LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The West Florida baseball team travels to No. 12 West Alabama in hopes of knocking off the top team in the Gulf South Conference and improving the Argonauts' seeding in the GSC and South Region. UWF sits in third in the GSC standings and 10th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association South Region rankings. The NCAA Regional rankings will be released next week.
The Argonauts games were rescheduled to Sunday and Monday, April 19-20, in hopes of avoiding inclement weather. UWF is scheduled to play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Sunday and a single game at 1 p.m. Monday.
UWF is on a three-game winning streak and a six-game GSC winning streak. UWA is on an 18-game winning streak.
Top Pitching Staffs Collide
UWA boasts the best team ERA in the GSC at 2.71 ERA in 296.0 innings. UWF's team ERA is the second best, sitting at 3.18 in 330.2 innings. UWA has the best opponent's batting average (.231) followed by UWF (.241).
The top six pitchers, and seven of the top 10, in the GSC in ERA could pitch this weekend in Livingston.
UWF possess three of the top four pitchers in the GSC in ERA.
Brandon Nagem (1.82) is first,
Walker O'Connor (2.31) in third and
Reed Bright (2.41) is fourth.
Jarrod Petree (2.95) ranks ninth.
UWA posses three of the top six. Fernando Gonzalez (2.08) is second, Jorge Cruz (2.42) is fifth and Gandy Stubblefield is sixth (2.42).
Nagem named South Region POW
Nagem was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association South Region Pitcher of the Week for his shutout at Shorter last week. The announcement came one day after he was named the GSC Pitcher of the Week.
Nagem joined former Argos Jordan DeLorenzo and Ben Hawkins as the only pitchers in UWF history to earn multiple regional pitcher of the week awards.
He struck out 11 while allowing just five hits in nine innings at Shorter April 11. He had previously been named the pitcher of the week Feb. 18 after pitching a complete game shutout against North Alabama.
Nagem leads the GSC in ERA (1.82), opponent's batting average (.200), strikeouts (71), walks plus hits per innings pitched (0.84), walks allowed per nine innings (1.13), starts (11) and innings pitched (79.1). He is tied for fifth in victories with a 6-1 record.
