TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — South Florida hosts Wichita State on Friday night at USF Baseball Stadium in the opener of a three-game American Athletic Conference series.

First pitch is 6 p.m. Weather forecasts call for clear skies and 79 degrees.

The Bulls (30-20) enter with a six-game cushion over the .500 mark. The Shockers (24-25) are trying to climb above .500 for the first time since mid-April.

Wichita State will start right-hander Johnny Nuanez. The junior has been sharp in his last two outings, combining for 9 scoreless innings against East Carolina on April 19 and Florida Atlantic on May 10. In that four-inning win over the Pirates, Nuanez struck out seven without allowing a hit. Against FAU on Sunday, he went 5 innings, giving up 2 hits with 5 strikeouts in a 4-1 victory. He struggled in his lone loss this month, allowing 3 earned runs in 5 innings at Texas-San Antonio on May 3.

South Florida counters with right-hander Ethan Sutton. The sophomore has been inconsistent. He threw 6 innings of 1-hit ball at Tulane on Sunday, but took a loss when he allowed 3 earned runs. His previous outing was a 1-inning relief appearance against Florida Atlantic on May 2 in which he surrendered 3 hits and 2 earned runs. Sutton had two scoreless outings in late April, including a 2-inning save against UAB.

The teams played Thursday in Tampa, the first meeting of the series.

Wichita State won its series against Florida Atlantic over the weekend, taking the finale 4-1 after dropping the first two games. The Shockers have lost four of their last six series overall.

South Florida lost two of three at Tulane, winning the opener 16-6 before dropping the final two games. The Bulls have lost four of their last six games overall.

A statistical projection from Interstat forecasts a 3-2 Wichita State win.

The series continues Saturday afternoon at the same venue.