MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team will conclude its 16-game road trip at the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. on March 2-4. The 66-game tournament hosted by Diamond 9 Events will feature Division I teams from around the country and will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

"We have definitely played better the last few times out,” said USA head coach Becky Clark. “I feel like we are headed in a good direction. We are playing better, but still have not peaked as a team. This weekend will be a great challenge for us. We play some quality competition and will be tested in each game. This tournament will be good for us as we prepare to head into conference play next weekend."

Live stats will be available for all South Alabama games at www.usajaguars.com. For more information on the Citrus Classic including the full schedule and park maps click on this link.

On Friday, the Jags will take on Ball State at 10 a.m. before squaring off with Lipscomb for the second time this season at 12:15 p.m. USA will then face Illinois State at 10 a.m. and Purdue at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. On the final day of the classic, the Jaguars will match up with Georgetown at 1:30 p.m.

South Alabama has yet to lose a game this year when playing at a neutral site going 3-0 in unbiased territory. The Jags are 6-5 overall after splitting four games at LSU’s Tiger Invitational in Baton Rouge, La., last weekend. USA shut out McNeese State 3-0 and Alcorn State 8-0. South Alabama dropped both games against the Tigers by one run, losing 5-4 and 1-0.

Junior Jessica Dobson leads the squad in the circle with a 0.57 ERA and a 1-0 record. Dobson posted South Alabama’s only save of the year against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 17. Senior Katy Neal (2-1) picked up her first loss of the season after tossing a complete game in the Jaguars’ second game versus LSU this past weekend. Neal’s ERA is now 1.02.

Sophomore southpaw Hannah Campbell (3-4) recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts against McNeese State on Feb. 26 bringing her to 41 total strikeouts in 43 innings of work.  Campbell has also tallied two of the Jags’ three shutouts on the season.

As a team, the Jags are batting .302, have totaled 84 hits this year and have seven student-athletes hitting .250 or better.
USA is paced at the plate by true freshman Alyssa Linn. Linn is currently on an eight-game hitting streak and has notched a .433 batting average. She also leads the team with 13 hits so far this season including three doubles.

Junior Brittany Fowler is hitting .333 which includes two home runs and a double. Fowler has scored 10 runs off of 10 hits and has driven in a team-leading eight runs.

The Citrus Classics will mark South Alabama’s first meeting with three of its five opponents: Ball State, Illinois State and Georgetown.

Ball State holds a 5-4 overall record after going 3-2 at the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial which was hosted by UT-Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Cardinals beat Cleveland State, Belmont and Dayton and lost to Troy and Tennessee Tech.

The Cardinals are batting .285 as a team and have three student-athletes hitting over .400. Loren Cihlar leads the team with a .471 batting average followed by Audrey Bickel (.450) and Taylor Rager (.419). Rager has tallied 13 hits and 21 total bases in Ball State’s nine games.

Ball State splits time in the circle between Audrey Workman and Kim Mazzapica. Workman has pitched 35 innings and compiled a 1.60 ERA with 30 strikeouts, while Mazzapica’s ERA is 3.04 in 25.1 innings of work.

Friday’s matchup with Lipscomb will be the second time South Alabama has taken on the Lady Bisons this season. The Jags lead the all-time series 3-0 after topping Lipscomb 6-1 in the Mardi Gras Invitational on Feb. 12.

LU (7-3) is on a six-game win streak and went 4-0 at the College of Charleston Classic last weekend downing Virginia Tech 2-0, Wagner 7-6, Middle Tennessee 8-0, and Louisiana-Monroe 2-0.

Offensively, Kelsey Cartwright leads the Lady Bisons in batting average (.406), slugging percentage (.781) and on-base percentage (.457). She has racked up a squad-leading 13 hits, including four doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 6 RBI.

Whitney Kiihnl has posted a 7-2 mark overall, and 52 strikeouts in 53.2 innings of work. Kiihnl has tossed five shutouts and allowed 40 hits so far this season.

After picking up seven wins in their first 10 games, Illinois State has lost its last five consecutively giving the Redbirds a 7-8 overall record.

As a team, the Redbirds are batting .257 with Lauren Kellar leading the way hitting .333. Kellar has notched 16 hits, two doubles, two home runs, two RBI and has a .500 slugging percentage on the year.

The Illinois State defense is paced by Jordan Birch and Megan Warner. Birch has a 2.65 ERA and 4-5 record while Warner is 3-2 with a 4.20 ERA. Birch has struck out 56 batters in 42.1 innings giving up 36 hits. Warner has tossed 38.1 innings allowing 46 hits and striking out 21 batters.

Purdue has the 1-0 advantage in the all-time series with the Jags after edging USA 7-6 in 2008.

The Boilermakers are looking to build on their perfect 9-0 season. In its last outing, Purdue had a 5-0 showing at the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Boilermakers topped Belmont, UT-Martin, Niagara, Chattanooga and Troy at the tournament.

Purdue boasts a .406 team batting average, including seven batters hitting at a .300 or better clip. Molly Garst (.593) and Andie Varsho (.581) lead the way. Garst has scored a team-best 14 runs and stolen nine bases, while also accounting for 10 RBI and six extra-base hits. Varsho has scored 13 runs and posted nine RBI and eight steals.

Lexy Moore (5-0) leads the way in the circle, striking out 14 batters in 26 innings and posting a 1.62 ERA. Alex Whittemore (2-0) has struck out nine in 16 innings and owns a 1.29 ERA. Erika Petruzzi (1-0) and senior Katie Hackney (1-0) each have issued four Ks in six innings of work.

Georgetown enters the tournament at 7-5 after a 2-3 outing at the N.C. State Wolfpack Challenge. The Hoyas finished the challenge on a high note beating Leigh 4-3.

Shikara Lowe paces the Hoya bats with a .444 batting average and leads a group of seven student-athletes hitting .250 or better. This season, Lowe has 10 runs on 12 hits with 11 RBI. Collectively, Georgetown has posted a .291 batting average on the year.

Lauren O’Leary (3-2) has thrown 27 strikeouts in 26.1 innings and holds a 4.10 ERA. Megan Hyson and Mackensey Carter are 2-1, respectively. Carter has tossed 21 Ks in 22.1 innings while Hyson has struck out a team-leading 28 batters in 20.1 innings of work.

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