BASEBALL PREVIEW: South Alabama at New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (Interstat) — South Alabama visits New Orleans on Wednesday, April 29, for a nonconference game at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. First pitch is set for a 77-degree evening under cloudy skies.

South Alabama (26-18) enters with a .591 winning percentage, while the Privateers (18-28) have lost five of their last six.

The Jaguars are coming off a 4-3 win over Southern Mississippi on Sunday. Third baseman Stewart Puckett went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs in that game. Over his last 10 contests, Puckett is batting .333 (10-for-30) with three homers and 10 RBIs. He has multiple hits in seven of those games.

New Orleans will look to pitcher Tyler Velino, who has struggled recently. In his last three appearances, Velino has a 9.00 ERA over 3 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on one hit with one strikeout in a 20-1 loss to Lamar on Sunday. He has not recorded a win since April 14 against Troy.

The Privateers last faced South Alabama on March 31, falling 2-1 in Mobile.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 win for South Alabama, with the Jaguars holding a 63.9% win probability according to the ELO system.

South Alabama continues its road swing at Texas State on Friday. New Orleans opens a three-game series at Nicholls State on Friday.