MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama baseball holds its first official practice of the 2014 season Friday at 2 p.m. at Eddie Stanky Field.
The Jaguars are coming off a season in which they shared the Sun Belt Conference championship and earned a bid to an NCAA regional.
Roster Turnover
Coach Mark Calvi returns 11 letterwinners, including pitcher Matt Bell, a second-team All-Sun Belt selection last season. South Alabama adds 21 newcomers, and three redshirt freshmen return to the roster.
Challenging Nonconference Slate
South Alabama’s midweek schedule includes games against LSU, Auburn and Mississippi State, the 2013 College World Series runner-up. The Jaguars also play a three-game series at Arkansas in Fayetteville.
“We’re ready to get going,” Calvi said. “The team worked hard in the fall and during the offseason, and we are all eager to get started. We have a challenging schedule, but that is what we need in order to be ready for the postseason and get to where we want to go.”
Hosting the Sun Belt Tournament
South Alabama will host the 2014 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament, the 11th time the school has been the host and the first since 2007. The last time the Jaguars won a tournament they hosted was in 2000, when they swept through the bracket in four games as the No. 5 seed.
Season Opener
South Alabama opens the season Friday, Feb. 14, against Tennessee Tech in the first game of a three-game series at Eddie Stanky Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
