JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — The Jax State softball team is set to travel to Huntsville, Texas, to take on the Sam Houston Bearkats (29-33, 13-11 CUSA) for the final three games of the regular season schedule, beginning on Thursday night at 6 p.m.

The Gamecocks (39-13, 21-3 CUSA) enter the weekend in first place in Conference USA by a three-game margin and clinched the conference's regular season title this past Saturday with a victory over Middle Tennessee. Additionally, Jax State is looking to have its first 40-win season since 2017, in head coach Julie Boland's second year at the helm.

Boland's squad is coming off its most recent series win over the Blue Raiders this past weekend at home, winning the first two contests before dropping the final one on Sunday. The Gamecocks have won every series in conference play so far, and have won 10 of their last 11 games.

This weekend's series will be a battle between several of the league's hottest hitters from both squads, including Jax State's Amber Reed and Emma Elrod and Sam Houston's Sophia Lundstrom and Veronica Harrison. Both Reed and Elrod have combined for 29 hits in the last ten games, with Reed currently holding a 29-game reached-base streak. On the opposing side, Lundstrom ranks in the top five in the conference in batting average (.400, 5^th), hits (70, 2^nd), runs scored (45, 3^rd) and doubles (16, 2^nd), while Harrison leads the league in home runs with 17 and holds a 15-game hitting streak.

The Gamecocks have five batters hitting over .330 this season, led by Elrod's .364 clip at the plate, and have tallied at least 10 hits in seven of their last nine games. Alongside the junior outfielder is senior Morgan Nowakowski who hit her 22^nd double of the season to lead Division I.

Jax State's pitching staff has been red hot recently as well, holding opponents to four runs or less in nine of their last 11 games and have only allowed a team to score five or more runs in just four of their last 19 games. Leading this charge has been senior Jaliyah Holmes who has tallied 20 strikeouts in her last 19.1 innings of action. Holmes currently leads the conference in runs allowed with 15 in league games.

The Bearkats have dropped their last four games, including being swept by FIU this past weekend on the road and sit in seventh place in Conference USA. However, Sam Houston holds a 15-8 record on its home field, winning eight of its last nine games at home.

Following the weekend, Jax State will await its first opponent of the Conference USA Tournament, starting next Tuesday.