RUSTON – The Bulldogs continue their 2025 campaign when they take on the South Alabama Jaguars for a three-game weekend series at the Love Shack. The series opener is set for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch on Friday, March 7.
Series Information
Date: Mar. 7-9, 2025
Venue: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Time: 4 p.m. CT (Friday) | 12 p.m. CT (Saturday) | 1 p.m. CT (Sunday)
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: Sportstalk 97.7 FM (Friday & Sunday only) / LA Tech Athletics app
Stats: LATechSports.com/stats
Weekend Rotation: Grant Hubka (Friday) |
Luke Cooley (Saturday) | TBA (Sunday)
Series History
Series Record: South Alabama leads 24-9
Last Meeting: May 19, 2001 (L, 3-6)
Streak: L4
The upcoming series features a matchup neither the 'Dogs or the Jaguars have seen in 24 years, with their last contest being played during the Sun Belt Conference tournament in 2001. LA Tech dropped back-to-back games to USA in the final rounds of the tournament, who ultimately came out as tournament champions that year.
The Bulldogs have dropped their last four games against South Alabama after winning three-straight. Prior to that, the Jaguars had won 13 in a row over Tech. The last time the Diamond 'Dogs won a home game over South Alabama goes back to the 1993 season, when Tech topped the Jaguars 8-1 in Ruston.
As a team, Tech currently leads the conference in walks, double plays turned and fielding percentage. The Bulldogs' 15 double plays turned also rank as the second-most currently in Division I. After posting back-to-back shutouts over Nicholls, the 'Dogs are just one of nine teams in the country with at least three shutouts.
Previewing the Jaguars:
South Alabama enters the weekend with a 7-5 record under head coach Mark Calvi, who is in his 14th season at the helm of the Jaguars' baseball program. Since his second season in 2013, he has accumulated nine 30-win seasons with three 40-win seasons. Calvi led the Jaguars to Sun Belt tournament championships in 2021 and 2017 with a championship game appearance in 2015.
USA is led offensively by Lucas Ismaili, who is raking with a .464 batting average and an OPS of 1.365. The redshirt senior is one of five players for the Jaguars to have totaled at least 11 hits this season and leads the team with 11 runs. John Smith III has a team-high 15 hits followed by Kyle Morrison's 14 knocks and Ismaili's 13. Morrison is the only player for South Alabama with multiple home runs and one of two players on the roster to have driven in at least 10 RBI.
Zach Willingham and Zach Stevens are the only two players for USA's pitching staff with double-digit innings under their belt. Willingham has allowed just three earned runs through 12 innings on seven hits, eight walks and eight strikeouts. Stevens has played to more of a strikeout role, leading the team with 20 punchouts. He has given up five earned runs on 11 hits and five walks through 15 innings on the mound.
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