MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (February 29, 2024) – The University of North Alabama softball team has been a top contender in every tournament this season and will look to do more of the same at the MTSU Invitational this weekend in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The Lions will do battle with Army, Bradley and host school Middle Tennessee State in a five-game set, including a pair of duels against the Black Knights and Blue Raiders. UNA will open the round robin with a single game against Bradley, who UNA blanked 5-0 last week in Birmingham.
North Alabama will have the night slots on Friday at 5 p.m. against Bradley and 7:30 p.m. against Army, while facing MTSU on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The Lions rematch Army again Saturday at 5 p.m. The invitational ends Sunday at 11:30 a.m. against MTSU.
All tournament games will be streamed on ESPN+ and will have live stats via StatBroadcast. Tickets can be purchased
here for $5 per day.
GAME 1
Bradley vs. North Alabama
Friday, March 1, 2024
5 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets
GAME 2
Army vs. North Alabama
Friday, March 1, 2024
7:30 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets
GAME 3
MTSU vs. North Alabama
Saturday, March 2, 2024
11:30 a.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets
GAME 4
Army vs. North Alabama
Saturday, March 2, 2024
5 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets
GAME 5
MTSU vs. North Alabama
Sunday, March 3, 2024
11:30 a.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama had a strong showing at the Green & Gold Classic last weekend in Birmingham, defeating Bradley, Western Carolina and tournament host UAB before falling to No. 10 Alabama. Despite the one loss, UNA led through the top of the fourth inning before Bama struck for runs in the fourth and sixth innings to win 8-3.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA has 26 players on the roster, including 13 newcomers and 13 returning players. Of the 13 returners, six are returning starters from last season's lineup. Most of UNA's innings in the circle have come from newcomers, led by junior duo
Alivia Wilken and
Cassidy Duskin. Wilken has a 6-2 record and 1.36 ERA through 51.1 innings, while Duskin is 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA over 38.1 innings. Offensively, senior infielder
Haven Kirby leads the squad with a .320 batting average on 16 hits, including five doubles, two triples and three homers.
INCOMING TALENT: Of the 13 newcomers on the UNA roster, eight come from the junior college level and three are true freshman. The other two are redshirt freshmen from other NCAA Division I schools, including pitchers
Kyleigh Pitzer from the University of Louisiana and
Lilian Berry from Penn State. Three of the newcomers are listed as utility players.
TOUGH TO BEAT PERFECT: Making her debut in the circle for UNA in the season opener, junior transfer
Alivia Wilken pitched the first perfect game in school history in a 1-0 win over Samford. She retired 21 straight hitters with three strikeouts. She went on to finish the Troy Trojan Invitational with a 2-1 record and one save over four outings, posting a 0.36 ERA over 19.2 innings.
PRESEASON POLLS: The ASUN announced its preseason information for softball earlier this month, as North Alabama landed its highest preseason ranking of the Division I era in third place behind Central Arkansas and FGCU.
Hailey Jones represented the Lions on the preseason all-conference team as an infielder. Jones is currently batting .306 with 15 hits over 15 games.
SWITCHING ROLES: One of UNA's biggest losses on the field from last season has turned into one of the biggest assets in the clubhouse, as former all-conference catcher
Georgia Land joined the coaching staff in 2024. Last season, Land hit .341 from the catcher position with nine home runs, 31 RBI and 47 hits.
THE DREAM TEAM: UNA head coach
Ashley Cozart enters her 11th season coaching the Lions and has a record of 361-160-1 over her first decade at UNA. In 14 total seasons of coaching, Cozart has a career record of 552-205-1 for a win percentage of 73 percent. Cozart is assisted by
Whitney Hawkins in her second stint at UNA, as well as former UNA standouts
Hannah Shollenberger and
Georgia Land. Hawkins was assisting Cozart during the historic 2016 season when UNA won the NCAA Division II national championship with a 60-7 overall record. Shollenberger and Land were both all-conference selections at UNA.
SCOUTING THE BRAVES: Bradley has a 3-7 record this season and will join UNA in a tournament for the second straight weekend. The Braves won two games over Western Carolina while in Birmingham, including a 3-1 win in the first meeting and a 4-1 win to close the tournament. Tori Meyer leads the team with a .364 batting average with six multi-base hits, while Sydney Kennedy leads in the circle with a 2.77 ERA and 2-2 record over 30.1 innings.
SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS: Army enters with a 1-14 record with the lone win coming against ASUN opponent Kennesaw State by a 6-4 final. The Black Knights lost the final two games of the I-75 Tournament last week in Atlanta, including a revenge loss to Kennesaw State and a loss to Georgia State in the finale. Senior outfielder Kayla Edwards leads the offense with a .354 average in 15 games, while sophomore infielder Ashton White has driven in 10 runs. The Black Knights enter the weekend with an 8.22 team ERA.
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS: Middle Tennessee State has a 4-12 overall record, overcoming a tough start with wins in four of the last six games. Despite the record, the Blue Raiders have had 10 games decided by two runs or less, including eight decided by one run. Offensively, MTSU has four players hitting above .300 with at least 15 starts, led by senior infielder Shelby Echols at .373 with 22 hits and 10 RBIs. In the circle, MTSU leans on right-handed senior Kamryn Carcich with a 2.80 ERA over 45.0 innings.
SERIES HISTORY: UNA has a 3-1 record against Bradley, including wins in each of the last three seasons for the Lions. All four times, the winning team pitched a shutout. Meanwhile, the Lions will take on Army and MTSU for the first time ever this weekend.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
