ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The No. 23 UAH softball team continues Gulf South Conference play this weekend, traveling to Union for a three-game set that starts with a single game at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and concludes with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Chargers enter the weekend at 28-12 (18-8 GSC).
RANKINGS UPDATE: The Chargers slipped one spot in the NFCA Division II to No. 23 after going 2-2 last week the setbacks coming at the hands of No. 2 North Georgia who also received three first-place votes this week. Other GSC schools in the rankings include No. 5 North Alabama and No. 15 West Florida.
MORE RANKINGS NEWS: The initial edition of the ever-important NCAA regional rankings was announced on Wednesday, and the Chargers checked in at No. 5. North Alabama is first followed by Palm Beach Atlantic in second and Embry-Riddle at No. 3, while Saint Leo is the fourth team in the poll. Valdosta State follows behind the Chargers in sixth, while Florida Tech is seventh and West Florida is eighth. The poll is used at the end of regular season and conference tournament play to seed the NCAA South Regional portion of the national tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: The Chargers bounced back from the pair of setbacks at North Georgia with a pair of victories against Mississippi College at home, winning 8-4 and then in walk-off fashion by a 7-6 score. The final game of the series was washed out by rain on Saturday.
AROUND THE GSC: Three teams have now clinched a spot in the GSC tournament as Valdosta State and UAH joined North Alabama last weekend. UNA continues to sit first at 24-2, while VSU is in second at 19-7, just ahead of the Chargers and their 18-8 mark. Mississippi College and West Florida are tied for fourth at 15-10.
ENJOYING CONFERENCE PLAY: Freshman
Shelby Booker has been impressive overall but especially in conference play as she is batting .404 against GSC opponents while scoring 30 of her team-high 41 runs in league action. Additionally, she is 13-for-15 in stolen bases against the GSC.
KNOCKING THEM IN: UAH leads the GSC heading into this weekend in RBI as the team has 280 on the season. The Chargers are one of only two teams to have multiple players in the top 10 individually in the league in RBI as both
Kiara Akles and
Alaina Hampton are tied for third in the GSC with 38 RBI on the season.
ABOUT UNION: The Bulldogs enter play this weekend at 16-26 overall and 7-19 in GSC play, but the squad is 10-11 in Jackson. Gabby Morris leads the team offensively with a .416 average, six triples, seven home runs, and 28 RBI, and she has a team-best 11 wins in the circle to go along with 115 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY: The Chargers are 13-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, and the team swept the series from Union a year ago in the Rocket City.
