MOBILE, Ala. – No. 21 University of South Alabama softball rounds out regular-season play in Mobile this weekend when it hosts North Dakota State, of the Summit League, for a three-game non-conference series at Jaguar Field.
 
Game one is set for Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader is set to begin at 2 p.m. Senior Day festivites will precede the opening contest on Saturday.
 
Links to live stats, ticket information and video streaming can be found by accessing the Jaguar softball schedule page. In-game Twitter updates are provided via the program's official handle, @USAJagsSoftball.
 
USA (32-8) saw its 11-game winning streak, which included three Sun Belt Conference sweeps and midweek victories over Nicholls State and Mississippi State, come to an end on Wednesday when the Jaguars dropped a 1-0 decision at Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. South Alabama has won 16 of its last 18 contests.
 
South Alabama entered the week ranked 27th in RPI, while the Golden Eagles were 221st. South Alabama fell to 18-5 versus non-conference opponents this year and 10-3 in away games. The win for Southern Miss was only the third in its last 20 contests.
 
The Jaguars are batting .315 as a team with an overall on-base percentage of .415 and .479 slugging percentage. USA has outhit its opponents, 333-204, this year and outscored them, 230-119. South Alabama is 16-4 at home this year and has won nine straight at Jaguar Field, dating back to its series finale win over No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette on March 8.
 
Sophomore Chloe Rathburn leads USA at the plate with a .398 batting average, 49 hits and 44 RBI. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native is second on the club in slugging percentage (.569) and on-base percentage (.476). Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith leads the club in slugging percentage (.664) and home runs (11), while junior catcher Stephanie Pilkington owns a team-high .500 on-base percentage.
 
Freshman right-hander Kalen McGill owns a 14-2 record and 1.92 ERA in the circle with a team-best four saves, while senior Farish Beard is 8-2 with a staff-low 1.74 ERA.
 
USA rounds out the regular season next weekend when it travels to Troy for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series on May 2-3. The SBC Tournament takes place in San Marcos, Texas, on the following weekend.
 
North Dakota State (36-8, 13-2 Summit League) split a doubleheader at No. 10 Minnesota on Wednesday, evening its record versus ranked opponents this season to 2-2 after a6-5 victory versus No. 17 Washington on Feb. 27 and a run-rule loss at No. 11 Tennessee on March 7.
 
The Bison received votes in both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Today and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls this week. NDSU has swept three of its five Summit League series and clinched all five, currently standing well atop the conference standings.
 
NDSU is 17-5 on the road the season. The Bison are currently ranked 51st in RPI.
 
Junior infielder Logan Moreland leads NDSU at the plate with a .456 batting average and 67 hits. Classmate Cheyenne Garcia tops the club in runs with 54 on the year, also boasting a team-high 46 RBI, 12 home runs and .758 slugging percentage.
 
Senior right-hander Krista Menke is 26-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 10 shutouts on the year. Menke entered the week with the most strikeouts in the nation and has 304 to her name in 199 2/3 innings pitched. She is holding batters to a .153 batting average.
 
South Alabama and North Dakota State will face each other for the first time.

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