VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State softball team is set to open home play this week when it hosts West Florida and Auburn Montgomery at Steel's Diamond. The Blazers kick off the week against West Florida in a Valentine's Day doubleheader on Feb. 14 at 2 and 4 p.m. before turning their attention to Auburn Montgomery this weekend with a doubleheader set for Feb. 17 at 1 and 3 p.m. VSU will end the week with the series finale against AUM on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.
 
Fans can access links to video streaming, live stats, rosters and more at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.
 
VSU competed in the Embry-Riddle Invitational tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. last weekend. The Blazers were tasked with playing six games in three days, taking on the likes of Embry-Riddle, #10 Tampa and Eckerd. Valdosta State dropped the first two games of the tournament of Friday, falling to Embry-Riddle in the opener 5-4 before dropping a 4-2 loss to Tampa. VSU went on to drop another to Tampa on Saturday, 14-0, before bouncing back to defeat Eckerd in the nightcap, 6-2. The Blazers had an explosive final day of the tournament, speeding past Eckerd in the opening contest on Sunday, outscoring the Tritons 10-2 on 14 hits including two doubles and three home runs. Valdosta State closed out the tournament in a thrilling 7-4 comeback win over Embry-Riddle with the Blazers catching fire in the top of the seventh, scoring seven runs on one error and seven hits including a clutch three-run homer from senior Katie Proctor.
 
Announced by the league office Tuesday, junior Abby Sulte was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Week while freshman Toree Wofford was named GSC Freshman of the Week for their notable performances in Daytona Beach. Starting in all six games, Sulte tallied seven hits for four runs including three home runs for six RBI. In the 10-2 victory over Eckerd on Sunday, Sulte had her biggest game of the young season so far, going three for three from the dish, scoring two runs and four RBI behind a pair of home runs. Meanwhile, Wofford had a breakout weekend, proving to be a force in the circle for VSU. The Dallas, Ga. native saw three appearances at pitcher with two starts over the weekend, going 1-0 in 12.0 innings of work. She recorded a 2.33 ERA behind six strikeouts and just two walks, recording a complete game and a save over the stretch. She also tallied one hit for a run in the comeback 7-4 win over Embry-Riddle on Sunday.
 
The Blazers currently hoist a 5-5 overall record. Collectively, Valdosta State has tallied 82 hits over 10 games including eight doubles, two triples and 12 home runs. VSU has cashed in 46 total runs and 42 RBI while hitting a collective .306 and is slugging .485.
 
Individually, the Blazers are led by sophomore Saylor McNearney at the plate, batting .393 with 11 hits, seven runs, three doubles, one home run, and five RBI. Senior Morgan Hill is averaging .364 with a team-high 12 hits, 10 runs, two doubles, four home runs and seven RBI. Sulte leads the team in slugging percentage, slugging .647 with 10 hits for seven runs, four home runs and 10 RBI.
In the circle for the Blazers, Wofford (1-0) leads the team with a 1.95 ERA in three starts and five appearances. She has recorded one complete game and one save in 14.1 innings pitched with seven strikeouts in her early Blazer career. Meanwhile, junior Madison Lumpp (2-0) has stepped up early this year, appearing in four matchups for 16.2 total innings with four strikeouts, helping the Blazers secure wins over Embry-Riddle and Eckerd. Finally, graduate student Nadia Zenteno (1-3) has been the workhorse of the Blazer bullpen, tallying five starts and six appearances with 22.2 innings pitched. She has fanned 17 and walked 10 while recording three complete games and one save.
 
West Florida comes into Valdosta with a 4-3 record after sweeping Florida Southern in a three-game series last weekend in Pensacola, Fla. The Argonauts are led by head coach Ashliegh McLean who is 160-78 in her sixth season with the program. Valdosta State holds a 48-26 record over West Florida since 2006 with the Blazers winning the last clash between the two in the GSC Tournament last year, 8-4.
 
Individually, the Argonauts are led at the dish by Madelyn Vasquez, who is batting .471 with five runs on eight hits including three doubles for three RBI and three stolen bases. On the mound, UWF utilizes a pair of pitchers in Hannah Harper (1-2) and Montana Young (3-1), who have combined for 35.2 innings pitched. Harper holds a 4.58 ERA with two complete games, a save and four strikeouts with 13 walks while Young has a 5.00 ETA with one complete game, 10 strikeouts and six walks.
 
Auburn Montgomery comes into Steel's Diamond with a 7-2 record while receiving votes in the NFCA Top 25 poll. The Warhawks are coming fresh out of the Panther Invitational, in which they went 4-1 against the likes of Saint Anselm, Rollins, and Barry while splitting a pair of games with hosting-school Florida Tech. AUM is led by head coach Scottie Wilkes who has gone 44-21 in two seasons at the helm of the program. AUM leads the program series against VSU since 2017, going 14-8, with wins in the last six matchups since 2022.
 
The Warhawks are led at the plate by a trifecta of batters including Haley Ann Frank, Chloe Baynes, and Gia Martin. Ann Frank has a .471 batting average with eight hits for four runs including one double and one RBI while Chloe Baynes has a team-high 14 hits for nine runs and four RBI. Martin on the other hand is batting .393 with eight runs on 11 hits including two doubles, one triple and two home runs for a team-leading eight RBI. Avery Dickerson (2-0) is currently leading the way for the Warhawks in the circle with a 1.40 ERA with 17 strikeouts and eight walks in 15 innings pitched. She has also posted two complete games; a shutout and a save.
 
For more information on Valdosta State softball including stats, rosters, streaming information and more visit vstateblazers.com and go to the softball schedule page.