VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazer baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon. On top of that, seniors
Jovanni Canegitta and
Hunter Stowe were named to the Preseason All-GSC Team.
West Florida was selected to finished first in the GSC as they received seven of the 12 first place votes and 112 points. Lee was right behind them at two with two first place votes and 107 points. Delta State (103), Auburn Montgomery (86), and Montevallo (79) rounded out the top five. The Blazers received 77 points and were picked right below Montevallo for the sixth spot. Trevecca Nazarene, who is new to the GSC was picked seventh as the Trojans from Nashville, Tenn. tallied 60 points. Alabama Huntsville (53), West Alabama (43), Mississippi College (35), Union (25), and Christian Brothers (12) rounded out the poll.
Last season, the Blazers were selected to finish second in the preseason poll, and they ended up placing fourth with a record of 28-20 (18-12 GSC) and making a run in the GSC Tournament by knocking off top-seeded Lee before eventually falling to Delta State in the semi-finals.
The Valdosta State Blazers are under new leadership for the 2025 season, as head coach Jan Weisberg will take the reigns as the third head coach in VSU baseball history. Coach Weisberg joins Blazer Nation by way of DIII Birmingham Southern College, where he guided the Panthers to a record of 544-209-1 for a winning percentage of .722 across 17 seasons. Weisberg led BSC to 11 seasons where they amassed 30+ victories and won the conference title a total of 14 times in the Southern Athletic Association and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Coach Weisberg will return many key players from last season as Canegitta, Stowe,
DJ Banks,
Pedro Moreno,
Nick Ferrara,
Hunter Booth, and
Zac Dodson all return for the red and black.
Senior
Hunter Stowe was selected to the All-Conference First Team along with All-South Region First Team honors from both the D2CCA and NCBWA at the designated hitter position in 2024. Last year, the slugger batted .340 with 51 hits, eight home runs, and 50 RBI. Stowe led the team and finished tied for second in the GSC in doubles with 19 in 46 starts for VSU. Senior
Jovanni Canegitta is looking to build off a strong 2024 campaign, as the switch hitter was named to the All-Conference Second Team, 2024 GSC All-Tournament Team, and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team after he proved to be a vital bat/glove in the Blazer lineup. The Lakeland, Fla. native ranked third on the team in hits with 59 while batting .371 at the plate with an on-base percentage of .473. In 46 starts, Canegitta slugged four home runs and 13 doubles while driving in 42. In the field, he played primarily right field and recorded 111 put-outs with three assists for a percentage of .983.
Weisberg returns the top three arms from VSU last season, as
Hunter Booth,
Zac Dodson, and
Nick Ferrara will all make the return to Titletown in 2025. Last season, senior
Hunter Booth went 9-0 in 17 appearances with eight starts and carried an ERA of 3.66 (second in GSC) in 59 innings pitched. Booth's highlight of the year came during his last two starts when he tossed back-to-back complete game shutouts including a seven strikeout performance versus top-seeded Lee in the GSC Tournament which earned him a nod on the 2024 GSC All-Tournament Team.
Zac Dodson was an anchor for the Blazer rotation, as he started in all 12 games he appeared in and finished with a record of 4-4 while holding an ERA of 5.24 in 62.1 innings pitched while leading the team in strikeout with 54 strikeouts.
Nick Ferrara was the lock down reliever for VSU last season, as he appeared in 23 games and led the team in saves with eight which was tied for second in the GSC. Ferrara held opponents to a batting average .237 while striking out 31.
The Blazers open the 2025 season on the road next week, as they travel to Winter Park, Fla. to play Rollins on Friday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. followed by a game on Saturday and Sunday against the Tars. VSU hosts Embry-Riddle for the home opener on Friday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. for a three-game series.
