VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team will begin the Jan Weisberg era this weekend, as they travel down to Winter Park, Fla. to take on the Rollins Tars for a weekend series. First pitch is slated for Friday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. followed a 1 p.m. pitch on Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday.
 
The weekend series will be free to watch on the SSC Digital Network for all three games. Fans can access the link to watch by clicking here.
 
The Blazers are coming off a 28-20 season with an 18-12 record in GSC play. In the GSC Tournament, Valdosta State upset top-seeded Lee in the second round on a complete game shutout from Hunter Booth in a run rule before eventually falling to Delta State in semi-finals.
 
First year head coach Jan Weisberg was named the third head coach in VSU baseball history back on July 31. Weisberg joins the Valdosta State by way of Birmingham Southern College. Weisberg was very successful in 17 seasons at BSC, as he led the Panthers to 544 wins with 209 losses and one tie for a .722 winning percentage. Weisberg was a conference winner in 14 seasons across two conferences as he set the foundation for whichever league the Panthers played in.
 
Weisberg brought senior Drake LaRoche with him, who joins coach Jan in Titletown coming off a season where he went 8-4 on the hill in 14 starts with an ERA of 3.21 which was second in the SAA among qualified starters. Son of former MLB player Adam LaRoche, Drake helped lead the Panthers to a berth in the DIII College World Series after the school ceased to exist back in the spring of 2024.
 
The Blazers were picked to finish sixth in the GSC Preseason Coaches last week, as seniors Jovanni Canegitta and Hunter Stowe were named to the Preseason All-GSC Team following superb 2024 campaigns.
 
The Rollins Tars finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 26-21 while going 17-13 in the Sunshine State Conference. The Tars were tabbed fourth in the Preseason SSC Preseason Poll two weeks ago, as they were one point away from being tied for second with Florida Southern and Nova Southeastern. 2024 National Champion Tampa was selected first for the 18^th time in 19 years as they continue to rack up the votes.
 
Rollins is led by head coach Jon Sjogren, who is in his 19^th season at the helm of the Tars. Sjogren has accumulated 859 wins across his 34 year coaching career, as he carried a record of 500-429-3 (.538) during his time in Winter Park. Sjogren returns three of his top five hitters, as Mason Wilson, Chris Sparber, and Jeslyn Whitehead all return in 2025. The 1-2 punch of Edward Berry and Nick Berger will be a tough battle for VSU, as the RU duo have both earned All-SSC and All-Region honors during their time in the Sunshine State.
 
Following the weekend series, the Blazers return to Titletown to host another team from the SSC, as they welcome Embry-Riddle for a weekend series with first pitch being on Friday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. following a Saturday game at 1 p.m. and a Sunday contest at 12 p.m.