VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Valdosta State baseball team (1-4) dropped an 11-6 contest to Florida Tech (5-0) on Friday night at Billy Grant Field. The Blazers struck first with a solo home run, but the Panthers responded in the second inning and never looked back.

After junior Isaiah Pou put Valdosta State on the board with a first inning solo shot, Florida Tech responded with a three-run second to take the lead. The Panthers added runs in the fifth and seventh frames, extending their advantage heading into the late innings. VSU would claw back with a run in the fifth inning and four more in the seventh and eighth innings before falling short.

Pou finished the night with two hits and a pair of RBI. Senior Brent Howard drove in three runs for VSU on a walk and a seventh inning two-run bomb. Senior Easton Hood, senior Will Beckham, junior Charlie Banks, junior Ryan Strachan, junior Matt Keller, and sophomore Parker Ladd round out the group of Blazers who posted hits. The team showed plate discipline, walking eight times in the loss.

Junior Garrett Moody tossed six strikeouts but took the loss on the mound for the Blazers, working 4.2 innings. Valdosta State turned to three arms out of the bullpen in senior Preston Wetherell, sophomore Jacob Page, and senior Vinny Del Negro to close out the evening. Page and Del Negro each posted zeros in their frames for the Blazers. 

Florida Tech's AJ Wydra recovered after allowing a first inning home run, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work. Gabe Roque, Marcello Cortale, and Cole Patrick each homered for the Panthers.

The Blazers and Panthers will conclude the series tomorrow afternoon at Billy Grant Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

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 roll into their 2026 campaign.