The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Softball Announces its 2004 Schedule
8/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Aug. 12, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team officially released its 2004 schedule on Tuesday as the Blazer coaching staff revealed an itinerary that includes a season-opening four-day tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as crucial home contests against both Auburn and Mississippi State.
"This is the fifth year of our program and I feel as if we are at a very exciting point with the team," said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. "We're taking a trip to Hawaii to open the season and we're not only looking forward to that, but we're also looking forward to playing against some top-caliber teams to start the season."
UAB opens its 2004 schedule on the road at the Chevron Paradise Classic hosted by the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. BYU, Loyola-Marymount, Oregon State, Tennessee and the homestanding Rainbow Wahine are scheduled to join UAB in the prestigious six-team field. The season-opening competition is slated for Feb. 5-8, while the matchups and game times have yet to be determined.
Following the Chevron Paradise Classic, the Blazers will remain on the road for a twin bill against Troy State before returning to Birmingham for their home-opening contest versus Auburn on Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. UAB and Auburn have faced off against each other six times since the 2000 season and Auburn leads the all-time series, 4-2. The two in-state rivals split the seasonal series a year ago.
"It's always a good thing when you're able to host an in-state rival like Auburn," Townsend said. "The recruits like to see that we play against tough SEC opponents and we like the challenge of facing some of the tougher teams. This game is going to be our home opener and hopefully we can play like we did to finish last season."
The UAB softball team will begin its Conference USA schedule on March 9, with a three-game homestand against the Charlotte 49ers. Prior to conference play, the Blazers host the third-annual Magic City Classic on March 5-6, which features games versus cross-town rivals Birmingham-Southern and Samford. Last season, UAB recorded a 3-1 mark in the Magic City Classic held on the campus of Birmingham-Southern.
After road trips to the College of Charleston, East Carolina and Tennessee-Chattanooga, UAB closes out the month of March with meetings against Middle Tennessee and C-USA rival Louisville at home at George Ward Park. Louisville finished the 2003 season as the fourth-seeded team in the conference, while UAB placed sixth in the C-USA final standings.
The Blazers continue league play in April with series matchups against Southern Miss, Houston and USF. After its three-day road trip versus USF in Tampa, Fla., UAB returns home to face Tennessee Tech and Samford on the weekend of April 21. The following weekend, the Blazers compete in a home-and-home matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which will feature a game in Birmingham on April 27, followed by an April 28 contest in Starkville, Miss.
"We definitely enjoy the competition that we have against Mississippi State," said Townsend. "They have a quality coach and it's always nice to see what kind of rivalry we can develop between our two programs. We originally wanted to play Alabama in a home-and-home series, but it didn't work out, so we figured that Mississippi State would be a perfect replacement, because they're only two hours away."
UAB concludes its 2004 C-USA regular-season schedule with series meetings versus St. Louis and DePaul. The Blazers face St. Louis at home on the first weekend of May before traveling to Chicago to challenge the three-time defending conference champion DePaul Blue Demons on May 8-9.
The Blazers' postseason schedule will begin with the C-USA Championships held in Louisville, Ky., starting on May 13. The three-day event features the top six teams in the conference and is played in a double-elimination format.
The UAB softball team begins its 2004 season on Thursday, Feb. 5, as the Blazers compete in the Chevron Paradise Classic held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
