NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Interstat) — A surging Charleston Southern team hosts a struggling Presbyterian squad to open a Big South Conference series on Thursday at Buccaneer Ballpark.

The Buccaneers (17-10) enter with a winning record built on strong pitching, while the Blue Hose (6-23) seek momentum after snapping a skid with a midweek win.

A key matchup will feature Presbyterian’s hot hitter, Matthew Rollison, against Charleston Southern’s reliable starter, Matt Gallant. Rollison, a corner infielder, is coming off a 3-for-4, four-RBI performance in Tuesday’s 6-5 win at Western Carolina. In his last 10 games, he has three home runs and 12 RBIs.

Gallant is expected to take the mound for the Buccaneers. The right-hander has been effective, most recently tossing 6 1/3 innings of hitless relief with five strikeouts in a 10-inning loss to Winthrop on March 29. In his last four appearances, all starts, he has allowed just eight earned runs over 22 1/3 innings.

Charleston Southern dropped two of three at Winthrop last weekend but had won eight of its previous nine games. Presbyterian’s win Tuesday halted a four-game losing streak, though it has lost 10 of its last 13.

The Buccaneers won the teams’ last meeting, but this is the first conference series between them this season. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-3 victory for Charleston Southern.

First pitch is scheduled for Thursday afternoon under cloudy skies with a temperature near 75 degrees. The series continues Friday and Saturday.