February 14, 2002

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the first time since 1994, the Carolina softball team will host a regular-season tournament, the Gamecock Invitational. Participating in the tournament are UAB, Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State and East Tennessee State. This will mark the first time for 22nd-ranked South Carolina to play UAB, Jacksonville St. and East Tennessee State. USC is 2-1 against Tennessee Tech.

“It will be nice to host a tournament again. We haven’t held one in several years,” said head coach Joyce Compton. “With this tournament, we tried to bring in some regional teams that we don’t regularly get to play. With the new realignment, there are some teams in our new region that we have never seen before so we need to start playing them. This tournament will allow us to do just that.”

So far this season, South Carolina is 2-2 in tournament play. Overall, UAB is currently 1-1 and Jacksonville State is 2-0, while Tennessee Tech and ETSU will both open their seasons at the tournament.

The tournament schedule will go as follows:

Sat. Feb. 16

9 a.m. Jacksonville St. vs. ETSU

11 a.m. ETSU vs. Tennessee Tech

1 p.m. UAB vs. Jacksonville St.

3 p.m. South Carolina vs. UAB

5 p.m. South Carolina vs. Tennessee Tech

Sun., Feb. 17

9 a.m. UAB vs. Tennessee Tech

11 a.m. Jacksonville St. Tennessee Tech

1 p.m. UAB vs. ETSU

3 p.m. South Carolina vs. Jacksonville St.

5 p.m. South Carolina vs. ETSU