VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State softball team is back in action in Gulf South Conference play as it heads to Montevallo, Ala. to take on the Falcons of Montevallo in a three-game series. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday, Mar. 29 at 4 p.m. ET while the third and final game is set for Saturday, Mar. 30 at 1 p.m. ET.
 
Blazer fans can access links to video streaming, live stats, rosters and more at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.
 
The Blazers are coming off of a short week in which they hosted No. 25 Nova Southeastern in a non-conference doubleheader at Steel'd Diamond on Sunday afternoon. In the first game of the doubleheader, the Sharks pounced on the Blazers in a 12-0 shutout that lasted five innings. However, the Blazers remained resilient and focused, bouncing back in a 7-6 game two victory that featured junior Abby Sulte launching a late game homer to seal the win in favor of Valdosta State.
 
Currently, Valdosta State hoists a 20-13 overall record with an 11-4 mark in the GSC. The Blazers have tallied 283 hits in 33 games including 27 doubles, five triples and a nation-leading 77 home runs for 2.33 homers a game. VSU has earned 240 total runs and 221 RBI while hitting a collective .316 and slugging .616 for third in the nation. The Blazers also pride themselves with patience at the plate, ranking ninth in the nation in walks with 136 on the season. Head Coach Thomas Macera is also on the verge of reaching his 1000th career win. He is just three wins away from 1000 as he currently sits at 997-119-2.
 
For the season, junior Carly Bogart leads the team in batting average, bolstering a .405 average on 30 hits in 74 plate appearances with two doubles and nine home runs. Meanwhile, Abby Sulte leads the team in runs (42), home runs (22) and RBI (49) while slugging a team-high 1.059 percent. Senior Morgan Hill leads the team in hits with 40 as well as doubles with eight while also recording eight stolen bases.
 
It was announced just this afternoon that Abby Sulte was listed on the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Division II Player/Pitcher of the Year Watchlist. The St. Petersburg, Fla. native has bolstered a historic season for the Blazers so far, batting .386 at the plate for 42 runs on 39 hits with two doubles, 22 home runs and 49 RBI. Her 22 home runs are good for first in the nation while also ranking first in the nation in home runs per game, cracking 0.67 per contest. She currently ranks fourth in Valdosta State history in home runs in a single season while she is just five away from tying Courtney Albritton's leading 27 (2014). She is also tied for seventh in Gulf South Conference history in the category.
 
Sulte is not the only Blazer looking to cement her name in the Valdosta State history books as Morgan Hill is well on her way to paving a historic Blazer career. For her career, Hill ranks sixth in the Gulf South Conference in career home runs with 54, just two short of tying Valdosta State's Marti Littlefield with 56. In program history, her 54 homers rank third all-time while she also sits at third in career runs with 183.
 
Montevallo enters this weekend with a 16-15 record with a 9-6 mark in the conference. The Falcons are currently on a seven-game losing skid after dropping losses to No. 10 Mississippi College, No. 1 North Georgia and Alabama Huntsville on the road. However, UM holds a 9-1 record while playing at home in Orr Park. Montevallo is led by Head Coach Beth Wade who is 62-62 in her third season as the head of the program. Valdosta State currently holds the program history record with Montevallo, 10-2 since 2018, with the Blazers most recently sweeping the Falcons at Steel's Diamond back in 2022.
 
The Falcons are led in all categories offensively by Sydnee Reaves, who is batting a team-high .394 with 31 runs on 39 hits including eight doubles, four triples and 12 home runs for 40 RBI. Meanwhile she is slugging a team-best .919 percent. In the circle, UM is led by pitcher Taylor Lloyd (9-8) who holds a 3.56 ERA with six complete games and a shutout in 94.1 innings pitched. She has allowed 64 runs (48 earned) on 102 hits while tallying 81 strikeouts and 26 walks.
 
Following the Easter holiday, the Blazers will return to the road next weekend for a big-time Gulf South Conference matchup against the No. 10 Mississippi College Choctaws in Clinton, Miss. The series kicks off with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 6 at 3 p.m. ET. For more information on Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com and head to the softball schedule page.