VALDOSTA, Ga. – The final two weeks of the 2015 regular season are upon us, and the Valdosta State Blazers are looking to finish strong, beginning with their final non-conference series on Tuesday against the Golden Rams of Albany State University.
The midweek matchup will feature the second of two doubleheaders on the year between the two programs, with Valdosta State holding a 2-0 advantage after a 4-0, 11-2 sweep of the Golden Rams near the beginning of the season on February 11th.
Valdosta State (42-4) enters the matchup on the heels of a strong weekend in which they swept West Georgia, outscoring the Wolves 25-2 during the three game set. Meanwhile, Albany State (15-23) is coming off of a three game sweep of Paine College in which they outscored their Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent 37-1.
Strong pitching has helped the Blazers overtake and hold National Fastpitch Coaches Association No. 1 ranking in recent weeks, and their effort throughout the 2015 season has helped the staff solidify themselves as one of best in the country. Led by Caitlyn Calhoun with a record of 24-3, Valdosta State holds a collective earned run average of 1.33, which ranks third in all of Division II. Huntyre Elling and Maci Fletcher have helped bolster the contingent with a combined 20 wins and just one loss. Both Elling and Calhoun rank among the top six of all Gulf South Conference pitchers in wins, ERA, and batting average against.
On the offensive side, Jaime Phillips continues to lead the conference in a multitude of categories, including home runs (15), slugging percentage (.893), on base percentage (.571), runs scored (56), and walks (42). In addition, Chelsea Canara is currently tied for first with 14 doubles, and Fran Johnson ranks fourth in the league in stolen bases. Johnson, in fact, has stolen 45 consecutive bases without being caught, a streak that dates back to February 15th of 2014.
Tuesday's twin bill is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park, with live coverage available right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
