MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Two long-time rivals, No. 5 South Alabama (33-21, 17-13 SBC) and No. 4 Troy (29-27, 17-13 SBC) are slated to battle in the nightcap on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. to open their Sun Belt Conference Championship presented by Troy University at DABOS Park.


SERIES HISTORY
South Alabama and Troy have one of the most storied rivalries not only in the sport, but in college athletics as a whole. With 107 games in the record books on the diamond, the Jaguars lead the all-time series 59-49. However, in games played since 2006, the two rivals have matched-up just shy of the .500 mark with a 38-36 record in favor of Troy. The regular season match-up between the two squads this season ended with a Troy series victory after winning the Saturday and Sunday contests following the Jaguar run-rule victory in Friday night's series opener (May 8-10). The Jaguars and the Trojans have met in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament three times - 2007 (USA W, 4-1), 2009 (Troy W, 10-4) and most recently in 2017 (USA W, 9-1).


SCOUTING THE TROJANS
Troy landed the fourth seed at the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Tournament after a three-team tie for third place alongside the Jags and App State (17-13 SBC). The tiebreakers landed App State as the three seed followed by Troy then South Alabama, after the Trojans took two of three from ULM in the regular season series finale in Monroe. The conclusion of the regular season saw the Trojans land at 46 in RPI guided by its 7th ranked strength of schedule and a 3-4 record versus ranked opponents, complimented by a 8-9 record among Q1 teams.


PITCHING PROBABLES & LIVE ACTION OUTLETS
Wednesday: ESPN+, Jags Radio Network
South Alabama - Daniel Gonzalez, RHP (4-3, 4.08 ERA)
Troy - Tommy Egan, RHP (5-4, 5.05 ERA)


PRIMARY THREADS

• The Jags secured its regular season series finale when it took two games from Arkansas State at Stanky Field. After dropping the opener on Friday night, the Jags responded with victories on Saturday and Sunday to ultimately claim a three-way tie with App State and Troy for third place in the standings at 17-13. Tiebreaker rules placed App State at the 3-seed and Troy at the 4-seed followed by the Jags in the SBC Tournament bracket.
• Daniel Gonzalez - The ULM transfer has started all fourteen series finales for the Jags. Gonzo leads the Jaguar pitching staff in strikeouts (66), and recorded a career-high 9 strikeouts vs. West Georgia. Threw the first Jaguar seven-inning CG since 2023 against ODU in rubber match victory for his second Quality Start and tied his career high in K's (9). He's been a serious competitor with a 4.08 ERA (leads starters). Tossed his third Quality Start against No. 18 Southern Miss going 6.0 IP with 2 ER for a no-decision.

TOURNAMENT TIME
The Jaguars enter the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the five seed after missing the tournament in 2025.  The Jags have won the tournament 13 times - most recently in 2021 with wins over Coastal, Little Rock, UT Arlington and Georgia Southern. The 17-13 conference play record is the best since 2022 where the Jags were also the five seed in the tournament with an identical record. South Alabama SBC tournament championships: 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2017, 2021.


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