PENSACOLA, Fla. --- UWF prepares for another five game week between Peach Belt Conference and Gulf South Conference opponents.
 
The Argos (13-11 overall, 5-7 GSC) will begin with a two-game non-conference series against No. 9 Columbus State on Tuesday, March 21 at 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, March 22 at 2:00 p.m. at Jim Spooner Field. The team will finish the week in Rome, Ga. for conference play against Shorter in a three-game series at Robert H. Ledbetter Baseball Complex. Contests is set for Friday, March 24 at Noon ET followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, March 25 at Noon ET and 3:00 p.m. ET.
 
Recap vs. North Georgia
The Argos took on the Nighthawks in a midweek two-game non-conference series. The battle fell short for the Argos as both games resulted in 9-8 and 7-3 losses.
 
Mark Townsend hit 4-5 to lead the Argos in game one. He tallied three RBI and scored two runs.
 
North Georgia got a quick 8-0 lead after the third inning. True Fontenot hit a three RBI double to get the Argos on board and close the Nighthawks gap. The Argos scored five more runs throughout the innings to tie the game at eight-all. The Nighthawks took the lead, 9-8, in the top of the ninth that secured the win (March 14).
 
UWF had a stronger start in game two and got up in the first inning off a Preston Moore two RBI double.
 
The Nighthawks tied the game in the seventh and took the lead 4-2 in the top of the eighth. After an inning and a half of play, North Georgia extended the lead 7-3 and took the win (March 15).  
 
Recap vs. Mississippi College
UWF won the series 2-1 against the Choctaws. They took the twinbill on Saturday (March 18) and Mississippi College won the series finale (March 19).
 
In game one, all of the Argos runs happened in the sixth inning. Mike Scordo, Jackson Grabsky and Darrien McDowell earned an RBI each.
 
Jacob Estes entered to pitch in the sixth inning and was awarded his first win of the season. He allowed no runs on two hits in 2.2 innings played. He finished with two strikeouts. Chase Wilkerson tallied two strikeouts in the final 1.1 innings on the mound and was awarded the save.
 
The Argos defeated Mississippi College 5-2 in game two. Major Posey got the win and is now 3-2 on the season. In five innings pitched, he finished with three strikeouts. Chase Stanhope earned his first save after finishing the final two innings on the mound.
 
The Choctaws took the final game 5-4. McDowell and Moore each hit a homerun.
 
Down by a run with loaded bases on two outs in the ninth, the Choctaws withstood UWF's run and found a third strike.
 
Scouting the #9 Columbus State Cougars
The Cougars (19-6 overall, 11-4 PBC) have been ranked in the top-10 for five consecutive weeks. Head coach Greg Appleton enters his 26^th season with a record of 898-462.
 
They were ranked No. 6 last week but dropped down three spots after losing the series to USC Aiken (March 19). This was their first series loss of the season.
 
Junior Derek Wylie leads the batting with an average of .389 in 24 starts. He totals 37 hits, three doubles, two triples and 12 homeruns. His 39 RBI is the most in the PBC. He sits in the top-10 for multiple leader boards in the conference.
 
Three other consistent starters sit above a .300 batting average.
 
Starting pitcher Noah Windhorst is 6-0 in seven appearances and seven starts. He has the second best ERA in the conference at 1.52.
 
Right-handed pitchers Colton Joyner (4-2) and Peyton Burton (3-1) also have made seven appearances on the season.
 
Argos vs. Cougars History
The Cougars have slight 11-10 winning edge since 2007. The Argos have a 4-5 home record at Jim Spooner Field.
 
The Argos had a five-game winning streak from 2009 to 2012 and the latest Argo win occurred in 2017.
 
The last time the teams met up was in 2018 in an away matchup and the Cougars took the win 8-6.
 
Scouting the Shorter Hawks
The Hawks (13-12 overall, 8-7 GSC) sit at No. 6 in the GSC standings. They are coming off a series win against Alabama Huntsville. The Hawks have won three of five conference series played so far.
 
Shorter will take on Clark Atlanta in a single non-conference game Tuesday, March 21 before taking on UWF.
 
Sophomore Thomas Schroeder IV has a batting average of .397 in 24 starts and 24 appearances. He has 31 hits, 10 doubles, a triple and 13 RBI. Following Schroeder is outfielder Kobe Jones. He has 34 hits, seven doubles and a homerun for an average of .370.
 
Two left-handed pitchers have made 10 appearances with seven starts. Tanner Folds (7-2) holds his opponents to a .211 batting average. With an ERA of 2.57, he has allowed 20 runs on 32 hits in 42.0 innings pitched. Starting pitcher Cole McDaniel (1-4) has pitched 25.0 innings and holds his opponents to a .296 batting average.
 
Argos vs. Hawks History
Since 2013, the Argos have taken 20 wins and six losses to the Hawks. They have only played five games in Rome, Ga. and have a 3-2 record.
 
UWF won the series 2-1 in 2022. After losing game one in extra inning, they won the following two games. Estes was awarded the save in game two. In the final game, Tyler Dowdy got the win and Dilan Lawson earned the save.