VALDOSTA, Ga. -Â Winners of four straight games, Valdosta State looks to continue its recent winning ways as the Blazers host Union in a three-game Gulf South Conference series at Billy Grant Field.
The Blazers currently stand fifth in the GSC standings with a 9-7 record and are 17-10 overall. Meanwhile, Union is 4-24 overall and 2-16 in league play, which places the Bulldogs 12th in the conference standings.
Valdosta State features the best offense in the GSC, and one of the top in the nation, as VSU bats .343 as a team and scores 8.0 runs per game, both of which lead the conference. VSU also leads the GSC in doubles and slugging percentage and has hit a conference-high 30 home runs.
Three Valdosta State players currently bat higher than .400, led by
Hayden Jones, who leads the GSC with a .433 batting average.
Kevin Cruz is right behind at .432 while
Michael Gouge bats .410.
Bryant Hayman leads the GSC in home runs with eight and in runs batted in with 34. In fact, Cruz (2nd), Jones (3rd) and Gouge (5th) also rank among the league leaders in home runs.
The Blazer pitching staff owns a 4.94 earned run average and holds foes to a .261 batting average.
Kyle Andre paces the squad with a 2.72 ERA to go along with a 4-1 record while
Mitchell Cody is also 4-1 with a 3.62 ERA.
Union bats .218 as a team and scores 2.9 runs per game. Jim Martin leads the UU squad with a .363 batting average as well as with 14 RBI. Meanwhile, the Bulldog pitching staff possesses a 5.66 ERA and allows foes to hit .312. Teddy Christie has tallied a 1-4 record and a 4.30 ERA in eight starts for Union.
The series begins with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday followed by a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
