VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 19 Valdosta State baseball team will hit the road for the first time this season to face Lee University at Larry Carpenter Stadium at Olympic Field this weekend. The Blazers and Flames begin the three-game series with a doubleheader Friday starting at 1 p.m., followed by a single game set for Saturday with first pitch set for noon.

VSU originally was supposed to play a doubleheader versus the Flames on Saturday and a single game Friday, but due to the potential for inclement weather later in the weekend, the series has been altered.
 
The Blazers (3-0, 3-0 GSC) won its season opener against Mississippi College, sweeping the Choctaws and outscoring the team 30-3 including a shutout during game two of Sunday's doubleheader. VSU's bats were hot, totaling 41 hits throughout the series while only allowing 13, with help from E.J. Doskow who leads the team with seven hits. Chase Coker was the first Blazer in the 2021 season to cross home plate, after Nick Lewis drew a walk in the bottom of the second during game one which helped sprout a nine-run outing.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and ticket information for the games at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page. Please call 229-333-SEAT for more information on purchasing tickets.
 
Lee enters with a 3-0 record overall and a 3-0 mark in the GSC. The Flames swept its home opening series against Union University, outscoring the Bulldogs 23-4 while getting 14 more hits than Union.
 
The Flames are led by freshman Riley Black who's sporting a .556 batting average while leading the team with seven RBI, two doubles, and one triple. Tied with Black for most hits on the Flames with five is graduate student Colton Yeager who also drove in three over the weekend. On the bump, the Flames have a combined 32 strikeouts and allow a batting average of .163 with a 1.44 ERA. Redshirt junior Logan Workman only allowed two hits during his 5.2 innings pitched over the weekend, leading the team in strikeouts with nine. Workman faced 19 batters and only gave up two hits which is good for a .105 batting average. Also on the mound is redshirt senior Alex Harper-Cook who saw six innings during his first outing of the 2021 season, allowing three hits from 20 batters while striking out seven.
 
As a team, the Flames are hitting .301 off of 93 at bats. The team has 28 hits for 18^th nationally and fourth in the GSC, scored 23 runs for second in the GSC and 13^th nationally, with seven doubles, one triple, and 20 RBI. The Flames were successful during its only steal attempt and lead the GSC in walked batters with 22.
 
The Blazers are led by Doskow this season who is hitting a team-best .583 from the dish, good for sixth in the nation and third in the GSC. With a team-high seven hits, six RBI, two doubles, and one home runs, he is slugging 1.00 for the year. Coker leads the team in stolen bases, going three for four so far this year.
 
Lewis is second in average among everyday starters at a .556 clip. He started all three games over the weekend with five hits, one double, and four RBI. He is slugging .667 with four walks and a .714 on-base percentage. Maberry is third in average in three starts at a .545 clip. He has six hits, six RBI, and one double during his 11 appearances at the plate.

As a team, the Blazers are hitting nationally best .414 on 41 of 99 from the plate, while scoring 30 runs for seventh in the nation and first in the GSC. The Blazers have knocked down 13 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 27 RBI.  The team is slugging .626 and reaching base at a .516 clip, walking 17 times, hit six times and fanned 13 times. VSU has three errors on the year for a .969 fielding percentage.
 
On the bump, VSU boasts a .72 ERA in 25 innings for second best in the nation, right behind West Florida. The Blazers have allowed 13 hits, 3 runs – 2 earned, walked 11 and fanned 32.  The opposition is hitting .115 against the Blazers with just three doubles and no home runs.  Senior Tristan Cone is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in six innings, allowing two hits, one walk, and fanning six. Senior Zach Blankenship pitched 3.1 innings, allowing four hits, one run – zero earned, walked three and fanned six. Sophomore Elijah Gill made his first appearance as a Blazer where he saw six innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs, while walking two batters and fanning a team-best eight batters.
 
Nationally speaking, the Blazers rank first in doubles with 13, first in slugging percentage with .626, and second in shutouts with one. In the GSC, the Blazers lead in runs (30), hits (41), doubles (13), RBI (27), slugging (.626), on-base percentage (.516), and least times batters struck out (13). On the mound, The Blazers lead the conference in hits with 13, runs with three, and opponent batting average with .155.
 
Following the series versus Lee, VSU returns home to face off against Auburn Montgomery with a single game Friday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m., and a doubleheader the following day with first pitch set for 12 p.m.