VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team was picked fourth in the 2026 Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the league office Wednesday. The Blazers also had three key seniors earn recognition from the GSC as Returning Players to Watch in 2026 in Easton Hood, Drake LaRoche, and Marcos Sevillano.
West Florida was selected as the preseason favorite, earning eight first-place votes and 120 total points. Mississippi College followed in second with 101 points, while Delta State was picked third with 92 points. Valdosta State rounded out the top four with 87 points in a tightly contested preseason poll.
The Returning Players to Watch list highlights student-athletes expected to make an impact during the 2026 season, with Hood, LaRoche, and Sevillano representing the Blazers among the league's top returning talent.
Easton Hood started 40 games in the red and black in 2025 and notched 135 ABs. Hood held a strong .341 batting average on the season with 46 hits and 22 RBIs. The Tupelo, Miss. native offers consistent contact and considerable power, slugging at .593 with six home runs and 16 doubles last season.
Drake LaRoche returns for his senior year in 2026 after pitching 66.1 innings in 2025. The right-handed pitcher most often served as the game three starter in 2025, meaning he would operate as VSU's final starting pitcher during the average three-game series. LaRoche will look to build off a quality junior campaign in 2025 where he posted six wins to four losses and a 4.61 earned run average.
Marcos Sevillano was an extremely consistent presence in the lineup across his 42 starts for VSU in 2025, getting on base during 42.6% of his plate appearances behind 33 singles, eight doubles, and 30 BBs. Sevillano's 30 were the most bases on balls by a Blazer on the season. Sevillano enters his senior season with a 98.1% career fielding percentage in the outfield.
Valdosta State enters the 2026 season looking to build on a strong 2025 campaign behind a core of returning players along with a large selection of incoming talent. The Blazers finished the 2025 regular season second in the GSC and firmly in the NCAA Tournament conversation. The program will look to take another step forward in one of the nation's most competitive Division II conferences.
The Blazers open the 2026 season later this January when they travel to Florida for a four-game road trip. The team will take on Nova Southeastern on Jan. 30th, Palm Beach Atlantic on Jan. 31st, Barry on Feb. 2nd, and Florida Southern on Feb. 3rd. Find VSU baseball's full schedule, roster, stats, streaming options, and more on vstateblazers.com.
