South Alabama Jaguars (29-21, 17-9 SBC)
vs.
Troy Trojans (36-17, 17-10 SBC)
May 17-19 • Riddle-Pace Field • Troy, Ala.
Game 1 - Thu., May 17 at 6 p.m.
Game 2 - Fri., May 18 at 6 p.m.
Game 3 - Sat., May 19 at 6 p.m.
Media Information
Live Stream: The series opener will be broadcast live by ESPN+ and available through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Games two and three of the series will be broadcast through Facebook Live and available at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.
On the Radio: Every Jaguar baseball game is broadcast live in Mobile on 99.5 FM The Jag, and also vailable 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
Thu., May 17
USA - RHP Tyler Carr (8-2, 3.43 ERA)
TROY - RHP Andrew Crane (5-4, 3.30 ERA)
Fri., May 18
USA - LHP Jared Proctor (4-0, 2.79 ERA)
TROY - RHP Levi Thomas (2-0, 0.93 ERA)
Sat., May 19
USA - RHP Patrick McBride (1-1, 4.38 ERA)
TROY - RHP Daren Osby (6-1, 4.62 ERA)
All-Time Series
South Alabama holds a 46-38 all-time lead over Troy in a series that began in 1965. The Jaguars have won four of the last five meetings dating back to last year's neutral-site matchup at the Cox Diamond Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. The Trojans have won two of the last three series dating back to 2014. South Alabama has lost three of the last four series at Troy, dating back to 2012. Jaguar head coach Mark Calvi is 13-13 in his career versus the Trojans.
Last Meeting
South Alabama defeated Troy 9-1 in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last season in Statesboro, Ga., after taking two of three games against the Trojans one week prior at Stanky Field to close the regular season. Troy won the series opener 5-4 over the Jags, who were ranked No. 25 in the nation at the time, after catcher Chase Smartt delivered a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning. USA rebounded to even the series with a 10-6 win in game two, and clinched the series with a 10-7 victory in the rubber match on a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning by first baseman Wells Davis. The schools also met in a non-conference contest in week three last year in the Cox Diamond Invitational in Pensacola, Fla., with the Jags earning a 6-4 win in the game.
Jag Notes
• South Alabama went 3-1 last week with a 10-4 loss at No. 16 Auburn on May 8, followed by a three-game Sun Belt Conference sweep of UT Arlington over the weekend at Stanky Field. USA hit .324 as a team with five doubles, six home runs, 30 RBIs, 33 runs scored and four stolen bases in four games, led by first baseman Wells Davis who batted .615 (8-for-13) with one double, one home run, eight RBIs, two runs scored, a .588 on-base percentage and .923 slugging percentage in four contests. The Jaguar pitching staff posted a 3.34 ERA with 29 strikeouts against seven walks in 35 innings pitched, while limiting the opposition to a .237 batting average.
• The Jaguars have played eight nationally-ranked opponents this season. USA is 3-11 against top-25 competition, with wins over No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 18 Coastal Carolina and No. 13 Southern Miss, and losses to No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 15 Southern Miss, No. 16 LSU, No. 23 Indiana and two lossses to No. 16 Auburn.
• South Alabama ranks eighth nationally in walks (286), which ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference behind Coastal Carolina (297).
• The Jags rank second in the SBC and 32nd nationally in fielding percentage (.977). USA leads the Sun Belt in fielding percentage in league games at .983.
ROAD WOES OF LATE
South Alabama has dropped three consecutive road games, and six of its last seven road contests entering Thursday's series opener at Troy. The Jags' 10-7 win at Little Rock in game two of the series on May 5 marked the first USA road win since an April 20 victory at Texas State.
TWO-OUT RBIs
USA enters the game with 127 two-out RBIs, which accounts for 40 percent of its 319 RBIs this season. Wells Davis, Michael Sandle and Travis Swaggerty share the team lead with 17 two-RBIs apiece.
JAGS DRAW SEASON-HIGH IN WALKS AT LITTLE ROCK
South Alabama batters drew a season-high 17 walks in its 10-7 win over Little Rock on May 5, falling one walk shy of tying the program's single-game record for walks which came on April 8, 1979, against Alabama.
DAVIS LAST WEEK
First baseman Wells Davis batted .615 with one double, one home run, eight RBIs and two runs scored with a .588 on-base percentage and .923 slugging percentage in four games last week. He hit safely and drove in at least one run in all four contests, and recorded three multi-hit and three-multi-RBI games. Davis drove in a pair of runs at Auburn last Tuesday before going 7-for-11 with a double, a home run and six RBIs in the three-game sweep of UT Arlington over the weekend at Stanky Field.
DONOVAN'S LAST 20 GAMES
Third baseman Brendan Donovan is batting .403 with seven doubles, three home runs, 23 RBIs, 27 runs scored and one stolen base while posting a .505 on-base percentage in 20 games played, dating back to an April 10 win at Alabama State. Donovan has hit safely in 17 of 20 games with 12 multiple-hit and six multi-RBI contests during that span.
CARR IN SBC GAMES
Right-hander Tyler Carr enters the final week of the regular season 7-0 with a 3.30 ERA in nine Sun Belt Conference starts this season. Carr has tossed one complete game and combined for one shutout while striking out 38 batters against 14 walks in 57 1/3 innings pitched in league games. He has recorded nine quality starts out of his 13 starts this season, and has pitched six or more innings in all but two appearances.
JAGS IN APRIL
South Alabama batted .282 with 22 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 110 RBIs and 120 runs scored in 15 games in April. Three Jaguars batted over .300 in the month: Carter Perkins (.389), Brendan Donovan (.383) and Travis Swaggerty (.322). The Jaguar pitching staff posted a 5.81 team ERA with 129 strikeouts against 65 walks in 127 innings pitched.
JAGS ON THE ROAD
South Alabama is batting .246 with 27 home runs, 142 RBIs and 162 runs scored in 24 road games this season, while the pitching staff has posted a 7.31 team ERA in 197 innings pitched. Carter Perkins leads the team with a .314 batting average in road games this season, followed by Brendan Donovan who is hitting .281 on the road.
HOMERS AS OF LATE
South Alabama has homered eight times in its last four games, including multiple home runs in half of those contests. USA has homered in seven of its last nine games, dating back to the April 29 series finale with Arkansas State, with a total of 16 homers over that span.
SWAGGERTY JOINS 200-HIT CLUB
Travis Swaggerty recorded his 200th career hit with a second-inning single in Tuesday's contest at Southeastern Louisiana. Swaggerty currently ranks 13th in career hits (201) at USA.
JAGS CAN'T AVOID INJURY BUG
South Alabama enters the final week of the regular season having lost eight contributors, including three starters from last season in shortstop Drew LaBounty, designated hitter Eddie Paparella and outfielder Colton Thomas. Five Jaguar hurlers have also been lost for the season: Andy Arguelles, Conner Jednat, Michael Marra, Chase Shell and Caleb Yarborough.
HARDY AMONG SBC LEADERS IN HITS, STOLEN BASES
Left fielder Dylan Hardy enters the series ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference in hits (73), fifth in runs scored (53) and tied for seventh in stolen bases (17). Hardy has stolen just two bases in his last 15 games.
SWAGGERTY IN TOP 15 NATIONALLY IN TWO OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES
Center fielder Travis Swaggerty ranks ninth nationally in walks (47) and 12th in walks per game (0.94). He currently ranks fourth in career walks (138) at South Alabama after passing former Jaguar Tyrone Dixon (130) in an April 18 win at New Orleans. Swaggerty needs nine walks to pass former Jaguar Mike Mordecai (146) for third on the career list.
SWAGGERTY AMONG SBC LEADERS
Swaggerty enters the weekend ranked second in the Sun Belt in walks (47), tied for second in home runs (13) and third in OBP (.459).
DONOVAN AMONG SBC LEADERS IN THREE CATEGORIES
Third baseman Brendan Donovan ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference in sacrifice flies (6), ranks fourth in RBIs (50) and sixth in OBP (.455).
DAVIS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS IN RBIs, WALKS
First baseman Wells Davis ranks third in the SBC in walks (43) and RBIs (51). Davis ranks 18th nationally in walks, and 25th in walks per game (0.88).
HARDY, DONOVAN VERSUS TROY LAST SEASON
Left fielder Dylan Hardy batted .524 (11-for-21) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, 10 runs scored and one stolen base while posting a .583 on-base percentage and .905 slugging percentage in five games last season against Troy. Third baseman Brendan Donovan hit .444 (8-for-18) with three doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs and six runs scored with a .583 OBP and .944 slugging percentage in five games last year versus the Trojans.
JAGS AT NIGHT/DAY
South Alabama enters the week 18-9 in day games, and 11-12 in night games this season.
ALLOWING FIVE OR LESS
South Alabama is 21-4 this season when allowing five or fewer runs, but is 8-17 when allowing six or more. The Jags limited UT Arlington to just two runs in each game of last weekend's three-game series at Stanky Field, but allowed 12 runs in Tuesday's loss at Southeastern Louisiana.
SCORING SIX OR MORE
The Jags are 26-6 when scoring six or more runs this year, but are 3-15 when scoring fewer than six runs. USA has scored six or more runs in its last four games, and is 3-1 over that span.
SCORING FIRST
USA is 21-7 this season when scoring the game's first run, but is 8-14 when the opposition scores first.
FIRST-INNING RUNS
South Alabama is outscoring the opposition 61-20 in the first inning this season; however, it has allowed 54 runs in the second inning of games this year.
MORE HITS, MORE WINS
The Jaguars are 23-3 when out-hitting the opposition this season, but are 6-15 when getting out-hit by opponents. USA is 0-3 when its hit total is tied with the opposition. The Jaguars out-hit Southeastern Louisiana in Tuesday's loss in Hammond.
Game Notes
