PENSACOLA, Fla. - The West Florida baseball team wraps up Gulf South Conference play in March when it hosts Lee Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, at Jim Spooner Field.
The Argonauts (16-11, 10-8) are sixth in the GSC standings entering the weekend. Lee (17-10-1, 8-8-1), which is ineligible for the postseason, is in eighth. Only the top six teams make the GSC Tournament in May.
UWF is 15-3 at home this season while Lee is 1-5 away from home. In the first meeting ever between the teams last season, UWF swept the Flames in a three-game series in Cleveland, Tenn.
Strike Out Cancer Day
Both the baseball and softball teams are hosting Strike Out Cancer games Saturday, March 28. The fundraiser will take place at both the UWF Softball Complex and Jim Spooner Field, and all proceeds will benefit the Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. The first 100 fans at softball and the first 50 fans at baseball will receive free t-shirts.
Scouting Lee
The Flames' rotation is led by Trenton Hill (5-3, 2.33 ERA) and Dustin Lawson (2-1, 2.23 ERA). Their top reliever is Kyle Briner (4 saves, 2.89 ERA).
The Lee offense is led by Andres Nelo (.300 avg, 22 runs, two homers) and MJ Brown (.301 avg, two homers, 17 RBIs).
Lee is in its third year of transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II and the GSC.
Kerkmann named GSC Freshman of Week
Nick Kerkmann was named the GSC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. He and teammates
Nic Strasser and
Ronnie May have earned eight consecutive GSC FOW awards for UWF.
Kerkmann hit the first homer of his career and two doubles in three games last week at No. 28 West Georgia. The Oviedo, Fla. native led UWF with a .375 batting average (3-for-8), drew a walk and was hit by a pitch twice to post a .545 on base percentage. He scored four runs and drove in two.
This season, Kerkmann is hitting .313 with a .433 slugging percentage and a .395 on base percentage. He has five doubles, 10 RBIs and has scored 12 runs in 19 games. He has struck out just seven times in 67 at bats.
