MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team will host Jacksonville State in a pair of midweek games, beginning Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.
The two-game set will conclude Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
South Alabama (29-12) will send right-hander Payton Gardner (0-1, 4.22 ERA) to the mound in Tuesday’s opener. In his last start a week ago, which marked his first start of the season, Gardner limited No. 6 Florida State to one earned run on five hits and struck out seven in six innings of work. He will square off with Jacksonville State left-hander Adam Polk (2-5, 5.73). Polk has 21 strikeouts against 20 walks in 37 2/3 innings, while opponents are hitting .306 against him.
The Jaguars will send right-hander Anthony Izzio (0-0, 7.11) to the mound in Wednesday’s afternoon contest. It will mark his first start since Feb. 22 when he faced New Orleans at Stanky Field. Izzio will face off with Gamecock southpaw Taylor Sparks (0-0, 3.74), who has 17 strikeouts against 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .271 against him.
South Alabama is 14-4 all-time against Jacksonville State in a series that dates back to 1996. The Jaguars took a pair of games from the Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Ala., earlier this season, which marked USA’s first two road contests of the year. South Alabama is 7-3 all-time against JSU at Stanky Field, with 2005 marking the last time the schools met in Mobile.
USA is 16th in the most recent NCAA RPI, while the Jaguars are 17th according to WarrenNolan.com and BoydsWorld.com. The Jaguar pitching staff is fourth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.0), and 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.02).
JSU (22-17) enters the series having won six of its last seven games, including a sweep at Murray State and two wins over the weekend against Tennessee Tech. The Gamecocks are hitting .261 as a team, and carry a 4.57 team ERA into the series. JSU is 9-11 in road games this season.
Live streaming for both games will be available through the All-Access section at USAJaguars.com. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast live on WNSP 105.5 FM in Mobile, and can be accessed nationwide at WNSP.com. Live stats are available for every Jaguar baseball game through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com, while in-game Twitter updates will be provided at Twitter.com/SouthALBaseball.
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).
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