ORANGE BEACH, Ala-- The 18th-ranked University of Mobile softball team will host the 2010 Gulf Coast Invitational March 12-14 at the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Sportsplexes.

 

The tournament will feature 27 teams battling it out in pool play action Friday and Saturday, with bracket play taking place Sunday. There are five different pools of teams, with three pools at Gulf Shores and two at Orange Beach.

 

Mobile is in Pool 4 with UH-Victoria, Faulkner, Campbellsville, Freed-Hardeman and Ohio Dominican at Orange Beach. Spring Hill is in Pool 5 at Orange Beach with Lee, McKendree, Grand View, Bethel and Oklahoma Christian.

 

Top 30 teams in the field are Saint Gregory's (10), Martin Methodist (8), Auburn Montgomery (22), Brenau (29), William Carey (6), Shorter (12), UH-Victoria (13), Campbellsville (24), Mobile (18), Lee (16) and McKendree (25).

 

Several of the nation's top players will be in uniform at the tournament. AUM's Brandi Edwards is 2nd in the NAIA with 18 k's per 9 innings (44 K in 22 IP), while Lee's Johana Gomez has 48 K's in 26 innings of work. Mobile's Victoria Buie averages 15 k's per 9 innings and has a perfect game this year.

 

Belhaven's Britney Webb leads the NAIA with 34 stolen bases on the year. BC's Tiffany Ansley is 5th with 29 RBI, while Lee's Gomez has 23 and Montreat's Jamie Lokken has 23.

 

The Lady Rams will face Ohio Dominican Friday at 9:30 am, UH-Victoria Friday at 1 pm, Freed-Hardeman Saturday at 9 am and Campbellsville Saturday at 1 pm.