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PENSACOLA, Fla. - The third ranked UWF Baseball Team will look to capture their first Gulf South Conference Tournament title since the 2007 season as they host Delta State, May 18-20 at Jim Spooner Field.  First pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday is set for 6 p.m. with Thursday's game, if necessary, set for 2 p.m.

West Florida (32-8, 28-8 in the GSC), is hosting based on the fact that they are the highest seed remaining in the tournament.  The Argos come into the series as winners of their last seven games, which includes a 3-0 mark in Oxford, Alabama at the GSC Tournament.  UWF outscored their opponents 24-13 at the tournament, as they scored at least six runs in each contest.  In 2021, the Argos have posted a +138 run differential, which is the best mark in the league.

Evan Floyd, holding a 8-1 record as a starter this year, pitched a gem in the opening game of the tournament against West Georgia.  The right-hander threw his third complete game of the year, allowing only three hits and one walk while tying his season-high with 11 strikeouts.  UWF's bullpen was also stout in the three games in Oxford as relievers Alex Knight and Brendon Case each posted a save in games two and three.  Knight, a redshirt senior, gave the team four scoreless innings combined in back-to-back appearances, while Case struck out two in 1.1 innings to earn the save against Lee, advancing UWF to the championship series.

Offensively, UWF slugged their way in Oxford, as they posted 11 doubles, three home runs, and 36 hits in the three contests.  Cullan O'Shea recorded his first-career grand slam in the victory over Lee as the first baseman led the way with four RBI's in the contest.  Tallying two of the six doubles in the contest, Cullan hit a home run the game before against Alabama Huntsville.  Tyler Dowdy, starting as the designated hitter in games one and three, launched his first career home run in the win over West Georgia while Dylan Menhennett continued his hot streak as the centerfielder tied the school record with a hit in his 29th straight game.  On the year, West Florida leads the GSC with a .319 batting average, the fifth best mark in school history, as the Argos have 10 or more hits in 18 of their past 20 games.

Menhennett Chasing Records: Menhennett, the primary centerfielder for UWF, has been the most consistent hitter for the Argos in 2021.  Leading the team in hits (64), batting average (.403), OPS (1.118), slugging percentage (.648) and total bases (103), Dylan is also tied for the team lead in home runs (8), runs scored (43) and RBI's (41).  With a hit in 29 straight games, Menhennett is tied with Stephen Jackson who played in 1998, for the UWF school record.  Dylan is also in the top 10 in a single-season in program history in batting average and slugging percentage while he continues to seek the top 10 mark in hits, runs, RBI's, home runs and total bases.  The redshirt senior is also in the top 50 in the nation in total bases.

The Alaskan Assassin: Evan Floyd has been one of the top starters in the GSC in 2021.  Leading the Argos in starts (13), wins (8), earned run average (2.78), complete games (3), shutouts (2), innings pitched (81) and strikeouts (84), Floyd also ranks third in the GSC in ERA, third in opposing batting average, fifth in innings pitched, fifth in strikeouts, tied for second in wins and fourth in runs allowed.  The Pensacola, Florida native has thrown at least five innings in 12 of his 13 starts and has struck out six or more batters in seven appearances. In his last two starts, Floyd has only allowed 2 runs on five hits while striking out 16 over 16 innings.

Hit Kings: Pacing the GSC in batting average at .319, West Florida has been able to consistently create offense all season long.  The Argonauts rank second in total hits (449), third in runs (308), third in total bases (640), third in slugging percentage (.455) and tied for first in on-base percentage (.396).  Five different players on the team have 40 hits or more while three additional players have reached the 30-hit mark.

O'Shea Heating Up: Dating back to April 26th against West Georgia, O'Shea has provided pop in the two-hole in the Argo line-up.  The first baseman has four home runs, 10 hits,  scored nine runs and driven in 12 runs over that span.  With his two home runs and two doubles in three games in Oxford, O'Shea moved into a tie for first place on the team in home runs (8), RBI's (41) and runs scored (13), while he extended team lead in doubles with 13.  He also is now second on the squad in slugging (.584) and total bases (94).

Weekend Extras: This weekend, tickets are five dollars and it is first come, first serve.  Children under five years of age are able to get into the stadium for free and there is no series pass for this week.  The attendance capacity is set for 50 percent and masks and social distancing are encouraged.  Additionally, the first 100 UWF students with a valid UWF student ID, get in for free.

Evan Floyd is expected to start game one for the Argos, with Tyler Dowdy following as the starter in game two of the series.

Scouting Delta State: The Statesmen (27-16, 21-14 in the GSC) are led by coach Rodney Batts, who is in his second season with the program.  DSU has slugged their way into the GSC Tournament Championship series as the lead the conference and are 16th in the nation in home runs with 68 and are also first in the league in slugging percentage at .497.  Four Statesmen have at least 10 doubles on the year in Hayden White, Kirkland Trahan, Jake Barlow and Blayke Dendy.  White, Dendy and Barlow all have at least 10 home runs on the season with Barlow leading the pack with 17 which are the second most in the league and 10th most in all of Division II.  Barlow is also in the top of the league in slugging percentage, runs scored, RBI's and at-bats.

On the mound, DSU is led by starter, Hunter Riggins.  A second-team all-conference member, Riggins is second in the league in ERA (2.74), first in innings pitched (102), sixth in strikeouts (82) and tied for second in wins (8).  The right-hander has thrown four complete games and has struck out eight or more batters in six contests this year.

Series History: Dating back to 2006, West Florida is 25-23 against Delta State.  UWF has also posted an 18-11 mark against DSU at Jim Spooner Field in that time span.  Earlier this season, the Argos took two out of three from the Statesmen in Pensacola as West Florida scored seven runs in the last two games of the series.  Menhennett and O'Shea recorded two hits each in the final two games, while O'Shea recorded his first career save in game two.

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