PENSACOLA, Fla. --- The University of West Florida baseball team begins their seven-game road slate on Friday, April 12 at Montevallo. The three-game conference series will open with a single game on Friday at 5:00 p.m. followed by a Saturday (Apr. 13) double header at Noon.
 
Recap of Last Week
The Argos (23-14, 14-7 GSC) have dropped to No. 4 in the conference standings and No. 6 in the South regional standings.
 
UWF went 2-3 last week after going 1-1 with North Georgia followed with a three-game series against Union. The Argos dropped their second conference series of the season after falling 2-1 to Union this past weekend.
 
Trent Jeffcoat led the pack with eight hits. Half of his hits came from a single game that resulted in a 23-0 victory. Jeffcoat went 4-for-4 at the plate to lead the game.
 
23 runs tied the program record of most runs scored in a single game.
 
Dean Hotz and Preston Moore each grabbed a single-game career high RBI during the series. They were both recorded in the 23-0 victory as well. Hotz went 3-for-3. He tallied five RBI off two singles and a double. Preston Moore grabbed six total RBI on a grand slam, a single and a ground hit.
 
Over Union, the Argos opened with a 9-7 loss but tied the series at 1-1 after shutting the Bulldogs out in a 23-0 win. The Argos dropped game three, 5-4 after Union went on a five-run final inning streak to take the win.
 
About UWF
The Argos are led offensively by Darrien McDowell with a .420 average. McDowell's average is the second best in the GSC and is one of six conference players above a .400 average. McDowell leads the team with 58 hits, 14 doubles and 14 home runs. His 14 home runs tie the program record for most home runs hit in a single season. That record was set in the 2023 season by McDowell himself.
 
Jackson Grabsky follows McDowell with a .341 average. He is third on the team in hits (47) and tallies four doubles for 21 RBI. Jeffcoat sees a .336 average for a third-best average this season. He is one hit above Grabsky (48) and records 22 RBI. He leads the team with a pair of triples.
 
Kade Manderscheid leads the pitching squad with a 2.53 ERA. He has pitched three complete games in 10 appearances. He records the most strikeouts of the group with 53. Manderscheid is 7-1 on the mound. Dalton Neuschwander leads with 62.0 innings pitched. He holds a 3.19 ERA. Jacob Heath grabbed the lone win this past weekend to improve his record to 5-3. He holds his opponents to a .246 batting average. Heath records the team's second-best ERA of 2.98.
 
Scouting Montevallo Falcons
The Falcons (21-17, 12-9 GSC) sit two spots below the Argos in the conference rankings.
 
Montevallo is coming off a 3-0 series loss to Shorter (Apr. 5-6). They are on a five-game losing streak after an additional two losses from Valdosta State that happened the week prior (March 29-30).
 
The team has grabbed six series wins, four of which were over conference opponents. The Falcons have grabbed two sweeps in the season that happened against Mississippi College and Alabama Huntsville.
 
In the past 10 contests, the Falcons are 3-7.
 
The team is offensively led by junior Connor Crowson with a .364 average. Crowson leads with 52 hits, seven home runs and 35 RBI in 38 consecutive starts.
 
Junior Logan Harbin follows with a .331 average. He records 42 hits and leads with 10 doubles for the team's third most RBI (27).
 
Senior Gino Cozzi leads the pitching crew with a 3.88 ERA. The right-hander is 5-2 in 10 appearances and starts. He leads with 53.1 innings pitched and holds the best opponent batting average of .212.
 
Logan Samuels leads the pack with 56 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched. He records the second most wins on the mound and is 3-3 on the season.
 
Argo vs. Falcon History
The Argos are 24-18 over the Falcons. They are on a four-game winning streak (2023) after breaking a five-game losing streak (2022-2023).
 
The teams played each other five times in the 2023 season alone. The Argos grabbed a 2-1 series win, a victory in the GSC Tournament and finished with a triumph in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Over the five contests in 2023, UWF outscored the Falcons 31-13.
 
The Argos are 9-13 on the road and 10-11 in conference play over the Falcons.