PENSACOLA, Fla. – West Florida Softball (13-8, 2-4) faces two more in-region challenges this weekend when they host the Barry University Buccaneers (13-8, 6-3) and head to Clinton, MS for another Gulf South Conference series against No. 10 Mississippi College (13-3, 3-3).
 
West Florida is coming off of a Gulf South Conference Series win over Alabama-Huntsville where the Argos won two out of three games against the Chargers. Each game was decided by a run, with the Argos winning the last two games 9-8 and 4-3. UWF has won four out of its last five games
 
Barry softball makes its way to Pensacola for the first time since 2022. UWF has a 6-11 record with the Bucs all-time and currently has a two-game losing streak dating back their trip to Miami Shores doubleheader last year. They are also 1-3 against the Bucs in head coach Ashliegh McLean's tenure. The Argos last defeated the Bucs 3-2 at the 2022 Florida Tech Invitational in Cocoa, FL.  
 
The Argos' history with the Choctaws dates back to their first meeting in 2015. Since then, UWF has a 14-9 advantage in the matchup. The most recent meetings between the two have favorite Mississippi College, with the Choctaws sweeping the Argos in Pensacola in mid-march of last year. UWF also split a doubleheader 1-1 in Clinton back in 2022. 
 
Week Schedule
 
Wednesday, March 6 vs Barry (DH): 4:00 / 6:00 p.m. CT
 
Friday, March 8 at No. 10 Mississippi College: 5:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 9 at No. 10 Mississippi College (DH): 1:00 & 3:00 p.m. CT
 
Two Argos Nationally Recognized
 
Sophomores Jessie Baughan and Hannah Harper earned Selected Top Performance honors in this week's Louisville Slugger/Wilson DII Weekly Honors for their play against Spring Hill and Alabama-Huntsville. They were among the top 20 performances of the week nationally and were considered for the Louisville Slugger/ NFCA Player of the Week Awards. 
 
Baughan went 5-for-11 in five games last week for a .454 average. She recorded six runs, a double, three home runs, eight RBI and five walks. The Oak Grove, AL native leads UWF with nine home runs on the season.
 
Harper batted 5-14 for a .357 average with five runs, three doubles, one triple, one home run, and four RBI in addition to her 3 starts on the mound for the Argos.
 
UWF Bats Continue to Shine 
 
UWF batting statistics have worked their way towards the front of the leader boards so far in 2024. The Argos are fourth nationally with 34 home runs on the year, and fifth in doubles with 45. They also rank 11^th in team slugging percentage at .570. Overall, the Argos are tied at no. 21 nationally in total runs on the season with 135. 
 
Scouting Barry 
 
Barry was picked to finish sixth in the SSC Preseason Poll, but currently sits tied for third place in the standings with a 6-3 conference record. The Bucs are coming off a huge 2-1 series win over No. 18 Saint Leo at home. 
 
Senior Maci Barnhart (5-6) is second in the SSC in innings pitched (65.1) and strikeouts (61). Her 2.36 ERA leads Barry's starting pitching rotation. Other potential options for the Bucs include Alexis Martin (6-2) who is tied for third in the conference in wins and fourth in the conference with 41 innings pitched. She is second in ERA with a 3.50, followed by Samantha Rosenberger (2-0) who has seen less starting action but has appeared in 11 games and pitched 26 innings. 
 
The Bucs are third in the SSC in total hits with 156 on the season. They boast eight different players with double digits in hits so far in 2024. Senior Alexis Toledo accounted for a team-leading 20 hits as well as a .313 batting average. 
 
Other major contributors to watch for include Taylor Thompson, who is no. 8 in stolen bases in the SSC with 10 and Cassandra Lee who leads in runs (14) and on-base percentage (.485). Lee's OBP ranks no. 8 in the conference. 
 
Scouting No. 10 Mississippi College
 
The Choctaws are in the middle of the pack in the Gulf South Conference with a 3-3 record early in league play. Mississippi College's last weekend series was two weeks ago against Auburn-Montgomery, where the Choctaws dropped the series 1-2 to the Warhawks. 
 
They rebounded by defeating Arkansas-Monticello by a combined 20-0 in a doubleheader last Tuesday. Mississippi College hosts Ouachita Baptist tonight before welcoming in West Florida starting Friday. 
 
The Choctaws' .330 team batting average and .421 on base percentage are both third best in the GSC. Although they aren't towards the top of the conference in many other hitting statistics, they have relied on their bull pen in many of their wins so far this season. 
 
Mississippi College is second in the GSC in team ERA (2.63) and first in earned runs allowed (39), hits (91), base-on-balls (44) and third in total team strikeouts with 80. They have also allowed the least home runs in the GSC (8) and the third-least doubles (16), two hitting categories the Argos excel in.
 
Brookelyn Cannon's 2.43 ERA leads the Choctaws and sits at third best in the conference. Camryn Bailey has the eleventh best ERA but is responsible for a team-high 50 strikeouts. Madison Jenkins has three starts and 35 innings pitched this season with a 2.80 ERA, placing her at the sixth spot in ERA in the GSC. 
 
Jordan LaFosse leads the Choctaws in many hitting categories including batting average (.441), OPS (1.246), hits (26), doubles (9) and RBI (18). She is second on the team in runs (17) home runs (3) and slugging percentage (.746). 
 
Shelby Samples, McCall Lee and Emily Rigney are other names to watch for Mississippi College as they are all in the top five on the team in all major batting categories and have been main contributors along with LaFosse. 
 
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Links to live stats and broadcasts available on goargos.com
 
Keep up on West Florida Softball by following @UWFSoftball on X, Instagram, and Facebook.