Photograph courtesy South Alabama Softball
Olivia Lackie and her South Alabama teammates wanted a win.
The Jaguars opened Solar Belt Convention play at house towards preseason favourite Louisiana and the Ragin’ Cajuns swept the three-game collection at Jaguar Discipline.
Then South Alabama went on the street to face Louisiana Monroe in its first Solar Belt street journey of the season.
And Lackie responded.
The senior threw a no-hitter, and the Jaguars took benefit of a ULM error to plate a run within the second inning, which was greater than sufficient for Lackie to safe a 1-0 victory.
It was the fifth no-hitter Lackie has thrown in her South Alabama profession and helped spark the Jaguars.
South Alabama posted a 10-2 win in sport two of the collection after which discovered a approach to beat the Warhawks 5-4 in 13 innings to complete off the sweep.
“I feel it was actually necessary for us to form of regain that confidence with the ULM collection and simply go on the market and compete and provides it every little thing we now have,” Lackie stated. “And particularly that 13-inning sport on Sunday, it confirmed us that we now have the grit, and we now have what it takes to dig in and simply battle till the top, till we will determine it out and work out how you can push a run throughout.”
Now that the Jaguars have resumed their profitable methods within the Solar Belt, they face one other vital problem this weekend as they welcome Texas State, ranked seventeenth within the Prime 25 ballot by Softball America, to Jaguar Discipline.
“I feel the important thing for us is to look inside ourselves and work out how you can work collectively and how you can dig in and battle and compete each pitch and battle each pitch and try to win each single pitch that you would be able to,” stated Lackie. “Like loads of the largest issues that for us that we’ve been saying proper now’s workforce. Make it in regards to the workforce and belief your course of. So, I feel these are like the 2 greatest keys for us proper now.”
And for the Walker, La., native meaning trusting the method that has helped her put up a 12-5 document and a 1.74 earned run common this season.
“Trusting the method for me means trusting the preparation that I’ve achieved within the bullpen on follow days, every little thing that I’ve achieved to work as much as that second after I’m within the circle. So, it’s identical to trusting the work that I’ve achieved to get me the place I’m.”
The most effective pitchers within the nation is the place she is.
Lackie ranks among the many NCAA Division I profession leaders in 9 totally different classes. Via video games of March 25, she ranks second in solo shutouts (30), seventh in strikeouts (789), ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (8.59), ninth in full video games (63), eleventh in innings pitched (643.0), tied for twelfth in wins (66), tied for fifteenth in pitching appearances (131), tied for twenty second in earned run common (1.94), and tied for twenty third in saves (9).
She additionally was ranked as the tenth-best pitcher within the nation by Softball America this season and have become the primary participant in South Alabama historical past to be named Solar Belt Convention Pitcher of the Yr when she earned the respect final 12 months.
And this weekend, Lackie will see a well-recognized foe within the circle for Texas State in Jessica Mullins. There will not be a greater pitching matchup anyplace within the nation than in Cellular, Ala., this weekend.
“I feel what makes Jessica Mullins good is that she’s received confidence about her. She exudes confidence and even when issues aren’t going her approach, she’s nonetheless very assured. I love that about her, and even when issues aren’t going her approach, you wouldn’t be capable of inform when you appeared out at her on the sphere and never the scoreboard. So, I feel that’s one thing that I might work on to be higher at and it’s superior that she has found out.”
Lackie holds a 3-2 benefit within the head-to-head conferences wherein each aces appeared within the sport. Final season in San Marcos, Texas, Lackie posted two wins towards Mullins serving to lead the Jaguars to a collection win.
Mullins received the higher of the matchup in 2022 as she posted a 2-1 document towards Lackie, whereas Lackie had a save towards the Bobcats in 2021. Lackie additionally picked up a victory towards Texas State in the course of the 2021 season, however Mullins didn’t make an look in that contest.
Going through off towards Mullins, or any of the highest pitchers within the Solar Belt, is a problem that Lackie embraces.
“I at all times benefit from the problem and the competitors, and I prefer to see like how I can compete towards different nice pitchers within the Solar Belt. And after I go head-to-head with different nice pitchers, I simply it makes me work tougher. It makes me need to be higher. So, I actually recognize these video games the place I get to go towards different nice pitchers like Jessica Mullins or Sam Landry.”
However rising to the problem just isn’t restricted to simply the Solar Belt as Lackie and her teammates have defeated Notre Dame, South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas this season.
“I feel that tells us that we don’t assume any problem is simply too large. We’re keen to go on the market and compete with the very best of the very best and present that we’re ok.”
The Jaguars are actually ok and are constructing an NCAA Match resume at present rating within the prime 50 nationally in RPI.
The problem won’t be sustaining the RPI, however moderately securing wins in an ultra-competitive Solar Belt Convention.
Six groups, led by Texas State at 11, Louisiana at 18 and South Alabama at 41, are ranked within the prime 100 nationally within the RPI.
“I feel what makes the Solar Belt so good is clearly we’ve received nice pitching from Louisiana to Texas State to South Alabama. There’s loads of colleges within the Solar Belt with actually nice pitching and Louisiana has nice hitters whereas Texas State protection has been on fireplace.
“So, there’s a number of issues from totally different groups that come collectively to make the Solar Belt tremendous exhausting to play in. And there’s not one workforce that could be a cakewalk. There are simply gritty groups within the Solar Belt that know how you can battle and compete.”
Because the Jaguars push in the direction of an NCAA Match berth, they will mirror on the enjoyment of reaching the match area and the heartbreak of being not noted of the match.
In 2021, South Alabama earned a visit to the NCAA Match after ending because the runner-up within the Solar Belt Match. The Jaguars performed within the Gainesville Regional and defeated Baylor behind a two-hit shutout from Lackie of their opening sport earlier than dropping video games to Florida and South Florida.
“I feel it helped as a result of I knew what it appeared prefer to be in a very powerful regional. And the way exhausting it’s a must to work for every sport as a result of no workforce there’s only a cakewalk. So, I feel it confirmed me what it meant to actually compete and battle each single sport as a result of none of them are going to be given to you.”
Final season, South Alabama posted a 39-14 general document, had a 20-4 mark within the Solar Belt, superior to the semifinals of the Solar Belt Match and nonetheless noticed its bubble burst on choice day.
“I feel it might imply an entire lot to this workforce, particularly as a result of final 12 months we had been on the bubble, and we ended up developing brief and for lots of us that was actually heartbreaking to see our season come to an finish as a result of we had been not sure.
“We had been in a spot of not figuring out whether or not or not we had been going to go. And so, we’re actually making an effort this 12 months for us to not be in that place. So, I feel getting again into the NCAA regional or simply the NCAA match can be large for all of us.”
All three video games of the South Alabama-Texas State collection might be seen on ESPN+
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