MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama freshman Jemma Purfield was named the Sun Belt Conference women’s soccer Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, the same day the NCAA announced that Jaguars athletic director Dr. Joel Erdmann will chair the Division I Baseball Committee for the 2015-16 academic year.
Purfield Earns Weekly Honor
Purfield, a native of Cottingham, England, is the second South Alabama player to receive the Sun Belt’s weekly defensive award this season. Charde Hannah earned it the previous week.
Purfield scored a goal, added an assist and helped the Jaguars post two shutouts last week. She played all 90 minutes of a 1-0 win over Louisiana Tech, recording two shots on goal as the South Alabama defense limited the Bulldogs to two shots.
Two days later, she scored the first goal of her college career and added an assist in a 7-0 win over Tennessee-Martin. The Jaguar defense held UT Martin to six shots for its second straight shutout. The victory gave South Alabama a 4-0 start.
Purfield has started every game this season and has been on the field for all but 22 minutes.
Jaguar Classic This Weekend
South Alabama, which received three votes in the latest NSCAA Top 25 poll, will host the Jaguar Classic this weekend at The Cage. South Florida, Troy and Austin Peay are also in the field. The Jaguars will play USF at 7 p.m. Friday and Austin Peay at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Erdmann to Lead NCAA Baseball Committee
Erdmann represents the South Region on the 10-member Division I Baseball Committee and has just completed his third year on the panel. The committee selects and seeds the field for the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship and assists with site administration.
“I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to serve as chair of the committee,” Erdmann said. “The committee is made up of highly capable professionals who understand the core of our duty is to provide the best championship field and experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. I look forward to the upcoming year as we continue to move the baseball championship and the great game itself forward.”
As South Alabama’s athletic director, Erdmann has served on the Sun Belt Conference’s baseball, softball, golf and tennis committees. While athletic director at the University of North Alabama, he was a member of the NCAA Division II Football Committee during the 2006-07 academic year and co-chaired the NCAA Division II Football Southeast Region Advisory Committee.
