PENSACOLA, Fla. – A series with massive conference and regional implications looms for the red-hot UWF Argonauts (31-12, 18-6) as they prepare for the no. 15 Auburn-Montgomery Warhawks (32-9, 19-5) on the road this weekend.
 
The Argos haven't lost a game in over a month and their 17-game win streak is the longest in the Gulf South Conference. They just avoided losing that streak when they came back from being down 4-7 in the seventh inning of game three against Montevallo. UWF scored four runs in the top of the frame and were once again propelled by extra-base hits and home runs on their way to their fifth straight conference series sweep.
 
UWF has a 9-9 record against the Warhawks since they joined the conference in 2017. The Argos have had recent struggles with AUM on the softball diamond, with a 1-5 record since May of 2021. UWF lost last year's series to the Warhawks 1-2 but did take the last game of the series 9-8. 
 
GSC Standings / First Regional Rankings:
Both the Argos and Warhawks have clinched spots in the GSC Tournament in Oxford, AL coming up the first week of May. What hasn't been decided is what order they will be seeded in. Currently, UWF is tied for second with Mississippi College and Alabama-Huntsville with an 18-6 record. AUM sits one game above at 19-5. UWF has six games conference games left to fight for the no. 1 seed and potentially a regular-season conference championship. 
 
The Argos were featured in the initial 10 teams in consideration for the NCAA south regionals released Wednesday afternoon, in addition to AUM and three other GSC teams. The initial list was only released in alphabetical order, with a statistical ranking coming in the next list released next Wednesday. UWF is 31-12 against in-region opponents and can strengthen their case with potential wins against a ranked team this weekend. 
 
Hannah Harper and UWF's Improved Pitching:
 
 Harper continues to improve as a pitcher week after week, reaching new milestones in year two. The sophomore lefty threw her first no-hitter as an Argonaut last Saturday against Montevallo, earning her a spot on the NFCA Selected top performance list for her third week in a row. 
 
Harper has worked her way into a top-10 ERA in the conference at 3.67, which also leads the Argos. Combined with senior pitcher Montana Young's 3.90 ERA, UWF has the best ERA against in-conference opponents in the GSC. 
 
Jessica Ford Lighting Up the Stat Sheet:
 
Graduate student Jessica Ford was named the GSC Player of the Week and was featured on the NFCA top selected performance list for her play against Montevallo last week. The Virginia native batted 8-10 (.800) with five runs, a double, four home runs, and 13 RBI. 
 
Ford has shot up the conference and team stat rankings in recent weeks, now having 15 homers to make her second on UWF and seventh in the GSC. She also has the thirteenth-most home runs in all of DII softball. 
 
Week Schedule:
  
At Auburn-Montgomery Friday, April 19: 5:00 p.m. CT 
At Auburn-Montgomery Saturday, April 20 (DH): 1:00 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. CT
 
Scouting Auburn-Montgomery: 
 
Auburn-Montgomery enters the weekend on an eight-game win streak. The Warhawks are 13-3 at home in 2024, facing a UWF team that is 11-6 in road games. Most recently, AUM swept West Georgia this past weekend and defeated Alabama-Huntsville in a doubleheader the week before. 
 
The Warhawks have the best team batting average in the conference at .362, also the seventh-best average nationally. They're top three in the conference in runs (325), hits (411) and slugging percentage (.591). 
 
The AUM lineup features two players with the top two batting averages in the GSC, those two being Haley Ann Frank (.488) and Chloe Baynes (.483). Faith Wheat has the seventh best at .446, making three total in the top 10. Baynes leads the GSC with 70 hits this year and is second in runs with 55. Frank is sixth in the conference with 60. 
 
Kat Fallen and Gia Martin are two other names in the AUM lineup who are marked as the power hitting threats of the Warhawks squad. Fallen leads the team with a team leading 14 doubles and 57 RBI while Martin leads with 17 home runs, the third highest total in the GSC. 
 
The Auburn-Montgomery bullpen has the fourth best team ERA in the GSC collectively at 3.59. They have allowed the least runs in the GSC this season so far, with only 146 allowed in 41 games. AUM has started six different pitchers during the year, with each recording at least two wins during the season. 
 
The ace for the Warhawks is Alanna Goble (12-3), a graduate student from Blountsville, Ala. Goble holds a team-best 2.47 ERA, 102 strikeouts on 92 innings pitched. Other options for AUM include Avery Dickerson (6-1) who has 13 appearances with a 4.77 ERA, and Brinkley Yevak (6-1) who averages a 3.27 ERA on 40 innings pitched. 
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Links to Broadcasts and live stats available on the Auburn-Montgomery Softball schedule page and linked above. 
 
Keep up on West Florida Softball by following @UWFSoftball on X, Instagram, and Facebook.