Game Notes

NCAA South II Regional Tournament Page

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a strong performance in the Gulf South Conference Championship, the Valdosta State baseball team earned the No. 6-seed in the upcoming NCAA South II Regional and will face No. 3-seed Eckerd in the first game Thursday at Delta State University.  
 
The Blazers (30-21) and Eckerd (30-17) will play at 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday in the first game as No. 2-seed Delta State face No. 7-seed Embry-Riddle at 8 p.m. ET.  The winners of the two games Thursday will play Friday at 1 p.m. ET, while the losing teams Thursday will play an elimination game Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET.  The loser of game three will play the winner of game four Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Championship Saturday is set for a 1 p.m. ET game and the "if necessary" following at 4:30 p.m. ET. 
 
Tickets for the championship go on sale Monday and the link to online ordering can be found by clicking here.  Links to live stats, audio/video streaming and more can be found at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page.  The NCAA South Regional Championship Central page can be found by clicking here.  Ticket prices are $10 per day for adults and students (Ages 6-18) are $8 per day, while an all-tournament pass is $25 for adults and a student all-tournament pass is $20.
 
VSU is coming off a 3-2 Gulf South Conference Championship as it won thrillers over Alabama Hunstville in walk-off fashion and then scored five runs in the top of the 11^thin a thrilling 12-7 win over West Georgia to reach Championship Tuesday.  Eventual league champion Delta State held off a late VSU rally for a 7-6 win over the Blazers.  DSU went on to beat West Florida in the championship game to win the automatic bid to the regional.  
 
Despite the two losses in the conference tournament, VSU has had an impressive run down the final stretch of the regular season and into postseason as the team has won 16 of its last 21 games.  VSU opened the 2019 season with an 8-1 record to bookend a strong start and finish to the season.  
 
In the other half of the regional, top-seeded Tampa hosts No. 8-seed Spring Hill College, while No. 4-seed West Florida battles No. 5-seed Nova Southeastern.  The winners of the two "pods" will meet for a best-of-three series May 24-25 to see who will advance to the NCAA Division II College World Series, scheduled for June 1-8 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
 
The Blazers are 3-2 against their half of the regional as VSU downed Embry-Riddle three times to open the 2019 season and dropped two games to Delta State in the Gulf South Conference Championship.  Against the region in total, VSU is 4-5 as the Blazers had a key road win at Tampa earlier in the season (8-3) when the Spartans were ranked No. 1 nationally.
 
VSU is making its 20^thappearance in the NCAA Championship, as VSU won the national title in 1979, marking the school's first national crown.  VSU is 50-44 all-time in the NCAA Championship with the one title, along with a pair of third-place finishes.  The Blazers have lost their last three games in the NCAA Tournament, including two in 2017 in their last trip, and twice to Delta State in 2013.  Sandwiched between the DSU losses in 2013, VSU defeated Stillman College for its last win in the tournament.  
 
The Blazers enter the regional hitting .308 on the year, while the team has 511 hits with 332 runs, 86 doubles, 12 triples, 15 home runs and 292 RBI.  The Blazers are slugging .402 and reaching base at a .404 clip with 205 walks and 77 hit batsmen.  VSU has 75 errors for a .959 fielding percentage and leading to 38 unearned runs. 
 
On the mound, the team has a 4.35 ERA in 430.2 innings, allowing 246 runs – 208 earned, 395 hits, along with 226 walks and 455 strikeouts.  Teams are hitting .241 against the Blazers this season.  
 
Individually, senior Josh Broughton has been outstanding for the Blazers this season as he earned Gulf South All-Tournament honors as he hit .435 for the championship to lead the team, while recording 10 hits, scored six runs, recorded one double and drove in eight.  He also earned the win on the mound in the thriller against Alabama Huntsville.  
 
For the season, Broughton leads the team in hits with 76, while recording a team-high 14 doubles, four triples, 47 runs scored, four home runs and 52 RBI.  He is second on the team in average at a .373 clip and has played and started all 51 games. Junior Logan Stephens leads the team with a .389 average, while collecting 61 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, scored 33 runs and has driven in 30.  In all, five Blazers are hitting over .300 for the season.  
 
The staff has been led this season by junior Tristan Cone as he his 4-1 on the year in 19 appearances with 13 starts.  Cone has pitched a team-high 72.1 innings, while fanning a team-high 78 batters.  Senior Trevin Eubanks leads the team with seven saves.  Junior Zach Blankenship is 7-2 on the year in 18 appearances with 11 starts in 68.1 innings.  He has 68 strikeouts for second on the team.
 
VSU had five players earn all-conference honors this season as senior DJ King and Broughton earned first team honors, while junior Jowenrick Daantji, Stephens and Cone all were second team honorees.
 
Eckerd, who won the Sunshine State Conference for the first time in 38 years, and has not been to the NCAA postseason since 1987.  EC went 19-11 in SSC play this season, and is ranked 27^thin the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings, while ranking 26^thin the latest NCBWA poll.  
 
The Tritons won the season series against SSC powers Tampa, Nova Southeastern, Florida Southern and Lynn this year, while also swept Embry-Riddle. EC won eight of its ten SSC series' this season.  Eckerd enters the regional winners of ten of its last 14 games.  EC last played May 6 in an 8-5 home loss to Flagler.  VSU beat Flagler twice this season.  
 
For EC, the Tritons are hitting .301 on the year with 356 runs scored, 511 hits, 88 doubles, eight triples, 38 home runs and 333 RBI.  The team is slugging .429 and reaching base at a .383 clip.  EC has a .967 fielding percentage with 57 errors leading to 43 unearned runs.  Mitch Calandra and Garrett Hiott are the leaders of the team as Calandra is hitting a team-best .382, while Hiott is at a .363 clip. Calandra has 79 hits with 15 doubles, six home runs and a team-best 64 RBI.  Hiott has 69 hits, three triples, six home runs and a team-best 55 runs scored. Hiott leads the team in stolen bases at 19 of 20.  
 
The Tritons have a 4.52 ERA in 424 innings, while walking 176 and fanning 396 with teams hitting .272 against them.  Dillon McCollough is 8-1 with a 2.08 ERA to lead the team in 15 appearances with 14 starts.  He has two complete games in 108 innings, while walking just 18 and fanning 137.  Chase Achuff leads the team with seven saves.