VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team continues at home with a non-conference game scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park against Georgia Southwestern.
 
VSU enters with a 6-4 record overall after winning two of three games against Alabama Huntsville last weekend, while GSW enters with a 4-6 record following a three-game sweep of Shepherd (W.Va.) last weekend.  The Hurricanes began the season 1-6 before the Shepherd series.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats and audio/video streaming at vstateblazers.com.  The game Tuesday also will be broadcast on 94.3 WJEM FM in Valdosta and online at www.foxsportsvaldosta.com with Bill Malone having the call. 
 
The Blazers went 3-1 last week with a thrilling 8-7, walk-off victory over Saint Leo Wednesday and the series victory over Alabama Huntsville.  Against SLU, senior Jisjar Clotida, hit a walk-off RBI triple, plating junior EJ Doskow for the winner in the bottom of the ninth. From there, VSU won the opener against UAH in commanding fashion, 7-0 and then won the rubber-match on Sunday, 8-4. 
 
For the week, VSU hit .298 with 28 runs scored, 36 hits, ten doubles, three triples, one home run and drove in 23. On the bump, VSU carried a 3.71 ERA in 34 innings, allowing 35 hits, 19 runs – 14 earned, walked ten and fanned 26 as the opposition hit .263 against it.  
 
Junior Ryan Romano went 9 of 15 from the plate with nine runs scored, two doubles, one triple and one RBI.  He slugged .867 and reached base at a .667 clip with two walks and a hit batsmen.  Doskow hit .571 with eight hits in 14 at. Bats, six runs scored, three doubles and one home run, while driving in nine.  Doskow has a seven-game hitting streak to lead the team, while Romano has hit safely in the last six games.  Doskow also has reached base in each of the ten games so far this season.
 
On the mound, junior Elijah Gill continued his strong start to the season, going 1-0 with a combined shutout in the 7-0 victory to open the series with UAH.  He pitched seven innings, allowing eight hits and one walk, while fanning six.  Junior Brandon Raiden went 1-0 in two appearances with one start.  He pitched 7.2 innings, allowing four hits, six runs – one earned, walked two and fanned four. 
 
The Hurricanes were picked tied for sixth in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Poll with Flagler, also a team VSU plays this season.  GSW went 19-21 last season and 16-17 in the PBC.  This season GSW is hitting .200 for the season with 43 runs scored, 61 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 39 RBI. Anthony Angelino leads the team, going 10 of 36 from the dish (.278) with eight runs scored, three doubles, one home run and seven RBI.  On the bump, the team has a 4.66 ERA in 87 innings of work, allowing 69 hits, 55 runs – 45 earned, walked 34 and fanned 100.  Nick McCollum leads the team with 15 innings pitched, while Jared Donalson leads the team with 20 strikeouts.  
 
The two teams split the season series a year ago, with VSU winning 3-2 in Valdosta and GSW 10-3 in Americus.  VSU leads the all-time series 16-14, but GSW has won five of six and eight of 12. 
 
For the Blazers this season, the team has a .270 batting average with 63 runs scored, 89 hits, 19 doubles, five triples, three home runs and 52 RBI.  The team is slugging .385 and reached base at a .348 clip with 35 walks and eight hit batsmen.  VSU is 8 of 14 in stolen bases on the year with junior Bryson Gandy leading the way at 6 for 6 in thefts.  Doskow leads the team hitting .474 with 18 hits, six doubles, 13 runs scored and three homers all accounting for 22 RBI.  He is slugging .868 and reaching base at a .523 clip.   On the mound along with Gill, sophomore JJ Finn is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in three starts.  He has pitched 16 innings, allowing 17 hits, six runs – five earned, walked two and fanned 11.  
 
Following the game Tuesday evening, VSU returns to the road at Lee for a three-game weekend series, beginning Friday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m., in Cleveland, Tenn., followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.