VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State baseball team (15-28, 10-17 GSC) closes out its home slate this weekend, hosting Christian Brothers (10-30, 5-22 GSC) for a three-game series at Billy Grant Field.
First pitch is set for Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Senior Day will be celebrated on Saturday, with a pregame ceremony honoring the 13 graduating Blazers scheduled for 12:10 p.m.
Valdosta State enters a crucial weekend, sitting ninth in the Gulf South Conference standings at 10-17, two games behind eighth-place UAH (12-15) for the final spot in the GSC Tournament. With only the top eight teams qualifying, VSU will look to make up some ground and keep its postseason hopes alive in its final home series of the year.
Historically, the Blazers have had the upper hand in the series with Christian Brothers, holding a 31-5 advantage, including a sweep of the Buccaneers last season in Memphis.
The Blazer offense has come to rely on several consistent bats at the top of the lineup. Junior Charlie Banks leads the team in several key categories with an .893 OPS, 10 home runs, and 39 RBI, while senior Brent Howard is hitting .274 with five home runs and a team-high 34 walks. Junior Luke Flading has added a .298 average and 25 RBI batting cleanup, while sophomore Parker Ladd is batting .307 at the top of the order.
On the mound, senior Drake LaRoche has made 10 starts this season, posting a team-high 4 wins with 45 strikeouts, while junior Jack Butler has logged 44.2 innings with 38 strikeouts. Junior Garrett Moody leads the team with 54 strikeouts, having seen significant innings as both a starter and reliever this season. Graduate Trey Jackson began the season as the Blazers usual midweek game starter but has recently moved into a weekend starter role, earning one win and tossing 24.2 innings.
Christian Brothers has several players to watch on offense, highlighted by Isaac Lemanski, who enters the weekend hitting .329. The lineup also includes Nick Petruzzello (.301), Will Gossett (.288), and Ivan Zambrano (.274, four home runs). The Buccaneers have called on a number of arms over the season, with Kade Johnson (6.30 ERA) and Cameron Olivo (6.43 ERA) among the primary starters.
Show out this weekend at Billy Grant Field and be loud in support of the Blazers and their 13 seniors as the team closes out its home slate and makes a push toward the GSC Tournament.
Valdosta State Baseball's 2026 Senior Class (alphabetically, by last name):
- Catcher, #2, Will Beckham
- Pitcher, #40, Vinny Del Negro
- Pitcher, #24, Keaton Fuller
- Catcher/First Basemen, #10, Brent Howard
- Pitcher, #34, Trey Jackson
- Pitcher, #20, Preston James
- Pitcher, #29, Drake LaRoche
- Catcher, #8, Nick Lawrence
- Outfielder, #3, Luca Maberry
- Pitcher, #38, Jaden Paradoa
- Outfielder, #9, Marcos Sevillano
- First Basemen, #23, Jackson Webster
- Pitcher, #11, Preston Wetherell
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 throughout the season.
