MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team will take to the road Wednesday looking for its eighth Sun Belt Conference win of the season when it squares off with in-state rival Troy at the Troy Softball Complex at 5 p.m. in Troy, Ala.

The Jaguars, who currently hold the No. 2 spot in the SBC standings and the No. 52 spot in the NCAA RPI, are 19-9 overall and 7-2 in conference play.  This past weekend in Boca Raton, Fla. USA took games one and three from Florida Atlantic to clinch their third consecutive conference series.  

As a team, South Alabama is batting .288 with seven student-athletes hitting .250 or better. Freshman Blair Johnson leads the Jags with 33 hits on the year. Johnson is batting .351, has scored 17 runs and tallied 13 RBI. Junior Brittany Fowler (.329) has totaled 27 hits on the season including a team-leading seven doubles and five home runs. Fowler has pushed 24 runs across and leads the squad with a .598 slugging percentage.

Sophomore Hannah Campbell (11-6) paces the Jaguar defense after striking out 100 batters 103.1 innings of work. The southpaw has tossed 13 complete games including four shutouts and has recorded at 2.51 ERA.

The Trojans lead the all-time series with the Jaguars by one game, 8-7. Last season, South Alabama downed Troy 4-3 in game two of the doubleheader on May 7 after falling 1-2 in to the Trojans in game one.

Overall, Troy is 20-9 with a 2-4 mark in conference play this year. Most recently, the Trojans took down No. 21 Auburn 7-1, before handing SBC opponent No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette its first loss of the season in a 9-4 victory at the Troy Softball Complex. ULL ultimately took the series with two 9-1 wins over Troy.

The reigning Sun Belt Co-Pitcher of the Week Ashley Rainey leads the Trojans in the circle with a 10-4 record in 19 appearances. The freshman has thrown three of Troy’s four shutouts this season and holds a 2.70 ERA.

Troy has a team batting average of .275 with senior Sarah Shields leading the way at .377. Shields has 29 hits, including five doubles and three home runs, and has tallied 16 RBI. Fellow senior Michelle Hewett, who is hitting .337, has a team-leading 31 hits and two triples.

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).