HUNTSVILLE | The No. 5 University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team hosts a pivotal three-game Gulf South Conference series with No. 9 Valdosta State this Saturday and Sunday at Charger Park. UAH will celebrate Military Appreciation Day as part of Saturday's doubleheader at 1 p.m., followed by the series finale on Sunday at noon.

Admission to this weekend's games – and every regular season home game – is free again this season courtesy of Alabama Credit Union.
 
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The Chargers enter the weekend showdown atop the GSC standings with a 33-7 overall record and an 18-2 mark in conference play, which puts the squad a half-game up in the standings over the visiting Blazers who are 18-3 in GSC play this season.
 
UAH is coming off its second consecutive road sweep at Christian Brothers over the weekend, as the Chargers edged out the Bucs by scores of 4-2, 4-3 and 8-5 in the three-game set.
 
The Chargers offense starts out the weekend ranked in the top 25 in the nation in both batting average (.335/23rd), hits (363/13th) and runs per game (6.92/18th), while also rating in the top four in the GSC in each statistical category.
 
The lineup currently features six players batting .300 or higher this season, led by junior Kinley Adams at .455 to rank third in the GSC. Lawren Hayes joins Adams batting above .400 at a .417 clip to go along with a team-high 88 total bases.
 
UAH's pitching currently boasts the second-lowest ERA in the conference in 2023 with a 2.86 team ERA, led by Katie Bracken who paces the GSC with a 1.48 ERA over 89.2 innings pitched. Bracken additionally rates fifth in the league with 104 strikeouts.
 
Valdosta State enters the weekend series with a 32-6 overall record that includes an 18-3 mark in GSC play, following a series win at home against No. 25 West Alabama last weekend. The Blazers offense is guided by Abby Suite who is batting .406 with 19 home runs and 51 RBI, while the VSU pitching staff has a 2.90 team ERA.
 
The Chargers are 73-53 all-time against the Blazers, with VSU winning the most recent matchups last season on Feb. 19-20.
 
After this weekend's series, UAH is back on the road for the final time in the regular season at Union next Friday and Saturday.