VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 9 Valdosta State softball team earned the No. 2-seed in the upcoming NCAA South Regional and will face the winner of the No. 3 Alabama Huntsville vs. No. 6 Mississippi College game Thursday at 3:30 p.m., at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park in Valdosta.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more by clicking on the link to the right for the NCAA South Regional Championship Central webpage.  Bill Malone will have the call of the Blazer games in the regional on Talk 92.1 WDDQ FM and talk921.com. 
 
Daily Session Tickets will be $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors, while Tournament Passes will be $25 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors.  Tournament passes are available by calling 229-333-SEAT (7328), Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.  Daily Session tickets are not available in advance of the tournament and only will be available the day of the games.  Doors will open 90 minutes prior to the first game of each day.
 
The Blazers were awarded hosting duties for the regional last month as the NCAA Division II Championships Committee chose pre-determined regional sites for the 2021 NCAA Division II Softball Championships.  Due to health and safety protocols surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is necessary to conduct all NCAA championship competition at predetermined sites.  The committee believes the sites and hosts chosen will provide an exceptional and safe experience for all participants.
 
The winner of the regional will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship, scheduled for May 27-31 at The Regency Athletic Complex at MSU Denver in Denver, Colo.
 
Auburn Montgomery earned the top seed in the regional as it won its first Gulf South Conference championship and is making its first appearance in the postseason since becoming a member of NCAA Division II.  The Warhawks, ranked No. 3 in the latest NFCA Top 25, are 39-5 on the year and also went 25-5 in GSC play this season.  
 
The Blazers are in the regional for the 19^th time and 15^th-straight season (no NCAA Championship in 2020 due to COVID-19).  VSU is 56-38 all-time in the NCAA postseason with a national title in 2012 and runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014.  The 56 victories are tied for seventh all-time in NCAA Division II.
 
Alabama Huntsville is making its 23^rd appearance and is 61-46 all-time in the postseason with two runner-up finishes (2009 & 2011) and a third-place finish (1999).  This is the 18^th-straight time UAH has reached the postseason.  The Chargers, ranked No. 16 in the latest NFCA Top 25, are 31-12 overall and went 23-7 in GSC play this season.
 
Rollins is 19-2 overall this season and went 16-2 in an abbreviated Sunshine State Conference slate this season.  The Tars are making their 11^th trip to the NCAA postseason and are 10-16 all-time.  This is the first trip for Rollins since 2016.  
 
UWF is 30-14 overall this season and was 22-7 in GSC play.  The Argos are making their fifth-straight appearance in the postseason and 15^th overall with a 36-30 record all-time.  
 
Mississippi College is making its third appearance and is 3-4 all-time with trips in 2017 and 2019.  The Choctaws came on at the end of the season in 2021, finishing 20-19 overall and 14-14 in GSC play.  MC finished the regular season with two wins over West Georgia, then defeated UAH, VSU and UWG in the GSC Tournament, before falling to AUM in the tournament championship.  
 
The Blazers have a 9-16 record all-time against in the postseason the 2021 South Region field, as they are 2-0 against Mississippi College (2017), 6-10 against UAH, 1-2 against Rollins and 0-4 against West Florida.  VSU's last Super Regional appearance or better finish came in 2014 when it lost to West Texas A&M in the national championship, 3-2.  VSU last played in the postseason versus UWF in 2019, UAH in 2018, and Rollins in 2016 along with Mississippi College in 2017.
 
VSU is 17-9 in the regional round when hosting and has advanced to the Super Regionals four times, going to the College World Series three times and splitting in the national championship (L, 2010 and W, 2012).  In the years when hosting the regional (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016), VSU is 31-17 overall in the postseason.
 
This season, VSU has been one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country as it leads the nation in home runs with 95 for the season, marking the second-most in school history and just three away from tying the GSC record of 98 set by the Blazers in 2009.  The Blazers also lead the nation in home runs per game at a 2.26 clip, while leading the nation in slugging percentage at a .665 average.  VSU is eighth nationally in batting average at a .345 mark, while it is fourth in on base average at a .442 clip.  The Blazers are averaging 7.22 runs per game for seventh nationally and are sixth in total runs (322), while they are fourth nationally in walks (178).  
 
Individually, junior Nicole Pennington leads the nation in home runs with 23, while she also leads the nation in home runs per game at a 0.55 clip.  Her 23 round-trippers are good for a tie for fifth all-time in league history and third-most in program history.  Pennington is fifth nationally in RBI (56), while she is ninth in runs per game (1.29).  She is fifth in slugging percentage (1.024) and third in total bases (128).  Senior Logan Hill is fourth in walks per game at a 0.88 clip.  L. Hill has 40 free passes this season for a tie for fifth all-time in school history.  She needs just four more to tie for tenth all-time in league history with former Blazers Jamie Phillips and Kiley Rusen.  L. Hill has 103 walks for her VSU career, which is good for a tie for third all-time in school history (Robin Williams, 2005-08) and tied for ninth all-time in GSC history.  
 
Freshman Morgan Hill is seventh nationally in home runs (16) as is senior Kiley Robb (16), while Robb is ninth nationally in home runs per game (0.40).  Robb has 35 home runs for her career for ninth all-time in school history, while L. Hill has 37 career round-trippers for a tie for seventh in program history.  L. Hill has not committed an error in her last three years at VSU at first base for 167 career games.  She has just 15 errors for her career and a .985 fielding percentage.
 
Not only have the Blazers been outstanding from the plate, but also on the mound as the team is ninth nationally in ERA at a 1.62 clip, while it is second nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.22) and fourth in WHIP (0.92).  Individually, sophomore Samantha Richards is fourth nationally in complete games (21), fourth in starts (27), fourth in appearances (32), fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.24), fifth in strikeouts (215) and fourth in victories (23).  She has a 1.21 ERA to lead the GSC for 22^nd nationally.  
 
Pennington, M. Hill and Richards all were named GSC Player, Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, while head coach Thomas Macera was named GSC Coach of the Year for the fourth time.  Macera is in his 16^th season at VSU and is 695-199-2 (.778), while he is 901-273-2 (.768) overall coaching.  
 
VSU had six players earn All-GSC First Team honors, Pennington, M. Hill, Richards, Robb, L. Hill and freshman Aniston Gano.  L. Hill and Gano were At-Large First Team selections, while all six players earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-region honors.  Richards, Robb, Pennington and M. Hill earned first team all-region honors, while L. Hill and Gano were second team honorees.  
 
Pennington and Richards are in the running for Schutt Sports/NFCA National Player & Pitcher of the Year as they are Top 30 selections.  The Top Ten finalists will be unveiled May 18 and the National Player/Pitcher of the Year will be announced June 3 by the NFCA.  Both Pennington and Richards earned GSC All-Tournament Accolades this season also.
 
This season, the Blazers are 6-5 against the regional field with a 3-0 record against West Florida, a 3-1 record against Mississippi College, an 0-3 record against Alabama Huntsville and a 0-1 mark against Auburn Montgomery.  The Blazers are hitting .270 against the field with 73 hits, 57 runs scored, five doubles, 26 home runs and 54 RBI.  The team is slugging .578 and reaching base at a .390 clip with 49 walks and four hit batters.  
 
Gano leads the team with a .400 average in 11 starts against the field as she is 12 of 30 from the plate, scored seven runs with one double, six home runs and 16 RBI.  M. Hill is hitting at a .385 clip against the field with 15 hits, 12 runs scored, one double, seven home runs and 13 RBI, while Pennington is 10 of 26 from the dish with 13 runs scored, seven home runs and nine RBI.  
 
Richards has a 1.94 ERA in eight appearances with seven starts.  She has six complete games with one save in 47 innings.  Richards has allowed 41 hits, 19 runs – 13 earned, walked six and fanned 51 as the field is hitting .230 against her.  VSU has a 2.83 ERA in 71.2 innings, allowing 71 hits, 40 runs – 29 earned, walked 18 and fanned 66 as the regional field is hitting .258 against it. 
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Auburn Montgomery 6-5 as AUM won 5-2 in the Gulf South Conference semifinals this season.  VSU won two of three games in 2020 in Montgomery, Ala., outscoring the Warhawks 18-12.  The 5-2 setback to AUM this season marked the largest margin of defeat for the Blazers in their eight losses.  VSU has outscored AUM 46-43 in the 11 meetings.
 
UAH leads the all-time series with VSU 71-49 and has won 12 of the last 15 meetings in the series dating back to 2016.  The Chargers won all three meetings with VSU this season – all by one or two runs in Huntsville, Ala., the last weekend of the regular season.  UAH has outscored VSU 550-426 in the 120 meetings.  The Blazers are 5-4-1 all-time against Rollins as the teams haven't met since the 2016 regional, where Rollins won 3-2.  VSU has outscored Rollins 26-17 in the ten meetings in the series.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with UWF 56-52, including a 3-0 series sweep in March in Valdosta for a 31-16 advantage all-time in Valdosta.  VSU has outscored UWF 431-371 in the 108 meetings all-time.  VSU is 17-10 all-time against Mississippi College and 3-1 this season with a 3-0 series sweep of the Choctaws in February in Valdosta.  VSU has outscored MC 114-93 in the 27 meetings all-time.
 
Blazer Notes