No. 18 Auburn (8-0)
vs.
No. 11 South Alabama (7-1)
Tue., Feb. 27 • 6:30 p.m. • Stanky Field • Mobile, Ala.
Media Information
Live Stream: Every South Alabama baseball home game is broadcast live and available for free through JagNationTV.com.
On the Radio: Jaguar baseball games are broadcast live in Mobile on 99.5 FM The Jag, and also available via the iHeartRadio app.
Live Stats: Live stats for every South Alabama baseball game are available through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com.
Twitter: Follow the official Twitter account of South Alabama baseball — @WeAreSouth_BSB — for news and updates.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Tue., Feb. 27
USA - RHP Tyler Perez (0-0)
AU - LHP Andrew Mitchell (0-0)
All-Time Series
South Alabama holds a 50-24 all-time lead over Auburn in a series that dates back to 1968. USA carries a three-game winning streak in the series after defeating AU 14-3 last season in Auburn. Auburn's last win in the series came in a 6-1 victory at Auburn in 2014. The Tigers last win at Stanky Field came on Feb. 25, 2007, when Auburn defeated USA 20-5. The Jags have won five consecutive games over the Tigers at Stanky Field.
Jag Notes
• South Alabama enters the week ranked No. 11 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 15 by D1Baseball and No. 21 by Baseball America. The Jags were ranked No. 20 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and No. 23 in the USA Today/Coaches poll last week.
• South Alabama enters Tuesday's contest as the nation's leader in walks (62). USA ranks eighth nationally in sacrifice flies (6), 22nd in doubles (18) and hits (83), and ranks 24th nationally in runs per game (8.9).
• South Alabama carries a six-game home winning streak into Tuesday's matchup with Auburn following a pair of wins over Troy to close the 2017 regular season, and a 10-9 win over No. 13 Southern Miss Tuesday at Stanky Field.
• Tuesday's contest with No. 18 Auburn marks the fourth nationally-ranked opponent South Alabama has faced this season. The Jaguars are 2-1 against top-25 opponents this year, with wins over No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 13 Southern Miss, and a loss to No. 23 Indiana.
• The Jaguars lead the Sun Belt Conference in sacrifice flies (6) and walks (62),rank second in on-base percentage (.421), RBI (64), hits (83), runs scored (71) and total bases (125), and third in batting average (.290), doubles (18) and home runs (8).
• The South Alabama pitching staff leads the SBC in strikeouts (76), ranks second in innings pitched (74.1) and saves (3), third in ERA (3.27); however, the Jaguars are tied with Troy for the most walks issued (43) in the league.
• The Jaguar defense ranks eighth in the SBC in fielding percentage (.967), and is tied for second for the most errors (10) in the league.
DAVIS, SWAGGERTY AMONG NATION'S LEADERS IN WALKS
Center fielder Travis Swaggerty and first baseman Wells Davis are tied for third nationally in walks (11), which also leads the Sun Belt Conference.
HARDY AMONG NATION'S LEADERS IN HITS, RUNS
Left fielder Dylan Hardy leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks ninth nationally in hits (15) entering Tuesday's contest, and ranks 11th nationally in runs scored (12).
LAMBERT TIED FOR LEAGUE LEAD IN SAVES
Right-hander Chase Lambert is tied for the SBC lead in saves (2), and ranks second in the league in appearances (4).
RUSSO LEADS LEAGUE IN ABs
Third baseman Paul Russo leads the SBC in at-bats (42), and is tied for third in hits (13).
HITTING / ON-BASE STREAKS
Travis Swaggerty carries a team-best six-game hitting streak into Tuesday's contest, while Michael Sandle has hit safely in five straight games. Sandle, Swaggerty, Dylan Hardy, Wells Davis and Paul Russo have each reached base safely in all eight games this year.
DONOVAN, SANDLE AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Shortstop Brendan Donovan and outfielder Michael Sandle are tied for the SBC lead in sacrifice flies (2). Sandle also ranks fourth in the league in RBI (10), tied for 10th in batting average (.370). Donovan also ranks tied for fourth in doubles (4), and tied for fifth in RBI (9).
JAGS AT NIGHT
South Alabama enters Tuesday's matchup with Auburn 4-0 in night contests this season, and are batting .313 as a team in those games while the pitching staff has posted a 3.25 ERA in four night contests.
WINNING WITH WALKS
The Jaguar pitching staff has issued 43 walks and hit nine batters through eight games this season, which spans 74 1/3 innings; however, USA issued an average of just three walks per game in last weekend's series with Hartford, which was down from its average of eight per game entering that series.
OFFENSIVE RUNS / HITS PER GAME
South Alabama is averaging 10 hits and eight runs scored per game through eight contests, but the Jaguars are also averaging nearly 10 strikeouts offensively against 7.8 walks-per-game.
Game Notes
