MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama softball plays host to in-state Sun Belt Conference foe Troy this weekend for the final three games of the 2016 regular season.
 
Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m., and the series concludes at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Pre-game festivities scheduled for the weekend include a reunion of former players, a 10^th-year celebration and Senior Day Sunday, with a pair of Jaguars receiving diplomas.
 
Links to live stats, video and ticket information can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided for each USA contest via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
South Alabama (29-16, 14-6 SBC) plays host to the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Softball Tournament on May 11-14. The Jaguars look to seal a two-seed in the tournament, after Louisiana-Lafayette secured top placement last weekend.
 
Texas State and Georgia Southern are each tied at 12-9 behind South Alabama, and Troy is tied with Georgia State at 11-10.
 
USA answered a winless weekend at Texas State with three gritty non-conference wins against Mississippi State and Kennesaw State (DH). The Jags are No. 45 in RPI heading into championship week.
 
First, the Trojans visit to start a busy week-and-a-half at Jaguar Field. Troy (30-20, 11-10) has clinched back-to-back league series at home versus Georgia Southern and away to Texas-Arlington. The Trojans' only series losses came to ULL and Texas State.
 
Troy bats in the top three of several league categories, led by senior Kate Benton, who has stolen the most bases of anybody in the league, 41, and is hitting .415 with a near league-high 68 hits and 49 runs to boot. Senior Hannah Day leads the Sun Belt in RBI with 63 and is second in homers (16).
 
South Alabama senior third baseman Emily Messer, who will graduate on Sunday with catcher Stephanie Pilkington, leads a Jaguar offense hitting nearly .300 (.295) heading into the regular-season finale. Messer's .423 would finish as the best in the program's history, and sophomore second baseman Kaleigh Todd could finish right behind her (.410).
 
Messer is 13^th in the NCAA in triples (5) and tied with former Jaguar standout Brittany Fowler with 10 all-time for the most ever at USA.
 
Devin Brown and Destin Vicknair lead a South Alabama pitching staff with a 2.10 ERA, 13^th in the nation. Brown's ERA is the best in the league (1.56), she's third nationally in strikeouts (279) and strikeouts/7 inn. (10.9).
 
The pair has been most effective in Sun Belt play this season. Brown has made 14 appearances and Vicknair, seven. Together, they've allowed just 32 earned runs and as many walks in 126 innings. Brown is 9-4 and has struck out 130 against 42 hits in 81 2/3. Vicknair is 5-2 and has walked only 12 batters in 44 1/3 innings.
 
South Alabama leads the all-time series with Troy, 16-10. The Jags are 7-5 versus the Trojans all-time in Mobile. USA is 15-6 at home and has won its past eight, while Troy is 8-8 away.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJagua,rSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).