VALDOSTA, Ga. – The top two teams in the Gulf South Conference this season meet for a trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship with a best-of-three series beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in Montgomery, Ala.  The No. 12 Valdosta State Blazers enter with a 37-12 record, while Auburn Montgomery enters with a 46-10 record.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.  Click here for the NCAA South Super Regional Championship page.  The series with AUM will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM in Valdosta with Kit Strief having the call and online at www.talk921.com.
 
The best-of-three series is set for a 7 p.m. ET first pitch on Thursday evening, followed by Game 2 at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday and the "if necessary" game to follow if need be. The winner advances to the NCAA Division II Softball National Championship rounds, scheduled for May 26-31 at The Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo. 
 
The Blazers, who are the No. 3-seed in the NCAA South Regional, upset No. 2-seed Tampa winning the NCAA South Region #2 pod last weekend in Tampa, Fla.  VSU went 3-1 in the regional, defeating No. 6-seed Rollins 1-0, along with two wins over No. 2-seed Tampa (5-4 and 2-0) and a 3-2 loss to Tampa.  Last Saturday, VSU scored a total of four runs – all in the first inning in the two championship games versus UT.  The Spartans scored two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth for the 3-2 win in the opener.  However, the Blazers dug deep in the "if necessary" game using all three pitchers in freshman Madison Lumpp, sophomore Mia DeAngelis and junior Samantha Richards for a 2-0 victory.  DeAngelis picked up her seventh win of the season in relief of Lumpp (7-2), while Richards earned her third save of the year.  Richards allowed one hit over the final 3.1 innings of the game.  Offensively, sophomores Taylor Macera and Katie Proctor each had RBI singles.  Macera went 2 for 3 with the RBI single to lead the team in the finale, while she was 3 for 5 with three RBI for the two games on Saturday to lead the team.
 
For the regional, graduate student Ally Clegg and Macera each went 4 of 11 from the dish (.364) as Clegg led the team scoring four times, while recording one double and drove in one.  Macera had four RBI to lead the team.  The Blazers hit .242 for the weekend, scoring ten runs on 23 hits with three doubles and nine RBI.  VSU drew 12 free passes and struck out ten times.  In the circle, VSU posted a 1.56 ERA in 27 innings, allowing 26 hits, seven runs – six earned, walked eight and fanned 14 as the opposition hit .250 against it.  Richards went 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in four appearances with three starts and one save.  She pitched 23.1 innings, allowing 23 hits, seven runs – six earned, walked six and fanned 13.  
 
The Blazers are making their 16^th-straight trip, and 19^th overall, to the NCAA postseason in 2022, as it is the second-longest current streak in the country behind Alabama Huntsville's 19-straight appearances.  VSU currently is 59-39 in the NCAA postseason with a national title exactly ten years ago in 2012, along with runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014.  Entering the postseason, the 56 victories were good for eighth all-time in NCAA Division II.
 
Auburn Montgomery is in its second trip to the postseason as the Warhawks went 1-2 last year in Valdosta in the NCAA South Regional.  Currently, the Warhawks are 4-3 in the NCAA postseason.  The Warhawks downed Tuskegee 7-3 and defeated Nova Southeastern 8-0, before losing to Alabama Huntsville in the first game of the South Region #1 Championship (4-2) and then defeated UAH 3-0 in the nightcap.
 
If the Blazers were to defeat AUM, they would qualify for the National Championship final site for the second-straight year and sixth time in program history.  VSU lost to Augustana (S.D.) and North Georgia in Denver last season. This season, VSU is just one of three teams remaining in the Super Regionals who qualified for the National Championship site last season (North Georgia and Grand Valley State). 
 
This season, AUM leads the series 3-1 as it won two of three games in Valdosta in April and won 6-4 in the Gulf South Conference Tournament, eliminating the Blazers on May 6.  For the series, VSU is hitting .302 against the Warhawks this season with 26 runs scored on 35 hits, along with one double, nine home runs and 25 RBI.  The Blazers are slugging .543 and reaching base at a .369 clip.  VSU has walked 13 times and struck out 18.  Conversely, AUM is hitting .262 with 25 runs scored on 28 hits, two doubles and five home runs, while driving in 18.  The Warhawks are slugging .421 and reaching base at a .367 clip with 15 walks, four hit batters and 26 strikeouts.  VSU has committed nine errors in 120 chances (.925), while AUM has two errors in 107 chances (.981). The nine miscues have led to 13 unearned runs.  Two of the four meetings so far have been decided in extra-innings.  
 
Individually, Macera lead the team against the Warhawks this season with .538 average on 7 of 13 from the dish with five runs scored, one double and one home run, while driving in four.  Clegg has three home runs against AUM to lead the team, while senior Nikki Pennington has two blasts.  In the circle, Richards is 0-3 in three starts for 22 innings.  She has allowed 26 hits, 19 runs, but just 11 earned, walked 12 and fanned 20.  DeAngelis pitched 1.2 innings to earn the run-rule victory for the Blazers in a 14-6 decision on Apr. 15, while sophomore Morgan Hill also saw time against the Warhawks this season. 
 
AUM leads the all-time series with VSU 8-7 and has won four of the last five.  This marks the first time the teams have met in the NCAA postseason.  The Blazers went 2-1 in 2020 in Montgomery, Ala., and are 5-1 there all-time.  
 
The Warhawks went 25-5 in GSC play this season and are second in the GSC in batting average at a .312 clip for 71^stnationally.  AUM is second in the GSC to VSU in ERA at a 2.60 clip for 50^th nationally, while the Warhawks are second in the league in hits (467) for 32^nd nationally and third in the GSC in home runs with 53 for 25^th nationally behind VSU's league-best 73 round-trippers.  The Warhawks are 37^th nationally in on-base percentage at a .392 clip for 37^thnationally, while they lead the GSC in scoring at 6.5 runs per game for 21^st nationally.  AUM is 14^th nationally in total runs (364) to lead the league, while it is 13^th nationally in sacrifice bunts (54) and 11^th in sacrifice flies (22) for second in the league in both.  AUM leads the league in in triples with 18 for 21^st nationally, while it is second in the conference in WHIP at a 1.21 clip.
 
Individually, Kathryn Fallen is second in the GSC in doubles with 16 for 49^th nationally, while she is fourth in the league in home runs (13) and leads the league in RBIs with 59 for 15^th nationally.  Fallen is second in the GSC in slugging percentage (.710) and second in the conference in total bases (120).  Shelby Newsome is fifth nationally in hit batsmen with 18 to lead the league, while Gia Martin is 19^th nationally and second in the league in triples with six.  Alanna Goble leads the GSC in ERA at a 1.53 clip for 29^th nationally, while teammate Avery Dickerson is second in the league in ERA at 1.61 clip for 39^th nationally.  Dickerson is second in the GSC in hits allowed/7 innings (4.82) for 33^rdnationally, while Goble leads the league in WHIP at a 1.00 clip for 43^rd nationally. 
 
Head coach Eric Newell is in his eighth season at AUM and is 299-85 there, while he is 553-206 in 16 seasons of coaching.  The Warhawks have won 40 or more games three of the last four seasons since becoming a D2 member in 2017-18.  
 
Earning all-region honors this season for the Warhawks were Martin (D2CCA First Team/NFCA First Team), Fallen (D2CCA First Team/NFCA First Team) and Haley Ann Frank (D2CCA Second Team/NFCA Second Team).  
 
This season, VSU is 34^th nationally and tops in the GSC in ERA at a 2.31 clip, while the team is fifth nationally in home runs (72) to lead the league, while it is 25^th nationally and third in the GSC in scoring at a 6.39 clip.  VSU is 21^stnationally and tops in the league in slugging percentage at a .511 clip, while it is 27^th nationally in WHIP (1.14) to lead the league and 13^th in walks with 190 for third in the conference.  
 
Individually, Richards leads the nation in complete games with 29, while she is third in the GSC in ERA at a 1.66 clip.  She is 14^th nationally in starts (30), while she is third in the GSC in hits allowed per seven innings (5.34) and ninth nationally in appearances (40).  Richards is 27^th nationally in saves (3) for second in the league and seventh nationally in strikeouts (294).  She is fourth in victories (27).  Offensively, Clegg and Pennington are tied for 23^rd nationally and second in the league in home runs (14), while Pennington is 18^th nationally in sacrifice flies (5) for second in the league.  
 
Richards was named GSC Pitcher of the Year for the second-straight season, while she earned D2CCA South Region Pitcher of the Year honors and NFCA First Team All-Region, while being named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 25.  Pennington earned D2CCA First Team All-Region honors, while Clegg and Proctor earned second team honors.  Pennington also earned NFCA First Team All-Region honors.