LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Softball team continues their home GSC slate this weekend as they play host to the Christian Brothers Buccaneers for a three-game series.

Game One is set for 5:00 p.m. on Friday while Games Two and Three are slated to begin on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

No. 25 West Alabama (11-6, 4-2 GSC) enters the weekend after winning one of their three contests against No. 2 AUM last weekend while Christian Brothers (6-9, 0-6 GSC) were on the wrong end of a sweep against Alabama Huntsville last week.

17 games into the season, UWA claims one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Led by Madison Wright and Eleanor De Block, the Tigers hold a Team ERA of 1.99. Wright will most likely be the Game One starter for West Alabama as she brings a 5-3 record along with a 1.91 ERA, which is sixth best in the conference. For De Block, she will most likely handle Game Two and brings a 6-2 record with a 1.60 ERA into the weekend. De Block's ERA is the second lowest in the GSC as the junior has only allowed an earned run in three of her eight appearances.

At the plate, Marissa Mitchell, Haley Shannon, and Taylor Clegg get on base with regularity. Mitchell leads the team with a .396 batting average and hit her first home run of the season last Friday against AUM, in Grand Slam fashion, to propel the Tigers to a 5-1 win. West Alabama's star Second Baseman has registered seven extra base hits thus far, accumulating a team-high .642 slugging percentage and will look to extend her 11 game hitting streak to 14 this weekend. While Mitchell has shown a mix of contact and power, Shannon has been a hallmark in the leadoff spot, bringing a .364 batting average and a .429 on-base percentage into this weekend's series. For Clegg, she's brought the 'pop' to UWA's lineup, leading the team with a pair of home runs while Ann Marie Stanbridge has excelled with runners in scoring position, accumulating a team-high 15 RBIs. 

With talent filtered throughout the lineup, this weekend is primed to be an explosive one for West Alabama with a Christian Brothers pitching staff coming to town that has struggled to begin the year.

The Bucs bring a 4.66 Team ERA into play this weekend which ranks 10th in the GSC. Gabby Dickerson is the ace of CBU's staff as she holds a team-best 2.33 ERA through 39.0 innings of work. Outside of Dickerson, Christian Brothers isn't getting much production from the rest of their pitching staff as Emily Schooler, Vivian Watts, and Haylee Alberson all have ERAs well over 5.00 and opposing batting averages of .330 and higher.

Offensively, the Buccaneers are batting .279 as a team with Ashley Williamson, Marin Beeson, and Summer Alexander leading the charge. Williamson, a freshman Infielder leads CBU with a .385 batting average and has recorded nine extra base hits, leading to a team-high .635 slugging percentage. For Beeson, she's a pure contact hitter and carries a .308 batting average to Livingston this weekend while Alexander stands as the Bucs' best power bat, holding the team lead in home runs and RBIs with two and 10, respectively.

First pitch for Game One on Friday is set for 5:00 p.m. while Games Two and Three will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.