MOBILE, Ala. – The 28th-ranked University of South Alabama baseball team will host Arkansas State in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series this weekend at Stanky Field.

The series will open at 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by game two at 6:30 p.m. Saturday evening. Sunday's series finale is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.

USA (22-8, 12-0 SBC) enters the series with a 12-game SBC winning streak, and a 10-game winning streak at Stanky Field following Wednesday's victory over New Orleans. The Jaguars will send right-hander Kevin Hill (6-1) to the mound in the series opener for his eighth start of the season. Hill leads the Sun Belt with 61 strikeouts, which ranks tied for fourth in the nation. He is also tied for the league lead and tied for second nationally in wins (6). Hill is second in the conference in innings pitched (53.2), and tied for second in ERA (1.84). He will square off with ASU right-hander Tyler Zuber (3-2) who will also make his eight start of the year. Zuber carries a 4.86 ERA in 37 innings pitched into the contest.

Jaguar right-hander Hunter Soleymani (2-1) will get his seventh start of the year in game two of the series. Soleymani carries a 3.27 ERA in 41 1/3 innings into the game, and has recorded three straight quality starts including a career-high 8 1/3-inning performance against Texas-Arlington. Soleymani struck out a career-high eight batters in last week's start against Louisiana-Monroe. ASU will send right-hander Adam Grantham (1-2) to the mound for his eighth start of the season in game two. Grantham carries a 4.21 ERA in 36 1/3 innings into the contest.

USA right-hander Austin Bembnowski (3-0) will make his seventh start of the year in the series finale. Bembnowski enters the game with a 3.73 ERA in 31 1/3 innings pitched, and has limited the opposition to a .218 batting average in six total appearances. He tossed six shutout innings in his start in last weekend's series finale against Louisiana-Monroe. ASU has not announced its starter for the series finale.

South Alabama leads the SBC in stolen bases (52) and walks (168), ranks second in the league in sacrifice flies (19), runs scored (203) and on-base percentage (.389), and is tied for second in RBI (182). The Jaguar pitching staff ranks second in the conference in fewest walks allowed (82) and tied for third in fewest runs allowed (128).

Cole Billingsley enters the weekend as the SBC leader in stolen bases (15), and is tied for second in the league in sacrifice flies (4). Billingsley carries a team-best 12-game hitting streak into the series.

Drew LaBounty leads the conference in sacrifice flies (5), which ranks tied for seventh nationally, and is second in the SBC in stolen bases (9), on-base percentage (.485) and walks (25). LaBounty is seventh in the league in batting average (.364) and tied for seventh in runs scored (26).

South Alabama holds a 63-26 all-time lead over Arkansas State in a series that dates back to 1993. USA took two of three games from the Red Wolves in Jonesboro, Ark., last season. ASU clinched the series in 2014 – the last time the schools met at Stanky Field – with back-to-back wins in the final two games, including a 7-6 win in 14 innings in game two of the series. USA is 8-7 all-time against ASU under head coach Mark Calvi, and has won the last three contests and four of the last five including two wins in last year's SBC Tournament in Troy, Ala.

Arkansas State (13-15, 4-8 SBC) enters the series on a three-game losing streak after dropping two of three games to Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, and falling to Southeast Missouri this past Tuesday 4-2.  Ty White leads the Red Wolves with a .322 batting average, while Tanner Ring leads the team in home runs (4). White also leads the squad with seven stolen bases. ASU is hitting .246 as a team while the pitching staff enters the weekend with a 4.28 team ERA.

All three games of the series will be broadcast live on 99.5 FM The Jag, and can also be accessed via the iHeartRadio app. Each game will also be streamed live and available for purchase through JagNationTV.com. Live stats for every Jaguar game are available at USAJaguars.com, and in-game updates are provided through the Jaguar baseball Twitter account (@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).