VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 13-ranked Valdosta State softball team returns to Gulf South Conference play as it travels to No. 10 Alabama Huntsville for a three game series this weekend.  VSU enters at 19-7 and 6-5 in Gulf South Conference play, while UAH is 24-7 and 10-2 in GSC play.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more on the series at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.  Chris Caray will have the call of the games on 92.1 WDDQ FM. 
 
VSU is coming off a doubleheader sweep of Eckerd earlier this week as VSU posted an 8-0 win in the opener on Tuesday and battled back from a 3-1 deficit with a game-tying home run from Natalia Bellinger in the sixth, her second home run of the day, and a walk-off blast in the bottom of the seventh from junior Haley Garrett for the 4-3 win.  Bellinger went 4 for 5 for the day with three runs scored, one double, two home runs and five RBI.
 
UAH began the season 3-3 and has gone 21-4 since as the Chargers sit second in the league standings, one game behind West Florida.  VSU is seventh in the standings at 6-5. 
 
The Chargers are 12-2 at Charger Park this season with the only losses to then-No. 1 Southern Indiana and one game to Shorter.  UAH had won five-straight games at home heading into the series.  VSU is 3-4 on the road this season and is 0-2 currently on the road with two losses two weeks ago at Mississippi College.  UAH will be the sixth ranked team VSU will play this season as the Blazers are 5-2 against ranked teams in 2019.
 
UAH is led by Shelby Booker who is 49 of 101 from the dish with a team-high 36 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple and 15 RBI.  She has 14 walks and is a perfect 30 for 30 in stolen bases as she is hitting a blistering .485 in 31 starts.  Ashley Cornell is second in average at .434 on 36 of 83 with 25 runs scored, eight doubles and four home runs, while driving in 27.  The Chargers have eight batters hitting over .300 as the team is hitting a blistering .355 for the season.  UAH has scored 242 runs with 291 hits, 59 doubles, 10 triples and 27 home runs, while driving in 213.  The team is slugging 550 with 127 walks and an impressive 114 stolen bases thus far. 
 
On the mound, Sydnee Uhlman is 8-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 18 appearances with three starts.  She has pitched a team-high 58.1 innings with 46 strikeouts to just five walks.  Layton Murphy is second in innings pitched with 54.2 and is 7-3 with a 4.48 ERA in 14 appearances with 12 starts.  The team has a 3.54 ERA in 198 innings.  
UAH is sixth nationally in batting average at a .355 clip according to the last NCAA rankings, while ranking 15^th in doubles per game (1.9), 34^th in fielding percentage (.969), fourth in on base percentage (.454), seventh in scoring (7.81), ninth in slugging percentage (.550) and second in stolen bases per game at a 3.68 clip.  Booker is 20^th nationally in batting average at a .485 clip, while ranking second nationally in hits (49).  She is 32^nd nationally in on base percentage (.548), while Jada Hayes is 21^st in RBIs with 31.  Booker is 21^st in runs per game (1.16) and ninth in stolen bases per game at 0.97.  Uhman is second nationally in saves with five, while ranking seventh in strikeout-to-walk-ratio at 9.2 for second in the league behind sophomore Caylie Van Auken of VSU (15.2). 
 
VSU enters 19^th nationally in ERA at a 1.92 clip for second in the league, while ranking 10^th nationally in home runs per game at 1.15, 14^th in shutouts (7) and the Blazers lead the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at a 9.48 clip.  Van Auken is second nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio, while ranking eighth in walks allowed per seven innings (0.53).  Senior Kasie Johnson is seventh in strikeouts per seven innings (9.7) and ninth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.8) for third in the league. 
 
Check back with vstateblazers.com for a complete recap of the series each day and results of each game. VSU returns home to host Auburn Montgomery, Mar. 30-31 at Steel's Diamond following the series this weekend.