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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The ninth ranked West Florida baseball team will travel to West Georgia this weekend for a crucial three-game set on Sunday and Monday at Cole Field in Carrollton, Georgia.
 
Sunday's double-header will begin at 1 p.m. ET with Monday's single-game slated for 1 p.m. ET.
 
UWF (24-7, 23-7 in the GSC), will play for the first time in 13 days after last capturing a three-game set against Montevallo at home. The Argonauts totaled 24 runs in the final two games against UM, as a Smitty Luttermoser two-run single ended game two in walk-off fashion while 13 combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings secured the series victory in game three.  West Florida will try to make up ground this weekend in the Gulf South Conference as they currently sit in second place behind Lee University.
 
Catcher Sam Clement drove in four runs in the final two games, while Miller Hancock had four hits and four walks in the series. Dylan Menhennett had five hits and reached base eight times over the entire series as he drew three walks.  As a team, the Argonauts walked 22 times at the plate, with 19 of those coming in games two and three.
 
Jason Roberts and Josh Pahlad had key pitching performances as Roberts moved to 2-0 on the year after he tied a career-high with five innings pitched, allowing only two runs (one earned) on six hits with one strikeout. Pahlad was big out of the bullpen as the redshirt junior threw 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with a strikeout to keep the UWF offense within striking distance.
 
A Potent Offense: In 2021, the Argo offense has been a driving force for their success.  Currently, UWF ranks first in the conference in batting average (.312), third in runs (237), fourth in hits (338), fourth in RBI's (210), fourth in total bases (484), fourth in slugging percentage (.447) and second in on-base percentage (.397).  West Florida also ranks in the top 35 in all of Division II in runs scored.
 
Pickle Ball: Menhennett, a redshirt senior from Biloxi, Mississippi has paced the offense all season long.  Riding a 20 game-hitting streak, the fourth longest in program history and the second longest in the GSC this year, Dylan leads the squad in batting average (.393), on-base plus slugging percentage (1.148), runs scored (33), hits (48), home runs (8), RBI's (31) and total bases (83).  Menhennett also ranks in the top ten of the conference in batting average, hits, RBI's, slugging percentage and home runs.
 
The Hitting Trio: Hancock, Cullan O'Shea and Justin Dunnam have provided key contributions offensively.  Hancock, the starting shortstop, is second on the team in batting average (.336), third in runs (27), third in hits (36), second in doubles (7), first in triples (2) and third in total bases (48).  O'Shea, a native of Mobile, Alabama, has been a standout at the plate as the left-handed hitter is batting .323 with a .962 OPS.  He is second on the team in runs scored (32), hits (40) and total bases (67).  Cullan also paces the team in doubles with 11.
 
Dunnam, meanwhile, has picked up his play as of late as the primary left-fielder.  Hitting .313 with a .848 OPS, Justin is also fourth on the team in runs (22), sixth in hits (30), third in doubles (5), and third in RBI's (21).
 
Strikeout Specialists: In 94 appearances this season from their pitchers, the UWF staff has been able to get plenty of swings and misses.  Five different pitchers have fanned 30 or more batters this season with Evan Floyd leading the way with 63.  Floyd, a Pensacola Catholic product, is first on the squad in ERA (2.55), WHIP (.98), complete games (2), innings pitched (60), and batting average against (.199).
 
Along with two other starters in Ryan Brewer and Tyler Dowdy who have 30 strikeouts apiece in over 88 innings of work, the Argo bullpen has also been strong with Pahlad and Sean Means collecting 31 and 30 strikeouts, respectively.  The five pitchers have had six strikeouts or more in 14 different appearances. Floyd is expected to go in game one of the series with Brewer, who has not started since March 20th, going in game two while Dowdy will start game three.
 
Attendance Update: The University of West Georgia attendance policy states that games are free and they recommend social distancing and mask wearing.
 
Argos In The Rankings: Going into this week, the Argos check in at number nine in the latest Collegiate Baseball National Poll and at number three in the South Region Rankings.  GSC foe, Lee University, and Tampa took the top two spots in the region while Florida Southern and Shorter rounded out the top five.  Colorado Mesa, Tampa, Central Missouri, West Texas A&M and Angelo State made up the top five nationally in the Collegiate Baseball Poll.
 
Scouting West Georgia: UWG (14-19, 13-17 in the GSC) is led by coach Jeff Smith who is in his second season with the program.  The Wolves have been electric on offense as they rank third in the conference in batting average (.302), second in hits (345) and third in total bases (510). Player of the year candidate, Dan Oberst, has drove the offense as the first baseman leads the conference in batting average (.421), slugging percentage (.880), triples (five) and hits (56).  He is also tied for second in runs scored (38), RBI's (44) and second in home runs (15).
 
Brody Wortham is another one to watch at the plate as he is second in the conference in batting average (.403) and second in hits (54).  Wortham also is first on the squad in doubles with 10.
 
Series History: Since 2006, UWF is 33-13 against West Georgia, which includes a 16-5 mark when the two teams play in Carrollton.  The Argonauts took two out of three the last time the teams matched up in 2020, as the Argos tallied 14 runs in the deciding game three to clinch the three-game set.

For the latest on the UWF Baseball Team, please visit GoArgos.com or follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball.