Feb. 9, 2006

The 2006 season brings a newfound excitement to the UAB softball program. With seven returning starters including senior Chelsea McCall, junior Lindsay Stanley and sophomore Leigh Walker, UAB is poised and ready to make a run at a Conference USA Championship. With a talented group of returners, the expectations have set the bar high for UAB and head coach Marla Townsend. Townsend enters her eighth year after starting the Blazer program in 1999. Since the inception of softball at UAB, Townsend has guided her clubs to at least 20 wins in six consecutive seasons including being named the Coach of the Year in Conference USA in 2002.

The Blazers return two all-conference performers from last season, including Stanley who was named second team All-Conference and all-freshman Amanda Antonovich. UAB returns its top three offensive players from a year ago and welcome the addition of seven newcomers. The Blazers look to be a productive team from the plate this season. Redshirt sophomore Holly Krzan returns and will be an immediate impact player. She will be complimented by freshman Andrea Rogers, who looks to provide power in a lineup that is lined with outstanding speed. Stanley and McCall will provide the speed at the top of the lineup followed by Krzan and Rogers.

Junior Nicole Whitlock, Antonovich and Walker will follow in the lineup. Junior Allison Davis bat in the nine spot. A host of players could be used in the designated player position including freshmen Kayla Harris, Jacy Leon and Megan Terry.

Pitching

UAB enters the year with four starting pitchers including three returning starters in Jennifer Nelson, Brittany Hodge and Antonovich. All will be looked upon in key situations this season and provide the Blazers with the ability to keep batters on their heels. Harris is the only newcomer and will be instrumental in our teams success. "I'm probably as excited about this group of pitchers as I have ever been in the past," said Townsend. "The way they compliment each other is incredible. Having four pitches allows us the opportunity to keep teams on their toes and that's key in tough situations."

Nelson recently came off an injury but looks to be healthy this season. She will battle with Harris and the others for time in the circle.

"Nelson is starting to throw a good number of pitches," said Townsend. "It's been good for Nelson to have a player like Harris come in because it pushes everyone on the staff to perform better. We look for Nelson to pick up where she left off last season and be that go-to person for us."

Hodge gained valuable experience last year and is expected to contribute again this season. Antonovich will also see time in the circle but will be primarily playing first base.

"If we can continue to improve like we have since we started to play together on Jan.6 then this will be a very good season," said Townsend.

Catching

Rogers will start behind the dish this season for the Blazers. She has steadily improved since arriving in Birmingham and will handle most of the catching duties.

"Rogers is a freshman by academic classifications only and not by experience," said Townsend. "She is the most knowledgeable, focused individual behind the plate that I've seen. She knows the game of softball and is working well with all four pitchers. She has really started to communicate well with all of them. Her blocking skills are going to keep us in a lot of games. When you have a catcher like Rogers you don't fear throwing a drop ball with two outs and a runner at third because she is that good. She has a very strong arm. She will be an immediate impact player on this team."

Whitlock and Davis are both going to backup Rogers at the catching position. Both are expected to start in other positions but gained valuable experience last season behind the plate. All three catchers possess many of the same qualities including strong arms and the ability to communicate well.

Infield

The infield in 2006 consists of a freshman, two sophomores, a redshirt sophomore and a junior. The youth has brought excitement heading into a new season after most of them played together last year.

At first base, Antonovich will start when she isn't in the circle. She is looking for another strong season. She is very strong defensively both with the glove and fields her position exceptionally well. Freshman Jacy Leon will be the backup to Antonovich at first. Leon will be expected to fill in defensively throughout the year and will be called upon as a pinch hitter.

This season, Walker returns to second base after playing shortstop last year.

"This fall Walker played shortstop but she is back where she belongs at second," said Townsend. "She has improved her range and arm strength has improved a lot over the off season. It's exciting because she really contributed to us last season as a freshman and we look to expand on that this year."

Krzan will start at the shortstop position. Krzan is returning after receiving a medical redshirt last season after she injured her knee after only 11 games. She is very fundamentally sound and will provide power in the UAB lineup.

"Krzan spent a year or so in the outfield but is happy to be back at the shortstop position," said Townsend. "She is a strong communicator and we look for her to take a lead role on defense. It's a good group of gloves up the middle with Walker and Krzan. They work well together and it's good to have Krzan back and healthy."

Whitlock will cover the hot corner for the Blazers. She has played a variety of positions since joining the Blazers in 2004. Sophomore Jessi Allred will provide backup for Whitlock at third this year.

"Whitlock has definitely earned the starting role and we hope she will be a big factor this year," said Townsend. "She is a leader on and off the field. We really have high expectations for her and we look forward to her having a break out season."

Outfield

Outfield will be one of the key strengths for the Blazers this spring. McCall leads the group at the centerfield position and will make the transition after spending several years in left. She brings speed and experience to the outfield that will be needed during a tough schedule.

"We're excited to see if she can make the adjustments," said Townsend. "Any ball she can get too, we expect her to get it. She brings a lot of weapons to the plate as well. She can slap and swing away from the left side. She and Stanley are both well groomed base runners. We are looking forward to getting them on with Rogers and Krzan coming to the plate."

Stanley will handle the duties in leftfield this season. Her speed and quickness has allowed her to develop into one of the top outfielders. This season, Stanley hopes to build off a successful sophomore season.

"Stanley brings speed and quickness to the outfield and there shouldn't be a lot of balls that she can't track down," said Townsend. "We really improved her arm strength over the off season and we look forward to her gunning down some runners. When she gets on-base she totally changes the ball game. At the plate, she does a great job of making contact and placing the ball. If she puts the ball on the ground it's going to be tough to throw her out."

Davis will play right after steadily improving during the off season and fall. Davis has developed into a strong player who will continue to improve as the season progresses.

"Davis worked in the outfield her freshman year and we feel that is a good fit for her," said Townsend. "She is the type of athlete that is going to do what it takes to be on the field. Knowing that we needed her in the outfield, she took that upon herself and became the player we needed. She has really built up her confidence and it has really started to show."

A variety of players will see time in the outfield as well including sophomore Betonya Hunt and newcomers Kelly Brady, Terry and Shundale Thomas. Hunt has made progress this season after missing most of last season with a back injury. Brady is a walk-on sophomore, who previously played at Shelton State Community College. Terry and Thomas are both freshmen who will battle for time.

Schedule

The UAB softball team will face six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago and will play 21 home games, all part of the 2006 softball schedule.

"The theme for this year is change and when I look at this schedule I see a lot of teams we haven't faced," said Townsend. "I'm excited to expose the girls to these different teams and different programs. A lot of these teams have so much tradition. We are playing in a lot of different places and tournaments."

UAB will play in three non-conference tournaments this year at Centenary College, Chattangooga, and Birmingham-Southern. The Blazers will also face Oregon and Oregon State in the Northwest Exposure trip.

The Blazers host Auburn, Troy, Alabama A&M, Nicholls State and Georgia State as part of the non-conference schedule. UAB faces Memphis, Tulsa, UCF, and Houston in Birmingham this year and will take on East Carolina, Marshall, Southern Miss and UTEP on the road.

"A lot of teams were successful last year and a lot of teams were young," said Townsend. "Everything changes and what you bring to the ballpark everyday will determine the outcome. We have to take every opponent seriously because there is not one single opponent that can be overlooked."

Coaching Staff

Townsend enters her seventh season as the Blazers' head coach and welcomes back Kim Unkenholz as the pitching coach. Jennifer Collins is the newest addition to the staff and will deal directly with outfielders and hitters this season. UAB also welcomes back Lucy Bass as the new Director of Softball Operations.

Prior to joining the Blazers, Collins spent four seasons as the head coach at Alabama State University. She brings a wealth of experience not only as a coach but as a player. Collins played two seasons at Southern Miss and helped lead them to two-consecutive College World Series appearances.

Unkenholz is in her second season after joining the staff in 2005. She brings Division I experience to the Blazers as well after a stellar career at Troy State.

Bass, who played under Townsend, returns and will primarily, deal with the day-to-day operations. She has been instrumental in running the UAB Softball Camps hosted by Townsend. Her experience and knowledge will only benefit the Blazers this season.