INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – With its trip to the Gulf South Conference Championship game, the Valdosta State baseball team learned Wednesday that it moved up one spot to fifth in the newest NCAA South Region rankings, released by the NCAA National office. 
 
The Blazers lost in ten innings to top-seed West Florida on Tuesday in a game where VSU had the early lead, UWF then took an 8-2 lead, before the Blazers rallied in the eighth inning, tying the game at eight a piece.  A couple of big hits with two out in the tenth scored two runs for the Argos for the difference in the game. 

The region rankings are through Sunday, May 7, but with the Blazers reaching the championship game should put them in good stead to earn an at large bid.  Tampa leads this week's rankings, followed by West Florida, Rollins, Montevallo and VSU round out the top five.  Florida Southern is sixth, followed by Alabama Huntsville, Barry, West Georgia at ninth and Saint Leo is tenth. 
 
Click here for the NCAA Region Rankings.
 
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) champion will earn an automatic bid, as will West Florida, who won the GSC and the regular season champion of the Sunshine State Conference.  At this moment, Barry would get bumped out in place of the SIAC champion Spring Hill College who won its third-straight league tournament title.  Both Tampa and Rollins, who are Nos. 1 and 2 in the SSC, respectively, are strongly in the field at this point in the rankings, therefore another team wouldn't get bumped from an automatic qualifier. 
 
VSU is 33-18 overall and went 18-12 in Gulf South Conference play this season. The Blazers are looking for their 23^rd appearance in the NCAA postseason as the team is 53-48 all-time with one national championship (1979), two third place finishes and three in fourth place.  The 53 victories are eighth-most all-time in NCAA Division II.  The Blazers are looking for their first back-to-back appearances in the postseason since 2009-2010.  VSU went 1-2 last year in the regional as a No. 4-seed, losing to Nova Southeastern, defeating Spring Hill and losing to host Tampa.  VSU has qualified for the NCAA postseason seven times since 2000. 
 
The 2023 NCAA Division II Baseball Selection Show is usually Sunday evening prior to the week of regionals.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for further updates on the selection show.