VALDOSTA, Ga. – The 2026 schedule has been revealed for the Valdosta State Blazers baseball team.  The Blazers welcome the return of several key contributors from 2025 and will benefit from an influx of new talent this season.
 
VSU is scheduled for 50 regular season games in 2026, including 33 Gulf South Conference contests and 24 games at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.  VSU is coming off a 30-22 season in 2025 and a 22-10 record in Gulf South Conference play as it qualified for the GSC Tournament for the 25^th time in program history.  
 
The Blazers are under the direction of first-year head coach J.D. Hulse, who served as assistant coach last season under former head coach Jan Weisberg.  Hulse took over the reigns of the program on June, 11, 2025.  
 
The Blazers join a long list of GSC teams preparing for major roster turnover entering 2026. "We have 28 new players on our roster" said Hulse. The first-year skipper added that he knows "at least five other teams in the GSC are in the same boat.  There is a lot of turnover in the GSC this year, but I feel confident in our guys and their talent level".
 
Hulse became the fourth head coach of the Blazers since 1967 and begins his tenure in South Florida with road games at Nova Southeastern, Palm Beach Atlantic and Barry, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.  The Blazers then have a midweek non-conference game at Florida Southern (Feb. 3), before opening the 2026 home slate with a three- game series against Florida Tech on Feb. 5-7.  
 
Gulf South Conference play begins Feb. 13-14 as the Blazers entertain Union, before closing the first home stand with a midweek matchup with Georgia Southwestern on Feb. 17.  The Blazers make their first road trip to Trevecca Nazarene for the second conference series of the season (Feb. 20-21), before closing the month with The University of Alabama in Huntsville at home on Feb. 27-28.  
 
March begins with hosting defending national champion Tampa on March 3, before a trip to West Alabama (Mar. 6-7).  A midweek game at home versus Embry-Riddle (Mar. 10), followed by a home series against Delta State (Mar. 13-14) and a single game on Mar. 17 versus Saint Leo close the third home stand of the season.  VSU then begins a nine-game road trip with league trips to Montevallo (Mar. 20-21) and Mississippi College (Mar. 27-28) and a single road game sandwiched between at Georgia College (Mar. 24).  VSU hosts Florida Southern on Mar. 31 to close the month.  
 
April opens with a home series against Auburn Montgomery (Apr. 3-4), followed by a road game at Tampa (Apr. 7) and a league series at Lee (Apr. 10-11) and concluding with a road game at Georgia Southwestern (Apr. 14).  The final home stand of the season begins Apr. 15 with Georgia College for a single game, while VSU hosts Christian Brothers for Senior Weekend, Apr. 17-18.  A single game at Embry-Riddle (Apr. 21) and a trip to rival West Florida (Apr. 24-25) finish the regular season.
 
The 2026 Gulf South Conference Championship is set for May 1-5 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., while the NCAA South Regional is set for May 14-17, followed by the Super Regionals (May 22-23) and the Division II College World Series is set for May 30 to June 6 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
 
VSU's 2026 schedule features 16 games against teams who qualified for the NCAA postseason a year ago, including the aforementioned Spartans of Tampa, along with Mississippi College, Florida Southern, Delta State and West Alabama and West Florida.  West Florida lost in the Super Regional to Tampa.  
 
As for changes to the team's philosophy following their strong showing in 2025, Hulse zoned in on deepening his pitching staff, particularly in the bullpen, saying "We went out and recruited heavy on the pitching side, and I believe we are deeper this year on the mound, especially in the bullpen".  Jack Butler, Garrett Moody, and Cam Habada were among the names he mentioned as new pitchers to watch in 2026.
 
Hulse is excited to welcome new faces but also raved about the strength of his returners on the mound from last season. He particularly highlighted the development of Drake Laroche, saying "I am very interested to see what Drake Laroche does. He was our game three starter last year and will most likely be in that role again this year.  Now that he has experience in the role I am excited to see how his season progresses".  Preston Wetherell, Keaton Fuller, and Trey Jackson round out a group of potential impact returning pitchers in 2026.
 
Brent Howard and Ryan Stracharn highlight the new bats in the mix in 2026, with the staff hoping for them to land in the middle of the order as consistent hitters.  Hulse also looks forward to watching his athletic left infield work in 2026, mentioning newcomers Jason Mack and Matt Keller by name.
 
The influx of new faces join a handful of returners from 2025, with several players jumping out after their strong efforts last spring. "I am interested to see how Easton Hood will do. Last year was his first full season, and he was great" said Hulse. H ood slashed a .341 batting average across 135 at-bats last season. Marcos Sevillano, Luca Maberry, and Will Beckham were other key contributors who Hulse mentioned as returnees for 2026.
 
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