LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team prepares for a busy weekend on campus as the Tigers (27-15) host a pair of Gulf South Conference foes. UWA welcomes top-ranked Valdosta State on Saturday, Apr. 14 and plays host to West Georgia on Sunday, Apr. 15. Both twinbills are scheduled for 2 p.m. starts.

With the race to GSC Tournament heating up during the last two weekends of play, all teams are making a push for seeding. UWA is in a dead heat with West Florida as both teams sit 11-7 in conference play. The two squads are just two games back of No. 22 Alabama-Huntsville in the second spot. VSU - the Tigers' opponent on Saturday - sits atop the conference with an unblemished 20-0 mark. West Georgia rounds out the eight teams in the league at 5-15 overall.

Wednesday marked the first installment of NCAA Division II South Region rankings in which the Red and White are ranked sixth. The rankings are used at the end of the regular season to determine seeding in the national tournament.

VSU sits atop the region rankings followed by three Sunshine State Conference members in Tampa, Rollins and Barry respectively. The Tigers are sandwiched between a pair of GSC schools with UAH in fifth and West Florida in seventh. Florida Southern concludes the top eight spots in the rankings with Nova Southeastern in ninth and North Alabama in 10th.

The top eight in the regional rankings make the NCAA tournament, though it is possible for less to qualify if an automatic berth is won by a team outside of the top eight. The automatic berths are granted to the champions of the three conference tournaments in the South Region – the GSC, the Sunshine State Conference, and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Blazers enter the weekend riding a 31-game win streak. Courtney Albritton leads the Red and Black in most offensive categories, including batting average, hits and RBI while VSU houses the top hurler in the conference in ERA, opposing batting average and strikeouts in Alana Hadley.

UWG has dropped three of its last five outings coming into the weekend and six of their last 10 in conference play. The Wolves are led at the dish by Nicole Yancey as the sophomore has picked up where she left off from a season ago. Antoinette Diaz leads in circle with seven wins on the year and a team-best  5.13 ERA.

FRIENDS OF JACLYN
Saturday's doubleheader will be played in the spirit of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation as the Tigers host Valdosta State. For the only time this season, UWA will charge an admission to enter the UWA softball complex of $5 for adults. UWA students will be admitted free with student ID with children 14 and under admitted free. Donations will be accepted will ALL proceeds going to the FOJ Foundation. FOJ is a non-profit organization that pairs college teams with children suffering from pediatric brain tumors. Last March, the UWA softball team was paired with a little girl named Ella. Ella has become an honorary member of the UWA softball team and a true inspiration to the Tiger family. Ella was the second child paired in the entire state of Alabama at the time.

SENIOR DAY
The UWA softball coaches, players and staff will honor its three seniors prior to Sunday's first pitch against West Georgia. Kristen Skinner (Toxey, Ala.), Nicole Bailey (Saraland, Ala.) and Hannah Griffin (Mobile, Ala.) will be recognized during their final home weekend series along with friends and family.

STELLAR SHOUP
Junior Stephanie Shoup has proven a stellar bat for the Tigers moving to second on the team in batting average at .382. Shoup leads the squad in hitting in conference play – batting .411 with 14 RBI. The Oviedo, Fla., native also has a team-best 23 hits, including nine going for extra bases.

SKINNER AMONG THE STRIKEOUT LEADERS AT UWA
Kristen Skinner has etched her name further into the UWA record book with 269 career strikeouts just eight from fourth all-time. The Toxey, Ala., product fanned a team-best 22 batters during her last 10 outings in the circle.

FRESHMAN HURLER IMPRESSIVE
Jessica Brock has been spectacular in the circle for the Tigers this season. The Gallion, Ala., product is second in the GSC in wins with 15 and sixth with 87 strikeouts in her first season with the Red and White.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR SCHICK
Rebecca Schick has picked up where she left off a season ago. The New Orleans native has cranked out 12 homeruns on the season to bring her career total to 20. In 2011, Schick finished third on the squad in homeruns. The sophomore also leads the Tigers with 44 RBI on the campaign.  

ATKINSON GETS CAREER 300TH
In a sweep of Stillman on Tuesday evening, Tiger skipper Will Atkinson picked up his 300th career win. Atkinson logged his 100th victory in Livingston also against the Tigers.

STILLMAN SWEEP
Taylor Beck and Stephanie Shoup each went 4-for-8 at the dish while driving in three runs apiece. Kristen Skinner registered a season-high tying mark of eight strikeouts en route to a 5-2 win. Jessica Brock tossed her third shutout of the season in a 9-0, complete game win with three hits scatters along with three strikeouts.

TOUGH WEEKEND
After posting back-to-back conference sweeps en route to running to a win streak of five games, West Alabama dropped a pair of GSC doubleheaders to North Alabama and UAH. As a team, the Tigers hit just .204 with a total of 20 hits in 98 at-bats. The Tiger hurlers allowed a combined 25 runs in the four losses with a 5.12 ERA.

BACK-TO-BACK GSC SWEEPS
With sweeps of Christian Brothers and Delta State; West Alabama logged its first back-to-back, GSC sweeps under Atkinson. The four wins helped the Tigers to a 7-1 record during the week.

IMPRESSIVE EIGHT GAMES
During the eight-game stretch that assisted helping UWA into the second spot in the GSC, five Tigers hit .400 or better. Tamara Vickers led the way with a .500 hitting clip and registered 11 hits during the span. Stephanie Shoup recorded an eight-game, hit streak during the span while tying Vickers with 11 hits along with Kelsey Cooper. Shoup also tallied seven RBI which was second on the team. Rebecca Schick recorded a team-best 10 RBI during the span with 10 hits.

SWEPT… TWICE
West Alabama swept GSC Player and Pitcher of the Week twice this season. Jessica Brock has claimed Pitcher of the Week on consecutive weeks while Taylor Miller and Taylor Beck have each taken Player of the Week honors.

NO-HITTER
Jessica Brock pitched a complete game, no-hit shutout for the first time in the Red and White en route to her fourth victory of the season. The freshman registered a career-high 10 strikeouts while walking just four batters in a 10-0 victory over Tuskegee.

HOME SWEET HOME
Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Will Atkinson, the Tigers have recorded a 76-30 mark at the UWA Softball Complex.

NEW FACES FOR 2012
West Alabama welcomes 12 newcomers to the 2012 squad. Among the new faces are GSC top newcomers Jessica Brock, Kelsey Cooper and Stephanie Shoup. The total newcomer lists comprises of eight juniors, a sophomore and three freshmen.

SKINNER NAMED PRESEASON ALL-GSC
Kristen Skinner was tabbed as the lone UWA representative following a stellar first season with the Red and White. Last season, the Toxey, Ala., native tossed 179.2 innings while compiling a 20-2 record and a 2.10 ERA. The senior pitcher recorded three, double-digit strikeout performances en route to fanning a conference-best 178 batters and nabbing first team laurels.

TIGERS LOOKING TO CONTINUE SUCCESS FROM 2011
West Alabama finished its 2012 season with a final record of 38-19 along with a berth in the NCAA South Super Regional. UWA has claimed 38 wins the last two seasons. The Tigers have registered 30-plus wins the last three seasons, including 42 in 2009.