VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 4 Blazer softball team is set to host the Christian Brothers Buccaneers on April 2-3 for a weekend Gulf South Conference series. The three-game set will begin on Saturday with a doubleheader slated to begin at 12 p.m., and will conclude with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m., at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the games against CBU at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page. Check back with the site for complete recaps and stats of each game throughout the season.
The Blazers (21-5, 13-1 GSC) fell one spot to No. 4 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 this week, and currently lead the GSC standings. VSU suffered its first conference loss of the season last Sunday on the road, 2-1 in extra innings against Mississippi College. The Choctaws hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to walk off the game. On Saturday, the Blazers clinched the series victory, defeating MC 8-4 in game one and 11-4 in game two. The Blazer offense combined for six home runs on the evening and overcame early deficits in both games.
VSU last faced the Bucs (10-22, 4-11 GSC) on May 25, 2021, and won 15-2 in the final game of a weekend series. The Blazers hit a school-record seven home runs in the game as sophomore Aniston Gano, senior Nikki Pennington, and sophomore Morgan Hill all recorded home runs. On May 24, 2021, the Blazers picked up two wins against CBU, taking game one 15-0 in five innings and game two 9-2.
CBU is coming off a midweek, nonconference, doubleheader loss to Harding on March 29. The Buccaneers fell in game one 11-6 and game two 14-6. Prior to Harding, the Buccaneers were swept by Union on March 26-27. The Bulldogs defeated the Buccaneers 6-2 in game one of the doubleheader and took game two, 3-0. On Sunday, CBU fell 9-3 in the final game of the series.
Elaina McGill leads the Buccaneers in RBI with 29 on the year through 81 at-bats while Kendall Westbrooks has a team-high .326 batting average in 95 at-bats. She also leads the team in hits with 31 on the season.
Mackenzie Puckett (4-6) has spent the most time in the circle for CBU and has recorded 34 strikeouts, allowed 92 hits, 52 earned runs, and 41 walks through 65 innings pitched. The CBU pitching staff has combined for 136 strikeouts, allowed 301 hits, 202 earned runs and 143 walks through 906 at-bats for a combined 6.83 earned run average.
For the Blazers, Gano is tied 41st nationally with a .522 on-base percentage and has a team-high 28 hits through 70 at-bats along with 20 runs, six home runs, 25 RBI, and a .400 batting average. Pennington also has six home runs, 23 hits, 20 runs, 20 RBI, and a .324 batting average through 71 at-bats. Sophomore Katie Proctor has a .385 batting average along with four home runs, 20 hits, six runs and 19 RBI through 52 at-bats. Junior Abby Sulte has nine home runs on the year, the third-highest in the GSC and tied 22nd nationally, along with 25 RBI, 24 hits, 29 runs and a .316 batting average. The Blazers have also outscored their opponents 176-67 this season.
In the circle, head coach Thomas Macera has utilized his entire pitching staff throughout the season. Junior Samantha Richards (16-2), is just shy of 50 career wins at VSU with 48 and has recorded 151 strikeouts, good for league-best in the GSC and eighth-best nationally. She has held her opponents to 34 runs, 81 hits, 23 earned runs and 27 walks for a 1.47 ERA through 109.2 innings pitched. Richards also leads the GSC in victories, and has the lowest earned run average. Sophomore Mia DeAngelis (4-2) has fanned 29 batters and has given up 23 earned runs, 12 walks and has a 2.75 ERA through 43.1 innings. Hill (1-1) has 12 strikeouts on the year and has given up 12 earned runs, 20 hits, 10 walks and has a 5.14 ERA through 16.1 innings pitched.
Following the series with CBU, the Blazers will travel to Carrollton, Ga., to face West Georgia on April 9-10 for the Red Clay Rivalry and will host No. 11 Auburn Montgomery on April 15-16 for the final home conference series and Senior Day on April 16. For all updates on Blazer softball visit vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.
