VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a 4-1 week, the No. 19 Valdosta State softball team hosts Flagler Wednesday afternoon at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park for a doubleheader at 4 p.m.  VSU then returns to Gulf South Conference play this weekend at Union, beginning Saturday with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. ET and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.  Check back with the site following the games for complete recaps and results.
 
Flagler enters with an 18-6 record overall and a 2-0 mark in the Peach Belt Conference.  The Saints have won seven-straight games, including a doubleheader sweep of South Carolina-Aiken on Sunday.  The Saints are 12-2 at home, but are just 2-4 in road games this season and 4-0 in neutral site contests.  VSU played in Flagler's Old Coast Classic tournament earlier this season, but didn't face the host school. 
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Flagler, 13-4, but the Saints have won four of the last seven in the series after VSU opened the series winning the first ten-straight.  The teams split a doubleheader in Saint Augustine, Fla., last season with VSU winning the nightcap 3-1 after a 2-0 loss in the opener on Feb. 28, 2019.  
 
The Saints are led this season by NaJah Gerald who his hitting a team-high .417 from the field on 30 of 72.  She has scored 19 runs with three doubles, one triple and seven RBI in 24 starts.  She is slugging .486 on the year with seven walks for a .468 on base percentage and is 5 of 6 in stolen bases.  Maria Kappos is second in average at a .387 clip on 24 of 62 from the plate.  She has scored 12 runs wit five doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI.  Kyleigh Taylor leads the team with seven home runs and is third in average at a .319 clip.  Taylor has 23 hits and is slugging a team-best .639.  
 
As a team, the Saints are hitting .285 for the year with 176 hits in 618 at bats, while scoring 107 runs with 26 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 98 RBI.  The team is slugging .406 and reaching base at a .348 clip with 59 walks and five hit batsmen.  Flagler has 30 errors on the year leading to just eight unearned runs.  
 
In the circle, Flagler is led by Kyra Gipson who is 11-3 in 14 appearances with 12 starts and a 1.00 ERA.  She has 12 complete games with four shutouts in 84.1 innings of work.  She has allowed 58 hits, 13 runs – 12 earned, walked 20 and fanned 65 as teams are hitting .195 against her.  Madelyn Wise is 7-2 on the year in 12 appearances with ten starts and a 2.93 ERA.  She has pitched 59.2 innings, with seven complete games and three shutouts.  She has allowed 56 hits, 30 runs – 25 earned, walked 35 and fanned 59 as teams are hitting .245 against her.  As a team, Flagler has a 2.00 ERA in 161 innings, allowing 135 hits, 54 runs – 46 earned, walked 75 and fanned 132 as teams are hitting .227 against it.
 
Union enters the week with a 15-10 record overall and a 4-5 mark in the GSC.  Union hosts Lindenwood on Wednesday, before welcoming the Blazers Saturday.  VSU leads the all-time series 20-2, and won the last four meetings with a three-game sweep in 2019 in Valdosta and a 4-3 win in the conference tournament in Pensacola, Fla.  Union won 10-1 in Jackson, Tenn., taking one of three in 2018, snapping a streak of 11-straight Blazer wins.  The only other loss for the Blazers in the series came in 2014 in Jackson.  VSU is 8-2 in Jackson all-time.  
 
VSU junior Shayne O'Connell earned Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time as she tossed her second-straight no-hitter versus Coker last week.  O'Connell fanned 11 and walked two in the 7-0 win as Coker entered the game 17-2 on the year.  She wen 2-0 for the week in three appearances with an 0.89 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, walked two and fanned 24. She allowed just one extra-base hit for the week as the opposition hit just .120 against her. 
 
The Blazers swept the twin bill with Coker and then went 2-1 against Lee in a highly competitive series that saw two of the games decided by one run each and other decided by two runs.  VSU went for the sweep on Sunday, but was unable to do so, leaving 12 on base in the game, falling 2-1.  VSU won the opener in the series 3-2 and used a walk-off home run in the second game in comeback fashion for a 5-3 win. 
 
For the season, VSU is led by senior Logan Hill who is hitting .393 on the year with 24 hits, 20 runs scored, four doubles, leads the nation with 11 home runs and has driven in 25.  Hill has walked 13 times with one hit batsmen and is slugging 1.000 to lead the team, while reaching base at a .507 clip which also is tops on the team.  Sophomore Kiley Robb is second on the team in average at a .349 clip in 22 of 63 from the dish.  She has scored 20 runs with four doubles, seven home runs and 17 RBI.  Robb is slugging .747 and reaching base at a .432 clip with 10 walks.  Senior Jordenne Gaten is third in average at .311 with 19 hits, 16 runs scored, one double, six home runs and 15 RBI.  She has 10 walks and is slugging .623 for third on the team, while leading the team in stolen bases on 7 of 8.
 
As a team, the Blazers are hitting .278 for the year with 150 hits, 120 runs scored, 24 doubles, 33 home runs and 108 RBI.  The team is slugging .506 and reaching base at a .372 clip with 78 walks and seven hit batsmen.  VSU is 32 of 35 in stolen bases and has a .974 fielding percentage with 15 errors leading to 14 unearned runs.  
 
In the circle, VSU boasts a 1.87 ERA in 142 innings, allowing 101 hits, 52 runs – 38 earned, walked 51 and fanned 156 as teams are hitting .202 against it. O'Connell is 6-2 on the year with a 1.22 ERA to lead the team.  She has five complete games and three shutouts.  She has pitched a team-high 51.2 innings, allowing 30 hits, 16 runs – nine earned, walked 22 and fanned a team-high 60.  Teams are hitting just .170 against her. Sophomore Samantha Richards is 4-2 with a 1.26 ERA in 44.1 innings.  She has allowed 27 hits, 13 runs – eight earned, walked 12 and fanned 54.  The opposition is hitting just .178 against Richards. 
 
Following the weekend series at Union, VSU returns home to host Rollins in a doubleheader Tuesday, Mar. 17, at 5 p.m., and then will host Georgia Southwestern in a doubleheader Thursday, Mar. 19 in a makeup date from earlier in the season.  The Blazers then head to West Alabama for a weekend series with the Tigers.