MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team play its final four home games of the season this week beginning with a midweek non-conference matchup against McNeese State. First pitch versus the Cowgirls Wednesday night is set for 6 p.m. at Jaguar Field.

Game Notes

GAME 44 | VS. MCNEESE STATE
Venue: Jaguar Field | Mobile, Ala.

SERIES SCHEDULE
April 24, 2019 | 6 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Television: None
Radio:  99.5 The Jag FM
Live Stats: www.USAJaguars.com
Live Stream: www.USAJaguars.com
(In-Game Updates) Twitter: @WeAreSouth_SB

South Alabama JAGUARS
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SA: -- | RPI: 149
Record: 15-28 (5-17 SBC)
Head Coach: Becky Clark (Mobile, '95)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .290 / .476 / .377

McNeese State COWGIRLS
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SA: -- | RPI: 93
Record: 24-25 (15-6 SLC)
Head Coach: James Landreneau (--, '--)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .259 / .340 / .328

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS    
– South Alabama (15-28, 5-17 SBC) enters its final midweek outing of the spring after dropping two of three at ULM over the weekend.  
– Despite dropping the series, the Jaguar offense hit over .400 for the second straight league weekend. In the three-game set, South hit .434, had 43 hits, including 21 for extra bases.
– Of the 21 extra-base hits, South recorded 10 doubles and nine home runs.
– Coming into Wednesday night's contest, the Jaguars have homered in 10 of their last 12, including each of its last four outings. Over that four-game stretch, South has hit two or more in every game posting 13 over that stretch.
– Katelyn Gruich has hit at least one home run in four straight, while Victoria Ortiz and Kamdyn Kvistad have homered in three of their last four.
– For the series, Ortiz and fellow freshman Kennedy Cronan both hit .636 and combined to go 14-for-22 at the plate with nine extra-base hits, score 11 runs and drive in 11.
– Over its last six games, the Jaguars are averaging 10.2 runs and 14 hits per game, while batting .422.
– The Jaguars have hit 48 home runs this season, which are third-most in a season in program history and just 10 shy of the program mark.
– Eight Jaguars have hit three or more home runs this spring with Cronan (.326) leading the club a team-high 10. The 10 home runs by Cronan second-most by a Jaguar freshman and tied for fourth-most in a season overall.
– Along with the 10 home runs – which are tied for fifth-most in the league, Cronan also leads the team with nine multi-RBI outings and her 11 multi-hit games are tied for third-most on the club with Kvistad (.328).
– The Daphne, Ala., native has notched 80 total bases this season and her 34 runs driven in lead the team, and are tied with three other players for seventh in the league.
– Kvistad and Gruich each have eight home runs this season, while Brittani Reid (.372) and Ortiz are close behind with six each.
– B. Reid leads the team at the plate with 51 hits, 35 runs scored and 15 multi-hit outings this season. She leads the club in all those categories, including batting average, and her 14 doubles are tied with Ortiz for both the team and Sun Belt lead.
– B. Reid ranks among the conference leaders in on-base percentage walks (25 – sixth), hits (seventh) (.479 – eight), slugging percentage (.620 – T-eighth) and runs scored (ninth).
– After getting off to a slow start, Ortiz now ranks second on the club with a .355 average and along with her 14 doubles, her 12 multi-hit outings are second-most on the Jag roster.
– In conference play, Ortiz holds the highest batting average .395 and 15 of her 20 extra-base hits have come against SBC competition.

SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS     
– McNeese State (24-25, 15-6 SLC) has lost three of its last four including a midweek at home to Southern Miss last week and two of three versus Nicholls State over the weekend in Lake Charles.
– The Cowgirls do hold a win over Sun Belt member and eighth-ranked Louisiana earlier this season defeating the Ragin' Cajuns by a run in 11 innings in Lafayette.
– Justyce McClain leads the club with a .418 batting average. She has recorded 66 hits, scored 31 runs and been successful in 23 of her 24 stolen base attempts.
– Cori McCray has also been solid at the plate as she enters the game hitting at a .329 clip, and nine of her 13 extra-base hits have been doubles and her 24 runs driven in lead the club. McCray is 29 for 33 in her stolen base attempts and as a club, the Cowgirls have swiped 109 bases this spring.
– In the circle, freshman pitcher Saleen Flores leads the team with a 1.57 earned run average. Her 51 strikeouts are the most on the McNeese State roster.

THE SERIES VS. MCNEESE STATE    
– South Alabama and McNeese State have met eight previous times in the all-time series. USA holds a slim 5-3 advantage in those outings.
– The two teams have met three times in Mobile with USA taking two of those three meetings.
– South Alabama won the last meeting at Jaguar Field defeating the Cowgirls 1-0 in eight innings.
– The Jags defeated McNeese State 9-6 in Lake Charles last season.
– South Alabama has scored 27 runs in the series, while McNeese has scored 23 runs.

INSIDE THE SERIES VS. THE COWGIRLS    
Series: 5-3 (H: 2-1 / A: 1-2 / N: 2-0)
Extra-Inning Games: 1-1 (H: 1-1 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
Run-Rule Games: 1-0 (H: 1-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
NCAA Tournament Games: 0-0 (H: 0-0 / A: 0-0 / N: 0-0)
First Meeting: 3/17/10
Last Meeting: 3/28/18
Longest South Alabama Streak: 3 ('12-'15)
Longest McNeese State Streak: 1, 3x, last ('17)
Current Streak: 1 by South Alabama
Last 5 – 3-2

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the series with McNeese State and using this final midweek to prepare for the weekend series against Georgia Southern: "McNeese is one of the perennial powers in the Southland Conference and we always know they will be a competitive game for us. They are athletic and well-coached, so we will have to play fundamentally sound softball against them on Wednesday night. Offensively, we have been putting together some solid performances and I look for us to keep that momentum going. I hope we clean up some of the miscues we had over the weekend on the defensive side and make quality pitches on the mound."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub.

—USA—