No. 3 Seed UAH vs. No. 6 Seed West Florida
WHEN	Thursday, May 3 at 10 a.m.
WHERE	Florence, Ala.
FOLLOW	Live Stats | Live Video
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@GameDayUAH)

HUNTSVILLE | The No. 17 University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team will open up play at the 2018 Gulf South Conference Softball Championship on Thursday as the No. 3 seed in the tournament, taking on sixth-seeded West Florida at 10 a.m. in Florence at the UNA Softball Complex.
 
North Alabama is the host of the event after winning the regular season title.
 
The Chargers earned the third seed in the event after going 34-14 overall in the regular season including a 22-10 mark in GSC play, finishing just behind second-place Valdosta State.
 
UAH is an incredibly balanced team with 10 offensive regulars owning better than a .300 batting average, and the team has seven players that have recorded at least 30 RBI on the season.
 
On Wednesday, the Chargers tied with UNA in the GSC Postseason Awards, grabbing seven all-conference selections to match UNA's total, and UAH's honorees included GSC Co-Freshman of the Year Kiara Akles. Also honored were first-team choices Alaina Hampton, Reagan Malone, Brooke Miller, and Layton Murphy in addition to second-team picks Shelby Booker and Jada Hayes.
 
That balanced effort has led UAH to climb one spot in this week's NFCA Top 25 to No. 17, and the team is also primed for an NCAA tournament berth as the squad is solidly in fourth in this week's edition of the regional rankings which will be used to seed the national tournament at the conclusion of the conference postseason.
 
UAH has made the GSC tournament in each year of the program's existence, going 67-29 in the event with 12 championship appearances including eight tournament titles. Last year's rain-shortened event in Huntsville saw the Chargers beat West Georgia and Valdosta State to reach the final in which Mississippi College knocked off the top-seeded Chargers.
 
Against West Florida in the GSC tournament, the Chargers are 8-9 all-time with the most recent meeting coming in the 2016 tournament at Florence when UWF defeated UAH 9-1.
 
When the two teams met earlier this season in Pensacola, the Chargers won the series, picking up a Saturday sweep with a 3-2 win and a 9-6 victory before the Argos won 7-6 in the series finale.
 
Thursday's opponent is 29-18 overall and posted an 18-13 conference record after taking two of three from Valdosta State in the regular season's final weekend. Grace Gilbert features the team's top average at the plate at .375, and Callan Taylor has driven in a team-best 29 runs. In the circle, UWF is led by Sarah Maloney's 2.08 ERA and 99 strikeouts.
 
The other half of UAH's bracket at the tournament this weekend includes No. 2 seed VSU and seventh-seeded Delta State. The two winners will face each other at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, while the two losing teams will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday.