VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 4-seed Valdosta State baseball team will battle No. 5-seed West Georgia in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Championship, Friday at 5 p.m. ET at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.
 
The Blazers finished the regular season with a 30-16 record and an 18-12 mark in GSC play, while UWG is 31-16 and went 17-13 in league play.  UWG won the series with VSU, taking two of three games in Valdosta, Mar. 11-12.  
 
Fans can access links the GSC Baseball Championship Central webpage by clicking here, for links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more by clicking here.  The game will be broadcast on 92.1 WDDQ FM with Kit Strief having the call and on www.talk921.com. 
 
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VSU has dropped its last four games leading into the conference tournament, including a 9-8 setback Monday at Georgia College.  VSU jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but three runs in the fifth and five runs in the seventh proved costly, along with four errors on the Blazers leading to five unearned runs. 
 
The Blazers are 38-39 all-time in the GSC Championship marking its 23^rd year in the tournament.  VSU has reached the semifinals 13 times, with eight trips to the finals and four titles in 1995, 2002, 2010 and 2013.  The 38 wins by VSU are tied for second-most among current members (West Alabama) behind Delta State's 93 victories, while it is tied for third all-time as former member North Alabama had 41 victories.  The four titles is second-most among current institutions, while it is tied for fourth all-time in league history.  
 
Last season, VSU 1-2 in the tournament with a thrilling 13-12 victory (11) over West Florida and then losses to Alabama Huntsville (7-3) and Shorter (11-4).  VSU last played West Georgia in 2019 in the tournament with a 12-7 victory (11) to advance to the championship round that season. UWG won in 2013, 5-4, which happened to be VSU's last championship title.  VSU leads the all-time series in the conference tournament versus West Georgia, 2-1, beginning with a 9-2 victory in 1997.  
 
UWG went 2-1 against the Blazers this season in Valdosta, Mar. 11-12.  VSU won the nightcap of a doubleheader 5-2 after UWG opened with a 6-2 victory.  The Wolves came back in the rubber-match of the series for a 17-13 win the next day to clinch the series.
 
Against the Wolves, the Blazers hit .307 for the series with 31 hits, 20 runs scored, five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 RBI, while UWG hit .374 on 40 of 107 from the dish with 25 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 25 RBI.  VSU stranded 27 base runners in the series, while UWG left 20 on base.  Graduate student JP Gates hit .538 on 7 of 13 from the dish against the Wolves with three runs scored, one double and one RBI.  He also earned the one victory on the mound, going 3.1 innings, allowing two hits and fanned four.  VSU had a 9.00 ERA for the series in 25 innings of work, allowing 40 hits, 25 earned runs, walked four and fanned 23 Wolves.  UWG had a 6.38 ERA in 24 innings of work, allowing 31 hits, 20 runs – 17 earned, walked 14 and fanned 21.  Anthony Calabro led the team going 8 of 12 from the dish with two doubles and four RBI, while scoring four runs. 
 
VSU has won 20 of the past 38 games in the series with UWG, but the Wolves have won four of six.  Prior to that, the Blazers had won seven-straight. 
 
The Blazers enter the conference tournament sixth in the newest NCAA South Region rankings, which were released Wednesday.  Tampa leads the rankings, followed by West Florida, Rollins, Montevallo and Alabama Huntsville rounded out the top five.  VSU was sixth followed by Florida Southern, West Georgia, Barry and Saint Leo was tenth.  There will be one more numerical ranking next Wednesday prior to the NCAA Division II Baseball Selection Show, scheduled for Sunday, May 14 In the evening and streamed on NCAA.com.
 
The All-Gulf South Conference teams were announced Thursday by the league office as graduate student JP Gates earned first team honors at designated hitter and second team honors as a relief pitcher/utility.  Senior pitcher Zach Henderson earned second team honors this season for the Blazers as the only two players who were named to the all-conference teams.
 
Gates leads the team hitting .383 for the season on 64 of 167 from the dish, while he has scored 42 runs with 13 doubles, six home runs and 31 RBI.  Gates has walked ten times and been plunked eight times, while he is slugging .569 and reaching base at a .441 clip.  He has stolen seven bases on ten attempts.  On the hill, he has gone 5-1 with a 3.72 ERA with 13 appearances and two starts.  He has pitched 40.2 innings with 41 hits, 21 runs - 15 earned walked 18 and fanned 40.  Teams are hitting .258 against him.  Henderson has a 3.38 ERA and a 6-1 record with 15 appearances, nine starts, four complete games, two shutouts and one save. He has 61.1 innings pitched, 65 hits, 33 runs - 23 earned, walked 19 and fanned 41. Teams are hitting .265 against him.  This marks the first all-conference honors for both Henderson and Gates.
 
The Wolves enter second in the GSC in scoring at 7.8 runs per game for 51^st nationally, while they are second in the GSC in stolen bases (91, 42^nd), second in hits (493, 42^nd), second in doubles (96, 46^th), second in runs (366, 44^th) and second in batting average (.321, 30^th).  On the mound, the Wolves boast a 5.18 ERA for fourth in the GSC and are fifth in hits allowed per nine innings at 9.66.  Individually, Logan Fink leads the team with 18 doubles for 29^th nationally.  Calabro and teammate Henry Daniels are second in the GSC in home runs, each with 14 for 38^th nationally, while Calabro is third in the league in on base percentage (.502) for 55^th nationally, while he is 14^th nationally and tops in the league in runs scored (65) and fifth in the league in RBI (55).  Calabro is second in the GSC in slugging percentage at a .744 clip for 36^th nationally.  He is tops on the team in hits (72) for fourth in the league and 36^th nationally, while his .419 batting average is third in the league and good for 33^rd nationally.  Peyton Berry is 19^th nationally in victories for second in the GSC with eight, while he is eighth in the league in ERA with a 3.94 clip.  Perry pitched five innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs, walked two and fanned six in a no decision in March versus the Blazers.
 
If the Blazers were to get past the Wolves, they would then face the winner of top-seeded and regular season champion West Florida vs. Delta State on Saturday approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the elimination game between UWG/VSU and DSU/UWF, which that game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET.  The other side of the bracket features No. 3 Alabama Huntsville battling No. 6 Shorter on Friday at 11 a.m. ET, followed by No. 2 Montevallo vs. No. 7 Lee 30 minutes following the first game.
 
For the Blazers, VSU is second in the GSC in ERA at a 4.77 clip for 58^th nationally, while the team is third in sacrifice bunts (24) for 63^rd nationally and the team leads the league in triples (13) for 57^th nationally.  VSU is seventh nationally in walks allowed per nine innings at a 2.94 clip to lead the league.  Individually, junior Preston Joye is second in the GSC with eight sacrifice bunts for 24th nationally, while Gates sits fifth for the GSC with a 1.49 hits per game average.  Graduate student Jakob Sessa leads the GSC with four triples for 34th nationally.  Senior Kevin Tomas sits third for the GSC at 4.50 strikeouts-to-walk ratio for 47th nationally, while he has a 1.42 walks allowed per nine innings clip for third in the league in and 23rd nationally. 
 
Tuesday, May 9, will be Championship Day with a potential of two games, with the first beginning at 12 p.m. ET as the winner will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA South Regional.  The NCAA South Regional is scheduled for May 18-20, followed by the NCAA South Super Regional, May 25-27 and the NCAA Division II National Championship Rounds are scheduled for June 3-10 at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, N.C.