MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team hosts Sun Belt Conference in-state rival Troy Wednesday night in a single-game at 5 p.m. at Jaguar Field.
The Jags enter the contest with a 27-7 overall record and a 7-2 conference mark and are looking to secure their 10th home victory of the season.
“We have two great conference teams coming in this week and know that we are going to have to play well, Jaguar head coach Becky Clark said. “This group loves a challenge and will be ready to step on the field and compete come game time."
USA won its third conference series of the season last weekend against Middle Tennessee. The Jags fell 3-1 in game one, and came back to win 8-0 and 10-2 in the final two games of the series.
South Alabama is ranked fifth in the nation in triples per game (.40), 13th in the nation in win-percentage (.800) and16th in team batting (.336), and slugging percentage (.539). The Jaguars also lead the league in sac flies (12) and are ranked second in batting average (.333). slugging percentage (.565), on base percentage (.422), runs scored (236), home runs (37), and walks (120).
Sophomore Meghan Collins has paced the Jaguars at the plate with a .443 batting average. She has also recorded 26 runs and 39 hits, including a team-leading seven doubles.
Shortstop Jenny Stevens is ranked fifth in the nation in runs per game (1.27) and 14th in stolen bases per game (.67). She also continues to hold the team-lead in stolen bases (23). The senior is batting .303 while recording a team-leading 43 runs.
Brittany Fowler is batting .410 through 34 games this season and carries the team-lead in slugging percentage (.710), RBI (44), and hits (41). The Jacksonville, Fla., native is also ranked 23rd in the nation in RBI (1.20).
After throwing her first career no-hitter in game two against MTSU, freshman pitcher Hannah Campbell enters the contest with a 12-3 record. She has recorded 92 strikeouts in 101.1 innings of work. The Satsuma native is 5-0 in SBC action and has tallied 31 strikeouts in 33.2 innings pitched.
Sophomore pitcher Morgan Druhan (8-3) leads the Jaguar pitching staff with a 2.35 ERA. She has struck out a career-high 111 batters in 76.2 innings of work this season.
Troy (21-18, 2-7 SBC) enters the contest after dropping its third conference series of the season to Florida International. Over the weekend, the Trojans split its doubleheader against FIU falling 3-0 in the opener and coming back win 6-5 in game two. Troy dropped the final game of the series falling 7-2 on Sunday.
The Trojans are 4-7 on the road this season and 11-6 when playing at a neutral site. In conference play, Troy is 1-2 at home and 1-5 on the road.
The all-time series with Troy is tied 6-6. Last season, USA swept the series against Troy. The Jaguars are 3-3 when playing at Jaguar Field, and 3-3 when playing at the Trojan Softball Complex. Offensively, the Trojans are led by Nikki Hollett who leads the team in batting average (.373), runs (34), hits (50) and slugging percentage (.858). Troy’s Hayden Gann is batting .360 and has recorded 45 hits and 20 runs through 39 games this season. Ashlyn Williams leads the Trojans in the circle with a 2.38 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 123.2 innings of work.
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).
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