VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team travels to Florida this weekend to compete in three non-conference games. The Blazers face Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale on Friday Feb. 11 at 6 p.m., Barry University in Miami Shores on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m., and finish the weekend facing Lynn University in Boca Raton on Sunday Feb. 13 at 12 p.m.
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the games at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page. Check back with the site for complete recaps and stats of each game.
 
The Blazers are coming off a big opening weekend at Embry-Riddle, taking the series 2-1. VSU won the opener 3-2 and then scored in six of the seven innings in the nightcap for a 13-5 victory. The Eagles spoiled Valdosta State's bid for a series sweep Saturday afternoon with two singles in the bottom of the 11th leading to a walk-off RBI single to right field ending the game 1-0.
 
For the doubleheader on Friday, the Blazers recorded 18 hits, 16 runs, one double, two triples, one home run and drove in 11 as the team hit .300 for the twin bill.  The staff boasted a 2.50 ERA in 14 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs – five earned, walked seven and fanned 16 as the Eagles hit just .180.
 
Junior EJ Doskow had a stellar opening weekend for the Blazers as he went 4 of 11 from the dish for a .364 average with two runs scored, one double, one home run and six RBI.  He had an OPS of 1.144 and slugged .727 for the series with one walk, while reaching base at a .417 clip.  Doskow had 16 put outs with two assists and no errors in three starts.  In the second game of the series, he went 3 for 4 with two runs scored, a double and a homerun.
 
Senior Elijah Gill pitched six scoreless innings in the 3-2 win at Embry-Riddle on Friday.  He allowed one hit through the six innings, walked two and fanned nine.  The Eagles hit just .053 against him.  Gill had a .50 WHIP in 19 at bats for the game.  The one hit allowed through six innings matched a career-best for Gill at VSU, while the nine strikeouts were third-most in his career.
 
Junior Zach Henderson (0-1) took the loss for the Blazers on Saturday, while Joe Balsam (1-0) earned the victory for the Eagles.  Henderson pitched the final two innings, allowing three hits, one earned run and fanned three in eight batters faced.
 
Nova Southeastern is currently 3-0 on the new season as they have defeated Catawba, Washburn, and Wheeling.  The Sharks outscored the opposition 30-14 in the three games and hit .360 for the weekend with 36 hits, including eight doubles, one triple and five home runs, while going 10 of 10 in stolen bases.  The staff boasts a 4.00 ERA in 27 innings of work with 33 strikeouts and 15 walks as the opposition hit .206 against it. NSU's Duncan Pastore was named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Player of the Week, going 8 of 10 from the dish with three doubles, eight runs scored, two home runs and drove in nine last weekend.
 
NSU leads the all-time series with VSU 10-7, but this will be the first matchup between the two teams since Feb. 19, 2011, as NSU won both games in Fort Lauderdale, 3-2 (11) and 10-6. 
 
The Buccaneers are 1-3 on the season as they lost to Tusculum, Catawba, and St. Thomas but defeated Washburn. Barry will face Missouri Southern on Feb. 10 and Delta State on Feb. 11 before going head-to-head with the Blazers. 
 
Barry is hitting .308 for the season with 27 runs scored, 44 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs and 22 RBI, while Joe Stella leads the team with a .462 average, with three runs scored, six hits, one double and one home run.  He has driven in seven for the season.  On the hill, the Buccaneers have pitched 35 innings, allowing 51 hits, 44 runs – 35 earned, walked 21 and fanned 25 as teams are hitting .340 against them.
 
VSU has won eight of the last 14 meetings in the series and went 2-1 in Valdosta in 2018.  This will be the third meeting during that span in Miami Shores as Barry won both of those contests, 10-9 and 3-1 on Feb. 13-14, 2014.  Before the 2018 series, the teams had not met since 2009.
 
Finishing up the weekend, the Blazers head to Boca Raton to face the Fighting Knights of Lynn University for the second matchup between the two teams. The Blazers defeated the Fighting Knights 3-0 in their last contest on Feb. 2, 2013.
 
Lynn is currently 4-0 on the new season, picking up wins against Wheeling, Catawba, Tusculum, and Washburn.  Lynn outscored the opposition 37-14 through the first four games.  The Fighting Knights face West Georgia on Friday, Feb. 11 and Delta State on Saturday, Feb. 12 before facing the Blazers on Sunday.
 
The Fighting Knights are hitting .417 for the season with 39 hits, four doubles, two triples, two home runs and driven in 31.  Three different players have six hits each this season, while Byron Murray leads the team with eight RBI, two triples, five runs scored and one home run.  The staff has pitched 36 innings, allowing 26 hits, 14 runs – 10 earned, walked nine and fanned 29 as teams are hitting .203 against it.  
 
For all information on Blazer baseball visit vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.