VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team heads to Pensacola, Fla., to face West Florida in its last Gulf South Conference series of the regular season. The series will begin with a single game on Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m. ET, and will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 23, starting at 2 p.m. ET.
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 throughout the season.
The Blazers head into the weekend after a midweek victory over Saint Leo as they defeated the Lions 10-6. Valdosta State is currently 26-11 overall and 15-8 in the GSC while West Florida is 20-17 overall and 14-8 in the GSC.
VSU battled back from a 4-1 deficit over the final five innings as it plated five runs in the fifth to take the lead for good. The Blazers had seven extra-base hits in the contest with a home run from junior
Bryson Gandy, along with two doubles from junior
Ryan Romano and senior
Luke Ard went a season-best 5 for 6 with two runs scored.
The Argonauts have won six-straight in the series and lead the series 30-21, dating back to 2006. This is the first time the teams have played in Pensacola since VSU won two-of-three on Apr. 28-29, 2018. VSU is 6-15 in Pensacola.
On the season offensively, the Argonauts are hitting a .272 and have tallied 323 hits, 67 doubles, six triples, 28 home runs, 208 RBI, and 54 stolen bases. Defensively, West Florida has an ERA of 5.05 with 204 strikeouts and has given up 342 hits, 175 earned runs out of 205 runs, 119 free passes, and 36 hits basemen.
Heading into the week for the Blazers, senior
EJ Doskow leads the team in average at a .402 for fourth in the GSC and is 51 of 127 from the dish. He has scored 34 runs for second on the team while his 51 hits lead the team. Doskow has a team-high 12 doubles and eight home runs as both lead the team. He has driven in 48 for the season, while he is slugging .685 for the season and reaching base at a .487.
Ard is second in average at a .358 on 43 of 120 from the plate. He has ten doubles, one triple, one home run, and 26 RBI. Junior
Ryan Romano is third in average at a .311 on 42 of 135 from the plate. He has scored 41 runs to lead the team, while recording eight doubles, one triple, one home run, and 17 RBI. Gandy leads the team in stolen bases at 16 for 20 for the season.
As a team, the Blazers are hitting .284 on the year with 247 runs scored, 342 hits, 67 doubles, nine triples, 20 home runs, and 211 RBI. The team is slugging .408, while reaching base at a .382 and going 48 of 67 in stolen bases.
On the mound, the Blazers have a 4.04 ERA in 305.1 innings of work. VSU has fanned 253 and walked 102 for the season as teams are hitting .267 against it. Senior
Elijah Gill leads the team with a 2.19 ERA for first in the GSC and a 7-1 record in ten starts. He has one complete game and one shutout, while combining for another. Gill leads the team in innings pitched at 61.2, while he has allowed 29 runs on 64 hits, 15 earned runs, walked 17 and fanned a team-high 72 for second in the GSC.
The opposition is hitting .251 against him. Junior
Kevin Tomas is second in ERA at 2.84 for second in the GSC, while he is 2-0 in nine starts with 44.1 innings pitched. Tomas has allowed 40 hits, 14 earned runs, walked 11 and fanned 28.
In week 10, the Blazers are fifth in the latest NCBWA South Region Top Ten, as Tampa leads the poll, followed by Rollins. Delta State sits third in the poll, followed by Florida Southern at fourth, then Valdosta State. Nova Southeastern is sixth, followed by Montevallo, Savannah State, West Florida, and Saint Leo. VSU is 24th in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 25.
Following the weekend series, the Blazers will finish out the regular season with a midweek matchup against Flagler College on Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.
For all information on Blazer baseball visit
vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.
