VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State baseball team travels to South Florida this weekend for a trio of road games against Sunshine State Conference opponents to open the 2026 season and the first season under new head coach J.D. Hulse.
Opening Day will be Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. in Davie, Fla., when the Blazers take on Nova Southeastern. The Blazers then travel to West Palm Beach to battle Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday at 1 p.m., and close out the weekend on Sunday at Barry at 1 p.m., in Miami Shores, Fla.
Valdosta State enters the 2026 season with a mix of returners and new faces in the program set to play key roles. Among the key returners include Gulf South Conference Returners to Watch honorees Easton Hood, Marcos Sevillano, and Drake LaRoche. LaRoche was the rubber-match starter for VSU last year and picked up an NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week recognition for his performance against Rollins. Sevillano holds a strong .981 career fielding percentage in the outfield and found his way on base in .426 of opportunities last season. Hood slashed .341/.388/.593 across his 135 at-bats in the red and black last season. They are joined by a number of exciting newcomers who will find their ways into the mix this weekend.
The Sharks of Nova Southeastern return several key players from last season's roster. Roylan Quevedo highlights the list of returning bats, having slashed .320/.468/.425 with three home runs and 30 runs batted-in over last season. Standout pitcher Federico Zapata appeared in 15 games including seven starts last season, earning a 4.60 ERA and tossing 63 strikeouts. The Sharks also welcome a wealth of new talent this season and enter the season ranked fifth in the SSC Preseason Poll. VSU defeated Nova Southeastern twice last year with both meetings occurring at Billy Grant Field. The Sharks lead the all-time series 8-7.
The Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish are a less familiar foe for the Blazers. The sides last met back in Wingate, N.C. in 2020, when VSU earned a 13-0 shutout victory, taking a 3-2 lead in the all-time series. PBA may have finished 19-28 last season, but they return more quality starters than most teams in the region. Several pitchers who carried high pitch counts in 2025 are set to return including Dane Hall and Nolan Smoot. A number of high-usage bats also plan to return, including those of Jake McNamara, Patrick Rakes, and Kody Kelly. The Sailfish placed tenth in the Sunshine State Preseason Poll entering the year.
Barry is in a similar boat to Valdosta State this year, having seen massive roster turnover this offseason. The Buccaneers are set to return just one hitter who tallied 50 at-bats last year in Aramis Ramirez Jr. Mason Blocker, last year's team leader in wins, is a key returning arm for the Buccaneers in 2026. Barry finished tied for sixth with Florida Tech in the SSC Preseason Poll. The sides have not met since 2022 when the Blazers claimed an 11-3 victory in Miami Shores. VSU leads the all-time series with nine wins to six losses.
Find live stats, written coverage, streaming links, and more on vstateblazers.com and follow @VState_Blazers as well as @VState_Baseball to stay up to date with the team as they begin their 2026 campaign in the Sunshine State.
