Game Notes

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team will begin its defense of the Sun Belt Conference championship when it opens the 2014 season against Tennessee Tech Fri., Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.

The second game of the three-game weekend set is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday afternoon at Stanky Field, followed by Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m.

All three games will be broadcast live on WNSP 105.5 FM in Mobile, and can be accessed nationwide at WNSP.com. Live video streaming will also be available through the All-Access section at USAJaguars.com. Live stats for every South Alabama baseball game are available through the multimedia section at USAJaguars.com, while in-game updates are provided at the South Alabama baseball Twitter page at Twitter.com/SouthALBaseball.

South Alabama right-hander Matt Bell – a preseason all-SBC selection – will start the opener for the Jaguars. He will square off with TTU right-hander Chris Chism, who pitched at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Community College last season. Jaguar southpaw Locke St. John will make his debut in his first career start Saturday, and will face Golden Eagle right-hander David Hess who went 7-2 with a 3.84 ERA in 65 2/3 innings pitched last year. Hess struck out 77 batters against 21 walks. Sunday's series finale will feature USA right-hander Ben Taylor, who will also make his Jaguar debut, going against TTU left-hander John Gora.

South Alabama returns 11 letterwinners and four redshirts from last season's roster, while welcoming 20 newcomers to the program. Only three starters – Bud Collura, Hayden Jones and Cole Billingsley – return from last year's SBC co-Champion and NCAA Regional team, however, Billingsley suffered an arm injury in the fall that will force him to sit out the season as a redshirt. Logan Kirkland, a 2011 Freshman All-American, also returns to the lineup after battling through injuries the last two seasons.

TTU returns 16 letterwinners and six starters from last season's team that finished 40-17 and won the Ohio Valley Conference. Daniel Miles, Zach Stephens and Brandon Thomasson return to the Golden Eagle lineup after combining to hit 39 home runs and drive in 176 runs a year ago.

South Alabama holds a 4-1 all-time lead over Tennessee Tech in a series that dates back to 1986. The schools split a pair of midweek contests in 2010, which marked the last meeting between the programs.

"They won 40 games last year and return a lot of their players," head coach Mark Calvi said. "They lost a couple of key pitchers and maybe one or two pieces of their offense, but they have 80 percent of their team back and that was a good team. We'll have our hands full, but we just have to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. There are so many new spots (open), and there will be some different faces out there because of that. It's my job to understand what our personnel is within the first 20 games. It's exciting. We have a new group of guys in here, and I know one thing – they'll play hard for our fans and the program."

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).