VALDOSTA, Ga. – Riding a season-best seven game winning streak, the Valdosta State softball team returns home to host Montevallo in a key Gulf South Conference series Mar. 22-23 at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park. 
 
The series is set for a doubleheader Saturday, Mar. 22 beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a single game Sunday, Mar. 23 also at 1 p.m.  VSU enters with a 14-11 record overall and a 10-4 mark in Gulf South Conference play, while Montevallo is 15-15 overall and 7-8 in league play.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats and audio/video streaming of the series at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.  The series will be broadcast on FloCollege with Wade Beale having the call of all three games.
 
Looking at the GSC standings, Auburn Montgomery, Mississippi College and West Florida each are 11-4 in league play, while VSU sits a half game back at 10-4. Alabama Huntsville is 8-7, while Trevecca Nazarene, West Alabama and Montevallo each are 7-8 in league play.  Delta State and Union are 5-9, while Lee is 4-10 and Christian Brothers is 2-13.  
 
VSU leads the all-time series with Montevallo, 12-3.  The Blazers have won six of the last seven and won two of three last season at Montevallo.  UM snapped a six-game skid with the win in the finale of the series on Mar. 30, 2024.  VSU has a 5-0 record against the Falcons in Valdosta.  
 
Riding the seven-game winning streak, the Blazers are hitting .324 with 50 runs scored on 59 hits with five doubles, 17 home runs and 49 RBI.  The team is slugging .632 and reaching base at a .438 clip with 32 walks and seven hit batters.  Senior Aniston Gano is hitting .500 on 10 of 20 in the last seven games with six runs scored, one double, three home runs and ten RBI, while she is slugging 1.000 and reaching base at a .643 clip with just one strikeout.  Senior Carly Bogart is hitting .435 with ten hits in 23 at bats, scoring seven runs with five home runs and ten RBI.  She is slugging 1.087 and reaching base at a .462 clip with two walks.  Juniors Charlotte Phillips and Saylor McNearney each have three home runs during the winning streak.  
 
Defensively, the Blazers are holding teams to a .217 average with 39 hits and 21 runs scored, while the opponents have two doubles, one triple, four home runs and have driven in 20.  Graduate student Claire Maulding is 6-0 with a 1.66 ERA with six appearances, five starts, four complete games and one shutout in 33.2 innings of work.  The opposition is hitting just .198 against her as she has allowed 24 hits, ten runs – eight earned, walked 18 and fanned 33.  
 
For the season, the Blazers are hitting .303 with 202 hits, 132 runs scored, 31 doubles, three triples, 35 home runs and 127 RBI.  The Blazers are slugging .516 and reaching base at a .396 clip with 86 walks and 24 hit batters.  VSU is 27 of 30 in stolen bases and has ten sacrifice flies and 24 sacrifice bunts.  Gano leads the team with a .467 average om 25 starts.  She has scored 13 runs with 35 hits, three doubles, seven home runs and 25 RBI.  Gano is slugging a team-best .787 with 20 walks, been hit once and has a .583 on base average.  
 
Bogart is second in average at a .358 clip on 29 of 81 from the dish with 14 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, a team-high eight home runs and 24 RBI.  Freshman Krisley Arnold is third in average at a .333 clip with 21 hits, 13 runs scored, four doubles, three home runs and eight RBI.  McNearney is fourth in average (.325) and has 25 hits for third on the team with a team-high 25 runs scored and has seven home runs for a tie for second on the team. 
 
In the circle, Maulding leads the team with an 11-6 record in 18 appearances with 15 starts and 12 complete games.  She has three shutouts and one save in 97 innings of work.  Maulding has allowed 84 hits, 48 runs – 38 earned, walked 32 and fanned 96.  Teams are hitting .228 against her.  Seniors Madison Lumpp (2-1) and Savannah Barfield (1-3) each have also seen action this season in the circle.  
 
Nationally speaking, VSU is fifth in the NCAA in home runs with 35, while the team is 14^th in hit by pitches (24), 17^th in sacrifice bunts (24) as all lead the GSC.  VSU is 20^th nationally in slugging percentage for second in the league at a .516 clip, while the team is second in the league in walks (86) and second in on base percentage at a .396 clip.  
 
Individually, Maulding is seventh nationally and second in the league in complete games (12), while she is eighth nationally and third in the league in starts (15).  She is 12^th nationally and third in the league in innings pitched (97), while she is 22^nd nationally and second in the league in appearances (18).  She is 18^thnationally in shutouts (2) and 14^th nationally in strikeouts (96).  Bogart is 16^th nationally and tops in the GSC in home runs (8), while Gano and McNearney each are third in the league in home runs and tied for 30^thnationally.  Gano leads the league in on base percentage at a .583 clip for 15^th nationally, while she is second in the GSC in RBI (25) and third in slugging percentage (.787) for 46^th nationally.  She leads the GSC in walks per game at an 0.80 clip for 19^th nationally.  McNearney is third in the GSC in runs (25), while Barfield leads the GSC in saves (2) for 25^th nationally.  
 
The Falcons enter riding a six-game winning streak with a win in the finale against Alabama Huntsville and then a sweep of West Alabama and a midweek doubleheader sweep of Miles.  For the season, UM is hitting .244 in 30 games with 103 runs scored, 186 hits, 43 doubles, ten triples, ten home runs and 95 RBI.  The Falcons are slugging .366 and reaching base at a .297 clip with 56 walks and six hit batters.  Becca Benton leads the team with a .328 average.  She has 22 hits, nine runs scored, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBI.  
 
In the circle, the Falcons boast a 2.89 ERA in 198.2 innings of work with eight complete games, three shutouts and three saves.  Taylor Lloyd leads the team with a 2.29 ERA in 91.2 innings of work and a 7-6 record.  She has eight complete games with one shutout and one save.  Lloyd has allowed 96 hits, 44 runs – 30 earned, walked 16 and fanned 68 as teams are hitting .267 against her.  Berkley Mooney is 2-3 on the year in 32 innings with a 2.63 ERA.