PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF Softball (4-3) heads North to Georgia this week as they get set for their final non-conference stretch before GSC play begins.
 
UWF will start off in Valdosta, GA Wednesday, where they will face a Gulf South Conference foe in the Valdosta State Blazers (5-5)  in a non-conference double-header. After that, it's off to Columbus, GA for the weekend where West Florida will see neutral-site action against Tusculum (3-4) and Newberry (6-2) of the South Atlantic Conference, and Columbus State (4-6) of the Peach Belt Conference. On their way home Saturday, the team will stop off in Americus, GA for a bout with Georgia Southwestern (3-5). 
 
The Argos are fresh off a 3-0 sweep of Florida Southern and look to ride that momentum into this road stretch. Hannah Harper and Montana Young led the way on the mound last weekend, only allowing a combined two runs in three games against the Mocs. Young added six strikeouts in her eleven innings and Harper allowed no earned runs with only two batters walked in ten innings pitched. Harper leads UWF with a 4.58 ERA so far this season. 
 
At the plate, the Argos relied on power hitting to drive in runs last weekend as graduate student Jessica Ford and North Alabama transfer Jessie Baughan each had a home run in back-to-back games against the Mocs. Ford is in the top two in most major hitting stats for the Argos, while Baughan now leads UWF with seven RBIs on the season. 
 
Maddie Vasquez is the leader in runs, hits, and doubles for UWF after she provided her third multi-hit game of the season against the Mocs Friday. Her .471 batting average is tenth best in the GSC.
 
Week Schedule
 
Wednesday at Valdosta State (DH): 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. CT
Friday vs Tusculum: 11:00 a.m. CT
Friday vs Columbus State: 1:30 p.m. CT
Saturday vs Newberry: 9:30 a.m. CT
Saturday at Georgia Southwestern: 3:30 p.m. CT
 
Scouting Valdosta State
 
The Blazers are 5-5 and currently riding a three-game win streak after beating Eckerd twice and Embry-Riddle last weekend at the Embry-Riddle tournament. They currently sit eighth out of 13 in overall record in the GSC. 
 
Despite their record, the Blazers boast one of the most potent hitting lineups in the GSC statistically. They lead the conference in hits (82), total bases (130) and home runs (12) and are top three in other major categories like RBI's (42), slugging percentage (.485), and base-on-balls (26). 
 
They are led by senior Morgan Hill offensively, who is has a GSC-leading four home runs this season. She is second in the conference with 10 runs scored, sixth in hits, (12) and ninth in slugging percentage (.788). Junior Abby Sulte also leads VSU in several batting categories, and was named the GSC Player of the Week for her performance over the weekend. 
 
On the mound, the Blazers have a rotation between freshman Toree Wofford, junior Madison Lumpp, and graduate student Nadia Zenteno. Wofford was named the GSC Freshman of the week for her six strikeouts and two walks on twelve innings of play at the Embry-Riddle Tournament. Lumpp has a 2.52 ERA which is top 20 in the GSC, and Zenteno leads VSU with 17 strikeouts on the season, good enough for top-10 in the GSC. 
 
Scouting Tusculum   
 
The Pioneers are 3-4 but haven't played a full weekend since the first week of February due to tournament cancelations because of weather. Their last competition was against Hillsdale on Feb. 9 where the Pioneers lost 3-1. 
 
Senior Claire Smeltzer has provided the most run support for Tusculum so far this season, leading the way in hits (9), doubles (5), home runs (2), RBI's (8) and average (.450). The pioneers also boast the leading base-stealer in the South Atlantic Conference in graduate student Danielle Jason, who has already six through seven games. 
 
Tusculum has six pitchers that have seen at least an inning, with four of them having eight or more innings of action so far this year. Ireland Cavanaugh has started the most contests for Tusculum, and currently has a 1-2 record and a 1.86 ERA. The senior right-hander has a team-leading 15 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. Natalie Spaitis has clocked the second-most time on the mound for the Pioneers with 10 innings pitched. The freshman has a 1.88 ERA to go along with 14 strikeouts. 
 
Scouting Columbus State 
 
The Cougars currently are eight out of nine teams in the Peach Belt Conference standings. They are 4-6 on the season but are coming off two dominant wins last weekend at the Red-White Blue Classic. CSU defeated Georgia College 9-0 and Tuskegee University 10-2. This is the second home tournament in a row for Columbus State; so far, they are 2-4 in the confines of Cougar Field.
 
Columbus State has had struggles with pitching and fielding at times this season. The Cougars have the second-most errors in the PBC with 14 already this season. They are also last in the PBC with a team ERA of 5.28. Their 46 earned runs are the most in the conference. 
 
They do show flashes of dominance on the mound with the help of senior Haylee Folds. The Dallas, GA native is top 20 in strikeouts in Division II softball, with 26 already in 2024. 
 
The duo of Caitlyn Canady and Brooke Miller have been the most prolific at the plate for the Cougars, accounting for 21 of CSU's 60 runs scored so far this season. Miller has a team-leading 12 hits with nine runs while Canady has 12 runs with 10 hits. Ansley Collins has also contributed a second-best eleven hits for the Cougars. 
 
Scouting Newberry
 
Newberry is 6-2 and has been dominant offensively in all of their wins this season.    They have outscored opponents by a combined 55-13 in their six wins so far. They've achieved this by having balanced success from all across their batting lineup. 
 
Every single player in the Wolves' main batting rotation has tallied multiple hits, runs, and RBI's eight games into the season. Their team batting average of .356 leads the South Atlantic Conference. Sierra Brogdon is a name to watch for when the Argos take on Newberry, as the senior has five multi-hit games and leads the Wolves in home runs (2), RBI's (10) and hits (12). 
 
Newberry has a main three-pitcher rotation of Jayla Jackson, Lex Glemaker, and Lindsey Foster. Jackson's 2.50 ERA is the best on the roster, and she is tied with Foster for the strikeout lead with nine a piece. Jackson is a perfect 3-0 as a starter this season.
 
Scouting Georgia Southwestern
 
The Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes are 3-5 and currently on a two-game skid. They will have played three other games before they meet with the Argos at the end of Saturday. They mark the third Peach Belt Conference opponent UWF will face this season (UNG, Columbus State). 
 
Junior Rebecca Hazard is a force at the plate for the Hurricanes, leading them in hits (8), RBIs (10), and home runs (2). Her .333 batting average leads the team. Zoe Willis and Malone Aldridge also provide solid stats offensively for GSW and most of their lineup has tallied batting statistics this season. 
 
In the circle, the Hurricanes rely on the arms of Savana Bradford and Graceanne Spears, who have pitched for a combined 45 out of 50 innings the team has played so far. The junior duo has 22 and 19 strikeouts respectively. Spears leads the tandem with a 2.71 ERA.
 
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