UWA Softball Opens Season at the Gulf Coast Invitational

LIVINGSTON, Ala. - West Alabama softball team opens up its season Friday, Feb. 4 at the Gulf Coast Invitational hosted by University of Mobile in Gulf Shores, Ala. at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

The Tigers open up against Drury University from the Great Lakes Valley Conference on Friday, Feb. 4. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. Following that game, UWA will then battle Columbus State out of the Peach Belt Conference at 3:15 p.m.

On Saturday, Feb. 5, UWA will take on two teams from the Lone Star Conference. The Tigers first game will be against Lubbock Christian at 9 a.m., then West Texas A&M at 11:15 a.m.

UWA closes out the tournament on Sunday, Feb. 6. The Tigers play a single game against Nova Southeastern from the Sunshine State Conference at 9 a.m., then take on Lee University at 11:15 a.m. in a non-conference matchup.

Admission fee for adults is $10 per day. Children 12 years old and younger are $5. Children under age five are free.

Last season the Tigers went 18-23 overall and ended with a 11-19 GSC record under Carie Dever-Boaz. UWA returns to action under head softball coach Stephanie Defeo.

The Tigers have 15 student-athletes returning to the field and brought in six new players. Top returners for the Tigers are Kacy Noland and Cassie Matlock. Both ended the 2021 season being named All-GSC Second Team.

Noland, a Carrollton, Ala. native, pitched a total of 94.2 innings and was the Tigers top pitcher, leading UWA with 49 strikeouts. She finished with a 8-10 record with a 3.99 ERA.

Matlock, a Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native, led the Tigers in the 2021 season and was in the league's top 15, hitting a .374 batting average. Her 37 hits also led the Tigers with a total of 14 RBIs.

Top newcomers for UWA are Rylie Grantz, Riley Sullivan, and Taylor Clegg.

First and third baseman Grantz is a Lexington, Ky. native. The freshman graduated from Lafayette High School.

Sullivan is a outfielder from Birmingham, Ala. The incoming freshman graduated from Oak Mountain High School.

Clegg is a utility player coming in as a freshman. The Gordo, Ala. native graduated from Gordo High School.

To stay connected with the UWA softball team, follow @UWAsoftball on Instagram and @UWA_Softball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

#42 Cassie Matlock: OF; 5' 9"; Senior; L/R

#33 Kacy Noland: RHP/1B; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; R/R

#7 Rylie Grantz: 1B/3B; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

#24 Riley Sullivan: OF; 5' 2"; Freshman; R/R

#6 Taylor Clegg: Util.; 5' 6"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#42 Cassie Matlock
: 5' 9"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#33 Kacy Noland
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; R/R
: RHP/1B

#7 Rylie Grantz
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: 1B/3B

#24 Riley Sullivan
: 5' 2"; Freshman; R/R
: OF

#6 Taylor Clegg
: 5' 6"; Freshman; R/R
: Util.