VALDOSTA, Ga. – Following its thrilling 3-0 series sweep of then-No. 17 West Florida, the No. 4 Valdosta State softball team puts its eight-game winning streak on the line as it travels to Delta State for a three-game, Gulf South Conference series, Friday and Saturday in Cleveland, Miss.
 
Friday's doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. ET, while Saturday's game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET first pitch.  Fans can access links to live stats and streaming for the series at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page. 
 
Last time out, VSU swept West Florida in a regular season series for the first time since 2017, as it belted a staggering 12 home runs in the series and outscored the Argos 22-10.  VSU hit .293 for the series with 22 hits, one double, the 12 round-trippers, 22 RBI and slugged .787 for the series.  Junior Nicole Pennington and freshman Morgan Hill each had three home runs in the series, while freshman Aniston Gano and senior Logan Hill belted two home runs apiece.  Other than the 12 home runs, VSU totaled only one other extra-base hit for the series, a double from Gano.  M. Hill earned GSC Freshman of the Week honors for the second time for her efforts in the series.  Pennington earned Co-GSC Player of the Week honors, going 3 of 6 from the dish with five runs scored, three home runs and four RBI.  She slugged 2.000 and reached base at a .727 clip with five walks.  Pennington has reached safely in all 22 games this season for the Blazers and the last 24 games dating back to last season. 
 
Pennington was named NFCA National Player of the Week for Division II, becoming the first Blazer to earn National Player of the Week honors.  VSU sophomore hurler Samantha Richards was named National Pitcher of the Week earlier this season.
 
The Blazers are 19-3 overall and a league-best 13-2 in GSC play.  VSU holds a slim one-game lead over West Georgia in the league standings.  Auburn Montgomery is two games back of VSU at 11-4, while Alabama Huntsville and West Florida are tied for fourth at 12-6. 
 
VSU moved to No. 4 in the NFCA Top 25 announced Wednesday.  North Georgia remained the top team with 397 points and 14 of 16 first place votes, while there was a tie for second between Augustana (S.D.) and Texas A&M-Commerce with 370 points as both garnered the final two remaining first place nods.  VSU was fourth with 349 points followed by UT Tyler (Texas) at fifth.  In the South Region, Rollins is sixth this week, while Alabama Huntsville moved up from 22^nd to a tie for 17^th and West Florida fell from 17^th to 22^nd.  Saint Leo remained 23^rd and Auburn Montgomery is among others receiving votes. 
 
Delta State enters the series with a 19-13 record overall and an 11-7 mark in the GSC.  DSU split a doubleheader on Tuesday with Arkansas-Monticello as UAM won the opener 8-7 and DSU closed the series with a 12-2 victory in the nightcap.  In the opener, DSU led 7-2, but gave up six unanswered runs.  DSU rallied in the second game, never trailing and was led by Olivia Burns who tallied a season-high ten strikeouts. 
 
The Lady Statesmen are led by Kailyn Lofton who boasts a .351 batting average in 32 games with 21 starts.  She has 34 hits to lead the team, while scoring 18 runs with nine doubles, two triples, two home runs and driven in 20.  Lofton is slugging .546 and reaching base at a .413 clip, while she is 9 of 11 in stolen bases.  Summer Cryder is second in average at .344 and is the only player to start all 32 games this season.  She has 32 hits, a team-high 31 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 27 RBI to lead the team.  Cryder is slugging .688 and reaching base at a .504 clip as she has been walked 28 times and hit three times. 
 
As a team, the Lady Statesmen are hitting .282 on the year, scoring 170 runs on 238 hits.  DSU has 59 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 159 RBI.  The team is slugging .426 and reaching base at a .391 clip with 131 walks and been hit 24 times.  DSU has 55 stolen bases in 65 attempts for the season.
 
In the circle, Lacey Coats is 13-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 110.2 innings of work.  She has 12 complete games in 20 appearances with 17 starts.  Coats has allowed 113 hits, 69 runs – 55 earned, walked 34 and fanned 66 as team are hitting .263 against her.  Burns is 5-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 67.1 innings.  She has 56 strikeouts and 30 walks on the year.  Brookelyn Sweeney has pitched 28.1 innings with a 1-2 record and a 5.44 ERA.  The staff has a 4.30 ERA in 214.2 innings, allowing 251 hits, 177 runs – 132 earned, walked 89 and fanned 154 as teams are hitting .284 against it. 
 
VSU and Delta State have not played a regular season series since 2018, and the Blazers have not visited Cleveland, Miss., since 2017, where VSU was swept in three set.  VSU is 36-13 all-time against DSU and 5-3 at DSU.  The Blazers have outscored the Lady Statesmen 278-139 in the 49 meetings.  VSU won two neutral site matchups in the GSC postseason tournament in 2018 (6-3, Florence, Ala.) and 2019 (7-3, Pensacola, Fla.). 
 
This season, the Blazers are hitting .336 on 184 of 547 from the dish with 22 doubles, two triples and 45 home runs, while scoring 167 runs and driving in 163.  The team is slugging .633 and reaching base at a .455 clip with 112 walks and 11 hit batters.  VSU is 47 of 50 in stolen bases for the season.
 
In the national statistics, VSU lead the nation in home runs (45), while it is third nationally in slugging percentage (.633), sixth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.00), sixth in sacrifice bunts (21), third in WHIP (0.864) and fifth in walks (112).  The Blazers are ninth in ERA (1.24) and fifth in on base percentage (0.455), while they are 14^th in scoring (7.59) and 12^th in shutouts (6).  VSU is 27^th nationally in batting average for second in the GSC at a .336 clip. 
 
Individually, Pennington leads the team with a .466 average on 27 of 58 from the plate.  She has a team-high 31 runs scored, while recording three doubles and a national-best 11 home runs. She has 31 RBI for ninth nationally.  Pennington is slugging 1.086 for eight nationally, has walked 21 times and been hit three times for a .622 on base average for 17^th nationally.  M. Hill is second in batting average at a .389 clip on 28 of 72.  She has scored 28 runs with two doubles and nine home runs, which is good for sixth nationally in long balls.  She has driven in 22 for the season.  M. Hill is slugging .792 and reaching base at a .470 clip with 11 walks.  M. Hill is a team-best 12 of 12 in stolen bases.  Sophomore Kiley Robb is third in average at a .375 clip on 24 of 64 from the dish with 18 runs scored, five doubles and nine home runs for sixth nationally. Her 31 RBI also is good for ninth nationally. 
 
The pitching staff has a 1.24 ERA in 136 innings with 13 complete games, six shutouts and one combined shutout, while recording two saves.  VSU has allowed 82 hits, 38 runs – 24 earned, walked 19 and fanned 152.  Teams are hitting just .172 against the Blazers. 
 
VSU sophomore Samantha Richards is having an outstanding season as she is 13-2 with a 0.71 ERA in 17 appearances and 14 starts.  Richards has 11 complete games, four shutouts and combined on a shutout, while recording two saves.  Her 11 complete games are good for fourth nationally.  She has pitched a team-high 88.2 innings, allowed 49 hits, 15 runs – nine earned, walked 10 and fanned a team-best 108 as teams are hitting .160 against her.  Her 108 strikeouts are good for sixth nationally, while she is 10^th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at a 10.8 clip.  Richards is 13^th nationally in WHIP (0.87), while she is 36^th nationally in walks allowed per seven innings (0.79).  She is third nationally in victories (13). 
 
M. Hill has a 1.75 ERA and a 3-1 record in seven starts with two complete games and one shutout.  She has pitched 32 innings, allowing 22 hits, 15 runs – eight earned, walked seven and fanned 31.  Teams are hitting .190 against her.  Senior Avery Lamb is 2-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 13.1 innings, while freshman Mia DeAngelis is 1-0 in two appearances and combined on a shutout.
 
Following the series, VSU returns home to host West Alabama, Apr. 10-11, at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park and then closes out the 2021 home slate with rival West Georgia, Apr. 17-18.  VSU has road dates at Albany State (Apr. 14) and finishes the regular season at Christian Brothers (Apr. 24-25) and at Alabama Huntsville (May 1-2).