NOTES
STATS | VIDEO
BARK AT THE PARK GUIDELINES
 
PENSACOLA, Fla. – After a sweep on the road over Delta State last weekend, the top-ranked team in the country will be back at the UWF Softball Complex this weekend, as the University of West Florida softball team will host Shorter. UWF is 31-4 overall and leads the Gulf South Conference with a 14-1 conference record.
 
Saturday will be UWF's first "Bark at the Park" day at the East Sports Complex, and fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the baseball and softball doubleheaders. Guidelines, rules, and benefits for the event can be found at the link above.
 
UWF will host Shorter in a doubleheader at 1 pm on Saturday before playing a single game on Sunday at noon to wrap up the series. Fans can follow along with all games via live video broadcasts and live stats, which can be found at the links above or by visiting GoArgos.com/Live.
 
About Shorter
Shorter enters the weekend ninth in the Gulf South Conference standings with a 7-10 league record, but the Hawks are just two games out of fifth place, with a logjam of teams in the middle of the conference.
 
Shorter will bring in one of the stronger offenses in the conference to the UWF Softball Complex this weekend, ranking fifth in scoring (5.5 runs per game) and fourth in batting (.310).
 
Dani Lukas and Tiffany Holland have been outstanding in the batter's box for the Hawks this year. Lukas is hitting .450 with 15 extra-base hits and 36 RBIs while slugging .700, and Holland is batting .431 with a team-high 36 runs scored on the year.
 
There's a New No. 1 in Town
For the first time since 2005, the University of West Florida softball team holds the top spot in the National Fastpitch Coaches Assocation poll, the organization announced Wednesday. The Argonauts are 31-4 overall and 14-1 in Gulf South Conference play after sweeping Delta State last weekend.
 
UWF was ranked No. 3 in last week's poll and has the second-best winning percentage (.886) in the country, behind only No. 2 Central Oklahoma (.926). The Argos are the seventh consecutive No. 1 team in the poll, earning eight first-place votes from voting members. Last week's top team, North Georgia, finished third in the poll on Wednesday.
 
West Florida was last ranked No. 1 during its 60-6 season in 2005, a year that marked the most wins since the program moved to Division II.
The Argonauts are among the most well-rounded teams in the country this season, ranking fourth in DII in shutouts (11), fifth in ERA (1.36), ninth in batting (.350), 12th in on-base percentage (.425), and 13th in fielding percentage (.974).
 
Four Gulf South Conference teams were ranked in the poll, including West Florida. Alabama Huntsville moved up to No. 10, Valdosta State came in at No. 16, and Mississippi College is 22nd.
 
Sweet Relief
West Florida has had one of the best pitching staffs in the country this year, ranking sixth in Division II with a 1.36 team ERA, and Grace Gilbert, Tori Perkins, and Kelsey Sweatt have been even better in relief. Across 37.0 innings of relief this year, the trio has struck out 41 batters, allowed opponents to hit just .133, and they have allowed just one earned run -- good for a 0.19 ERA.
 
Perkins, who has thrown 21.0 innings out of the bullpen, has struck out 20 batters and has posted a .113 opponent batting average, both of which lead the group.
 
So Clutch
UWF ranks eighth in Division II with a .350 batting average, and the Argos have been even better when it counts. West Florida is hitting an outstanding .357 with runners on and .364 with runners in scoring position.
 
On the flip side, the Argonaut pitching staff has held opponents to a .190 average with runners on, a .195 average with runners in scoring position, and a .194 average with two outs. 
 
Kathleen Smiley Hits Pretty Well
Senior Kathleen Smiley has been on fire over the last two weeks, hitting .467 and slugging .667 in 12 games since March 10. She has had three multi-hit games in that time and four games with multiple RBIs -- two of each of those came last weekend at Delta State.
 
Since the 10th, Smiley leads UWF with 11 RBIs, 7 walks, and a .550 on-base percentage, and she is second on the team with 14 hits. Last week proved to be her best of the season so far, as she batted .727 (8-11) with a team-high four RBIs, 9 total bases, and .818 slugging percentage. The Pensacola native ranks ninth in UWF history with 19 career home runs.
 
How About Rhiannon Sassman
Senior Rhiannon Sassman has been on a tear in her senior season at West Florida, leading the Gulf South Conference with six triples and ranking in the top 20 in the country in doubles (11; 19th) and RBIs (35; 20th).
 
The senior broke the GSC career triples record on Wednesday, March 13, against Montevallo, passing Lincoln Memorial's Nikki Carter (1993-96) with her 22nd career three-bagger. 
 
Sassman currently ranks seventh in UWF history with a .368 career batting average, fourth with a .601 career slugging percentage, sixth with 43 career doubles, third with 22 career triples, and first with 29 times hit by pitch. Her 22 triples also lead all active Division II softball players, rank second among active players at any NCAA level, and are the most in Gulf South Conference history.
 
Over five games from February 13-17, Sassman tallied 12 hits, scored eight runs, and slugged 1.471, while stealing four bases and not striking out on the way to earning her first GSC Player of the Week nod this year. She hit .900 (9-10) with three doubles, two triples, and two home runs in the weekend series against Christian Brothers, leading the team in each of those categories.