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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The 22nd-ranked University of West Florida softball team hosts Lee in a three-game series this weekend, starting at 1 pm on Saturday afternoon. Saturday will be a doubleheader, and Sunday's series finale will also start at 1 pm.
 
West Florida is 27-12 overall and 19-7 in Gulf South Conference play, while Lee is 17-18 overall and 14-13 in the league. UWF and Lee have not met since 2019.
 
All three games will feature a live broadcast and live stats. Links for each can be found above or at GoArgos.com.
 
The program will be celebrating Senior Day on Saturday after the doubleheader.
 
University of West Florida athletics has increased attendance to 25 percent capacity for all softball home games at the UWF Softball Complex. Each game is first come, first serve to the general public. A set number of tickets will be held aside for Argonaut Athletic Club Booster members. AAC members can collect their tickets at the ticket window on gameday with their booster club card. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for seniors, military members, and visiting students, and free for UWF students, UWF faculty and staff, and children under 6 years old.
 
Gates will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch. Tailgating in the parking lot is not allowed, and, as a reminder, pets are not allowed. Face coverings and at least six feet of social distancing will be required by spectators and staff at the UWF Softball Complex. All other COVID-19 visitor compliance guidelines must be followed.  
 
SCOUTING LEE
Lee stands in the middle of the pack in the Gulf South Conference as we enter the final week of the regular season, holding a 17-18 overall record and a 14-13 record in GSC play.
 
The Flames are a solid 16-7 at home but are just 1-11 on the road this year. That one road win at West Alabama, however, started the four-game winning streak the Lady Flames are currently riding.
 
Lee is one of the better offensive teams in the league. The team has a .318 batting average that ranks third in the GSC and is fourth in the conference in scoring, with 6.4 runs per game. Most impressively, the Lady Flames are seventh in the country with 94 stolen bases this year -- a total headlined by Kayla Louie (24) and Lily Hatcher (23), who are also hitting .368 and .376, respectively. Taylor De Adder and Laney Harris are forces in the middle of the lineup to watch for this weekend.
 
Lee has struggled in the circle, however. The team's 5.31 ERA is 10th in the conference -- De Adder's 4.38 ERA is the best on the team, followed by Madison Barnett's 4.65 mark. Barnett leads the team in innings pitched (87.1), strikeouts (72), and wins (7).
 
UWF is 12-8 all-time against Lee, having won the last three and 10 of the last 12 head-to-head matchups.  
 
ABOUT LAST WEEK
West Florida split a doubleheader at West Georgia last weekend, with the final scheduled game of the series cancelled due to rain. The split kept UWF in fourth place in the Gulf South Conference standings, with a 19-7 record in the league with one weekend left to play.
 
Teala Howard extended her hitting streak to 10 games with hits in each contest against the Wolves, and Ally Merrill set a handful of career bests in Game 2, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, and a career-high 4 RBIs.
 
All three UWF pitchers saw time in the circle last Friday, as Grace Gilbert, Kelsey Sweatt, and Montana Young combined for a 1.62 ERA with just 9 hits allowed over 13 innings of work.
 
OUR SENIORS
This senior class for UWF has played part in some of the biggest moments in Argonaut history. The team has made two trips to the NCAA Championship, in 2017 and 2019, with members of this senior class leading the way.
 
The Argonauts have won 98 games over the last three seasons, with the 2019 club winning the Gulf South Conference, South Region 1, and South Super Regional championships.
 
APRIL, IN SHORT
West Florida has a 9-2 record in April, with series wins over Union and Montevallo, and a split against West Georgia in conference play. The offense has stayed strong, hitting .309 and slugging .502 while averaging 6.5 runs per game.
 
The biggest difference has been in the circle. The Argonauts have thrown to a 2.16 ERA, highlighted by several strong outings from Grace Gilbert and Kelsey Sweatt. Gilbert leads the team with a 1.59 ERA over 22.0 innings, and opponents are hitting just .173 against her, while Sweatt has struck out 51 batters in 37.0 innings. She has double-digit strikeouts in three of her five starts in the month.
 
WE ARE RANKED
After a split weekend with West Georgia on the road, the University of West Florida softball team remains ranked 22nd in the country and is still under consideration for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, as announced Wednesday.
 
UWF has been ranked in every poll since March 7. The Argonauts are joined in the poll by fellow Gulf South Conference teams Valdosta State at No. 2, Auburn Montgomery at No. 11, and Alabama Huntsville at No. 18, while South Region opponent Rollins (No. 15) is also ranked.
 
The complete list of teams under consideration includes Alabama Huntsville, Auburn Montgomery, Rollins, Saint Leo, Tampa, Valdosta State, UWF, and West Georgia. Six teams will make it to the NCAA Tournament from the South Region this year.
 
SLUGGING AWAY
Fans have witnessed one of the most powerful offenses in UWF history this season. The Argonauts have put together a .509 slugging percentage, good for the highest in program history, and have hit 42 home runs, which are the third-most in a single season in UWF history and are the 15th-most in the country.
 
UWF is also seventh in Division II and first in the GSC in doubles (68) -- Courtney McLellan and Ally Merrill each rank second in the conference with 10 apiece.
 
Four Argonauts are slugging .600 or better this season – Jacquelynne Poling (.759), Kara Wilson (.607), Ally Merrill (.667), and Courtney McLellan (.607).
 
The program record for slugging is .476, done by the historic 2005 UWF team that won 60 games and won the GSC Championship. UWF's 42 home runs are the third-most for an Argonaut squad since 1995, behind only the 2005 and 2008 teams.
 
CHASING #100
UWF head coach Ashliegh McLean is in her third season at the helm of the program, and she is already chasing her 100th career win. With a career 98-32 record, she has a better winning percentage through her first three seasons (.754) than any other current Gulf South Conference coach did in their first three seasons, with the exception of Eric Newell at Auburn Montgomery (.780), who started his tenure in the NAIA.
 
McLean's first two years were noteworthy, to say the least -- she led the team to the NCAA Championship and 54 wins in 2019, before going 17-9 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.