COLUMBUS, Ga. - The University of Mobile Softball team traveled to Columbus, Ga. for the annual National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic on Feb. 25-27. Mobile played a total of five games across the three-day tournament that featured over 20 teams from the NAIA. Every game that Mobile played on the weekend were non-conference games which saw the Rams come away victorious in.
Mobile was one of three teams to finish 5-0 in the tournament and earned runner-up status via run differential. Coastal Georgia earned the title this season by scoring one more run than the Rams did on the weekend with 33 as Mobile scored a total of 32 runs across the five games. Freed-Hardeman also ended the tournament undefeated, but placed third. Mobile's big 5-0 weekend in the always competitive tournament keeps Mobile undefeated to start the season at 11-0.
Game One Notables (Fri. 2/25) - Mobile 9, Kentucky Christian 0 (5 Innings)
- Mobile started the tournament out with a bang, securing a shutout run-rule victory over the Knights of Kentucky Christian on Friday.
- Emily Butts pitched her fourth-straight complete game shutout to start the season for Mobile, allowing just one hit while striking out three.
- The 1-2-3 hitters in Mobile's lineup all recorded two hits a piece.
- Mobile newcomers Caitlin McRee and Madilyn Sheffield led Mobile with two RBI each while Ashlyn Stewart collected her second homer of the year.
Game Two Notables (Fri. 2/25) - Mobile 2, Aquinas College (Mich.) 1
- Brinkley Goff pitched her first complete-game of the season, allowing one run off two hits.
- Eila Infante and Courtney Ellzey drove in Mobile's two runs in the win.
- The two runs is the lowest scoring game for the Rams on 2022 season thus far.
Game Three Notables (Sat. 2/26) - Mobile 7, Rio Grande (Ohio) 1
- Avery Johnston was awarded the start and pitched 3 1/3 innings, striking out two.
- Emily Butts made her first relief appearance on the season, earning her fifth win in her fifth game pitched finishing with 3 2/3 innings of work.
- Johnston and Butts combined allowed just three Rio Grande hits across seven innings.
- Kaylee Pullin and Madilyn Sheffield led Mobile with two RBI each; Sheffield recorded her first collegiate home run with the Rams.
- Pullin and Eila Infante led the Rams with two hits a piece.
Game Four Notables (Sat. 2/26) - Mobile 4, Univ. of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 1
Game Five Notables (Sun. 2/27) - Mobile 11, Reinhardt (Ga.) 2
- The Rams pushed across weekend-high 11 runs in the final game of the tournament.
- Mobile out-hit Reinhardt, 13-5.
- Kaylee Pullin blasted two home runs to left field in the win, finishing with three hits in four at-bats.
- Brinkley Goff pitched 4 1/3 innings while being relieved by Emily Butts who closed out the game.
Following the tournament, the NFCA committee named Kaylee Pullin as one of 21 players selected to the 2022 NFCA All-Tournament Team.
Overall, Mobile continued their dominance to start the 2022 season in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. On the weekend alone, the Rams outscored opponents across the five games played 33-5 while now outscoring opponents on the season with a whopping 92-15 mark. Mobile currently is receiving votes for entry into the NAIA Softball Top 25 Coaches' Poll and will more than likely crack the top 25 in the coming week.
The Rams will compete in another tournament next weekend, Mar. 4-5 in Gulf Shores, Ala. and are scheduled to face four more non-conference opponents. Mobile's first game in the tournament is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT on Mar. 4 against Louisiana Christian University.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
