UAB Softball will return to American Conference play this week, hosting the Memphis Tigers for a three-game series beginning Thursday, April 1. The Blazers enter the matchup on a four-game winning streak, their longest of the season.
The upcoming series is significant as a win could move UAB into eighth place in the conference and bring them closer to securing a bye for the quarterfinals of the American Championships. The team recently achieved its first sweep under Head Coach Taylor Smartt, taking all three games against East Carolina last week. Olivia Cummings played a key role during that series, earning two wins while allowing only two runs and one walk over ten innings. Cummings was recognized as an American Conference Honorable Mention for her performance.
On Tuesday, UAB extended its streak with a 7-3 victory over Samford in what was described as a Magic City showdown. In their recent comeback win against East Carolina on Saturday, UAB hit two home runs in the seventh inning to overcome a 2-0 deficit and secure a 3-2 victory—their first seventh-inning comeback this season.
Several players have contributed significantly this year: Freshman Charlee Bennett leads in on-base percentage, doubles, and triples; Hannah Dorsett holds the highest batting average at .325 with 41 hits; Ashlyn Shirah leads with 24 RBIs and four home runs along with a .452 slugging percentage.
Memphis enters the series at last place in conference standings (2-10). The Tigers’ strengths include speed—they rank high nationally in triples and stolen bases—and small ball tactics such as sacrifice bunts. Junior Ariel Davis stands out for Memphis with leading statistics across batting average (.386), on-base percentage (.488), slugging (.663), six home runs, six doubles, and two triples. However, pitching has been challenging for Memphis with an overall team ERA of 6.92.
Historically, UAB leads the all-time series against Memphis (23-10) and has won eight consecutive meetings when playing at home in Birmingham.
