MOBILE, Ala. – No. 23 University of South Alabama softball takes a break from Sun Belt Conference action this week when it hosts Alabama State in a midweek contest this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
 
Links to live stats and live video streaming can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
The Jaguars (16-5, 1-2 SBC) are coming off a Sunday victory in the series finale versus seventh-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette. USA defeated the Ragin' Cajuns, 8-5, to close the three-game league set after falling in Saturday's doubleheader by scores of 3-2 and 9-3.
 
Seventh-ranked ULL (17-3; 2-1 SBC) was the highest-ranked opponent USA has defeated since the Jaguars dropped the sixth-ranked Ragin' Cajuns, 3-1, on May 12, 2012, to secure the program's first-ever SBC Tournament title.
 
Jaguar senior left fielder Blair Johnson was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored on Sunday. Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith was 1-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored, all off a home run that put USA ahead, 7-3, in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Sophomore catcher Chloe Rathburn was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, including a solo home run that put the Jaguars up, 8-3, in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Freshmen Devin Brown (8-4) and Kalen McGill (7-0) combined for the win, with the former earning the victory after limiting the Ragin' Cajuns to three hits and as many runs (all earned) in four innings, while the latter was credited with her second save this year after scattering four hits in three frames and allowing a pair of runs (both earned).
 
USA leads the all-time series with Alabama State (5-17), 5-1, 1-0 in Mobile. The programs will face off for the first time since 2011, when South Alabama defeated the Hornets, 13-1, in five innings at the Hibbett Easton All-Alabama Classic in Birmingham.
 
"We're looking to keep a consistent approach, both mentally and physically on the mound and at the plate," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "We really competed on Sunday. We had good defense, and we applied pressure the entire game, which helped towards the end."
 
The Hornets have won two of four contests at the Tiny Laster Invitational in Irondale, Ala., last weekend where they defeated Morgan State and Faulkner, while falling to Savannah State and Tennessee State. Prior to the tournament, Alabama State had lost 10 straight, including three games to the Sun Belt's Troy Trojans. Louisiana-Monroe also defeated the Hornets twice in the span.
 
Junior infielder Carly Evans leads the Hornets with a .393 batting average, a .721 slugging percentage and 21 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Valerie Centeno has recorded a team-leading 26 hits, while shortstop Laura Aguilar has stolen 11 bases in 12 attempts.
 
Juniors Maddie Phelps and Melissa Christmann have made 15 appearances in the circle apiece, with the former having recorded a 3-8 record and a 7.28 ERA and the latter, a 2-5 record and 7.75 ERA.
 
Five student-athletes on the Alabama State roster transferred from Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif., the group earning the program's first-ever California Community College Athletic Association Softball state championship a year ago. Jenna Mae Thorne, Chelsea Rivera, Alexis Johnson, Carly Evans, and Maddie Phelps were all teammates on a Wolverine team that went 43-5 in 2014.
 
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).