VALDOSTA, Ga. - Following their opening weekend of games, Blazer baseball pitcher Drake LaRoche and Blazer softball infielder Saylor McNearney have been named this week's Steel's Jewelry Athletes of the Week.

Junior Saylor McNearney hit .525 on 10 of 19 from the dish in the opening weekend of the season with a team-high seven runs scored, two doubles, one home run and four RBI.  She shad an OPS of 1.315 to lead the team, while she slugged .789 and went 2 for 2 in stolen bases.  She had ten put outs in 11 chances with one assist.  McNearney recorded a hit in each of the five games and went 4 for 5 with two runs scored, one double and two RBI against Lubbock Christian, while registering multiple hit games three times.  

Valdosta State senior Drake LaRoche was lights-out in his first game on the hill for VSU, as the Birmingham-Southern transfer logged six innings of one-hit ball with striking out six batters and allowing no free passes on just 56 pitches. LaRoche would pick up his first win of the 2025 season as the Blazers would pick up the win 11-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Blazer baseball is back in town for a their home opener against Embry-Riddle on Friday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. The Blazers will play again on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m. to wrap up the weekend series.

Softball will continue on the road as they travel down to the Sunshine State to face Florida Southern in a doubleheader on Friday followed by a doubleheader on Saturday at Tampa before wrapping things up on Sunday with their third doubleheader at Saint Leo.