Rankings: North Georgia comes into the year at No. 16 in the NFCA preseason top 25 poll, announced earlier this month. Young Harris sits at No. 5. UNG takes on seven teams in the preseason poll this year, including No. 2 Texas A&M - Kingsville in March.
Nighthawks on the Web: Links to both doubleheaders can be found on the UNG Softball schedule page. Fans can also follow the action through Twitter by following the softball team (@UNGSoftball).
Last Year: The Nighthawks went 45-13 a year ago, winning a sixth-straight Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament championship, extending the league record. UNG went to the NCAA Regional before being eliminated for the first time in the regional round at home in program history
Preseason Accolades: UNG takes the top spot in the preseason Peach Belt poll for the fifth year in a row and 10th time since 2009 with six first-place votes and 96 total points. Young Harris took the remaining five first-place votes and 92 total points. Columbus State, Flagler and Georgia College rounded out the top five. In addition, Kylee Smith and Kaylyn Anthony were each named Preseason All-Conference. UNG head coach Mike Davenport was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club's Softball Hall of Fame earlier this month. Davenport currently sports an 860-230 head coaching record, all of which have been at North Georgia. In his 20th year at the helm of the softball program, Davenport has led the Nighthawks to nine Peach Belt regular season and tournament championships, including six straight, as well as 12 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances that includes the 2015 DII National Championship.
Scouting the Opponents: Drury was picked to finish in seventh in the Great Lakes Valley Conference this season after going 36-23 a year ago. Saturday afternoon's showdown will be the first meeting between the Nighthawks and the Panthers. Auburn Montgomery was tabbed third in the preseason Gulf South Conference poll, receiving first place votes in the coaches tabulation. The Warhawks finished with 43 wins in 2019 and return nearly the entire roster from a year ago. UNG leads the all-time series against AUM, 2-1. West Alabama went 30-23 overall and 15-13 in league play last season which helped the team qualify for the GSC Championship Tournament for the first time in five seasons and marked the 18th appearance overall for the program. The Tigers return their top eight hitters including All-GSC Second Team selections Kierra Hague and Grace Self. North Georgia has never lost to UWA, going 10-0. Mississippi College was picked fourth in the Gulf South Conference after finishing with 40 wins a year ago, setting a new school record. The Lady Choctaws were also well-represented on the Preseason All-GSC Team with four players earning the nods following a vote by the league's head coaches. Seniors Morgan Bradford and Carly Crawford joined sophomores Hannah Creel and Annemarie Peavy on the prestigious list. North Georgia is 2-0 against MC all-time.
Gulf Shores Invitational History: In the Gulf Shores Invitational, North Georgia is 19-4, having played in the event every year since 2016.
Season Openers: North Georgia is 12-2 in season openers since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 2006. UNG has won two straight.
Milestone Watch: With six more wins, the UNG softball program will surpass 1,000 program wins since its inception back in 1997. North Georgia has only had one season below .500, the inaugural season.
