VALDOSTA, Ga. – Fresh off its first win of the season, the No. 24 Valdosta State softball team continues on the road this week as it travels to Saint Augustine, Fla., for the Old Coast Classic hosted by Flagler University. 
 
VSU opens the tournament with Tampa on Friday at 10 a.m., followed by a 3 p.m. game against Eckerd.  On Saturday, VSU faces Eckerd at 9 a.m., followed by a matchup with Embry-Riddle at 11:30 a.m.  Sunday, the Blazers face Wingate at 10 a.m.  Fans can access links to live stats and streaming for the tournament at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.  Check back each day 
 
The Blazers went 1-2 at the Gulf Shores Invitational last week as two games were cancelled due to rain.  VSU had leads in both losses, but were unable to hang on in the games, falling in extra-innings.  The Blazers then responded nicely with a 9-0 win over No. 9 Florida Tech to close the tournament Sunday.
 
VSU was led by senior Jordenne Gaten, who went 6 for 10 from the dish with six runs scored, three home runs and three RBI as she slugged 1.500 for the weekend with two walks and went 2 for 2 in stolen bases.  Junior Nicole Pennington was 5 for 10 with one double and four RBI.  
 
On the mound, junior Shayne O'Connell went 1-1 in her first two games with the red and black, pitching nine innings with one start.  She tossed a one-hit shutout of Florida Tech and allowed three hits, two unearned runs, walked seven and fanned five as the opposition hit just .115 against her.  
 
For the weekend, VSU hit .294 with 23 hits in 81 at bats, scored 14 runs with two doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI.  The team slugged .457 and reached base at a .359 clip.  VSU was 3 for 3 in stolen bases and had two errors leading to three unearned runs.  The Blazer staff held the opposition to hit just .200 for the weekend.  
 
Tampa enters with a 2-2 record after a pair of wins over Ursuline and a pair of losses against Newberry.  The Spartans were picked third in the Sunshine State Preseason Poll this season and return eight starters from last season's 34-13 squad for head coach Leslie Kanter.  
 
The Spartans are hitting .211 for the season with eight runs scored, 20 hits, two doubles and eight RBI.  The team has walked 14 times and fanned 14 teams.  Mariah Galhouse leads the team with a .556 average on 5 of 9 from the dish with one RBI.  Lexie Chevalier is 2 of 9 from the plate, with three runs scored, a double and a team-high six walks. 
 
In the circle, Galhouse is 1-1 in 12 innings of work and a 0.58 ERA.  She has allowed 11 hits, four runs – one earned, walked one and fanned six.  Corynn Miner also is 1-1 in 12 innings of work, allowing three hits, three unearned runs, walked two and fanned a team-high 11.
 
VSU and Tampa played a pair of hotly contested battles last season as the Spartans won 2-1 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., during the regular season and then posted a 1-0 victory in the NCAA regional in nine innings.
 
Prior to the two losses last season, VSU had won eight-straight in the series and the Blazers hold a 32-9 record all-time.
 
Eckerd is 2-0 this season with a pair of wins over Ursuline, outscoring the Arrows 17-0 in a pair of run-rule victories.  Eckerd's two games against Newberry were cancelled last weekend.  The Tritons are led by Ally Costa who is 4 of 6 from the plate with three runs scored this season.  Kaylin Kramer is 3 for 5 with three runs scored, one double, one triple and two RBI.  Kayelee Newstrom leads the team with six RBI, while Skylar Redish has a team-high four runs scored thus far.
 
On the mound, the Tritons have had Hannah Perkins pitch a team-high six innings, allowing four hits, walked two and fanned two in a complete game, while Kensley Durrance has pitched four innings, allowing three hits with six strikeouts to lead the team.  Durrance and Madison Saltzman combined on the second shutout.  Eckerd was picked ninth in the 2020 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Poll.
 
VSU swept a doubleheader against Eckerd last season in Valdosta on Mar. 19.  The Blazers won the opener 8-0 in five innings and battled back from a 3-1 deficit in the final two innings for a 4-3, walk-off victory on a Haley Garrett home run in the bottom of the seventh.  VSU has won the last six meetings in the series.  
 
Embry-Riddle is 2-0 on the year with wins over Savannah State and Claflin, outscoring both 19-2.  The Eagles were picked fifth in the SSC Preseason Poll this season and are led by Maggie Scott, who is hitting .500 on 4 of 8 from the plate with four runs scored, two triples and three RBI.  She is slugging 1.000 and reaching base at a .444 clip.  Katy Thompson also is hitting .500 on the year with four hits in eight attempts, while scoring two runs and leads the team with four RBI.  
 
The Eagles are hitting .435 for the year, while scoring 19 runs with 30 hits, three doubles, two triples and 19 RBI.  The team is slugging .536 and reaching base at a .487 clip.  In the circle, Jayla Jackson is 1-0 in six innings of work, walking one and fanning 13.  Kelsi Collins is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, allowing seven hits, two earned runs, walked two and fanned five. 
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Embry-Riddle at 1-0 with an 11-2 win in Saint Augustine on Feb. 8, 2015.  The teams were supposed to have played in 2018 in Columbus, Ga., but the game was cancelled due to weather.  
 
Wingate had its opener cancelled versus Erskine on Saturday and played at North Greenville in a doubleheader on Tuesday before the tournament this weekend.  This will be the first meeting on the diamond between VSU and Wingate.  
 
The Bulldogs were picked fifth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Poll and had four players named to the SAC All-Preseason Team.  Seniors Mary Claire Coyne, Aubrey Reep and Emma Swenson were first team selections, while senior Jordan Floyd earned second team honors. Reep was named the 2019 SAC Player of the Year, earning first team all-region honors from the NFCA and D2CCA.  She also earned D2CCA Honorable Mention All-America honors.  Reep hit .338 with eight homers, nine doubles, 46 RBI and 39 runs scored at the dish, while going 15-9 with a 2.65 ERA and five shutouts in the circle. She finished fifth in the SAC in RBI, seventh in runs, 10th in on-base percentage and 12th in homers. As a pitcher, Reep led the league in strikeouts and shutouts, ranking third in wins and sixth in ERA. Reep threw a pair of no-hitters last season and has three in the last two years.
 
The Blazers then return home for the 2020 home-opener, Feb. 15-16 at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park versus Gulf South Conference foe Shorter.