South Alabama Invitational
Presented by Hampton by Hilton Providence Park/Airport

South Alabama Jaguars (5-4) • Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1)
Pepperdine Waves (2-4) • Southern Jaguars (4-4)

March 3-5 • Eddie Stanky Field • Mobile, Ala.

Media Information
Live Stream:  All three South Alabama games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and available through the ESPN app, and can also be accessed via link through the Jaguar baseball schedule page at USAJaguars.com. J.D. Byars will handle play-by-play duties.

On the Radio:  Jaguar games are broadcast live on Sports Talk 99.5 FM in Mobile, and also available through the iHeartRadio app. J.T. Crabtree handles play-by-play duties.

Live Stats:  Live stats for every Jaguar baseball game can be accessed through the Jaguar baseball schedule page at USAJaguars.com.

Twitter:  Follow the official Twitter account of South Alabama baseball — @SouthAlabamaBSB — for news and updates.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Fri., March 3 | 6:30 p.m.
USA - RHP  Jeremy Lee (0-1, 3.38 ERA) 
Pepperdine - 

Sat., March 4 | 6:30 p.m.
USA - LHP  Gehrig Conard (0-2, 2.00 ERA)
Iowa - RHP  Marcus Morgan (0-0, 4.91 ERA)

Sun., March 5 | 3 p.m.
USA - LHP  Garfield Johns (0-1, 7.36 ERA)
SU - TBA

  All-Time Series
• South Alabama vs. Pepperdine - Friday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between the schools.

• South Alabama vs. Iowa - South Alabama owns a 3-1 all-time lead over Iowa in a series that dates back to 1975. The Jaguars defeated the Hawkeyes 11-7 in the last meeting between the schools, which came in 2009 at the Bright House Invitational in DeLand, Fla. Iowa's lone win over South Alabama came in 1975 in a tournament in Panama City, Fla., when the Hawkeyes defeated the Jags 15-2. South Alabama has not faced Iowa under head coach Mark Calvi.

• South Alabama vs. Southern - South Alabama is 4-2 all-time against Southern in a series that began in 1987. USA shut out SU 5-0 in 2021 at Stanky Field, which marked the last meeting between the schools. Southern's last win over South Alabama came in game one of a three-game series at Stanky Field in 2016, when SU defeated USA 5-4. South Alabama is 3-1 all-time against Southern under head coach Mark Calvi. 

HITTING STREAKS, ON-BASE STREAKS
Center fielder Will Turner carries an 12-game on-base streak into the game, dating back to last year, after reaching safely in the final three games of the 2022 season and in all nine games this season. Shortstop JG Bell enters the weekend with a seven-game hitting streak and on-base streak, while Tyler Borges and Diego Altamirano have reached safely in six straight games.

JAGS IN TOP 25 NATIONALLY IN 2 CATEGORIES
South Alabama ranks 15th nationally in hit by pitches (19), and 24th in sacrifice bunts (5).

BAGS FULL OF JAGS
USA is hitting .412 (7-for-17) with the bases loaded this season. Cole Ketzner is batting .600 (3-for-5) with the bags full of Jags, and Will Turner is hitting 1.000 (2-for-2).

HIT TO WIN
The Jaguars are 4-0 this season when out-hitting the opposition, but 0-4 when getting out-hit and 1-0 when hits are tied.

LEADING AFTER 7 FRAMES
USA is 5-0 this year when leading after seven innings, but 0-4 when trailing after seven frames.

WILLINGHAM RANKED IN TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN WINS
Left-handed reliever Zach Willingham enters the weekend ranked tied for sixth nationally in wins with two, which is tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead. Willingham is 2-0 in three relief appearances this season, which spans 5 1/3 innings pitched.

WOOD RANKED IN TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN SAVES
Right-handed pitcher Grant Wood recorded two saves in two appearances on the opening weekend of the season, which ranks tied for eighth nationally and tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead. He struck out two in one scoreless inning against Northwestern State in the season opener for his first save of the year, followed by a six-out save in a Feb. 19 win over UAB with a career-high four strikeouts in two innings pitched. He earned his first win of the year with 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings at Tulane on Tuesday.

JAGUAR DEFENSE
South Alabama has committed at least one error in eight of its nine games this season, including a season-high five errors in last Saturday's 15-3 loss to Nebraska at Stanky Field. The Jags rank 12th out of 14 teams in the Sun Belt Conference in fielding percentage, and 231st nationally.

JAGS SET PROGRAM RECORD FOR WALKS
South Alabama drew 20 walks in a 26-6 win over Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 18, which set a new program record. The previous record for walks in a game came on April 8, 1979, when the Jags drew 18 walks against Alabama.

CAREER HIGHS SET IN RBIs
Center fielder Will Turner recorded a career-high five RBIs in a 26-6 win over Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 18 at Stanky Field. The Auburn, Ala., native has hit safely in all five games this season, and driven in runs in four of five contests. Catcher Diego Altamirano also set a career high in RBIs against EKU with four in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, bettering his previous high of three which he recorded twice last season.

JAGS PLATE 26 RUNS VERSUS EKU, MOST IN 6 SEASONS
South Alabama scored 26 runs in its Feb. 18 win over Eastern Kentucky at Stanky Field, which marked the most by a Jaguar team since Feb. 18, 2017, when the Jags plated 32 runs in a win over Eastern Illinois. USA scored 11 runs in the seventh inning of the game, which marked the most in an inning since the Jags scored 11 runs against Jackson State on Feb. 21, 2012.

SHUT OUT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE NCAA REGIONAL
Eastern Kentucky shut out South Alabama 2-0 in game one of a Feb. 18 doubleheader at Stanky Field, which marked the first time the Jaguars have been shut out since June 4, 2021, when Miami (FL) defeated USA 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Gainesville (Fla.) Regional.

Follow the Jags
For complete coverage of University South Alabama baseball, follow the Jaguars on social media @SouthAlabamaBSB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaAthletics (Facebook), @southalabamabsb on Instagram, or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at USAJaguars.com.