VALDOSTA, Ga.- Coming off a 2-2 slate at the Gulf Shores Invitational last weekend, the Valdosta State softball team is set to travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the Embry-Riddle Tournament this weekend. The Blazers are set to compete in six matchups in three days where they will face off with Embry-Riddle, Eckerd and No. 10 Tampa, taking on each team twice.
 
The Blazers open the invitational with Embry-Riddle on Friday at 2 p.m. before taking on Tampa at 6 p.m. Then on Saturday, VSU faces Tampa at 3 p.m. followed by a contest with Eckerd at 5 p.m. The Blazers close out the tournament on Sunday, facing off with Eckerd at 11 a.m. before finishing with Embry-Riddle at 3 p.m.
 
Fans can access links to live streaming and live stats of the games at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page. Check back with vstateblazers.com every day during the tournament for stats and recaps.
 
At the Gulf Shores Invitational, the Blazers got out to a hot start on Friday, opening the season with a 1-0 pitching duel win against RV Lubbock Christian before scoring a seventh inning comeback victory over Spring Hill, 10-8. VSU fought hard on Saturday, going toe-to-toe with the No. 1-team in the nation, North Georgia, ultimately falling 4-2 before dropping a 10-4 decision to No. 18 Saint Leo in the afternoon.
 
For the weekend, Valdosta State collectively tallied 17 runs on 32 hits with three doubles, one triple and six home runs for 16 RBI. Senior Morgan Hill led the Blazers at the plate, tallying six hits, four runs and two RBI over 14 plate appearances for a .429 batting average. After opening weekend, she leads the team in extra base hits with two doubles and two home runs over the four-game stretch. Meanwhile, senior Katie Proctor leads the team in batting average, batting .556 with five hits and two runs in nine plate appearances. Sophomore Saylor McNearney also made an impact in the start to her second season, tallying five hits in 12 plate appearances including a double and a home run for two RBI.
 
Graduate student Nadia Zenteno (1-1) has proven to be an early standout for Valdosta State in the circle. With two starts and three appearances in the Gulf Shores Invitational, Zenteno tallied 11 strikeouts and two complete games in her first weekend with the Blazers. She also recorded her first shutout of the season against Lubbock Christian in the season opener while scoring a save in the comeback win against Spring Hill on Friday. Overall, Zenteno has a 1.50 ERA in 14 innings pitched in the 2024 season. Four other Blazer pitchers saw action over the weekend as junior Savannah Barfield (1-0) scored the win over Spring Hill.
 
Embry-Riddle enters the tournament 3-1, falling to Georgia Southwestern 14-4 in the season opener before bouncing back to win its next three. The Eagles defeated GSW 5-2 before taking down No. 23 Columbus State 9-0 on Saturday. ERAU closed out the weekend with a dominant 11-3 victory over Chadron State on Sunday. The Eagles are led at the dish by Lauren Latoria and Emma Wood who are both hitting above .500 and collectively have tallied five runs on 11 hits including five doubles and a triple.
 
Embry-Riddle is led by head coach Kelsi Dunne Diaz, who is 222-137 in her ninth season with the Eagles. The Blazers are 6-0 against the Diaz and the Eagles since 2015 with VSU downing ERAU twice just last year in Valdosta, 11-2 and 7-2. The long ball played a factor in those matchups with VSU blasting nine total home runs in the doubleheader.
 
No. 10 Tampa comes into Daytona Beach 3-1, scoring two victories over Montevallo (4-3, 5-0) and splitting with No. 12 Alabama Huntsville (0-2, 1-0). The Spartans are set to face off with RV West Alabama prior to taking on VSU on Friday as Tampa also has matchups with Lynn and Bridgeport for the tournament. The Spartans pitching looks to be strong this season with Mariah Galhouse and Gwen McGinnis leading the charge for Tampa early. In two appearances and one start, Galhouse (2-0) has tallied 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched with one complete game. McGinnis (1-1) has started and appeared in two matchups, fanning five with one complete game in seven innings pitched.
 
Tampa is led by long-time head coach Leslie Kanter who is 777-480 in her 30^th season as head of the program. Tampa currently holds a 11-8 advantage over Valdosta State since 2012 with the pair splitting a doubleheader in Valdosta last season. In that series, the Blazers took the first game, 8-7, before falling 11-8 in the nightcap.
 
Eckerd comes into the weekend with a 4-3 record, defeating the likes of Carson-Newman (4-3), Montevallo (8-4) and Chadron State (7-1, 5-2), while also taking No. 12 Alabama Huntsville to the brink in a thrilling 10-inning loss, 1-0. The Tritons are led at the plate by Hannah Taylor who is batting .458 with 11 hits and five runs with three doubles and four RBI. In the circle, Eckerd is led by Reese Founds and Brandilyn Reymer. Founds (2-1) has seen the most action for the Tritons, pitching 18.1 innings with two complete games in two starts. She currently has 15 strikeouts and four walks for a 1.96 ERA. On the other hand, Reymer (1-0) has tallied one complete game in two starts over 13.2 innings pitched. She holds a 1.32 ERA with eight strikeouts so far this year.
 
The Tritons are led by head coach Katie Grimes, who holds a 109-158 record in seven seasons with Eckerd. VSU holds the 16-1 record with EC since 2003 with Eckerd scoring its last win over the blazers in 2005. The Blazers have not taken on Eckerd since early 2020, when VSU defeated EC 8-2 and 3-2 in the Old Coast Classic.
 
Following the tournament, the Blazers will return to Valdosta to open Gulf South Conference play against West Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 14 in a Valentine's Day doubleheader with action kicking off at 2 p.m. For more information on Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com.