PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Valdosta State baseball team (18-29, 12-18 GSC) closes out its 2026 regular season this weekend with a three-game road series at West Florida (32-13, 18-12 GSC), beginning Friday at 6 p.m. ET in Pensacola. The series concludes with a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
The Blazers enter the weekend on the outside of the Gulf South Conference Tournament field, but with a small chance of playing their way in. The team would need to sweep West Florida in Pensacola and see UAH fall in a series sweep of its own to have a shot at making the field.
West Florida, which is receiving votes in this week's Division II Top 25 poll, sits in the upper half of the GSC standings as it enters its final regular season series as a member of the GSC before transitioning to Division I.
Historically, the Argonauts hold a 39-26 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 2006 and have won three straight meetings against the Blazers.
Valdosta State has called on a weekend rotation of senior Drake LaRoche, graduate Trey Jackson, and junior Jack Butler as starters in recent weeks. LaRoche has logged a team-high 69.2 innings with 51 strikeouts, while Butler has been a steady member of the rotation with 47.2 innings pitched. Jackson shifted from an occasional midweek starter to the full-time starter over the last month.
Out of the bullpen, senior Keaton Fuller has been a strong late-game option, posting a 2.93 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 15.1 innings while collecting a pair of saves.
At the plate, junior Luke Flading leads the team with a .315 average, while junior Charlie Banks has delivered team highs with 10 home runs and 43 RBI. Senior Brent Howard has been a constant on the bases, hitting .282 with 49 hits and a team-high 37 walks. Sophomore Parker Ladd adds a .293 average as the leadoff hitter.
West Florida presents one of the more potent offenses in the conference, headlined by Zack Stokes, who enters the weekend hitting .414 with 12 home runs and a 1.274 OPS. William Lybrook (.378), Trent Kelly (.335), and Gustavo Mendez (33 RBI) piece together a strong lineup.
On the mound, the Argonauts will likely lean on three regular starters in Colton Dorsey (3.07 ERA, 66 strikeouts), Tucker Ricks (5-3), and Elijah Roberts, each of whom has made double-digit starts on the season. Out of the bullpen, Micky Scheetz has been electric, recording 10 saves with a 1.22 ERA across 24 appearances.
With the regular season winding down, the Blazers will look to put together a sweep against a strong opponent as they continue a final push toward the postseason.
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.
