MOBILE, Ala. — For the first time in South Alabama softball preseason history, the Jaguars are ranked nationally. South Alabama was placed 20th in the USA Today/NFCA Division I preseason Top 25, released Tuesday.
The ranking follows a 2013 season in which the Jaguars repeated as Sun Belt Conference champions, went 48-9, hosted the program’s first NCAA Regional, reached the regional championship game and earned a No. 17 national ranking.
Sun Belt and In-State Teams
South Alabama is one of two Sun Belt teams in the preseason Top 25. Louisiana-Lafayette is ranked 13th, and Western Kentucky received votes.
Three other schools from Alabama were ranked or received votes. Alabama is sixth, UAB is 21st, and Auburn received votes.
Ranked Opponents on the Schedule
The Jaguars open the season against UAB on Feb. 6 at Jaguar Field, with first pitch at 6 p.m., and play the Blazers again on Feb. 19 in Birmingham. South Alabama visits Alabama in Tuscaloosa on April 2.
Other preseason Top 25 teams on the schedule:
- No. 23 Georgia, three times: Feb. 15 and 16 at a tournament in Georgia and Feb. 23 at a tournament in Orlando
- No. 18 Baylor, at a tournament in Gulfport, Miss.
- No. 17 LSU, April 23 in Baton Rouge
- No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette, April 12-13 in Lafayette
South Alabama will also face Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky, both of which received votes.
Clark: “Played Out on the Field”
“It is always an honor to be recognized as one of the top programs in the NCAA,” head coach Becky Clark said. “As coaches and players, we know that all of this will ultimately be played out on the field.”
Clark said the poll reflects the strength of the conference. “To have two teams in the Top 20 and another team receiving votes is a testament to the hard work put in by the coaches and student-athletes in our conference,” she said.
Jaguar Field Renovations
Renovations at Jaguar Field are expected to be finished by the start of the season. The project includes a new indoor batting and pitching complex, a new and larger press box, sunken dugouts and seating that wraps around the field from dugout to dugout.
South Alabama returns seven starters from last season’s team.
