BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Gulf South Conference released its yearly awards for the 2026 season, and the No. 14 ranked West Florida Argonauts (40-10, 25-8) were well represented, winning two major awards, six all-conference awards, and one selection on the first year of the GSC Golden Glove team. 
 
Head coach Ashliegh McLean wins GSC Coach of the Year after leading the Argos to their best regular record season since 2019, a GSC regular season title, and the No. 1 seed in the GSC Championship. It is her second coach of the year honor with the Argos, as she won it for the first time in 2019.
 
Miranda Harmon won GSC Freshman of the Year after starting all 50 games in center field for the Argos and placing top 10 in multiple hitting statistics in her first year. 
 
The Ponte Vedra Beach native was third in the GSC in runs (53), third in GSC in stolen bases (36-45), and fifth in GSC in hits (59). Her batting average also ranks fourth on team (.349), and she has the most at bats on team, 3rd most in the GSC (with 176). Defensively, she recorded the most putouts among UWF outfielders (92 Chances, 86 PO, 3 AST), holding a .967 fielding percentage.
 
The first team selections consisted of Senior Hannah Harper at First Base, senior Emma Brice at Second Base, and sophomore Nicole Mergen at third base. 
Harper had her best statistical year of her career, ranking in the GSC Top 10 in eight different hitting statistics including being 1st in the GSC in RBI at 54, third in GSC with 64 hits, fourth in doubles in GSC at 17, and 5th in OPS at 1.128.  

Brice is fifth in program history in single-season doubles with 20, and her .352 batting average is top 20 in the conference. She is also tied for ninth in total hits with 57. 

Mergen led the conference in home runs with 15 and is third in RBI with 48. Her .701 slugging percentage is also third best in conference. 

The second team all GSC selections include Harmon, senior pitcher Haley Guffey, and senior outfielder Jessie Baughan. Guffey's 31 starts were tied for most in GSC and she had the second best record in GSC (26-4). She had the most innings pitched, (193.1) the second most shutouts (5) and her 2.35 ERA was fifth best.
Baughan broke the career home runs record with 34 total, hitting nine alone this year. She also totaled five triples, and was sixth overall in slugging (.627). 
 
Mergen also was the first Argo to make the inaugural Golden Glove Team, earning the award for the third base position. She had a team-high 16 putouts versus Union in March, the second most overall putouts, and a .978 fielding percentage.
 
For a full list of GSC softball awards, see the GSC's official release here. 
  The 1-seed Argos face the 8-seed Trevecca Nazarene in the GSC Championship tomorrow in the second game of the day due to a weather reschedule from day 1. UWF will also play a second game tomorrow based on the results of their first. Time and opponent TBA. For news updates, meet results, rosters, bios, schedules, and more, visit GoArgos.com or follow @UWFSoftball on X, Instagram, and Facebook.