VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State baseball team (11-23, 8-13 Gulf South Conference) remains home this weekend at Billy Grant Field to host Auburn Montgomery (8-26, 4-17 GSC) in a three-game series. The series begins Friday at 5 p.m. before wrapping up with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Youth age 12 and under will be admitted to Saturday's games FREE as the Blazers celebrate Easter at the Ballpark! Join us for some Blazer baseball and an Easter egg hunt at the field!
This weekend's outcome will be crucial to either sides potential seeding in the GSC Tournament. The Blazers sit one game out of the eighth seed with twelve more GSC games left to play on the schedule, while AUM sits back an additional four games to make up for if they want to climb into the tournament.
Valdosta State holds an 18-7 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 2018, and claimed last season's series in Montgomery by a tally of two games to one.
Both teams enter the weekend looking to build new winning streaks, as the Blazers carry an eight-game losing streak into the series while the Warhawks arrive in Valdosta having dropped nine straight contests.
Offensively, junior Charlie Banks continues to lead the way for Valdosta State, hitting .302 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI on the season, all team-high marks. Sophomore Parker Ladd has remained a steady presence since his shift to the front of the order, batting .345. Senior Brent Howard adds a .282 average with 35 hits and a team-high 30 walks.
Additional consistent contact has come with flashes of power from junior Luke Flading (.262) and senior Jackson Webster (.259), while juniors Ryan Strachan and Jason Mack have combined for 46 hits and 33 RBI along with stellar defense. Senior catcher Will Beckham has also been productive in limited action, hitting .289 with a .439 on-base percentage including a multi-hit day as the starting catcher on Tuesday.
On the mound, the Blazers have seemingly settled on the weekend rotation of junior Garrett Moody, senior Drake LaRoche, and junior Jack Butler. LaRoche and Moody both made appearances out of the bullpen during Tuesday's loss to Florida Southern. LaRoche has been the most consistent starter, posting a 4.53 ERA across 53.2 innings, while Butler has added 33.2 innings with 32 strikeouts. Moody paces the staff with 49 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of work. Out of the bullpen, senior Keaton Fuller has been a trustworthy arm with a 2.45 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 11.0 innings.
Auburn Montgomery is led offensively by Christopher McNeill, who is hitting .311 with seven home runs and 34 runs scored, while Luke Turner adds a .337 average with four home runs. Kyle Hipp provides power in the middle of the lineup with seven home runs and 22 RBI.
On the mound, the Warhawks have primarily relied on Huston Wynne (7.20 ERA) and Drew Cashin (10.85 ERA) as starters, while the third weekend role has varied regularly throughout the season.
Join us this weekend at Billy Grant Field for Friday night's 5 p.m. contest and Easter at the Ballpark on Saturday at 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 throughout the season.
