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PENSACOLA, Fla.  – Now back at .500 on the season, the UWF baseball team begins Gulf South Conference play this weekend at home. UWF and MC will begin a doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before playing a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
 
SOLID WIN OVER THE WARHAWKS
- Six different UWF pitchers combined to allow just two hits in the Argos' 8-0 win over AUM on Wednesday.
- It is the first time since May 2, 2014 that the Argos have allowed two or less hits in a nine-inning game. UWF beat UWG 3-0 in that first-round GSC Tournament contest, with Dawson Brown hurling a complete game two-hitter.
- In the win, both Justin Ambrosino and Robert Lopez went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead the offense.
- It was the first Argonauts-Warhawks meeting since April 15, 2008, and with the win the Argonauts now hold a 12-11 advantage in the all-time series.

CLOSING IN ON 400
- Head coach Mike Jeffcoat is just four wins away from becoming the ninth GSC coach ever to reach 400 wins in his career.
- Jeffcoat entered 2017 as the 19th winningest active Division II coach with a .654 winning percentage.
- His .654 winning percentage is also 40th best all-time in Divsion II. Upon earning his 400th win, Jeffcoat will be the 26th best winning percentage in Division II history with at least 400 wins.
- A four-time GSC Coach of the Year, Jeffcoat would become the third active GSC coach to have 400 wins under his belt -- joining West Alabama's Gary Rundles (545 wins) and Delta State's Mike Kinnison (857 wins)

GSC OPENER HISTORY
- UWF has won each of its last three conference-opening series and is 7-2 since 2014 when playing in its first conference series of the season.
- 2017 is the second consecutive year UWF has opened conference play with Mississippi College.

STREAK BACK ON THE LINE
- UWF has won 12 consecutive GSC regular series and won all 11 of its conference series last season... That stretch ties the longest streak in the GSC since 2010, when Delta State who 12-straight GSC series from 2012-13.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
- UWF is 5-1 all-time against the Choctaws and took 2-of-3 meetings with Mississippi College in 2016.
- After falling in the series opener 10-4, UWF responded the following day by scoring 30 runs over two games with 22-2 and 8-1 wins.
- The Argos have outscored the Choctaws 48-22 all-time and UWF has helped MC to two runs or less in four of the six meetings.

PAYNE NAMED GSC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
- Freshman catcher Trevor Payne was named GSC Freshman of the Week on Monday, becoming the first UWF player this season to earn a conference weekly honor.
- Payne hit .352 last week with two doubles, five RBI and scored five runs. Out of the cleanup spot against Rollins on Sunday, Payne went 2-for-7 with a team-high 4 RBI.
- The Argonauts have won the most GSC Freshman of the Week awards over the past two seasons with four. Robert Lopez was the only GSC freshman last season to win the award twice.

WHAT A COMEBACK
- UWF recorded its biggest comeback in the Mike Jeffcoat era, erasing a nine-run, 11-2 deficit against Rollins on Sunday. UWF went on to beat Rollins, 20-15 by scoring at least two runs in every inning after the fourth.
- The 35 combined runs is the most since UWF beat Columbus State 24-12 in 2011.
- Of UWF's 24 hits, the Argonauts tallied 23 singles and one Justin Ambrosino double.
-  For the contest, UWF recorded a .471 batting average (24-for-51), a .500 average with runners on base (19-for-38), and a .407 clip with runners in scoring position (11-for-21).
- Every player in the top five spots in the lineup had at least two hits, and the top three spots of Chase Kiefer, Nic Strasser and Justin Ambrosino combined to go 12-for-19 with 6 RBI.
- Seven players recorded a multi-hit performance in the game, led by Justin Ambrosino who had a career-high five knocks. Three players recorded multi-RBI games while another five tallied one RBI.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEKEND MAKES
- UWF had a rough go of it in its first series of the season against Florida Southern, hitting just .196 with a 5.33 ERA against the Mocs.
- Fast forward one weekend later, UWF hit .333 as a team against the Tars and scored 26 runs -- more than three times its run total against Florida Southern (8).

HOT STARTS
- In the first four innings of games this year, UWF is hitting .330.
- Chase Kiefer is hitting a team-best .571 in the game's first four innings, while Justin Ambrosino is hitting .500 in the early stages of games this year.

BIG OFFENSIVE WEEK
- UWF posted a .351 team average in a 3-1 week last week, scoring 39 runs over four games for a 9.75 runs per game average.
- UWF had three players record averages north of .400 last week, led by Justin Ambrosino who hit .476 last week and slugged .810. Chase Kiefer and Brandon Harmon recorded aveages of .444 and .429, respectively.
- UWF posted a .409 on base percentage as a team last week.

FINISHING STRONG
- 10 players reached base in each of UWF's last two games against the Rollins series after suffering a tough offensive night in the first game of the series.
- In addition to 10 players reaching base in back-to-back games, seven players recorded hits in back-to-back games to conclude the Rollins series.

NOT JUST A SINGLES HITTER
- After hitting a team-high 67 singles last year, Justin Ambrosino has emerged as a power threat in the Argonauts lineup, hitting three home runs and slugging 1.000 in the team's first four games.
- Ambrosino, who hit one home run as a junior last season, hit a pair of long balls against Spring HIll on Wednesday and set a new career-high with 10 total bases - beating his previous career-high of five.
- The senior first baseman leads the GSC in home runs and slugging percentage.

TOUGH FIRST WEEKEND
- West Florida had a tough go of it in its opening weekend, being swept by Florida Southern at home last weekend.
- It was the first time UWF was swept at home since 2012, when the Argos ran into Delta State who eventually advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship game.
- It was the first time UWF has been swept in its home opening series since falling to Florida Southern in three straight games in 2007.
 
PRESEASON FAVORITES
- West Florida was voted as favorites to win the Gulf South Conference by league coaches for the 2016 season.
- UWF also had five players (Robert Lopez, Nic Strasser, JT Granat, Walker O'Connor and Jarrod Petree) named to the Preseason All-GSC team -- the most selections of any team in the GSC.
- Transfers Brian Browning and Jackson Smith were named UWF's top newcomers.
 
KIEFER'S BACK
- UWF suffered a tough blow in its season opener last year, as Chase Kiefer went down with a season-ending thumb injury after an acrobatic catch in centerfield at Florida Southern.
- Kiefer is expected to be UWF's opening day leadoff hitter and centerfielder. The Pensacola Catholic HS product and fifth-year senior enters 2017 20 stolen bases shy of tying the program's all-time record of 77, set by Greg Pron in 2011.
- A 2015 All-GSC Second Team selection, Kiefer hit .328 with three home runs and 19 RBI and stole 23 bases in 28 attempts... His 60 hits as a junior in 2015 led UWF that season.
 
PITCHING AND DEFENSE
- West Florida is known as a program that focuses on pitching and defense, and the Argos lived up to that reputation by leading NCAA Division II in walks allowed per nine innings (1.83) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.10). UWF was also eighth in the nation with a 3.08 team ERA and a 1.20 team WHIP.
- UWF's .970 fielding percentage was tops in the GSC, 21st in the nation and was the best of any 2016 NCAA South Regional opponent.
 
THREE ALL-SOUTH REGION ARMS RETURN
- After leading the South Region in ERA last year, UWF will be the only program to return multiple All-South Region pitchers in 2016. Weekend starters JT Granat and Walker O'Connor are expected to return to the rotation, while Jarrod Petree begins his second season in the bullpen in a "Andrew Miller"-type role in 2017.
- Petree was a Brett Tomko Award (Division II Pitcher of the Year) semifinalist and led UWF in ERA (1.53), WHIP (0.77), appearances (23). The redshirt senior thrived in getting UWF out jams and stranded 17 of a possible 22 inherited runners. Petree was a unanimous All-South Region selection and a All-GSC First Team member in 2016.
- Granat went 8-3 in his first year as an Argonaut and recorded the fourth best ERA in the South Region at 2.49 to go along with a South Region-best 1.14 WHIP. Granat earned NCBWA, ABCA and D2CCA All-Region honors in addition to a All-GSC First Team nod.
- O'Connor led the team with 87 innings pitched last year and posted the best walks allowed per nine innings average at 1.34. He earned NCBWA South Region Pitcher of the week honors after eight innings of shutout ball against No. 1 Tampa, and he currently sits fifth in program history with 20 career wins.
 
RETURN IN PRODUCTION
- The Argos have four pitchers from last year back in action this year with JT Granat, Walker O'Connor, Jarrod Petree and Steve McClellan. Those four combined for a 2.81 ERA and pitched 237.1 out of the team's 453 innings (52.4%) last year.
- UWF has 10 position players returning, and those 10 players combined for a .304 batting average last season. The returners combined for 295 hits last season, accounting for 52% of last year's offensive production.
- Returning players hit 25 of UWF's 40 home runs last year, good for 62.5% of 2016's long ball production.
 
A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE
- UWF has 28 home games and 22 road games after playing a grueling road schedule in 2016. UWF played seven of its 11 conference series away from Jim Spooner Field and recorded a 15-4 record during those series.
- After a rigorous 2016 schedule, UWF will face another tough test in 2017. Eight of UWF's 18 2017 opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in Collegiate Baseball's national rankings. (No. 20 Florida Southern, No. 26 West Georgia, No. 27 North Georgia, No. 34 West Alabama, RV Delta State, RV Columbus State, RV Valdosta State and RV Alabama Huntsville)
- UWF starts the year with its highest preseason ranked opponent with No. 20 Florida Southern.
- West Florida will welcome a pair of Peach Belt Conference opponents for April midweek series, including defending PBC Regular Season and Tournament champion Columbus State.
 
For information on UWF athletics, visit GoArgos.com