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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida baseball team (21-12, 13-8 GSC) will play its highest ranked opponent of 2017 on Tuesday and Wednesday when it welcomes No. 5 North Georgia to Jim Spooner Field. The two-game midweek series begins tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. and will wrap up on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Fans unable to attend can watch a live video and audio broadcast at GoArgos.com/live.
Jackson Smith will get the ball for the Argos on Tuesday and he brings a 2.83 ERA and 5-1 record into his midweek start.
West Florida went into this past weekend's series against Union having won 10 in a row, but the winning streak came to an abrupt end as the Argos dropped 2-of-3 against Union to suffer its first-ever series loss to the Bulldogs. The Argos entered the series with a 14-1 record all-time against Union.
Notable performances against Union include
Tanner Halstead, who led the team with a .500 average in the series.
Justin Ambrosino and
Brandon Harmon each went 4-for-13 for a .308 average in the series.
Nick Kerkmann had a career day in the series finale, posting a career-high four RBI and hitting his first home run of the season in UWF's 6-5 setback.
The matchup with North Georgia is the second time this year UWF will play a nationally ranked opponent. UWF opened the season with No. 20 Florida Southern.
The Argos currently lead the Gulf South Conference in earned run average (3.52), fielding percentage (.965), hits allowed per nine innings (8.48), walks/hits per inning pitched (1.29) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.10).
Among national leaders,
Justin Ambrosino is 17
th in Division II with 42 RBI.
Chase Kiefer's 23 stolen bases are eighth most in the country and he recently broke the UWF career steals record by swiping his 78
thcareer bag in Saturday's series opener against Union. Kiefer has stolen 80 bases in his career and with three more steals he will enter the GSC's top 10 career leaders.
In Monday's NCBWA regional rankings, UWF ranks No. 8 and is the fourth highest GSC club ranked.
North Georgia has won three of its last four, including two decisive victories over Montevallo over the weekend. UNG closed its series with the Falcons with a 15-4 win.
The Nighthawks are 25-7 in 2017 this year with a 7-3 road mark. The team is 11-4 in Peach Belt Conference action and is a game up on Flagler for the PBC's top spot.
The UNG lineup features a pair of offensive standouts, including Michael Gouge who is hitting a Peach Belt-best .446 with eight home runs and 47 RBI. Connor Hoover is hitting .386 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI.
The Argos will host Greek Day as part of Wednesday afternoon's contest.
To stay updated on all things UWF baseball, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball.
