MONTEVALLO, Ala. — The University of Montevallo softball team will look to continue to leave its mark against ranked opponents this season when the Falcons host fourth-ranked University of West Florida Argonauts for a three-game, two-day series to open Gulf South Conference action.

The series begins on Friday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. CT after both schools agreed to move the start time up three hours due to expected low temperatures Friday night. The series will conclude on Saturday, Feb. 15 with a doubleheader that is slated to start at 2 p.m. CT.

QUICK HITTERS

• Montevallo is coming off a doubleheader split — 11-7, 4-5 — at Spring Hill College on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Prior to that two-game series, the Falcons took one of three from 12th-ranked University of Indianapolis after splitting a Saturday doubleheader then dropping the Sunday finale.
• Haley Barnette has already had a strong start to the week as the senior shortstop has six hits in eight at bats with four runs scored, three runs batted in, two doubles and one home run in two games against Spring Hill College. Barnette leads the lead with a .520 (13-25) batting average. She's slashing .520/.600/1.000 through nine games this season.
• Despite not pitching in two games against Spring Hill, Mychael McMillan's 30 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitches is still more than opposing pitchers have against Montevallo batters (26) in 233 at bats.

SCOUTING THE ARGONAUTS

• West Florida enters this weekend's series having won three games against ranked opponents this season. The Argonauts have beaten ninth-ranked Florida Tech twice and 25th-ranked Saint Leo once, too.
• West Florida had a five-game winning streak snapped last time it took the field as the Argonauts fell to Florida Southern, 1-0, on Sunday, Feb. 9.
• Teala Howard has shown, so far, why she's one of the top players at the Division II level. Through nine games this season, Howard is batting .485 with 16 hits in 33 at bats, scored 12 runs, and totaled a team-high 20 bases. She's one of two .400 hitters for UWF as Grace Gilbert is hitting .406 (13-32) in nine games, too. Gilbert paces the team with 14 runs batted in.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Florida is currently riding a two-game winning streak after beating Montevallo 4-2 and 11-0. The last time Montevallo beat UWF came in Montevallo on April 22, 2018 when the Falcons won 5-4.
• West Florida has the largest margin of victory when the Argonauts won, 11-0, on March 13, 2019.
• Montevallo has a 2-2 all-time record against West Florida in games played in Montevallo.