MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team will host Texas State in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series this weekend at Stanky Field.

The series will open with game one at 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by game two at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Sunday's series finale is set for a noon first pitch.

Jaguar right-hander Kevin Hill (1-0) will make his third start of the season in the opener. Hill has allowed just two runs on six hits in 12 innings pitched for a 1.50 ERA. He has 11 strikeouts, but has also issued six walks and hit two batters. He will square off with SBC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Lucas Humpal (3-1), who carries a 4.58 ERA in 35 1/3 innings into the game. In two SBC starts, the right-hander has struck out 16 batters and issued just four walks while also tossing one complete game.

USA will send right-hander Ryne Long (1-2) to the mound for his sixth start of the season in Saturday's contest. Long has combined with Jaguar relievers for shutouts in each of his last two starts at Stanky Field. TSU will counter with right-hander Scott Grist (1-1) who leads the Bobcats with a 2.51 ERA in five starts.

Southpaw Jared Gates (1-0) will make his fifth start of the year in the finale. Gates ranks second on the team with 18 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched, and carries a 3.50 ERA into the contest. The left-hander has allowed just two runs and struck out 14 batters and issued only one walk in his last two starts at Stanky Field, which covers a span of 12 2/3 innings. TSU has not announced a starter for the series finale.

USA (13-8, 3-3 SBC) defeated Alabama State 9-2 Tuesday at Stanky Field after dropping two of three games at UT-Arlington last weekend. TSU (9-10-1, 5-1 SBC) swept its three-game series at Appalachian State, and defeated UT-San Antonio in a midweek contest to run its current winning streak to four games.

South Alabama holds a 2-1 all-time series lead over Texas State. Last year's three-game series in San Marcos, Texas, marked the first meeting between the schools. The Jags won the series opener in the 13th inning after a one-out RBI single by Drew LaBounty scored Matt Wojciechowski with the eventual game-winning run. Texas State evened the series in game two with a complete-game shutout from Austen Williams before the Jags took game three and the series from right-hander Lucas Humpal with a 9-2 win in the finale.

All three games of the series will be broadcast live on WNTM 710 AM in Mobile, and can also be accessed via the iHeartRadio app. Each game of the series will also be streamed live and available for purchase through JagNationTV.com. Live stats for every Jag baseball game are available through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com, while in-game updates are 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).