LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team returns to Gulf South Conference action this weekend against two nationally-ranked teams. UWA will trek to Valdosta, Ga. to face No. 6 Valdosta State before testing No. 15 West Florida on Sunday in Pensacola, Fla.
The VSU twinbill will get underway at Noon CST, while the UWA-UWF doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. Live stats will be available at www.uwaathletics.com.
The Tigers (20-8) enter the weekend having lost a pair of one-run games to Christian Brothers in Memphis on Monday. The Red and White split with North Alabama on the opening weekend of conference play.
Offensively, UWA is hitting .284 and totaled 77 extra base hits through 28 games. Freshman Anna Shartzer continues to pace the Tiger bats with a .387 average and a team-best 36 hits. The Gulf Shores, Ala.-native has turned in 11 multi-hit games this season. UWA has been aggressive on the base paths with 59 stolen bases in 64 tries. A pair of Tigers is ranked among the leaders in the GSC in stolen bases as Angela Smith ranks second in the league with 12. Jessica Powell is 11 of 13 on the bas paths. In the circle, junior Katie Ford anchors the staff with a 14-2 record and ranks in the top five of the GSC in strikeouts with 93. Senior Jessica Cervantes has recorded six saves on the season, while Hannah Billingsley has made 12 starts in the circle.
VSU (14-2) boasts the top pitching staff in the conference with a 1.05 earned run average and opposing teams are batting .191 against Blazer pitchers. The Argonauts of UWF enters the weekend having the second-best hitting squad n the GSC with a .360 clip at the dish.
