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PENSACOLA, Fla. – No. 20 UWF baseball (21-9, 11-3 GSC) will take on West Georgia (19-10, 8-7 GSC) in a conference home series this weekend. The teams will play a doubleheader at Jim Spooner Field starting at 2:00 p.m. Friday and wrap the series with a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
The Argos have won 16 of their last 17 games and now own a 14-2 home record in 2018. The team has won 12 straight at Jim Spooner Field. The games will be the final in March for UWF. During the month, the Argos are 14-1.
The series will be a battle of two of the conference's best offenses. The Argos currently lead the Gulf South with a .324 team average. West Georgia is currently second with a .323 team average.
UWF MOVES INTO NATIONAL TOP 25
* UWF baseball has entered the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Top 25 for the first time this season. The Argonauts checked in at No. 20 in the latest national poll released March 28.
* The Argos earned the second highest ranking among GSC teams. Delta State came in this week at No. 8. Tampa was the top South Region team in the poll, garnering 383 points to jump nine spots to No. 3. Florida Southern checked in at No. 12.
ARGOS CHECK IN AT NO. 4 IN SOUTH REGION
* UWF baseball rose once again in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II South Region Top 10, checking in at a season-best No. 4.
* This is the third straight week in the Top 10 for West Florida. The team entered the poll tied for ninth with West Georgia and rose to No. 7 last week.
* Tampa (22-5) supplanted Delta State at the top of the NCBWA South Region Poll with 88 points and seven of nine first-place votes. Delta State now sits in second. Florida Southern (23-4-1) is third, West Florida is fourth, and Nova Southeastern (17-9) is fifth. Saint Leo, Mississippi College, North Alabama, Lynn and Palm Beach Atlantic round out the regional poll.
GSC STANDINGS/LEADERS
* The Argos are currently tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference with national No. 8 Delta State. North Alabama is currently 1.5 games behind at 10-5. Mississippi College, Montevallo, Lee, West Georgia and Alabama Huntsville round out the rest of the conference's top 8.
* West Florida currently leads the conference with a .324 team batting average. UWF also leads the conference with a 3.72 ERA and is tied for the conference's top spot with a .966 fielding percentage.
* Matt Sullivan currently leads the Gulf South Conference with 12 doubles. Joey Bend is tied for the conference lead in sacrifice flies with five.
* Brandon Harmon is currently tied for 11th in the conference with a .372 average. Matthew Jones is 17th at .360 and Jacob Silverstein is 19th with a .356 mark.
* Nic Strasser sits sixth in the conference with a .683 slugging percentage. He is tied for eighth with a .477 on-base percentage and is eighth with 30 runs scored.
* Nick Kerkmann is tied for fifth with 32 RBIs. He has reached base in a team-best 12 straight games. After taking four hit-by-pitches vs. UAH, he has moved into sixth in the conference with 10 total HBPs.
* Josh Pahlad currently ranks fifth in the conference in ERA at 0.49. Alex Knight ranks tied-for-sixth with an ERA that stands at 0.57.
DINESEN STEPS UP
* Playing in the place of an injured Nic Strasser, sophomore Mason Dinesen enjoyed an excellent series vs. Alabama Huntsville. The Ave Maria transfer had six hits, including a crucial three-run home run in Game 1, over 11 at-bats. He picked up four RBIs over the series.
* Dinesen has ten hits, seven runs scored and four RBIs over his last five games. He has improved his batting average by 67 points since March 10.
ARGOS GO 5-0 FOR THE WEEK
* UWF baseball took two from Albany State Mar. 20 and 21 by finals of 15-10 and 15-5.
* The team opened the series with a 15-10 slugfest victory at Albany State. The Argos got a combined nine RBIs from Nic Strasser and Nick Kerkmann and hung on after building a large early lead in support of starter Hunter Lucas.
* Bryant Harris Jr. came off the bench late to lead UWF with three RBIs in Game 2. Brandon Harmon, Joey Bend, Silverstein, Sullivan and Jones all finished the day with two RBIs.The Argos outhit the Golden Rams 17-6. Trevor Payne finished with two hits and four runs scored. Every spot in the order reached and eight of the nine spots finished with at least one run.
* Dylan Mills-Derouen got the start for the Argos in Game 1 vs. UAH Saturday and went seven innings while scattering seven hits and allowing just two runs (two earned). He struck out seven and threw 104 pitches, keeping UWF in the game and ultimately taking the no-decision. An RBI walk by Matthew Estrada tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth. The Argos left the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh. After Josh Pahlad, who picked up the win to move to 3-0, induced a key double play to work around a leadoff walk in the eighth, the Argos exploded for five runs vs. the UAH bullpen. The five-run frame was highlighted by Dinesen's blast.
* Tony Kucera got the start for UWF in Game 2 and pitched very effectively for six innings. He allowed just two runs (two earned) on six hits. He struck out two and walked two in moving to 4-1 on the 2018 season. Alex Knight picked up his second save of the season by working around a leadoff single and stranding pinch runner Zach Duvall on third to end the game.
* UWF baseball completed the sweep over Alabama Huntsville (14-13, 8-7 GSC) Sunday at Jim Spooner Field, downing the Chargers 9-6. Matthew Estrada finished with a home run, the first of his college career, plus three RBIs. Kirk Maddox earned his third win, and Whitt Davis picked up his second save. The Argos are now tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference with No. 2 Delta State.
SCOUTING WEST GEORGIA
* The Wolves are 19-10 overall this season and 8-7 in conference play. The team is 9-7 at home and 10-3 away. West Georgia has lost three of its last five but is coming off a 14-1 win vs. Miles College.
* West Georgia is second in the conference with a .323 team average. The team is ninth with a 4.78 ERA. The Wolves are tied for seventh with a .960 fielding percentage.
* UWG is led offensively by Cade Marlowe, who is third in the conference with a .403 average. Marlowe is second in the GSC with 48 total hits.
* Brady Barnes is fourth with a .400 average. Price Peters is 7th with a .387 average. Peters is fourth in the GSC in slugging percentage at .710. Peters is fourth in OBP at .508. Barnes is fifth at .500. Ben Utley is seventh at .482.
* Peters ranks second in the GSC with 39 total RBIs and is tied for third with 10 doubles.
* Logan Taylor is tied for first in the Gulf South with five sacrifice flies.
* Pitcher Andres Fernandez ranks fourth in the conference with 53 strikeouts and second with 19 strikeouts looking. Dalton Reagin is tied for third with 3 saves.
* UWF and UWG have played very evenly over the last 25+ years. In the last 71 games between the two teams, the Argos have won 36 and the Wolves have won 35.
For the latest news on the Argos, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball.
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