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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Fresh off a sweep at Union last weekend, the No. 1-ranked University of West Florida softball team will host Lee in a three-game Gulf South Conference series on Friday and Saturday. UWF stands on top of the GSC standings with a 19-2 conference record, four games ahead of second-place Alabama Huntsville.
 
Fans who can not attend the games can follow the action by clicking the live stats and video links above, or by visiting GoArgos.com/Live.
 
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4 pm, and the Saturday doubleheader is slated for a 1 pm start.
 
Admission to all baseball and softball games will be free this weekend, and donations for Vs. Cancer will be accepted at the ticket entrance. Fans can also donate here.
 
About Lee
Lee enters the weekend near the bottom of the Gulf South Conference standings, but the Lady Flames have several quality wins under their belts this year. Lee took an 8-2 win over No. 8 West Chester early in the year and split a doubleheader against No. 1 North Georgia before taking two of three from Delta State.
 
LU has put together a solid all-around offense, ranking fifth in the GSC with a .301 batting average. The Lady Flames have gotten offense in a few different ways, with the second-most stolen bases (118) in the league and the fourth-best home run hitter -- Abby McKinney, with 10 -- in the GSC.
 
We're Still #1
For a third consecutive week, the University of West Florida softball team has been ranked at the top spot in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, released on Wednesday. The Argonauts are 36-5 and 19-2 in the Gulf South Conference after a sweep over Union last weekend, and UWF will face Lee at the UWF Softball Complex on Friday and Saturday.
 
West Florida garnered 15 of a possible 16 first-place votes in the poll, with No. 2 Central Oklahoma getting the other. The top six teams in the poll remained the same, with UWF at No. 1, Central Oklahoma at No. 2, and North Georgia, Southern Arkansas, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and Grand Valley State keeping the next four spots.
 
The Argos are one of three GSC teams in the poll, with Alabama Huntsville at No. 14 and Valdosta State at No. 19. Additionally, South Region foes Florida Tech and Rollins came in at No. 10 and No. 23, respectively.
 
UWF has the second-best winning percentage (.878) in the country, and the Argonauts rank eighth nationally in batting average (.346), seventh in ERA (1.56), 10th in fielding percentage (.975), 13th in on-base percentage (.422), and 14th in shutouts (11), while leading the GSC in ERA, fielding percentage, and shutouts.
 
No Sweatt
Kelsey Sweatt has been named the Gulf South Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week for the second time this year, after her performance in No. 1 UWF's sweep at Union over the weekend.
 
Sweatt earned the win in a 7-2 victory over Union in Game 2 of the series, with a season-high 11 strikeouts. The sophomore held Union batters to a .200 average in the game, and her 11 strikeouts in a single game are the most for an Argonaut pitcher since February 19, 2018.
 
The Jacksonville, Florida, native leads the GSC in ERA (1.41), opponent batting average (.167), and hits allowed per seven innings (4.16), while also ranking third in wins (12).
 
This is the second time this season that Sweatt has earned weekly conference honors, having earned the same accolade after her performance against Valdosta State in mid-March.
 
Sweatt started games against Montevallo and No. 9 Valdosta State in mid-March. 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.
 
Goodness, Our Pitchers
UWF has been dominant in the circle all year long, with a 1.56 team ERA that ranks seventh in Division II and leads the Gulf South Conference. The trio of Grace Gilbert, Tori Perkins, and Kelsey Sweatt have also totaled 11 shutouts, good for 14th in the country and tops in the GSC.
 
Sweatt (1.41), Gilbert (1.54), and Perkins (1.77) have three of the best four ERAs in the GSC this year, and all three rank in the top five in the conference in opponent batting average, with Sweatt (.167) ranking first. Gilbert leads the league with 16 wins in the circle, and Sweatt is third with 12 victories.
 
Kathleen Smiley Hits Pretty Well
Senior Kathleen Smiley has been nearly unstoppable over the last three weeks, batting .500 (14-28) with 9 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .571. In that time, she has bumped her batting average up from .333 to .381, with four multi-hit games.
 
Since March 10th, Smiley leads UWF with 16 RBIs, 12 walks, and a .532 on-base percentage, and she is second on the team with 20 hits. The week-long stretch against Spring Hill and Delta State two weeks ago has been her best so far. The senior 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.
 
Sweet Relief
West Florida has had one of the best pitching staffs in the country this year, ranking seventh in Division II with a 1.56 team ERA, and Grace Gilbert, Tori Perkins, and Kelsey Sweatt have been even better in relief. Across 40 innings of relief this year, the trio has struck out 41 batters, allowed opponents to hit just .138, and they have allowed just one earned run -- good for a 0.17 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 8th in Division II with a .346 batting average, and the Argos have been even better when it counts. West Florida is hitting an outstanding .355 with runners on and .355 with runners in scoring position.
 
On the flip side, the Argonaut pitching staff has held opponents to a .196 average with runners on, a .211 average with runners in scoring position, and a .199 average with two outs. 
 
Playing Ahead
UWF has been tough to slow down when the team gets ahead this season, posting a 24-0 record when leading after 5 innings and a 29-1 mark when leading after 4 innings. Additionally, the Argonauts are 31-0 when scoring four or more runs, and are 16-1 when leading after just one inning.