MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team will face 2010 NCAA Regional participant and Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion Florida International in a three-game series this weekend in Miami.

South Alabama (22-18, 9-9 SBC) enters the weekend looking to rebound after dropping the final two games of last weekend’s series at Louisiana-Lafayette. The Jaguars will face FIU in Miami for the second consecutive season, after falling in all three games of last season’s series. USA holds a 26-23 all-time series lead over FIU, but is 8-10 against the Golden Panthers in Miami.

Reigning SBC Pitcher of the Week Garrett Harris (5-2) will square off with FIU left-hander Phil Haig (5-3) in Friday’s contest, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT). Harris leads the league in strikeouts (66) and innings pitched (75), and has won his last two starts including a complete game last Friday at ULL. He enters Friday’s contest with a 2.88 ERA, and  is limiting opponents to a .251 batting average.

Haig carries a 3.77 ERA into Friday’s matchup, and has struck out 53 batters against 20 walks in 59 2/3 innings this season. Opponents are hitting .250 against the left-hander in his 10 starts this season.

Dustin Crenshaw (6-1) will take the mound in Saturday’s 5 p.m. (CT) contest for the Jaguars, while left-hander R.J. Fondon (3-4) will take the hill for the Golden Panthers. Crenshaw is tied for the SBC lead in walks allowed (6), and tied for second in innings pitched (73.1). He enters Saturday’s game with a 3.44 ERA, and has struck out 47 batters this season.

Fondon enters Saturday’s contest with a 3.20 ERA, and has struck out 36 and walked 12 in 59 innings pitched this season. In his start last weekend at UALR, Fondon allowed four unearned runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings and struck out five with one walk.

Sunday’s noon (CT) matchup will feature Jaguar right-hander Carlton Paris (2-3) against FIU right-hander Danny DeSimone (4-2). Paris has posted two quality starts this season, and will make just his third career SBC start in Sunday’s contest. DeSimone enters the game with a 3.99 ERA, and has struck out 39 batters with 12 walks in 56 1/3 innings this season. Last weekend at UALR, DeSimone was touched up for four runs on nine hits in just four innings.

USA ranks second in the SBC in batting average (.306), third in hits (431), doubles (91), slugging percentage (.430), and total bases (607), and fourth in on-base percentage (.386), runs scored (253), RBI (230), and is tied for fourth in home runs with 23.

Brent Tanner leads a Jaguar offense that is averaging nearly 11 hits per game this season. In its last 10 games, South Alabama is averaging 8.8 runs and 13.5 hits per contest. During that span, the Jags have 29 doubles, four triples, five homers and 82 RBI, and have hit .360 as a team.

During the 10-game stretch, which dates back to the Jags’ April 10 contest against Florida Atlantic, Tanner has hit .513 (20-for-39) with five doubles, three homers and 17 RBI. He has slugged .872 with a .592 on-base percentage, and has 34 total bases during his last 10 games. He ranks second in the league in slugging percentage (.594), third in batting average (.374) and on-base percentage (.465) and fourth in RBI (38). Tanner is hitting .389 in SBC games this season, which ranks third, and leads the league in home runs (6), RBI (28) and slugging percentage (.722) in conference games.

Nolan Earley is tied for the league lead in doubles (18), and is tied for third in RBI in conference games with 17.

Taylor White ranks second in the conference in stolen bases (17), and leads the league in runs (22) in SBC contests. White ranks third with 29 hits in conference games, and is tied for second with eight stolen bases in league games. Logan Kirkland leads the SBC in sacrifice flies with seven, four of which have come in conference contests.

FIU leads the league in home runs (37), but the Jaguar pitching staff leads the SBC in homers allowed with just 16 this season. The Golden Panthers also lead the conference in slugging (.452), and rank second in on-base percentage (.391), hits (440), doubles (92) and total bases (655). FIU is tied for second in the league in runs scored (272) and RBI (245).

The Golden Panther pitching staff leads the SBC in strikeouts (327), and ranks second in ERA (3.44), hits allowed (348) and opposing batting average (.254). However, FIU holds the league’s worst fielding percentage at .957 entering the weekend.

Pablo Bermudez leads the Golden Panthers in batting average at .395, which ranks second in the SBC. He leads the Sun Belt in on-base percentage (.516) and runs scored (42). In SBC contests, Jeremy Patton is hittin .386 which ranks fourth in the league. Jabari Henry has homered five times in Sun Belt games, which is tied for third in the conference, and ranks third in slugging percentage (.661) in SBC contests.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).