VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State softball team is set to conclude the 2024 regular season when it heads to Carrollton, Ga. to take on the Wolves of West Georgia in a three-game Gulf South Conference series. Play kicks off with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 27 at 12 p.m. with the series finale closing out the weekend on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m.
 
Blazer Fans can access links to video streaming, live stats, rosters and more at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.
 
The Blazer softball team is hot off an excellent senior-day weekend at Steel's Diamond in which VSU claimed its eight GSC series win of the year in a three-game sweep of Christian Brothers. The Blazers took the series opener in five innings 9-1 as junior pitcher Madison Lumpp added a new entry to her great stretch of outings, allowing just one run on two hits for her eighth win of the season. VSU then took the second game of the doubleheader in a gritty 8-5 contest as senior Aniston Gano belted two home runs for five RBI to propel the Blazers past the Lady Bucs. In the rainy Sunday afternoon series finale, VSU rushed out to a 9-3 lead before senior Katie Proctor "called game" on a two-run shot off the top of the scoreboard to give the Blazers the 11-3 victory as well as the series sweep.
 
Following an excellent string of performances, Aniston Gano was named both the Gulf South Conference Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/NFCA D2 National Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. Gano had an excellent weekend at Steel's Diamond, helping lead Valdosta State to a three-game series sweep of Christian Brothers. The Lakeland, Ga. native led the Blazers at the plate, batting a team-best .636 on seven hits in 11 plate appearances. Overall, Gano tallied four runs and eight RBI on the weekend while cracking two home runs over the stretch. She also got on base at a .636 rate while slugging a team-high 1.182. In the series opener on Saturday, she went a perfect three of three at the plate, racking up three singles for one run and three RBI. Then in the second game of the afternoon, she scored five of the Blazers' eight RBI on a multi-homer performance including a two-run homer and a three-run home run. The award marked the second national honor for the Blazers this season and the sixth within the conference.
 
The team learned on Wednesday afternoon that it is ranked ninth in the second rendition of the NCAA Division II South Region rankings as announced by the national office. The top ten teams ranked in order include: Tampa, Mississippi College, Auburn Montgomery, Saint Leo and Nova Southeastern rounding out the top five. West Alabama is ranked sixth followed by West Florida, Rollins, Valdosta State and Barry at tenth. The South Region will have eight teams qualify for the regional from the announcement on May 6.  Each of the three conferences in the region, the Gulf South, Sunshine State and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, will have each of its conference tournament champions earn an automatic berth to the regional. In subsequent weeks, the teams will be ranked with the third ranking scheduled for a week from today (May 1) before the NCAA announces the field for the 2024 NCAA Division II Softball Championship on May 6 at 10 a.m. ET on NCAA.com.
 
Meanwhile, The Blazers clinched a berth in the Gulf South Conference Championship tournament last weekend, currently sitting in fifth place with an 18-9 conference record. Each of the top five teams in the conference have earned a spot in the tournament including Mississippi College, Auburn Montgomery, Alabama Huntsville, West Florida, and Valdosta State. The conference tournament kicks off next week at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala. from May 1 to May 4. Seeding and matchups will be determined following this weekend's matchups.
 
Valdosta State is currently sitting at 28-19 overall with a 18-9 record in league play. This season, the Blazers have tallied 397 hits in 47 games including 49 doubles, eight triples and 102 home runs for second in the nation in the homers. VSU has earned 351 total runs and 327 RBI while hitting a collective .312 and slugging .603 for fifth in the nation. The Blazers also pride themselves with patience at the plate, ranking third in the nation in walks with 226 on the season. Head Coach Thomas Macera also currently sits at 799-258-2 in his 20th season at the helm of the Valdosta State program, just one win shy of his 800^th program win while he recently earned his 1000^th career win a few weeks ago.
 
Individually, junior Carly Bogart leads the team in batting average, batting a .388 average on 45 hits in 116 plate appearances with seven doubles and 11 home runs. Meanwhile, Abby Sulte leads the team in runs (60) and home runs (25) while slugging a team-high .919. She also leads the team in on-base percentage, getting on base at a .514 rate. Senior Morgan Hill leads the team in hits with 55 as well as doubles with 13 while also swiping a team-high 16 stolen bases. Gano is the team-leader in RBIs with 60 on the year while ranking sixth in the nation in home runs with 18.
 
Hill and Sulte have continued to etch their names in the VSU history books. Program wise, Hill is currently tied for second place in career home runs with Marti Littlefield with 56 career homers for fifth in the GSC record book. She also ranks second in VSU history in career runs, currently sitting at 205. Meanwhile, Sulte still leads all of Division II in home runs with 25 this season, just two shy of tying Courtney Albritton's illustrious 27 home runs in a single season for the school and conference record. Her 25 homers in a single season currently tie for second all-time in the Gulf South Conference with VSU's Marti Littlefield.
 
West Georgia comes into the weekend series looking to rebound off a series loss at No. 12 Mississippi College last weekend. The Wolves currently sit at 18-32 overall with a 7-20 record in the GSC. The Wolves are led by head coach Kristy Burton who is 31-72 in her second season as head of West Georgia's program. The Blazers lead the all-time matchup history with the Wolves, 36-5, dating back to 2011.
 
This weekend's series also marks the finale of the 2023-24 Red Clay Rivalry series which sees Valdosta State and West Georgia go head-to-head in each athletic event, gaining a point for every win. With UWG making the move to Division I after this season, this weekend could mark the final two events in the Red Clay Rivalry series with both baseball and softball competing in Carrollton. Valdosta State currently holds a narrow 5-4 lead in the 2023-24 series with baseball and softball both eligible to earn a point with a series win.
 
Individually, the Wolves are led at the plate by Blair Bizette who is the driving force of the UWG offense. This season she is batting .405 with 60 hits in 148 plate appearances with 13 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs for 41 runs and 48 RBI. She is also slugging a team-best .757 percent and gets on base at a .467 rate. Meanwhile, Calli Hardison is the workhorse of the West Georgia bullpen, leading the team in innings pitched with 84.1 in 24 total appearances. She currently has a 7.22 ERA with 93 runs scored on 104 hits with 55 strikeouts and 50 walks.
 
Following this weekend, the Blazers will set their sights on the GSC Championship tournament in Oxford, Ala. starting on Wednesday, May 1. Matchups will be determined following this weekend's series. Make sure to check back at vstateblazers.com for a full story on the conference tournament once matchups are released.