VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a doubleheader sweep of Columbus State on Wednesday, the Valdosta State softball team returns to the road for a huge Gulf South Conference series this weekend at No. 5 Auburn Montgomery. 
 
The Blazers are 22-13 overall and a league-best 15-5 in GSC play, while AUM enters with a 24-8 record overall and a 15-6 mark in GSC play.  The Blazers own a half game lead in the league standings over AUM, Mississippi College and West Florida who each are 15-6 in league play.  West Alabama is 13-8 in GSC play.  VSU had one of its games at Union cancelled earlier in the year for why it hasn't played as many conference games as the other teams. 
 
VSU and AUM will play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 4 p.m. ET, followed by a single game Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.  Check back with vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page for links to live stats and audio/video streaming of the series. 
 
Against Columbus State, Blazer graduate student pitcher Claire Maulding dominated the Cougars tossing a complete game, two-hitter, with two walks and ten strikeouts as she improved to 17-7 on the year and her fifth shutout of the season.  Offensively, the Blazers hit three home runs in the 7-0 win as junior Saylor McNearney was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, a home run and two RBI, while senior Carly Bogart was 1 for 3 with two runs scored, a home run and two RBI and freshman Krisley Arnold went 1 for 3 with a run scored, a home run and two RBI.  In the nightcap, VSU plate three runs in the second and two in the third, while CSU then trimmed the deficit to 5-3 in the seventh, but Maulding came in and got the final out for her third save of the season.  Senior Aniston Gano went 2 for 3 with a run scored, a home run and one RBI, while junior Rachael Lee was 2 for 2 with two runs scored and a walk.  Senior Madison Lumpp went six innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, walked two and fanned two to improve to 3-1 this season.  
 
In looking at the national rankings, Tampa leads the way, followed by West Texas A&M, UT Tyler, Francis Marion and AUM is fifth.  Nova Southeastern from the South Region is 16^th, while Saint Leo and Mississippi College are among others receiving votes.  
 
Since starting the season 4-8, the Blazers have gone 18-5 since and won 11-straight games during that stretch.  For the season, the Blazers are hitting .300 for fourth in the GSC.  VSU is tenth nationally and tops in the GSC in home runs with 48, while the team is 24^th nationally and second in the league in slugging percentage at a .505 clip.  VSU is second in the league in on base percentage at a .394 clip, while the team is 11^th nationally in sacrifice bunts (37) and 31^st nationally in sacrifice flies (14) with both leading the GSC.  VSU has drawn 120 walks for second in the GSC and 37^th nationally.  
 
Gano leads the GSC in batting average at a .466 clip for 25^th nationally.  She is fifth in the GSC in hits (48) and she and McNearney lead the GSC in home runs with 11 for 18^th nationally.  Gano is ninth nationally and tops in the league in on base percentage at a .576 clip, while she is tops in the GSC in RBIs with 36.  Gano is third in the league in total bases (84) for 40^th nationally and is 27^th nationally in walks per game at a 0.71 clip for tops in the GSC.  McNearney is fifth in the GSC in stolen bases (18) and she is third in the league in runs scored with 35 to lead the team.  Maulding is third nationally in complete games (17), while she fifth nationally in starts (21) and second nationally in innings pitched (141.2).  She is seventh in appearances with 27, while she is 24^th nationally and tops in the GSC in saves (3). Maulding is eighth nationally and best in the league in strikeouts (139), while she averages 6.9 strikeouts per seven innings for fourth in the GSC and is sixth nationally in victories (17-7), while she has a 2.62 ERA.  
 
Gano has 11 home runs for the season as she has 57 for her storied career.  Courtney Albritton (2011-2015) leads the school and GSC record book with 75 career home runs, while Abby Sulte (2022-2024) has 58 home runs for second in program history, while Morgan (2020-2024) and Gano each have 57.  
 
Head coach Thomas Macera is in his 20^th season at Valdosta State and is 824-268-2 at VSU, while he has a career record of 1,030-342-2.  AUM head coach Scottie Wilkes is in her third year at the helm of the Warhawks as she is 108-41.  
 
The Warhawks enter seventh nationally in ERA at a 1.82 clip to lead the GSC.  AUM is eighth nationally in shutouts (10) to best in the GSC, while it is fourth nationally in WHIP at a 0.94 clip for best in the league.  Individually, Chelsea Newsome is tops in the league and 26^th nationally in ERA at a 1.48 clip, while teammate Reese Cauley is second in the league in ERA at a 1.60 clip for 36^th nationally.  The duo also is 1-2 in the league in hits allowed per seven innings as Cauley is 12^th nationally at a 4.08 average, while Newsome is 20^th at 4.63.  Newsome has four shutouts for the season for 20^th nationally and third in the league, while Cauley has two shutouts.  Cauley is tenth nationally in WHIP at a 0.82 clip for best in the GSC, while Newsome is 26^th nationally and third in the league at 0.96.
 
AUM leads the all-time series 15-10 as VSU snapped a six-game skid winning two of three in Valdosta on Feb. 16-18, 2024, in Valdosta.  The Blazers are 6-6 in Montgomery, Ala., and have not won there since a 5-1 win on May 19, 2022, in the NCAA South Super Regional.  VSU's last regular season win Montgomery came in an 8-6 win on Feb. 23, 2020.