PENSACOLA, Fla. --- The University of West Florida baseball team will conclude regular season at home with a three-game conference series over GSC top-seed, Lee. The series will open with a single game on Friday, April 26 at 5:00 p.m. and follow with a Saturday double header at 1:00 p.m. at Jim Spooner Field. 10 seniors will be celebrated prior to the start of Saturday's game.
Tickets are $7 for general admission, $10 for chair backs and $5 for military and seniors. Free admission for students that provide a valid nautilus ID.
About UWF
Argos clinched a GSC Championship berth after going 2-2 in last week's contests. UWF sits at No. 3 in the conference standings with a 26-18, 16-11 GSC record.
Darrien McDowell leads the GSC offensively with a .439 average. In 44 consecutive starts, McDowell's racked up 72 hits. He is top-10 in DII in this category. The Pensacola, Fla. native totals 20 home runs this season. He averages 0.45 home runs per game which is second best in DII. McDowell is top in the conference in slugging (.890%) and OB% (.555). In addition to his 72 hits and 20 home runs, he totals 14 doubles to lead the GSC with 63 RBI.
Jadon Fryman follows McDowell offensively with a .370 average. He tallies 60 hits, 13 doubles, a triple and four home runs for 32 RBI. He's got a .534 slugging percentage and a .444 on-base percentage for a team second-best.
Right handed pitcher
Kade Manderscheid records a team-best and GSC fourth-best ERA of 3.34. He holds the fourth most wins in the GSC and records a 7-2 record on the mound in 10 starts. He allowed 23 earned runs which is a GSC fourth best. Manderscheid leads the pitched squad with 56 strikeouts.
Another threat on the mound is
Jacob Heath. The junior sees the team's second-best ERA of 3.41. He is 6-4 on the mound in eight starts and 17 appearances. Heath holds a top-5 GSC opponent batting average (.251).
Recap Against AUM
Last weekend, UWF opened the series with a 15-7 victory but dropped the following two games to lose the series 2-1 to the Warhawks.
Eight home runs were hit throughout the series – three alone in the series opener. In game one, McDowell hit a grand slam that put the Argos out of a four-run deficit. The Argos went on a 15-0 run from the second to ninth inning to excel over the Warhawks. Fryman and
Preston Moore grabbed a home run each in the game. McDowell led the game going 4-for-4 at the plate with five RBI.
UWF took a game-two walk-off loss. In the ninth inning, UWF was trailing 13-8 and made a comeback to tie the ball game. The Warhawks withstood the comeback and hit a walk-off single to win 14-13.
Auburn Montgomery solidified the series with a 9-6 finale. McDowell and Fryman led the double header with five hits and four RBI each.
Scouting Lee Flames
Lee Flames are the top-seed in the GSC and #13 in the NCBWA national standings with a 34-13, 21-6 GSC record.
The Flames are eight-for-eight in conference series wins. Lee has grabbed three series sweeps during the season over Delta State (Apr. 19-20), Alabama Huntsville (March 29-30) and Christian Brothers (March 23-24). Their latest match was over #8 Young Harris that resulted in a 14-2 loss (Apr. 23).
The Flames hold the second-best batting average (.320) and fielding average (.972) in the GSC.
Offensively, the team is led by Brandon Daniels. The graduate student records a .394 average with 69 hits, 19 doubles and seven homers. He sees a team-high 62 RBI.
Sam Suto follows with a .381 average. Suto leads the team in hits (75), triples (3) and home runs (13).
Starting pitchers Jack Nedrow and Keegan Gagliardo both sit below a 3.00 ERA. Nedrow leads the group with a 2.72 ERA. He is 9-0 on the mound and holds his opponents to a team-best .227 batting average. Gagliardo leads time on the mound with 67.0 IP. In 12 starts and appearances, Gagliardo holds an 8-0 record. Nedrow has a 64-63 edge in strikeouts over Gagliardo.
Argo vs. Flame History
The Argos are 18-9 over the Flames in record history. UWF is 10-4 at home and 11-8 in conference play.
The latest matchup was in the 2023 GSC Tournament. The Argos took an 11-2 victory. In an elimination game,
Dean Hotz blasted a grand slam that broke open a close ball game over the Flames. In the GSC Championship, the Argos outhit the Flames 13-4.
The last time the teams competed in a three-game series was in 2022. The Argos dropped all three matches on the road.
Prior to the losses, UWF was on a six-game winning streak (2019-2021).
After the series, the Argos and Flames will begin post season play at Oxford, Ala. for the GSC Championships beginning May 3.
