure.”
Bell had his longest career outing as a Jag on Tuesday night. He used two inning-ending double plays in the first four innings of the game to do it.
The #24 ranked Jaguars will travel to Boca Raton, Florida for a three game SBC series with FAU.