Games 21-23: at Georgia State Game Notes.pdf

GAMES: 21-23 | AT GEORGIA STATE
March 11-12, 2017 | Atlanta, Ga. | Robert E. Heck Softball Complex
Game Times | Saturday: 12 p.m. (CT) and 2 p.m. (CT); Sunday 11 a.m. (CT)

RV / RV South Alabama (17-3, 0-0 SBC)
JAGUARS
Batting Avg.: .282
Runs: 82
Runs Per Game: 4.1
Hits: 139
Home Runs: 8
Stolen Bases: 16
ERA: 1.09
Strikeouts: 141

-- / --  Georgia State (13-9, 0-0 SBC)
PANTHERS
Batting Avg.: .283
Runs: 113
Runs Per Game: 5.1
Hits: 173
Home Runs: 10
Stolen Bases: 16
ERA: 3.04
Strikeouts: 68

Series History vs. Georgia State    
All-Time Series: USA, 10-2    
In Atlanta: USA, 3-0    
Last Meeting: L, 2-3 – 5/13/16    
Steak: L1

GENERAL INFORMATION
Television: None
Radio: www.USAJaguars.com (audio only broadcast)
    Talent: J.T. Crabtree
Live Stats: www.USAJaguars.com
Live Stream: None
Twitter: @USAJagsSoftball

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS    
– South Alabama (17-3, 0-0 SBC) enters its conference opener receiving votes in both of the major polls and ranked 23rd in the FastPitch News Top 25.
– Last weekend, USA posted a 4-1 record at the Diamond 9 Citrus II Classic with its lone loss coming to nationally ranked James Madison.
– The 17-3 mark after the Jaguars' first 20 games is tied with the 2014 and 2011 squads for the best record over that span.  
– South is led offensively by the trio of MC Nichols, Kaleigh Todd and Kristian Foster who all rank in the top 10 of the league in batting average.
– Nichols' .426 average is third best in the Sun Belt coming into the weekend, while Todd is sixth with a .407 average.  Foster is 10th with a batting average of .352.
– Todd also ranks among the conference leaders in on-base percentage (.492, fifth), runs scored (18, T-sixth), hits (24, T-eighth), triples (2, T-second) and stolen bases (14, T-second).
– Todd had an outstanding weekend in Kissimmee as she batted .50, posted a .786 slugging percentage and was a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases in USA's five games.
– Nichols has 23 hits of her own which is tied for 10th in the SBC.
– Amanda Minahan and Savanna Mayo rank first and second, respectively, in RBI with 13 and 10.  Minahan also has three home runs, while Mayo has hit two.
– South Alabama continues to rank as the top pitching staff in the Sun Belt entering the weekend.  
– USA is first in ERA (1.09), opposing batting average (.193), runs allowed (30) and earned runs allowed (21), while ranking second in strikeouts (141), hits allowed (93) and home runs (3).
– The Jaguars are ninth in the nation in earned run average.
– Junior right-hander Devin Brown is first in the league in ERA (0.75), opposing batting average (.155), runs allowed (8) and earned runs allowed (7).  
– Brown also ranks among the NCAA leaders in strikeouts (14th), strikeouts per 7 innings (9.7 - 25th), hits allowed (22nd), and ERA (25th).
– Destin Vicknair also ranks in the top 10 of the Sun Belt in runs allowed (18, T-third), earned runs allowed (12, T-fourth), earned run average (1.48, fifth), opposing batting average (.236, eighth) and hits allowed (51, eighth).

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS    
– Georgia State (13-9) enters the weekend after falling 5-2 Thursday night at home to Michigan State.
– The Panthers trailed by five runs, but scored two in the final two innings and brought the game-winning run to the plate with the bases loaded before popping out to end the contest.
– Georgia State and South have two common opponents during the '17 season.  USA is 2-0 against Stephen F. Austin (3-0) and Kansas (2-1 in 8 inn.), while the Panthers are 2-0 against those same two opponents after defeating SFA, 3-1, and KU, 5-4 earlier this season.
– GSU's 173 hits are second-most in the Sun Belt, while the Panthers are third in both RBI (102) and runs scored (113).  The Panthers are also tied with Appalachian State and Troy for first in doubles as they have 33 this spring.
– At the plate, junior catcher Ivie Drake leads the club with a .351 batting average and her .519 on-base percentage is fourth-best among players in the league.
– Morgan Brown is also batting .338 and her 26 hits on the season are third in the SBC.
– Megan Litumbe and Kensey Caldwell are tied for second in the Sun Belt in doubles as they each have seven.  The duo also leads the Panther roster in runs driven in as they each have 16 RBI coming into play this weekend.
– Litumbe also has three home runs this season, while Caldwell is close behind her with two.  As a team, Georgia State has posted 10 home runs.

THE SERIES    
– South Alabama and Georgia have met 12 previous times with the Jaguars holding a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series.  Of those 12 previous meetings, 11 have come either in Sun Belt regular-season or tournament play.
– The lone non-conference meeting came during the 2013 season at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, Miss., where USA won 8-0 in six innings.  
– South is 3-0 against the Panthers in the series in Atlanta and 8-1 in regular-season Sun Belt games.
– Last season, USA swept the three meetings in Mobile (7-0, 5-2, 5-0) in Mobile during the regular season, but lost 3-2 to the Panthers at the Sun Belt Conference Championships.

LAST TIME THEY MET    
– South Alabama and Georgia State last squared off in an elimination game at the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championships on May 13 in Mobile.
– South manufactured a two-run fifth inning to cut into Georgia State's lead and pull within one, but Panther pitcher Amanda Chance retired six of the final seven batters she faced, as the Jags fell, 3-2, and were eliminated at Jaguar Field.
– The Jags put at least one runner on base in each of the first six innings versus GSU, but stranded nine total in the contest, batting 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
– Kaleigh Todd and Haleigh Lane led USA at the plate each going 2-for-4, while Emily Messer was 1-for-3 with a run.  Lane and Kristian Foster recorded a RBI apiece
– Chance picked up her fourth save of the season for the Panthers after tossing 2 2/3 shutout innings with a strikeout and one hit allowed.
– GSU catcher Ivie Drake finished 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the third inning.  Morgan Brown went 2-for-3 with a run, and Taylor Anderson was 1-for-3 with a run and a RBI.
– Georgia State went ahead, 2-0, in the top of the third on Drake's 16th home run this year and tacked on what would become the decisive run in the top of the fifth when Anderson sent an RBI single up the middle to plate Brown, who led off with a base hit.
– The Jaguars answered by cutting GSU's lead to a run a half-inning later when Lane singled off the glove of GSU starter Katie Worley to score Messer with the bases loaded.  Foster then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Stephanie Pilkington, who reached on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning.
– The loss snapped an eight-game win streak in the series by USA and was just GSU's second-ever win at Jaguar Field.

SUN BELT OPENERS (OVERALL / ROAD)    
– In its 10 previous seasons in the Sun Belt Conference, South Alabama holds a 5-5 record in its league openers and has won five of its first 10 conference series.
– South also holds a 7-2 mark in the first game of its first league road series and has won six of those 10 conference road series.
– Last season, USA was swept 2-0 by Louisiana-Lafayette on the road in its first SBC series.