MOBILE, Ala. – No. 23 University of South Alabama softball will play four games this weekend at home, as the Jaguars host the 2016 Mardi Gras Invitational, welcoming Mississippi State, Samford, SIU-Edwardsville and Southern Miss.
 
USA (5-0) opens the event on Friday versus Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi State at 5 p.m. The Jaguars face Samford and SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., respectively. USA closes the weekend against Southern Miss on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
 
Links to live stats and video for all Jaguar games can be found by visiting the softball schedule page. Follow @USAJagsSoftball on Twitter for in-game notifications and updates regarding game times for the weekend.
 
South Alabama recorded a perfect 5-0 record last week to open the 2016 campaign, defeating UAB at home on Thursday before a four-game sweep at the 2016 Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores.
 
The Jaguars opened the event with a 7-3 win over Lipscomb last Friday before back-to-back, mercy-rule shutouts of Ball State and Central Arkansas on Saturday. USA finished the weekend with a 5-2 win over Southeast Missouri State.
 
Devin Brown was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week in the first installment of the award, announced by the league office on Tuesday. Brown went 3-0 in two starts and a relief appearance, striking out 28 batters in 17 innings pitched, while allowing no runs on only six hits.
 
Emily Messer batted .722 (13-for-18) to open the season, leading USA with seven runs scored and four stolen bases and boasting a .750 on-base percentage.
 
USA batted .346 last week and outscored its opponents, 36-5. The Jaguar pitching staff combined for a 0.44 ERA, allowing only two earned runs in 32 total innings.
 
Mississippi State enters the weekend 6-0 after sweeping at its own Bulldog Kickoff last week, where MSU defeated Georgia Southern, 6-0, Houston, 9-1 and 7-1 Tennessee Tech, 11-4, and Alabama A&M, 2-1. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the USAToday/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll.
 
Samford brings a 2-3 record to Mobile following its appearance at the 2016 San Dollar Classic. The Bulldogs split on opening day last Friday, bouncing back from a 2-1 loss to Central Arkansas by defeating Lipscomb, 3-2. Samford dropped two on Saturday, including a 2-1 loss to Houston Baptist and 1-0 loss to No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette. The Bulldogs thrashed Belmont, 10-1, in its final game on Sunday.
 
SIU-Edwardsville opened the season 2-3 in Boca Raton last weekend, beginning with a 4-3 win over Penn State. The Cougars then lost three straight to Florida Atlantic, Penn State and Hofstra, before defeating Wright State, 3-2.
 
Southern Miss is 4-3 heading into the weekend after picking up two wins in a doubleheader against Alabama State in Hattiesburg on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles went 2-3 at the Sand Dollar Classic with wins over Ball State and Belmont and losses to Florida A&M, Central Arkansas and Lipscomb.
 
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).