ANOTHER WEEKEND AT HOME: The No. 22 UAH softball team continues play at Charger Park this weekend, welcoming Mississippi College for a three-game set. The schedule for the weekend has been altered with the two teams playing a doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Friday before wrapping up the series with a single game at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The Chargers enter the series at 26-12 (16-8 Gulf South Conference).
LAST TIME OUT: A weekend ago, the Chargers swept aside visiting West Alabama including a terrific comeback victory in the series finale that saw the team overcome what was a six-run deficit. UAH then went on the road to face No. 2 North Georgia, falling 6-1 in the series opener before going toe-to-toe with the Nighthakws in a 2-1 setback in the nightcap.
AROUND THE GSC: North Alabama became the first team in the GSC to clinch a spot in the postseason, and the Lions continue to pace the conference at 21-2, ahead of second-place Valdosta State who is 17-6. The Chargers are in third at 16-8, and – making this weekend's series especially pivotal – the team is just a half-game up on fourth-place MC who is 15-8. West Florida (13-9), Delta State (14-10), Montevallo (13-10), and Shorter (10-13) round out the top eight.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN: The Chargers have relied heavily upon their youth this season with a team that features no seniors and just three juniors, and those freshmen have been up to the task. In home runs, the top two positions on UAH's ledger belong to freshmen with
Kiara Akles pacing the team with 10 and
Alaina Hampton just behind with nine, and that pair also is on top in run production as both have driven in 37 runs on the year.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: And
Reagan Malone is having a terrific sophomore campaign for UAH, leading the Chargers in batting average at .453, on-base percentage at .561, slugging percentage at .717, and walks with 25. She leads the team with 14 multi-hit games, and she has reached base in 19 straight games heading into the weekend.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE: The Choctaws visit the Rocket City as owners of a 24-11 record overall, sitting at 15-8 in GSC play, and riding an eight-game winning streak. Makenzie Nieto leads the team in average with a .373 mark at the plate on a squad that has seven who are batting better than .300, while Kayla Murphy has a team-best 29 RBI. In the circle, Cori Cooper leads the way with an 8-1 record, a 2.03 ERA, and 54 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY: UAH is 4-5 all-time against the Choctaws as MC took three of the four meetings last year between two teams including a win in the GSC tournament championship game in Huntsville. The two teams last met in the regular season in the Rocket City in 2016 when the Chargers won the series by taking two out of three.
