PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida softball team was selected as the No. 1 team in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Poll, the league announced Thursday. In addition to the top ranking, Haley Guffey, Hannah Harper, and Emma Brice were named to the Preseason All-GSC Team, while Meg Fountain, Brianna Adams, and Miranda Harmon earned spots on the GSC Newcomers to Watch List.
 
Brice earned Preseason All-GSC honors after serving as one of UWF's most reliable players in 2025. The senior infielder was one of five Argonauts to start all 55 games, seeing most of her time at second base before shifting to third base late in the season. At the plate, she hit .335 with 56 hits and 29 runs, leading the team with 14 doubles, which ranked fifth in the GSC, while adding a triple and four home runs. Brice drove in 33 RBIs, totaled 84 bases for a .503 slugging percentage, and posted a .353 on-base percentage, while also contributing five sacrifice hits and four stolen bases. Defensively, she recorded 72 putouts and 103 assists, turning four double plays and finishing the season ranked in the team's top five in hits, doubles, and RBIs.
 
Harper earned preseason recognition after delivering one of the most complete two-way seasons in the league during the 2025 campaign. The senior pitcher/first baseman started all 55 games, serving as one of the Argonauts' primary arms in the circle while anchoring the lineup at first base. Offensively, Harper hit .351 with 60 hits, 27 runs, 12 doubles, a triple, and tied the team lead with eight home runs, driving in 39 RBIs while posting a .573 slugging percentage and .392 on-base percentage. In the circle, she compiled a 14–7 record with a 2.96 ERA, one shutout, and 61 strikeouts. Harper also provided steady defense at first base with 238 putouts and 66 assists, and capped her season by earning GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after leading UWF to the conference championship with three wins, a save, and just one earned run allowed in 13 innings.
 
Guffey, a senior right-handed pitcher, earned Preseason All-GSC honors after anchoring the Argonauts' pitching staff with a historic 2025 season. She appeared in 43 games with 39 starts, the seventh-most starts in program history, and led both UWF and the GSC with a 24–8 record and a 2.11 ERA across 228.2 innings pitched. Guffey logged 24 complete games and a league-best nine shutouts, striking out 126 batters while holding opponents to a .251 batting average. She also contributed defensively, finishing the season with a 1.000 fielding percentage on 56 chances and picking off two baserunners. Her consistency and dominance in the circle positioned her as one of the conference's premier arms entering the upcoming season.
 
Fountain, Adams, and Harmon headline UWF's Newcomers to Watch selections as true freshmen expected to make an immediate impact for the Argonauts this spring.
 
UWF opens the 2026 season on Friday, Jan. 30, with a road doubleheader at Nova Southeastern. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, with live stats available at GoArgos.com.
 
For more information on the UWF softball program, visit GoArgos.com and follow the team on social media at @uwfsoftball (Instagram) and @UWFSoftball (X).