STATS
 
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The second-ranked University of West Florida softball team will head to Mobile, Alabama, for a single game against Spring Hill on Wednesday, facing the Badgers for the third time this year. First pitch is scheduled for 3 pm.
 
The game can be followed along with live stats, which can be found at the link above or by visiting GoArgos.com.
 
Scouting Spring Hill
UWF hosted Spring Hill in a doubleheader in Pensacola earlier in the year, taking 8-0 and 8-3 wins on February 13. Since that time, the Badgers have gone 8-1 to improve to 11-11 for the year.
 
In that doubleheader, the Argonauts got a 3-for-3 day from Jacquelynne Poling in Game 1 and a three-hit, three-RBI game from Rachel Wright in Game 2, along with a pair of strong pitching performances in each game. Poling and Wright each had four total hits in the doubleheader, and Wright and Mika Garcia had three RBIs apiece.
 
Delaney Thomas has continued to be a tough out for SHC, batting .356 and leading the team in runs (16), hits (21), doubles (6), home runs (3), RBIs (15), slugging (.610), and she still has not struck out this year.
 
UWF is 13-4 all-time against Spring Hill and the Argonauts have won the last 10 games in the series, dating back to 2016.
 
Sweet Relief
West Florida has had one of the best pitching staffs in the country this year, ranking sixth in Division II with a 1.41 team ERA. But Grace Gilbert, Tori Perkins, and Kelsey Sweatt have been even better in relief. Across 30.0 innings of relief this year, the trio has struck out 35 batters, allowed opponents to hit just .136, and they have not allowed a single earned run.
 
Sweatt, who has thrown 10.2 of those relief innings, leads the group with a .114 opponent batting average and 18 strikeouts when coming out of the bullpen.
 
No Sweatt
After posting a 0.70 ERA over two outings last week, sophomore Kelsey Sweatt has earned Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Sweatt is UWF's third student-athlete (Teala Howard, Rhiannon Sassman) to earn a weekly conference award this season.
 
Sweatt started games against Montevallo and No. 9 Valdosta State last week, getting the start in each. The sophomore threw three innings and struck out five batters against Montevallo, allowing only one hit. She earned the win with a complete game effort over VSU allowing just two hits and one earned run.
 
In all, Sweatt struck out 8 batters over 10 innings and allowed a .094 opponents batting average, improving to 9-1 for the season.
 
Sweatt ranks 11th in Division II in hits allowed per seven innings (3.72), and she ranks second in the GSC in opponent batting average (.152), third in strikeouts (75) and ERA (1.43), and fourth in wins (9).
 
Teala Howard Is Only A Freshman
Freshman Teala Howard has been one of the most electric players in the country this year, and after another outstanding weekend at Valdosta State, the rookie leads Division II in hits (48). Howard also ranks sixth in the country in runs per game (1.27), 10th in batting average (.516), and 19th in stolen bases (25). Additionally, she is third in the GSC with a .558 on-base percentage.
 
The Lake Butler, Florida, native is a three-time GSC Freshman of the Week and has recorded multiple hits in 10 of her last 15 games played, including a 4-for-4 day against Montevallo last Wednesday when she scored three runs. In all, Howard leads UWF with 17 multi-hit games for the season.
 
How We've Been Lately
UWF wrapped up a 4-1 week with a series win against Valdosta State on Saturday and Sunday, batting .328 against the Lady Blazers and Montevallo. Howard led the Argonauts with a .643 batting average (9-14) and seven runs scored, while Rhiannon Sassman's three doubles and six RBIs were team highs.
 
Those two were far from the only ones to help out offensively, however. Jacquelynne Poling (5-10) hit an even .500 with a pair of home runs against VSU, and Courtney McLellan added her first career round-tripper on Saturday in Valdosta.
 
UWF dominated in the circle, too, with a 1.75 ERA across 32 innings. Sweatt, Gilbert, and Perkins allowed opponents to hit just .178 and threw three complete games during the week.