PENSACOLA, Fla. - The University of West Florida softball team will start Gulf South Conference play this weekend when they host the University of North Alabama for a three-game series Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday Feb, 15. 

The Argonauts (1-4, 0-0 GSC) will begin the series with a doubleheader against the Lions on Saturday with first pitch slated to start at 1 p.m. CT at the UWF Softball Complex. UWF will then conclude the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

UWF will also host a mid-week match-up against new NCAA Division II member Spring Hill College on Wednesday, Feb. 18. First pitch of the doubleheader will begin at 3 p.m. CT.

West Florida returns to Pensacola after going 1-4 in the Eckerd College Invitational held in Clearwater, Florida, where UWF faced opponents from the south region. The Argos lone win came against Lynn University where they defeated the Fighting Knights 5-2 in a game that saw freshman Sarah Maloney (Tamarac, Fla./Cypress Bay HS) dominate in the circle.
 
North Alabama will see its first road games of the season this weekend when they make their way to Pensacola, Florida for the GSC match-up against the Argos. 

The Lions (7-1, 0-0 GSC) spent last weekend in Huntsville, Alabama where they competed in the UAH Charger Chillout Tournament where they defeated nationally ranked opponents Wayne State (Mich.) (5) and Indianapolis (21).

UNA returns five starters from a last years squad that finished third in the GSC with a 38-18 (19-11 GSC) record. Hillary Carpenter, last years GSC Pitcher of the Year, leads the Lions in the circle with a 4-0 record so far this season and has a 1.00 ERA in 21.0 innings pitched.
 
Spring Hill will travel to Pensacola, Florida for a non-conference match-up between the Badgers and the Argonauts. SHC will begin its conference season Feb. 14-15 against Kentucky State University before playing UWF on Wednesday.

The Badgers (2-2, 0-0 SIAC) are competing in their first season as a NCAA Division II member after previously been  a part of the NAIA. In the Badgers first four contests, they split opening weekend against GSC member West Alabama in Mobile, Alabama and then split a doubleheader against William Carey University (Miss.) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 

SHC returns junior pitcher Caroline Sagrera who was voted NAIA First Team All-America the past two seasons. So far this season, Sagrera has a record of 2-1 and in 21 innings pitched she has an ERA of 0.67, three complete games, and opposing batters are averaging .099 against her.
 
Shorter entered its first season of Gulf South Conference Championship eligibility with a sweeping 5-0 start in the Eckerd Softball Spring Invitational, including opponents from the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) and regional independent Palm Beach Atlantic. In 2014, Shorter finished 42-10, a season capped with an NCCAA National Title.

Over the weekend, five GSC teams participated in the Charger Chillout hosted by Alabama Huntsville, a tournament which included opponents from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), Peach Belt Conference (PBC), Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). Emerging from the week were three 7-1 teams (Delta State, Valdosta State and North Alabama), while Lee rounded out the Top 5 at 5-1.

Conference play will begin this weekend highlighted by a clash of the titans between Valdosta State and undefeated Shorter.