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April 8, 2016
 
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida baseball team plays host to the University of West Alabama Tigers this weekend for a pivotal three-game Gulf South Conference series. Saturday will feature a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday will feature a single game at 1:00 p.m.
 
In part of Military and First Responders Appreciation Weekend, all military members and first responders will receive free admission to this weekend's contest with valid ID.
 
PERFECT 10: UWF rides a 10-game winning streak, the longest since UWF had a 12-game streak in 2014... During that winning streak, UWF is batting .346 as a team, while holding its opponents to a .221 average... UWF pitchers have posted a 2.01 ERA during the streak, while the UWF hitters have given opposing hitters fits as opposing pitchers own a 7.27 ERA during UWF's 10-game winning streak... In the field, the Argonauts have posted a solid .975 fielding percentage through its last 10 games.
 
BALD IS GOOD: In support of the team's fundraiser with the Vs. Cancer Foundation, the UWF baseball team shaved their heads and have raised $2,262 to help kids undergoing cancer treatment... Since the shaving of heads three weeks ago, the team has posted a 10-1 record... Justin Ambrosino has posted a .426 batting average since going bald, while JT Granat owns a 0.49 ERA since shaving his head... Colby Brown is batting .429, Ben Emery is hitting .375, Robert Lopez is hitting .370 and Jean Figueroa is hitting .362 to lead the team since the head-shaving event... Brandon Nagem has posted a 2.16 ERA in that same time frame... Four members of the Argonaut bullpen have also stood out since getting a new hairdo, including Jarrod Petree (0 ER in 7.2 IP), Anthony Mazzurco (1.29 ERA), Sean Kennedy (1.35 ERA) and Gray Dorsey (1.50 ERA).
 
CHASING 29: One would have to go all the way back to February 24th to find the last UWF contest where Kyle Hamner did not record a hit, as the senior catcher currently rides the second longest hitting streak in program history at 21 games... Hamner is eight games shy of the program record, which was done by Stephen Jackson in 1998... Hamner is hitting a team-best .392 (31-for-79) during his hitting streak, with five extra-base hits and 13 RBI.
 
MOVING ON UP: UWF attained positions in both major national rankings earlier this week, as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Assocation has West Florida ranked No. 16 nationally and No. 3 in the South Region... Collegiate Baseball has West Florida ranked No. 25... Both of these rankings are the highest for West Florida since the 2014 season... Perfect Game USA has the Argonauts ranked No. 16 in NCAA DII.
 
GSC'S BEST: Having won eight straight conference games, the Argos see themselves atop the GSC standings with a 16-5 conference record... West Florida currently shares the top spot with Delta State, who the Argonauts will play next weekend on the road... West Florida has not finished first place in the GSC since the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship season, when the Argonauts finished the year with a 17-3 conference record... UWF's 3.11 conference ERA is the best in the GSC by more than half a run... UWF's .975 fielding percentage in conference action is also a league-best, while UWF's .330 batting average in conference play is the third highest in the GSC.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: After a season where UWF went just 5-13 on the road, the Argonauts have posted impressive numbers when traveling in 2016 with a 14-5 record in away games...  14 road wins for the Argonauts is the most for the Argos since 2013 and UWF will have ample time to best that mark with five remaining road games on the 2016 schedule... The Argonauts are hitting .326 as a team in road games, while holding opponents to a .264 batting average... Five Argonauts have batting averages above .350 in road games this year, including Alex Greene (.410), Jean Figueroa (.383), Jimmy Redovian (.356), Justin Ambrosino (.351) and Kyle Hamner (.350)... Figueroa posts a team-best .642 slugging percentage in road games... Jarrod Petree and Steve McClellan lead the bullpen in road contests, having 0.73 and 0.90 ERAs, respectively.
 
LOPEZ EARNS SECOND GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR (4/5): In absence of senior shortstop Alex Greene last week, freshman Robert Lopez was called upon to fill in for Greene and did so in impressive fashion, hitting .500 (9-for-18) with two doubles, three triples, and five RBI to help push UWF to a perfect 5-0 week... Lopez posted a team-best .944 slugging percentage last week... The freshman scored a team-high 10 runs last week, including a season team-high five runs in the second game of April 3rd's doubleheader against Union... Lopez hit .714 (5-for-7) with two outs and advanced runners in 15 of 18 opportunities.
 
SEEING MULTIPLE: In his last six games, first basemen Justin Ambrosino has recorded a multi-hit performance in each of those contests, batting an eye-catching .607 (17-for-28) in that span... Ambrosino is tied with Jean Figueroa for the team lead in multiple-hit games, having 14 on the season... Ambrosino and Figueroa are the only players on the UWF roster to record a four-hit game in 2016... The junior transfer from College of Central Florida currently rides his longest hitting streak of the season, which presently is at seven games.
 
GRANAT'S EMERGANCE: Granat was roughed up for a season-high six earned runs in his first two innings in his start against Alabama Huntsville on March 13, however since then the junior has been dominant, allowing just one earned run in his last 22.1 innings pitched... Granat posted a streak of 21 innings pitched without allowing a run... Granat has been the starter for three of UWF's six shutouts on the season, with two of those shutouts coming in back-to-back starts against West Georgia and Christian Brothers.
 
TALE OF TWO SEASONS: Brandon Nagem has lowered his season ERA in each of his last seven appearances after a rough start to the 2016 season... Through Nagem's first three starts, the southpaw posted a 6.92 ERA, however since that point Nagem has allowed just nine earned runs in 33.1 innings pitched to lower his season ERA to 3.69... The 2015 NCBWA South Region Pitcher of the Year owns a team-best 2.43 ERA and is a perfect 5-0 in his last seven appearances, while holding opposing hitters to a rotation-best .195 batting average.
 
SHUTTING IT DOWN: The Argonauts have been as sure-fire as it gets when it comes to closing games out as the team is a perfect 18-0 when leading after five innings this season... The unblemished mark is largely in thanks to a bullpen that boasts a 2.21 ERA... UWF has been able to keep the pressure going offensively in the later stages of the game, as opposing relief pitchers own a 5.22 ERA against the Argonauts.
THE ROAD AHEAD: West Florida sees 15 remaining regular season games heading into its season against West Alabama, divided between eight home games and seven road contests... UWF's three next opponents, West Alabama, North Georgia and Delta State have all spent time in the national rankings this year, with West Alabama being ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation, North Georgia being ranked as high as No. 7 and Delta State currently seeing its highest ranking of the 2016 season in the latest updated Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll at No. 11.
 
RISP-Y BUSINESS: As a team, the Argonauts are batting .308 with runners in scoring position, highlighted by Justin Ambrosino, Alex Greene, Kyle Hamner and Jean Figueroa.... Greene leads the team with a .429 average with runners in scoring position, while Ambrosino and Hamner post .395 and .375 batting averages, respectively, with runners in scoring position... Figueroa leads the team with 18 hits with runners in scoring position.
 
CLARK ASSIGNED TO LOW-A HICKORY: Ledarious Clark, a member of the 2015 UWF baseball team and 12th round selection of the Texas Rangers in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft was assigned to Low-A Hickory Crawdads (Hickory, N.C.) of the South Atlantic League to begin his second season of professional baseball... Baseball America had Clark ranked as the fifth best late round draft pick in the 2015 draft... With Short-Season A Spokane Indians last season, Clark hit .276 with a team-high eight home runs and 24 RBI while stealing a team-high 29 bases in 65 games.
 
ELLINGTON ASSIGNED TO AAA NEW ORLEANS: Brian Ellington, a member of the UWF baseball program in 2012 and 16th round pick by the Miami Marlins in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft made his MLB debut last season and will begin the 2016 season with Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs... Ellington made 23 appearances out of the Marlins bullpen in his rookie season, posting a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP.
 
NATIONAL STAT LEADERS: West Florida's 2.67 team ERA is the fifth best in NCAA Division II... UWF's 30 sacrifice bunts is the 15th most in DII... UWF's six shutouts is the fourth most in the nation... UWF's 3.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the third best in the country... West Florida's 1.19 WHIP as a team is the 11th best in DII... UWF's 2.16 walks per nine innings is the third lowest in the nation... At one strikeout per 57 at bats, Kyle Hamner is the second toughest player in DII to strikeout.
 
SOUTH REGION STAT LEADERS: UWF owns the best ERA in the South Region at 2.67... West Florida has the fifth best fielding percentage in the South Region at 2.67... UWF allows 8.59 hits per nine innings, the fifth best in the South Region... West Florida's six shutouts is the most in the region... UWF's 3.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best in the region... The Argos' 1.19 WHIP is a South Region-best... UWF's 2.16 walks allowed per nine innings is the best in the region... JT Granat's 2.72 ERA is the fifth best in the region... Steve McClellan's five saves is the second most in the region... Kyle Hamner's strikeout per 57 at bats is the best in the region... JT Granat's 1.14 WHIP is the fifth best in the South Region... Walker O'Connor's 1.64 walks allowed per nine innings is the fourth best in the South Region.
 
SCOUTING WEST ALABAMA: After starting the season with an impressive 26-5 record, West Alabama has hit a slump and fallen in its last four contests... Most recently, West Alabama lost a home game against a 12-21 Stillman team by a score of 5-1... West Alabama sat in first place in the GSC for the majority of the season, however slipped in the standings last weekend after being swept by Lee... UWA is 12-6 on the road this season and 15-6 in GSC action... The 2015 GSC Tournament Champions are led by Mitch Holgate, who leads the team with a .370/.497/.732 slash line, nine home runs, 30 RBI with 14 stolen bases.
 
SERIES HISTORY: UWF holds a 47-32 advantage in the all-time series against West Alabama, but dropped three of four contests against the Tigers in 2015... From 2010-2014, the Argonauts posted a 17-5 record against the Tigers.
 
LAST TIME OUT: West Alabama eliminated West Florida last season in the 2015 GSC Tournament, beating the Argonauts 4-3 in Livingston, Alabama... In last year's GSC Tournament game, Chase Kiefer went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI... Walker O'Connor threw eight innings of shutout baseball to begin his start.
 
Probable Starting PItchers
Saturday G1
UWA: Evan Anderson -- 7-1, 2.06 ERA, 56.2 IP, 48 H, 13 ER, 17 BB, 67 K, .230 B/AVG
UWF: Walker O'Connor – 6-2, 3.10 ERA, 49.1 IP, 55 H, 17 ER, 9 BB, 35 K, .276 B/AVG
Saturday G2
UWA: Anthony Rosati -- 2-2, 3.86 ERA, 30.1 IP, 33 H, 13 ER, 11 BB, 26 K, .292 B/AVG
UWF: Brandon Nagem – 5-1, 3.69 ERA, 46.1 IP, 44 H, 19 ER, 13 BB, 51 K, .246 B/AVG
Sunday
UWA: Evan Miller -- 4-2, 3.63 ERA, 52.0 IP, 43 H, 21 ER, 18 BB, 49 K, .221 B/AVG
UWF: JT Granat – 6-2, 2.72 ERA, 46.1 IP, 42 H, 14 ER, 11 BB, 38 K, .247 B/AVG
 
To stay updated on the UWF baseball team, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit GoArgos.com.