VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State softball team returns home to host a doubleheader with Embry-Riddle on Tuesday at 3 p.m., followed by a huge home series versus Lee University beginning Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
VSU enters the week with a 23-15 record overall and a 16-7 mark in GSC play as it sits a half game out of first place in the league standings.  Auburn Montgomery, Mississippi College and West Florida each are 17-7 in league play, while Alabama Huntsville sits two games back of VSU for fifth in the standings at 14-9.  Lee is 20-19 overall and 7-16 in league play entering the week.  The Flames battle North Georgia on Tuesday, before visiting VSU this weekend.
 
Tuesday's games will be broadcast FloCollege and on the radio with Wade Beale having the call on TALK 92.1 WDDQ FM in Valdosta and www.talk921.com.  
 
The Blazers are coming off a disappointing series at No. 5 Auburn Montgomery where they had chances to win the series.  All three games were decided by one run as the Blazers began the series with a gem from graduate student Claire Maulding in the circle.  She tossed a complete game 1-0 shutout as senior Aniston Gano belted a home run in the top of the first and the run stood for the game.  Maulding scattered four hits with one strikeout and no walks, while retiring 17-straight during the game.  
 
AUM scored four runs in the first three innings of the nightcap as VSU responded with three runs in the fifth, but loaded the bases in the sixth with nobody out and left them full.  In the rubber-match, the Blazers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth and AUM matched it in the bottom of the frame as the Warhawks won 2-1 with a walk-off single in the eighth, spoiling another great outing from Maulding.  Coupled with a shutout performance earlier in the week against Columbus State, Maulding went 2-1 for the week with a 0.65 ERA in 21.2 innings, allowing 15 hits, two earned runs, walked just two and fanned 13 as teams hit .195 against her and she had one save. 
 
Gano blasted her 58^th home run in the opener against AUM as she moved into a tie for second all-time in VSU history with former Blazer Abby Sulte (2022-24).  GSC record holder and former Blazer Courtney Albritton (2012-2015) leads the school record book with 75 career blasts. 
 
Embry-Riddle enters with a 20-16 record overall and an 8-13 mark in the Sunshine State Conference. ERAU is coming off a 2-1 weekend series with Florida Tech winning 1-0 in 12 innings, 11-4 and losing the finale 5-3.  This season, the Eagles are hitting .298 for the season with 188 runs scored, 306 hits, 44 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 163 RBI.  The team is slugging .371 and reaching base at a .370 clip with 105 walks and 18 hit batters.  ERAU is 96 of 113 in stolen bases.
 
Individually, Emma Wood leads the team with a .370 average on 44 of 119 from the dish.  She has scored 16 runs with a team-high 11 doubles and a team-best 21 RBI.  Wood is slugging .462 and reaching base at a .397 clip with six walks.  Leah Oberkehr is second in average at a .365 clip with a team-high 29 runs scored and a team-best 46 hits.  
 
In the circle, the Eagles boast a 3.28 ERA in 253.2 innings of work, with eight complete games, three shutouts and eight saves.  The Eagles have allowed 291 hits, 181 runs – 119 earned, walked 98 and fanned 88 as teams are hitting .286 against the staff.  The Eagles use three pitchers mainly as Ava Domenici leads the team with a 7-4 record in 59 innings, while Shelby Morse is 6-5 on the year and a 1.96 ERA in 103.1 innings pitched along with two saves.  Morse leads the team with 44 strikeouts for the season and teams are hitting .270 against her.
 
VSU leads the all-time series with ERAU 7-1 as the teams split two meetings on Feb. 9-11 2024 in Daytona Beach, Fla.  Prior to that, VSU had won six-straight.  VSU won 11-2 and 7-2 on Feb. 23, 2023, in Valdosta for the last time ERAU visited Valdosta.  Tuesday marks jus the second time the Eagles have visited Valdosta in series history.
 
Head coach Kelsi Dunne Diaz 272-171 in her 11^th season at the helm of the Eagles.  She is 1-7 against VSU in her career at ERAU.
 
Lee enters with a 20-19 record overall and a 7-16 mark in GSC play.  The Flames won the finale against West Florida on Saturday, 8-7, following a 5-0 loss and a 11-7 loss.  UWF scored four runs in the top of the seventh and had the potential tying run at second when the finale ended.  
 
The Flames will battle No. 8 North Georgia in Chattanooga for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 8, before coming to Valdosta.  The Blazers lead the all-time series 19-4-1 dating back to 2016.  VSU has won ten-straight in the series and 13 of 15.  Lee's last win came in a 2-1 decision on Mar. 8, 2020 in Valdosta.  The Blazers are 9-1-1 all-time against Lee in Valdosta.  
 
Head coach Emily Russell is 744-449-1 all-time at Lee in 23 seasons.  
 
This season, the Flames are hitting .331 with 237 runs scored, 362 hits, 48 doubles, seven triples and 29 home runs, while driving in 217 runs.  The team is slugging .468 and reaching base at a .402 clip with 124 walks and 15 hit batters.  The Flames are 87 of 102 in stolen bases this season.  
 
Individually, Ana Macha leads the team with a .449 batting average as she is 62 of 139 from the plate with a team-high 31 runs scored, four doubles and 19 RBI.  Her .449 average leads the GSC and is just thee thousandths of a percentage point ahead of Gano.  Macha is slugging .478 and reaching base at a .469 clip, while going 28 of 32 in stolen bases.  Alexa Scalzo is second in average at a .433 clip with 58 hits, nine doubles, one triple, a team high eight home runs and 30 RBI.  She is slugging a team-best .694 and reaching base at a .503 clip with 16 walks and has been hit by four pitches.  Scalzo is 23 of 25 in stolen bases.  
 
In the circle, Natalie Pruitt Geesey is 14-6 on the year with a 3.82 ERA in 124.2 innings of work.  She has allowed 151 hits with 78 runs scored – 68 earned, walked 29 and fanned 45 as teams are hitting .295 against her.  Madison Barnett is 4-6 with a 5.23 ERA in 71 innings pitched, while Layne Bailey is 1-5 in 45.2 innings of work with a 5.52 ERA and three saves.  Lee has a 4.64 ERA for the season in 256.1 innings, allowing 351 hits, 198 runs – 170 earned, walked 61 and fanned 116 as teams are hitting .320 against it.  
 
The Blazers enter the week hitting .293 for the season with 198 runs scored on 294 hits with 37 doubles, four triples, 49 home runs and 186 RBI.  The team is slugging .484 for the season and has 128 walks with 35 hit batters and a .386 on base average. VSU is 41 of 44 in stolen bases this season.  Gano leads the team with a .446 batting average on 50 of 112 from the plate.  She has scored 21 runs with three doubles and a team-high 12 home runs, while driving in 37. She is slugging .795 and reaching base at a .559 clip with 27 walks and been hit by pitches three times.  Junior Saylor McNearney leads the team with 34 runs scored and is second in home runs with 11, while she is a team-best 19 of 20 in stolen bases and has an OPS of 1.027 for second on the team behind Gano's 1.354 OPS.  Gano leads the team with 14 multi-hit games this year and 12 multi-RBI contests.  
 
In the circle, Maulding is 18-8 this season with a 2.47 ERA in 156 innings of work as she has played in 29 games with 23 starts and has 19 complete games with six shutouts and three saves.  Maulding has allowed 131 hits on 67 runs – 55 earned, walked 41 and fanned 141 for the season as teams are hitting .225 against her.  Senior Madison Lumpp is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in 53.1 innings this season.  Senior Savannah Barfield and sophomore Toree Wofford also have seen time this season in the circle.
 
Nationally speaking, the Blazers are ninth in home runs (49) to lead the GSC, while they are 12^th in sacrifice bunts (39) to lead the league. VSU is 26^th nationally and second in the GSC in fielding percentage at a .970 clip, while it is second in the league in on base percentage at a .386 clip and second in the league in slugging percentage at a .484 average for 33^rd nationally.  The Blazers are 25^th nationally in sacrifice flies (15) for second in the league, while they are 35^th nationally and second in the league in walks with 128.  
 
Maulding is second nationally and tops in the GSC in complete games (19), while she is fourth nationally in starts (23) for second in the league.  She leads the nation in innings pitched (156), while she is fifth nationally in appearances (29).  Maulding leads the GSC in saves (3) for 25^th nationally, while she is seventh nationally in shutouts (6) for second in the league.  She leads the GSC in in strikeouts (141) for 15^thnationally and her 18 victories are fifth nationally for best in the league.  
 
Gano is second in the GSC in average at a .446 clip for 40^th nationally.  She is 15^th nationally and tops in the GSC in home runs (12), while she is 10^th nationally and best in the league in on base percentage at a .559 clip.  Gano is tops in the GSC in RBIs (37) and second in the league in total bases (89) for 40^th nationally.  She leads the league in walks per game at a 0.71 clip for 29^th nationally.  McNearney is third in the GSC in home runs with 11.