MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama baseball will host its second Southern Conference opponent in as many weeks when it takes on Samford Feb. 24-26 at Stanky Field.

The series will kick off with game one Friday at 6:30 p.m. Game two will follow Saturday at 2 p.m., and the series will conclude Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

South Alabama (1-3) enters the weekend coming off its first win of the season – a 12-4 decision over Jackson State Tuesday night at Stanky Field. The Jags dropped their first three games of the season last weekend at Stanky Field to then-No. 32 College of Charleston.

USA right-hander Jarron Cito (0-0) is scheduled to make his second start of the season in Friday’s contest. Cito pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed one unearned run while striking out nine in his Jaguar debut in last Friday’s season opener. Payton Gardner (0-0) is scheduled to make his second start of the season in Saturday’s game. Gardner went 4 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts last Saturday against College of Charleston. Dillon Buhrkuhl (0-1) will start Sunday’s contest after allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out five in five innings in last weekend’s series finale.

South Alabama carries a 3.18 team ERA into the series. Jaguar pitchers have recorded 39 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched, and has limited the opposition to a .234 batting average.

“We have had three-and-a-half solid starts in four games,” South Alabama head coach Mark Calvi said. “Gardner wasn’t super-efficient in his start (last Saturday), but he really battled in 4 2/3 innings. Hitting .169 obviously won’t win you many games, but it’s the first weekend. It was good to see them be aggressive against Jackson State, who I think is coached very well. We got our leadoff man on base, but we just wanted to be more aggressive swinging the bats. There are some guys in different roles, and sometimes it takes a while for a new team to play together.

“Samford was picked to finish toward the top of the Southern Conference. They have a bunch of returners, some older guys, and they have some outstanding arms on the mound. They have a couple of high draft picks in the bullpen, and a bunch of guys who have been in the program for a while. That’s always a good thing. As a coach, you want kids with experience who have been there before. We have our work cut out for us, but you find out more about your team with better competition.”

Through four games, Logan Kirkland leads South Alabama in batting average (.357), hits (5), total bases (6), slugging percentage (.429) and on-base percentage (.471). The Grand Bay, Ala., native is tied for the team lead in doubles (1), RBI (2) and walks (3). Kirkland – along with Brad Hook, Nolan Earley and Dustin Dalken – has reached base in all four games this season. In the Jags’ 12-4 win over Jackson State Tuesday, Kirkland finished 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and one run scored.

Samford (4-1) enters the series on a three-game winning streak after taking the series finale from Radford last weekend, and knocking off Alabama A&M and Jacksonville State in a couple of midweek contests earlier this week. The Bulldogs took two of three games from Radford before a 19-0 shutout of Alabama A&M Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala. Samford then followed with a 12-4 win at Jacksonville State Wednesday evening, which marked their first road contest of the season.

A trio of right-handed seniors are scheduled to start on the mound for the Bulldogs over the weekend. Kyle Putkonen (0-0) will make his second start of the season Friday night. In his first start this season last Friday against Radford, Putkonen tossed six innings and allowed one unearned run on three hits with seven strikeouts but did not factor in the decision.

Charles Basford (0-0) is scheduled to start Saturday’s game. He pitched four innings and allowed two unearned runs on two hits with five strikeouts and a walk last Saturday against Radford, but did not factor in the decision. Josh Martin (1-0) will start Sunday’s contest. Martin allowed one run on seven hits with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings against Radford last Sunday.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 1.98 team ERA, and have limited the opposition to a .219 batting average through five contests.

Samford is led offensively by Brandon Miller, who enters the weekend batting .400 with six home runs and 11 RBI. Miller has homered in three straight games dating back to Sunday’s win over Radford, and homered twice in each of the Bulldogs’ midweek games this week.

Saxon Butler leads Samford in batting average (.667), hits (12) and on-base percentage (.739), and is tied for the team lead in runs scored (9).

The Bulldogs are hitting .371 heading into this weekend’s series, with 13 homers and 48 RBI.

USA is 31-4 all-time against Samford, and defeated the Bulldogs 8-7 in 10 innings the last time the schools met in 2008. The Jags swept a three-game series from the Bulldogs in 2006 – the last time the schools met for a three-game set – and have won 10 consecutive games dating back to 1989.

All three games of this weekend’s series will be broadcast on 105.5 FM in Mobile, and can be accessed nationwide at www.wnsp.com. All South Alabama home games are available via webcast at www.usajaguars.com. Live stats for Tuesday’s game will be available and can be accessed through the multimedia section at www.usajaguars.com.

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