VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a 3-1 record last week and winning six of its last seven, the Valdosta State baseball team takes its momentum into a five-game home stand beginning Tuesday with Saint Leo at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park at 5 p.m.
 
Fans can access links to live stats and video streaming at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for a complete recap and stats of the game tomorrow evening. 
 
VSU has won six of its last seven games with the lone setback a 1-0, extra-inning loss to Montevallo over the weekend as the Blazers are 20-17 overall and 9-11 in Gulf South Conference play.  Saint Leo enters with a 17-17 record overall and a 6-9 mark in Sunshine State Conference action.  The Lions have won just three of their last 13 games after starting the season 14-7.  
 
Earlier this season, VSU played at Saint Leo in a 6-5 loss in ten innings on Feb. 19.  In the game, VSU battled back from a 4-1 deficit with a three-run home run from senior Mack Hathcock and then tied the game in the top of the ninth as Hathcock doubled down the line to tie the game at five.  In the tenth, Peyton Isaacson singled home the winning run on an 0-2 count for a 6-5 win with two out.  
 
The Blazers are coming off of one of their most dominating pitching performances of the season as VSU recorded a 0.35 ERA in a 2-1 series win at Montevallo.  VSU outscored UM 9-1 for the series, marking the fewest runs allowed in a series this season.  The Blazers held UM to a .125 batting average, allowing just 11 hits for the three games and VSU posted two shutouts for the first two shutouts in league play this season. UM's only run came in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the eighth on a bases loaded walk.  
 
In the opener, VSU won 4-0 with four runs in the seventh inning as juniors Tristan Cone and Sean Gabel combined for a shutout, while junior Jonathan Gettys went the distance in the loss, allowing two hits, one earned run, walked five and fanned 12.  In the finale, junior Zach Blankenship went eight innings, allowing five hits, walked two and fanned two, while senior Trevin Eubanks pitched the ninth with one strikeout.  The two shutout wins marked third and fourth shutouts for the Blazers this season (4-1). 
 
Following the game against Saint Leo, VSU hosts Christian Brothers Apr. 13-14 for a three-game Gulf South Conference series and then will look for some revenge against Georgia Southwestern on Apr. 16 as GSW won the first meeting in Americus, Ga., plating four runs in the seventh and eighth innings as VSU led 2-0 to that point.  
 
The Saint Leo Lions snapped a three-game skid, winning one of three games at Nova Southeastern on Saturday, 15-7.  For the season, Saint Leo is hitting .282 on 331 of 1174, while scoring 225 runs with 55 doubles, eight triples, 35 home runs and 204 RBI.  The team is slugging .432 and reaching base at a .380 clip.  SLU is 40 of 53 in stolen bases for the season with 164 walks and 30 hit batsmen.  Jared Morello leads the team with a .350 average on a team-best 48 of 137.  He has scored 38 runs to lead the team, along with seven doubles, a team-high four triples, two home runs and 26 RBI.  Amir Wright is second in average at a .333 clip with 41 hits, while Isaacson leads the team with seven home runs, nine doubles and is second in hits with 44.  
 
On the bump, Joey Antonopoulos leads the team with four wins and 47 strikeouts, while Shane Haight has pitched a team-high 48.1 innings.  Kaleb Huxford pitched against VSU in the first meeting, going four innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, walked one and fanned two, while Blankenship earned the start for the Blazers. Both players didn't last more than four innings and didn't factor into the decision.  As a staff, the Lions have a 5.05 ERA in 294 innings, allowing 318 hits, 200 runs – 165 earned, walked 138 and fanned 291 as teams are hitting .277 against it. 
 
The Blazers are led by junior Logan Stephens, who has a .377 average on 40 of 106 from the dish.  He has scored 22 runs with five doubles, one triple and driven in 20.  Stephens is slugging .443 and reaching base at a .445 clip.  Broughton is second in average at a .367 mark with a team-high 54 hits, 32 runs scored, a team-high 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 24 RBI. Senior DJ King is second in hits with 48 and has a .331 average, while Hathcock leads the team in runs scored with 33 and junior Jowenrick Daantji has a team-best 28 RBI and is 13 of 18 in stolen bases.  
 
The Blazers are hitting .298 for the season on 354 of 1188, while scoring 217 runs with 58 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 191 RBI.  The team is slugging .380 and reaching base at a .396 clip with 151 walks, 53 hit batsmen and is 61 of 85 in stolen bases.  VSU has 49 errors for a .962 fielding percentage, leading to 24 unearned runs.  The Blazers have left 302 stranded, while the opposition has left 299 on base and the Blazers have turned 18 double plays, while the opponents have 31 twin killings. 
 
On the mound, Cone leads the team with a 4-0 record in 14 appearances with nine starts.  He has pitched a team-high 56 innings, allowing 47 hits, 17 runs – 15 earned, walked 18 and fanned 67 for a 2.41 ERA.  Gettys is 3-3 on the year in ten starts for 50 innings and leads the team with 75 strikeouts.  
 
As a staff, the Blazers have a 3.82 ERA in 311.1 innings, allowing 260 hits, 156 runs – 132 earned, walked 166 and fanned 364 as teams are hitting .224 against it.