VALDOSTA, Ga. - After riding a late-season hot streak to the third Gulf South Conference title in school history, the Valdosta State baseball team returns to action as the Blazers open their 2014 slate of games Saturday, February 1.

VSU finished the 2013 season with a 34-18 record, but won 26 of its final 34 games on the season. Returning from that group of players are five position starters, including two All-GSC performers, along with two pitchers. The success of the end of 2013, along with the star-power of those players returning for the Blazers in 2014 led to VSU being voted No. 21 in the ABCA preseason poll earlier in January.

Leading the returners from last year's GSC Championship and NCAA South Region participant team is catcher/designated hitter Bryant Hayman. Hayman, a junior who was a first-team All-GSC performer in each of his first two seasons, was selected as a preseason All-South Region honoree by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America. In two years with VSU, Hayman has tallied a batting average of .334, with 112 hits in 96 career games. He has connected on 16 home runs in his first two seasons while driving in 80 runs and scoring 68 times.

Joining Hayman among the returning starters is second baseman Matthew Fears, who earned first-team All-GSC honors last season, despite missing more than 30 games due to injuries. Fears played in just 21 games in his first year with the Blazers, but batted .407. He counted 17 extra base hits - including 13 doubles, a triple and three home runs - among his 33 hits on the season and scored 24 runs while driving in 21. Fears, who played primarily in the outfield last season, is slated to move back to his natural second base position this year as a senior.

Manning third base once again for VSU will be sophomore Michael Gouge, who batted .300 while starting 47 games as a true freshman last season. Gouge scored 22 runs on the year and drove in 27, before earning recognition as the ninth-best pro prospect in the Florida Collegiate League over the summer.

Hunter Thompson, who started 40 games a year ago, will once again vie for one of the starting outfield positions for Valdosta State this season. Thompson batted .238 last year, but laid down a team-best 14 sacrifice bunts and was successful on 15-of-18 stolen base attempts. Meanwhile, Cooper Lemonds, who started 37 games between the outfield and first base and batted .261 on the season, will also be in the mix for the starting job at both of those positions.

A slew of talented newcomers join the five returning starters. Jimmy Dowdell is slated to fill an outfield position after playing three seasons at Division I Boston College. Meanwhile, freshman Beau Blair, junior college transfers Dominique Smedley and Kevin Cruz, as well as returners Jayk Graham and Will Wilson are also in the mix for a starting position in the outfield.

On the infield, Mike Reed, who began his career at Auburn before transferring to Florida State College at Jacksonville, is slated to man the shortstop position while Matt Fitzsimmons, a transfer from Division I USC-Upstate, is currently penciled in at first base. Georgia Southern transfer Casey Kicklighter will fill the designated hitter position when Hayman is catching. Sophomore Clint Carr, who started 21 games behind the plate for VSU last season, also returns to spell Hayman in certain games at catcher.

VSU's biggest losses from 2013 come on the mound as the Blazers lost all three weekend starting pitchers as well as All-America closer Benjamin Weil. Leading the returning hurlers will be senior Josh Mann, who tallied a 1-2 record and a 3.05 earned run average in 18 appearances, including six mid-week starts, last year. he is joined by junior Dom DeMasi, who tallied a 3-1 record and three saves in 17 games last year before serving as the punter on the Valdosta State football team during the fall.

The bulk of the questions surrounding the 2014 Blazers come from the newest pitchers on the Valdosta State roster, although the group will not suit up without plenty of talent to answer those questions. Leading the group is junior right-hander Kyle Andre, who recorded a 10-2 record and a 2.12 earned run average of Seminole State Community College last year. Expected to join Andre and Mann in the weekend starting rotation is leftie Ethan Bornstein. Bornstein went 3-2 and had three saves and a 3.76 ERA for Tallahassee Community College in 2013. The group will be joined by lefthander Cameron Tewksbury, who played for Tallahassee CC in 2012 and went 5-5 with a 2.84 ERA before signing and red-shirting with Division I South Carolina last year.

Matt Moses, Justin Guy, Jarod Stanley and Colby Wisdom are additional junior college players that who will provide depth on the mound for the Blazers this season, as will  transfers Ryan Mosley (Georgia Southwestern) and James Hager (Columbus State).

Valdosta State was voted to finish fourth in the Gulf South Conference this season as it garnered 29 votes in a poll of the league coaches during the preseason. Delta State and West Florida tied for first at 44 votes while Alabama-Huntsville had 37. North Alabama followed the Blazers with 27 while West Alabama had 18, West Georgia 17 and Christian Brothers 8.

 

Shorter, Union and Lee will also compete in the GSC this season, although none of the three will be eligible for the conference championship as they are all transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II.

Valdosta State opens it season Saturday, February 1 at 3:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field when it hosts Truett-McConnell in the second game of the Comfort Suites Classic. The Blazers will also host Georgia Southwestern in the final game of the Classic on Sunday.

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State turned in dominating performances at the plate and on the mound in both games as the Blazers defeated Paine 15-0 in both games of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Billy Grant Field.

ValdostaState (3-0) opened the scoring with an RBI single by Bryant Hayman in the bottom of the first inning before exploding for eight runs in the second inning. The Blazers sent 12 batters to the plate in the second and collected seven hits, including a three-run home run by Hayden Jones, his second of the season.

VSU added its 10th run of the game in the fourth inning before adding five more, including Kevin Cruz's first career home run, in the bottom of sixth inning.

The Blazers pounded out 17 hits in the first game as Mike Reed finished with three to go along with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Jones and Cruz, who also both drove in three runs and scored twice, finished with two hits each, as did Michael Gouge, Hayman and Bobby Rice.
 

Mitchell Cody, who improved to 1-0, allowed just two base runners in the game as he gave up a single in the third inning and walked a batter in the fifth, but neither runner advanced beyond first base. Meanwhile, the junior, who pitched 6.2 innings, struck out 10 batters, including a pair in the top of the seventh before he was lifted. James Ethredge struck out the only batter he faced to end the game.

The two starting pitchers dominated the early innings of game two before ValdostaState sent 12 batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored eight runs. The Blazers tallied seven hits in the frame, including RBI singles by Hayman, Jones, Rice and Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) but also saw Paine (1-5) commit four errors in the frame.

Valdosta State added seven more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Gouge, Hayman, Cruz and Dominique Smedley all had run-scoring hits in the inning while David Wortham and Jayk Graham hit sacrifice flies.

Kyle Andre pitched 6.0 innings for the Blazers and allowed just one hit, a single in the first inning. He faced the minimum as the base runner was caught stealing and the junior retired the final 15 batters he faced, including five via strikeouts.

Graham and Hayman each had two hits and two runs batted in to lead VSU offensively in the game. Gouge and Jones also had two hits each for the Blazers.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Bryant Hayman tied a Valdosta State single game record as he collected six hits to lead Valdosta State to a 25-3 victory over Paine in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon.

Hayman's six hits tied a record originally set by Mike Jones during the 1985 VSU season. The senior failed to reach base only once during the game as he struck out in the seventh inning. Overall, ValdostaState tallied 24 hits in the game as it batted around in three different innings.
 
Valdosta State (4-0) took advantage of an error to open the second inning to score four runs in the frame. Bobby Rice reached second on the error to open the frame and scored two batters later when Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) doubled. A sacrifice bunt and walk to Mike Reed followed before Michael Gouge doubled home Graham and Reed. Hayman followed with a single to left that scored Gouge to give VSU a 4-0 lead.

The Blazers tacked on three more runs in the third inning. Kevin Cruz doubled to open the frame and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring when Zac Goodno reached on a two-base error. Jayk Graham followed with a triple to the left-field wall that plated Goodno. A B.J. Harmon single to right scored Graham to push the VSU advantage to 7-0.

Paine (1-6) got two runs back in the top of the fourth inning as VSU starter Austin Glorius walked three batters in the frame, but the Blazers batted around and scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to push their lead to 11-2. Rice, Goodno and Reed all collected run-scoring hits in the frame.

Dominique Smedley walked and moved to third on a Gouge single in the bottom of the sixth before scoring on a wild pitch while Hayman drove Gouge home with a single.

The Lions got a pair of hits in the top of the seventh to plate their final run while VSU scored seven runs in the bottom of the inning, including two-run doubles by both Smedley and Cruz, and added five more in the eighth.

Gouge finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two driven in while Cruz was four-for-seven with two runs scored and three driven in.

Glorius allowed two runs, one scored, on a hit and three walks in 3.2 innings in a no-decision. Jared Stanley came out of the bullpen and walked two while striking out three in 1.1 innings to improve to 1-0 on the season.

Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, February 11 when it hosts Albany State at Billy Grant Field. The game, which was originally scheduled to be played in Albany before being moved to Valdosta this week, is slated for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch.

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Bryant Hayman and Michael Gouge each hit their first home run of the season to lead Valdosta State to a 16-1 victory over Albany State in baseball action at Billy Grant Field Wednesday evening.

After leaving four base runners, including three in scoring position, stranded in the first two innings, Valdosta State (5-0) opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning. Gouge singled up the middle to open the frame before Hayman hit the first pitch he saw from ASU starter Cullen Coulter over the wall in centerfield. A single by Hayden Jones followed, with Jones moving all the way to third on a failed pick off attempt by Coulter. A wild pitch plated Jones before Bobby Rice was hit by a pitch with one out. A Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) double brought Rice home and B.J. Harmon singled to put two runners on base. A wild pitch plated Graham while Harmon, who had stolen second base, also scored on the play on a throwing error by Golden Ram catcher Ryan Hickox to give VSU a 6-0 lead.
 
The Blazers added six more runs in the bottom of the fourth, including a two-run home run by Michael Gouge, his first of the season. Graham also hit a sacrifice fly in the frame while Ryan Smith added a run-scoring single and Mike Reed a RBI double.
 
VSU got three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning without the benefit of a hit as it had two runners reach after being hit by a pitch and two more get on via walks. The ASU pitching staff threw four wild pitches and the frame and there was also one passed ball to allow the runs to score.
 
Valdosta State plated its final run in the bottom of the seventh while Albany State (1-5) scored its only run on a double steal in the top of the eighth.
 
The Blazers finished with 11 hits in the game, including three by Gouge, who drove in two and also scored twice. Hayman finished with three RBI and two runs scored while Jones and Graham each had two hits. The Blazers also drew 11 walks and had five players reach after being hit by a pitch.
 
Jared Stanley pitched 1.1 innings in relief and allowed three hits, but no runs to improve to 2-0 on the season.
 
Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, February 14 at 1:00 p.m. when it opens Gulf South Conference play with a doubleheader at Shorter in Rome, Ga. The two teams will also play a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

 

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State claimed a 5-3 victory in the first game while Shorter rebounded for an 11-10 victory in the second game as the Blazers and Hawks split a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader at Ledbetter Field Saturday.

Shorter (3-3, 1-1) struck first in the first game as it plated a run in the bottom of the first inning on a RBI double by Zach Santos. However, Valdosta State (6-1, 1-1) responded with the next five runs of the game. Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) evened the game in the top of the second inning as he hit a sacrifice fly that plated Hayden Jones, who singled to open the frame, moved to second on a Kevin Cruz base hit and was sacrificed to third.

VSU added two more runs in the third as Zac Goodno opened the inning with a walk before Mike Reed reached on a one-out walk. A Michael Gouge double plated Goodno while Reed scored when Bryant Hayman grounded out to put the Blazers up 3-1.

Hayman and Gouge also collected RBIs in the fifth inning as Gouge singled home Dominique Smedley and scored when Hayman followed with a base hit. Meanwhile, the Hawks got their final two runs 

Mitchell Cody allowed six hits and two runs as he pitched into the ninth inning in improving his record to 2-0 on the season. He walked just one batter and struck out four in the game. Meanwhile, Hayden Jones gave up a run in recording the final three outs of the game to earn his first save.

The Blazers jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second game only to have Shorter fight back. Valdosta State scored five runs in the top of the first inning, despite having only one hit in the frame. Reed walked to open the inning and stole second and third before scoring on an error. Hayman and Jones reached on one-out walks before Bobby Rice drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Hayman proceeded to score on an error and Graham walked to reload the bases before Goodno doubled to bring home all three base runners to put VSU in front 5-0.

Hayman collected his second home run of the year in the second inning, but the Hawks responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame on four hits to pull to within 6-5. The Hawks added two more runs in the third inning only to have the Blazers respond with two of their own in the fourth.

Shorter added two runs in the fifth while VSU added one in the sixth. The Hawks regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and each team scored a run in the seventh to close out the scoring.

Cameron Martin fell to 0-1 on the season as he allowed a run on two hits in 1.1 innings of work.

Goodno finished the day 3-for-7 with four RBI to lead Valdosta State offensively on the day while Gouge was also 3-for-7. Hayman had two hits in five at-bats and also drove in four runs on the day.

ROME, Ga. - A Tyler Trenary walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning drove in the winning run as Shorter defeated Valdosta State 7-6 in Gulf South Conference baseball action at Ledbetter Field Sunday afternoon.

Blaze Vazquez doubled to open the bottom of the 11th before Jake Harrellson drew a one-out walk. Dylan Riner was hit by a pitch to bring Trenary, a pinch-hitter to the plate. Trenary fell behind 2-2 before a pair of balls sent him to first and drove in Vazquez for the winning run.

Valdosta State (6-2, 1-2) opened the scoring in the top of the first inning when Bryant Hayman homered with two outs, his third round-tripper of the year. Kevin Cruz put VSU in front 2-0 in the second inning as Kevin Cruz collected his second home run of the season.

Shorter (4-3, 2-1) took its first lead of the game with three runs in the bottom of the second, only to have Hayden Jones single home Mike Reed in the third to even the score. Two more Hawk runs followed in the fourth, including an RBI single by Riner, before the two teams traded runs in the sixth inning.

VSU forced the extra innings with two runs in the top of the eighth inning as Cruz walked and moved to third when Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) reached on a two-base error. Bobby Rice and Reed each hit sacrifice flies in the frame to knot the game at 6-6.

Valdosta State got a runner on in the ninth and two on in the 11th, but were unable to score.

Kellan Bailey pitched 6.1 innings in relief and allowed just two hits while striking out nine. However, we walked four batters, including two in the 11th as he fell to 0-1 on the season.

Cruz was 3-for-5 with two runs scored to lead Valdosta State offensively in the game. 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Columbus State scored six straight runs to defeat Valdosta State 8-3 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Wednesday evening.

Columbus State (7-4) got on the board first as Brendan Collins opened the game with a double before VSU starting pitcher Austin Glorius struck out the next two batters. However, Mike McCllean sent the first pitch he saw from Glorius up the middle for a base hit that plated Collins for a 1-0 CSU lead.

Valdosta State (6-3) got the run right back in the bottom of the inning as Michael Gouge singled with one out and moved to third as Bryant Hayman doubled. After Hayden Jones walked to load the bases, Kevin Cruz hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Gouge and even the game at 1-1.

The Blazers took the lead in the bottom of the second as Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) singled and B.J. Harmon was hit by a pitch to open the frame. Two batters later, Mike Reed singled up the middle to plate Graham for a 2-1 Blazer advantage.

Columbus State evened the game at 2-2 on a Blaine Miller RBI single in the third before plating three runs in the fourth to take the lead. With one out in the fourth, Ryan Ihle reached on an error and Collins drew a walk before a wild pitch moved both runners up a base. Carson Bowers drove both Ihle and Collins while Bowers moved to second when Jackson Oliver singled. After a fly out moved Bowers to third, a wild pitch brought him home to give the Cougars a 5-2 advantage.

CSU also added single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings while Valdosta State scored its final run on a Hayman single in the bottom of the ninth.

James Ethredge allowed three runs while recording only one out to fall to 0-1 on the season while Columbus State starting pitcher Jake Ezell surrendered seven hits and two runs in six innings to improve to 2-0.

Jones was three-for-three to lead VSU in hitting in the game while Hayman was three-for-four with a run driven in.

Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, February 21 when it opens a three-game weekend Gulf South Conference series against West Florida at Billy Grant Field. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday followed by a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State hit five home runs, including three in the eighth inning, in a game one 9-4 victory while Zac Goodno's collected an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of game two to propel VSU to a 2-1 victory as the Blazers swept No. 9 West Florida in a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader at Billy Grant Field Saturday.

Valdosta State (8-3, 3-2) got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning as Mike Reed singled to open the frame and stole second. After a pair of outs, Hayden Jones walked before Kevin Cruz singled through the right-side of the infield to drive home Reed for a 1-0 VSU lead.
 
The Blazers added a pair of home runs in the bottom of the third inning to chase UWF starter Jarrod Petree. Cruz collected his second RBI of the game as he hit a ball out to left for his third roundtripper of the season. Two batters later, Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) hit a ball that bounced off the roof of the VSU softball building in left-center field for his first career homer to post VSU to a 3-0 advantage.

VSU added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning as Michael Gouge doubled home B.J. Harmon, who had singled to open the frame before the West Florida (7-4, 2-3) struck for four runs in the top of the eighth. Chase Kiefer singled to open the eighth and scored as Ledarious Clark doubled. Kellan Bailey relieved VSU starter Mitchell Cody and induced a ground ball, but a throwing error on the play allowed Clark to score and Nic Strasser to reach first. Sean Plunkett followed with his first home run of the game to even the contest at 4-4.

Valdosta State quickly regained the lead as the Blazers hit three home runs in the bottom of the eighth. Gouge the inning with his second home run of the year to put Valdosta State back in front before Jones walked. Cruz followed with his second roundtripper of the game and Goodno singled before Graham also hit his second homer of the game to put VSU in front 9-4.

Cody went 7.0 innings and allowed six hits and two runs while striking out five in a no decision. Bailey surrendered four hits and two runs, one earned, in 2.0 innings to improve to 1-1 on the season. Meanwhile, West Florida's Josh McLaney surrendered the home runs to Gouge and Cruz in the eighth to fall to 0-1.

VSU got on the scoreboard first as well in the second game as B.J. Harmon walked with one out in the bottom of the third and came around to third when Reed singled. A throwing error to third on the play allowed Harmon to come home for a 1-0 VSU lead.

West Florida took advantage of a Blazer error in the fifth inning. Alex Greene doubled to open the frame and scored when Brandon Tyler reached on a two-out error to knot the game at 1-1.

The two teams played scoreless for the next three innings before Jones opened the bottom of the ninth with a walk. After a pop up and sacrifice bunt moved Jones to second, Goodno sent a 0-1 pitch to left field for the winning run.

Blazer game two starter Kyle Andre scattered seven hits and allowed one unearned run in 8.0 innings in a no decision. Jones came in to pitch in the top of the ninth and allowed a hit while improving to 1-0. UWF starter Brandon Nagem matched Andre as he surrendered a run on five hits in 6.1 innings, but reliever Ronnie May allowed the winning run on two hits to fall to 0-1.

Gouge led VSU with four hits in eight at-bats on the day while Graham, Cruz, Goodno and Harmon had three hits each.

The two teams conclude the three-game series with a single game Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/2/21/BB_0221155734.aspx 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Hayden Jones hit a grand slam in the fourth inning while Bryant Hayman and Kevin Cruz added a two-run shots in the eighth as Valdosta State defeated No. 9 West Florida 12-6 to sweep the three-game Gulf South Conference series.

ValdostaState (9-3, 4-2) jumped out to an early lead as it plated three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mike Reed walked to open the frame, but was retired on a Michael Gouge fielder's choice. Hayman was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base and a wild pitch moved both Gouge and Hayman into scoring position. Jones followed with a single to left that scored both base runners. Kevin Cruz also singled to move Jones to third before Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) collected a hit up the middle to bring him home for a 3-0 VSU lead.

West Florida (7-5, 2-4) responded with two runs in the top of the second as three out of its first four batters of the inning reached via a hit. Jordan Stark opened the frame with a single to center before Nick Kerkmann hit a ball of the glove of a diving Jones at second base to put two on base. After a sacrifice bunt moved both base runners up a base, Tanner Barnhard hit a bloop single down the right field line to bring both Stark and Kerkmann home to cut UWF's deficit to 3-2.

The Argonauts added two more runs in the third inning as Kerkmann doubled home Sean Plunkett and Stark before VSU scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Hayman singled home the first run of the frame as his hit to center scored B.J. Harmon, who had reached on a fielder's choice. Jones followed with his third home run of the season, a grand slam over the wall in left to put VSU in front 8-4.

Nic Strasser hit his first home run of the year in the top of the seventh to cut VSU's advantage to 8-5 while Hayman hit his fourth home run of the year, with Gouge on first, and Cruz added his fifth roundtripper of the year, with Jones on first, in the bottom of the eighth to push the Blazer lead to seven runs.

UWF got its final run in the top of the ninth as Sean Plunkett drove in Alex Greene with a single.

Cruz was 5-for-5 to lead ValdostaState at the plate on the day while Jones finished with three hits and six RBI. Hayman added two hits and three RBI. Austin Glorius allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out six to improve to 1-0 on the year.

West Florida's Reed Bright gave up five runs on three hits as he fell to 0-1 on the year.

ValdostaState returns to action Wednesday, February 25 when it hosts Georgia Southwestern in Billy Grant Field at 5:00 p.m.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/2/22/BB_0222155156.aspx

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State won game won 11-6 and got a Michael Gouge home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory in game two to sweep a Gulf South Conference doubleheader at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon.

Valdosta State (11-4, 6-2) opened the scoring of game one in the bottom of the second inning. Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) doubled to right to open the frame before scoring as Zac Goodno followed with a single to center. Bobby Rice and B.J. Harmon each reached on bunt singled before a Mike Reedfielder's choice plated Goodno. After Gouge drew a walk to reload the bases, Hayden Jones collected a two-out hit to left that drove home Harmon and Reed for a 4-0 VSU lead.

Delta State (2-7, 1-4) got a run back in the top of the fourth inning as it took advantage of a lead-off walk. Brandon Cummins drew the walk to open frame and moved to second on a ground out before Ethan Gill singled to move him to third. A wild pitch allowed Cummins to score to cut the DSU deficit to 4-1.

Reed and Gouge collected back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fourth inning to push VSU's advantage back to four runs while, after DSU got a run in the top of the fifth, the Blazers struck for six more in the bottom of the frame. Bryant Hayman delivered the big blow in the bottom of the fifth as, with the bases loaded and two outs, he sent a 3-2 pitch from Delta State reliever Cody Waddell over the wall in leftfield for a grand slam that pushed the Valdosta State lead to 11-2.

The Statesmen got a two-run home run from Matt Barrett in the eighth inning as well as a two-run roundtripper from Colton Welch in the ninth to close out the game one scoring.

Mitchell Cody went 7.0 innings for Valdosta State and allowed six hits and two runs while striking out four to improve to 3-0 on the season. Meanwhile, Delta State starter Drew Milligan surrendered eight runs on 12 hits in 4.2 innings as he fell to 0-1.

Reed was three-for-five with two RBI and three runs scored while Rice and Jones also had three hits each in the game.

Delta State got on the board first in the second game as it took advantage of an error in the fourth inning. Brandon Cummins reached via the error to open the inning and moved to second on a ground out before taking third on a wild pitch. Ethan Gill delivered a one-out single through a drawn-in infield to drive Cummins home for a 1-0 DSU lead.

The Blazers evened the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning as Reed walked to open the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gouge. Hayman followed with a rocket that bounced off the second baseman's glove and into right field to plate Reed.

The Statesmen regained the lead as Marc McMilliam opened the top of the seventh with his second home run of the year while Cummins added a sacrifice fly later in the frame, only to have Gouge single home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.

After knotting the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning, Gouge hit his third homer of the season with two outs in the ninth for the winning run.

Kellan Bailey allowed just one hit in 3.0 innings as he improved to 2-1 on the season while Nick Goza surrendered four hits, including the Gouge homer, in 2.0 innings to fall to 1-3.

Gouge was two-for-three with three RBI to lead VSU offensively in game two.

Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, March 4 when it travels to Americus, Ga. to take on Georgia Southwestern at 5:00 p.m.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/3/1/BB_0301151931.aspx 

 

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. - North Alabama used a three-run eighth inning to defeat Valdosta State 5-2 in Gulf South Conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon.

Pitching dominated the early part of the game as neither team recorded a hit in the first four inning. ValdostaState (12-6, 7-4) got the first hit of the game when Hayden Jones singled to open the bottom of the fifth before Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) tallied a base hit with one out. An error loaded the bases before Bobby Rice drove Jones home with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 VSU lead.

North Alabama (11-4, 5-3) evened the game on a lead-off home run by Kyle Conkle in the seventh inning before taking advantage of a VSU error to grab the lead in the eighth. Jake Smith singled with one out to start the rally before Dylan Calhoun drew a walk. After a wild pitch moved both base runners up a base, Brett Guzay was intentionally walked to load the bases. A ground ball by Dylan Boston followed, but the throw from Jones to second base eluded VSU shortstop Mike Reed to allow both Calhoun and Smith to score. A walk and fielder's choice followed before Kyle Hubbuch was hit by a pitch to force in Guzay and give UNA a 4-1 lead.

The Blazers got a run back in the bottom of the eighth as Reed singled with one out and came around to score on a base hit by Michael Gouge that was also misplayed in the outfield, but UNA added a run in the top of the fifth to seal the victory.

Austin Glorius allowed just three hits and three runs, only one earned, in 7.1 innings as he fell to 1-1 on the season while North Alabama's Jacob Westerhouse allowed an unearned run on four hits in 2.1 innings to improve to 3-0.

Graham finished with three of VSU's seven hits while Jones finished with two hits.

ValdostaState returns to action Tuesday, March 10 at 5:00 p.m. when it hosts Georgia Southwestern at Billy Grant Field. The game is a rescheduled contest from one rained out earlier in the year.

 Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/3/8/BB_0308153910.aspx  

VALDOSTA, Ga. – West Alabama rolled to a 15-6 victory in game one and claimed game two 5-2 as the Tigers swept a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader from Valdosta State at Billy Grant Field Saturday afternoon.

West Alabama (14-8, 8-5) sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs in the top of the third inning to open the game one scoring. Daniel Bolte singled to open the frame before Parker Madden drew a one-out walk. A single through the right-side of the infield by Jack Cockrum plated Bolte while Mitch Holgate reached on an infield base hit while Eddie Kieffer drove home two with a single. Two batters later, Luigi Mendez doubled down the left field line to score Holgate and Keiffer for the 5-0 Tiger lead.
 
The Tigers added four more runs in the top of the fourth inning, with three coming on Nick Delgado's first home run of the year, before Valdosta State (13-9, 7-6) struck for three runs in the bottom of the inning. Mike Reed singled with two outs in the frame and stole second before Michael Gouge singled him home. Bryant Hayman followed with his GSC-leading seventh home run of the year to pull VSU to within 9-3.
 
UWA added three more runs in the top of the eighth inning and, after the Blazers scored once in the bottom of the eighth, scored its final three runs in the ninth. Gouge hit his fifth home run of the year, with Reed on first, in the bottom of the ninth for the game's final runs.
 
Jorge Cruz surrendered 10 hits and four runs in 7.2 innings of work to improve to 4-2 on the season while VSU's Mitchell Codygave up 10 hits and nine runs in 5.0 innings to fall to 3-1.
 
Gouge was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored to lead VSU offensively in the game while Hayman and Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) had two hits each.
 
The Tigers also scored first in the second game as Holgate singled with one out the first inning and scored as Kieffer followed with a double to right-center for a 1-0 UWA lead.
 
A double steal with runners on first and third pushed the West Alabama lead to 2-0 in the third inning before getting three more in the fourth to push its advantage five runs. With one out in the fourth, Tanner Rainey hit a fly ball to right that looked as if it were going to be caught. However, as VSU rightfielder Kevin Cruz planted his feet for the catch, he slipped on the wet grass and the ball went over his head and to the wall. Daniel Bolte followed with a single to plate Rainey. Two batters later, Nick Delgado singled and scored along with Bolte when Jack Cockrum singled to right, a ball that Cruz also committed an error on to put UWA in front 5-0.
 
Blazer Kyle Andre allowed nine hits and five runs while striking out eight in a complete game as he fell to 3-1 on the season. Meanwhile, West Alabama's Fernando Gonzalez gave up five hits and two runs in 6.0 innings to improve to 4-1. Rainey pitched a perfect seventh inning to earn his sixth save.
 
Cruz paced the Blazers offensively in the game as he finished with two hits in three at-bats.
 
The Blazers got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Hayman singled with one out and scored as Hayden Jones followed with his fifth home run of the year to pull VSU to within 5-2.
 
The two teams conclude the three-game series with a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/3/14/BB_0314150022.aspx 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team returned to form on Wednesday evening with a 6-2 non-conference win over the Georgia Regents Jaguars at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta.

The Blazers allowed GRU to jump out in front quickly, but promptly reclaimed the lead and held on late to pick up their 14th win of the season and improve their overall record to 14-10. Meanwhile, the Jaguars fell to 8-13 on the season. The Jaguars took an early 1-0 lead in the top half of the first inning when Kevin Cruz slipped in right field and was unable to make a play on looping liner that dropped in for a double. The base hit off the bat of GRU second baseman Nick Rau drove in Hunter Boose, who singled earlier in the frame and moved around to third base on a failed pickoff attempt. The unearned run accounted for the only run scored in the first and put the Jaguars on top 1-0.

After the opening inning, the Blazers took control of the contest, scoring one or more runs in each of the next three innings. The tying run came across in the bottom of the second on a clutch RBI single by Zac Goodno, and Bryant Hayman delivered another timely base hit one inning later to bring in Michael Gouge from second base and give VSU a 2-1 advantage.

The Jaguars posed a threat in the fourth inning with two out and two aboard, but Beau Blair gave way to Jared Stanley, who gave up a walk to load the bases before striking out Boose to keep the lead intact. The bottom half of the same inning proved to be a big one for the Blazers, as they sent seven men to the plate and scored two runs on four hits. Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) and Bobby Rice teamed up with back-to-back RBI base hits in the frame and boosted the Blazers' lead to 4-1 after four.

In the sixth inning, Georgia Regents used a Gage Patton double that stayed just inside the chalk down the left field line and brought home Dodson from first base. That was all for the Jaguars, though, as Goodno made a heads up play to cut down Patton as he tried to advance to third on the incoming throw to the plate.

Valdosta State plated a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning, thanks to Mike Reed's first homer of the season to lead off the inning, followed by a wild pitch later in the frame that allowed Gouge to cross and give the Blazers a 6-2 lead. Each of the first eight hitters in the Blazer lineup had at least one hit in the contest, while Gouge, Jones, Goodno, and Graham all posted multiple hits in the game.

Stanley, who took the mound in relief in the third, picked up the win to improve his season to 4-1. Blair served as the starter for VSU and put in 3.2 innings of work while allowing just three hits and one unearned run. Kellan Bailey and Austin Glorius dealt 1.2 and 1.1 innings late in the contest to round out the group effort, in which the Blazer pitching staff scattered 12 hits and struck out eight.

Valdosta State returns to Gulf South Conference play on Saturday with a road series against Christian Brothers. The weekend action starts with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/3/18/BB_0318155354.aspx

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Valdosta State pitched a shutout in a 6-0 game one victory and utilized a seventh inning home run in a 4-3 game two victory to sweep a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader from Christian Brothers at Nadicksbernd Field Saturday.

Mitchell Cody dominated the Bucs in the first game as he allowed just five hits in a complete game shutout. Overall, Christian Brothers (8-11, 3-8) managed just eight base runners in the game, only one of which advanced past second base. Of the 27 outs Cody recorded in the game, 16 came via ground outs, including three that began double plays as the junior faced just five batters over the minimum while improving to 4-1 on the season.

The Valdosta State offense gave Cody all the offense he would need in the first inning as the Blazers (16-10, 9-7) scored a pair of runs in the frame. After a single and a double play opened the game, Kevin Cruz doubled and scored as Hayden Jones followed with a single. A throwing error on a Bryant Hayman ground ball moved Jones to third base and he scored as Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) also reached on an error for a 2-0 VSU lead.

The Blazers added three more runs in the fifth inning when Bobby Rice opened the frame with a double and, after Dominique Smedley reached on a bunt single, scored when Mike Reed also doubled. A Michael Gouge single plated Smedley while Reed came home when Cruz singled to put Valdosta State in front by six runs.

Hayman added a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning for the game's final run.

Cruz, Reed and Jones were all 3-for-5 with a run scored and a run batted in in the game while Rice also had three hits in five at-bats.

Valdosta State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two before withstanding a CBU comeback. The Blazers got their first run in the top of the third inning as Reed walked with two outs and scored when Gouge followed with a double.

Reed and Gouge teamed up for VSU's second run in the fifth inning as the Blazer second baseman singled with one out and scored as Gouge collected his second double of the game. After a pitching change, Cruz greeted CBU reliever Peyton McArthur with a double to left that scored Gouge to give VSU a three-run advantage.

Christian Brothers took advantage of a VSU error in the bottom of the sixth inning to score all three of its runs. With one out in the frame, Casey Goodwin singled before Myles Holliman reached on catcher's interference. A Cameron Coker single loaded the bases before Goodwin scored on a balk for the first CBU run of the day. A fielding error by Jones at shortstop on a ground ball by Mac Cooley allowed both Holliman and Coker to come home to knot the game at 3-3.

Cruz boosted the Blazers to the victory as, with one out in the top of the seventh inning, he sent a 0-1 pitch from McArthur over the wall in right field for his sixth home run of the year.
VSU's Kyle Andre pitched a seven-inning complete game to improve to 4-1. The junior allowed just two hits in the game and walked three while striking out four. Of the three runs he allowed in the game, only one was earned.

Both Cruz and Gouge were 2-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in in the contest while Rice finished the game 2-for-3.

The two teams conclude the three-game series with a single game beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/3/21/BB_0321155354.aspx 

 

 

TAMPA, Fla. - Valdosta State pounded out 14 hits and limited No. 2 Tampa to just four hits as the Blazers upset the Spartans 10-3 in non-conference baseball action at UT Baseball Field Wednesday evening.

ValdostaState (17-10) opened the scoring in the top of the second inning as the first four batters of the inning reached via a hit. Bryant Hayman opened the frame with a double before Michael Gouge singled. An infield base hit by Bobby Rice loaded the bases before Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) singled home Hayman for a 1-0 VSU lead.

Tampa (21-7) struck for all three of its runs in the bottom of the third inning. Casey Scoggins walked to open the frame before Giovanny Alfonzo doubled. Nick Flair followed with his sixth home run of the season to plate both base runners to put the Spartans in front 3-1.

The Tampa lead stood up until the top of the sixth inning when VSU struck for three runs. Hayden Jones singled to open the frame before Kevin Cruz hit his seventh homer of the year to knot the score at 3-3. Hayman followed with a double, one of three he had in the game, before Gouge doubled him home to put VSU in front 4-3.

The Blazers added two more runs in the seventh as Zac Goodno singled and scored on Jones' sixth homer of the year before scoring four more in the top of the ninth when Haymand and Gouge each doubled home two base runners.

Jones, Hayman and Gouge each had three hits in the game, with Gouge driving in three runs and Jones, Hayman and Cruz two each. Jared Stanley allowed just a hit and a walk while pitching the fourth and fifth innings to improve to 5-1 on the season. Overall, six VSU hurlers struck out nine UT batters.

ValdostaState returns to action this Saturday, March 28 when it opens a three-game Gulf South Conference doubleheader against Union. The Blazers and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. Saturday followed by a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State cruised a 6-1 victory in game one while Union claimed a 2-1 win in the second game as the two teams split a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader at Billy Grant Field Saturday afternoon.

ValdostaState (18-11, 10-8) scored runs in each of the first two innings of game one to jump out to an early lead. In the bottom of the first inning, Hayden Jones reached on a lead-off error and moved to second on a Mike Reed sacrifice bunt. After Bryant Hayman drew a two-out walk, Jones raced home on a single by Michael Gouge to put VSU in front 1-0.

The Blazers added a run in the second when B.J. Harmon scored from first on a Jones triple to right field before Union (5-25, 3-17) mounted a threat in the fourth inning. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with just one out in the frame, but saw VSU starting pitcher Mitchell Cody induce a ground ball for a double play to end the inning.

UU also loaded the bases with only one out in the sixth inning, but failed to score before ValdostaState added three runs in the bottom of the inning. Hayman drew a walk to open the frame and moved to third as Gouge doubled. A sacrifice fly by Bobby Rice plated Hayman while Gouge scored when Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) singled. A base hit by Ryan Smith moved Graham to third, from which he scored when Harmon laid down a suicide squeeze bunt for a 5-0 VSU lead.

The Blazers added a run in the seventh thanks to a pair of Union errors while Union got its only run in the top of the ninth inning.

Mitchell Cody pitched his second straight complete game as he allowed seven hits and one run while striking out nine to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Gouge tallied three hits and drove in two runs to lead VSU offensively in the first game while Graham finished the contest 2-for-4.

Union struck first in the second game as it plated a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. With one out in the frame, Ty Warnimont was hit by a pitch and Shane Wilder singled. After a two out walk loaded the bases, Jim Martin singled to left to drive in both runs for a 2-0 Bulldog lead.
 
ValdostaState cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Gouge reached on a leadoff single and Kevin Cruz walked. A sacrifice bunt by Rice moved both base runners up a base and Zac Goodno plated Gouge with a sacrifice fly.

Valdosta State's Kyle Andre allowed just four hits, two of which came in the third inning, and two runs in a complete game, his fourth in as many weekends, as he fell to 4-2. Meanwhile, Union's Teddy Christie allowed VSU just three hits in a complete game as he improved to 2-4.

The two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State tallied 14 hits as the Blazers defeated Union 11-2 in the rubber game of a Gulf South Conference baseball series at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon.

Valdosta State (19-11, 11-8) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as it took advantage of a pair of Union errors. Hayden Jones reached on an error by the UU shortstop to open the inning before moving to second on a Mike Reed sacrifice bunt. An error at second moved Jones to third and put Michael Gouge on first before Bryant Hayman grounded out to plate Jones. Kevin Cruz followed with a two out single to center that scored Gouge for the second run of the inning.

VSU pushed its lead to four runs in the second inning as Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) singled to open the inning and scored from first as Ryan Smith doubled to left-center. A Jones ground out moved Smith to third while Reed followed with a sacrifice fly to drive him home.
 
The two teams traded runs in the third inning while Union (5-26, 3-18) took advantage of a VSU error in the sixth inning to score its second run.

The Blazers pushed their lead to 8-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning as they plated three more runs. With one out in the frame, Smith doubled and Jones reached on a single. Reed followed with a single that plated Smith and stole second before Jones scored on a balk. Michael Gouge followed with a single to center that scored Reed for the six-run VSU lead.

Valdosta State also scored a run in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the eighth to close out the scoring.

Kellan Bailey pitched five innings and allowed just two hits and one unearned run while striking out nine batters to improve to 3-2 on the season. Gouge finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in to lead VSU offensively while Cruz, Felkel, Graham and Smith also tallied two hits apiece.

Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, April 1 when it travels to St. Augustine, Fla. to face Flagler at 5:00 p.m. 

 

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - A Valdosta State comeback fell just short as the Blazers fell 8-7 at No. 18 Flagler at Drysdale Field Wednesday evening.

The Saints (24-7) raced out to an early 3-0 lead as they scored two runs in the first inning thanks to a VSU error before adding another run in the second inning. ValdostaState (19-12) got a run back on Kevin Cruz sacrifice fly in the third inning, only to have Flagler add three more runs in the fourth, on a bases loaded walk and a double by Lorenzo Butler, to build its largest lead of the game at 6-1.

VSU stormed back in the fifth inning as it plated five runs in the frame. Mike Reed singled to open the fifth inning and stole second with one out in the frame. Bryant Hayman was hit by a pitch to reach base and executed a double steal along with Reed before Hayden Jones singled home the lead runner. Cruz followed with a single to plate Hayman before Jones scored on a Bobby Rice base hit. Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) singled to load the bases before Ryan Smith drew a walk to force home Cruz. Brandon Harmon followed with a sacrifice fly to score Rice and knot the game at 6-6.

Flalger regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as Andrew Brobeck was hit by a pitch to open the frame and moved to second when Andrew McMillen singled. A double steal moved both base runners up a base before Butler doubled both home with a hit to left-center.

The Blazers got a run back on a leadoff home run by Michael Gouge in the top of the eighth inning and got the tying run on when Cruz singled with two outs, but was unable to push the run across.

Jarod Stanley allowed three runs on four hits in 2.0 innings as he fell to 5-2 on the season. Jones finished the day 4-for-5 at the plate to lead VSU offensively while Cruz was 2-for-3 and Hayman 2-for-4.

ValdostaState returns to action Friday, April 3 when it travels to Huntsville, Ala. to open a three-game Gulf South Conference series at No. 7 Alabama-Huntsville.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Valdosta State claimed a 12-10 victory in the first game of a doubleheader and trails No. 7 Alabama-Huntsville 13-8 in the seventh inning of a suspended game two in a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader at Charger Park Friday afternoon. The second game was suspended due to inclement weather and will be finished prior to the series finale on Saturday.

ValdostaState (20-12, 12-8) jumped out to an early lead in the first game as it scored the first six runs of the game. Michael Gouge opened the scoring with his seventh home run of the season in the top of the third inning, a shot to right-center with Mike Reed on base that put VSU in front 2-0.

The Blazers added four more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Hayden Jones doubled to open the Blazer half of the fourth and moved to third as Kevin Cruz flied out. Bobby Rice followed with a single to center to score Jones and moved to third as Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) collected a double. Zac Goodno proceeded to hit his second home run of the season to put the Blazers in front by six runs.

Alabama-Huntsville (25-5, 14-5-1) got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning on a Colton Simbeck RBI single, only to have Ryan Smith hit his first career homer for the Blazers in the top of the sixth to once again put VSU in front by six runs at 7-1.

The Chargers responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on an A.J. Walden double only to have VSU respond with a run-scoring double by Jones and a sacrifice fly by Rice in the seventh. After UAH closed to within 9-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Valdosta State scored two runs thanks to a bases loaded error in the eighth inning and added a sacrifice fly by Graham in the top of the ninth to grab its largest lead at 12-5.

Alabama-Huntsville made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as Chandler Brock hit a sacrifice fly for a run and Walden added a two-out grand slam, but Austin Glorius struck out Trey Mathis to end the game.

Mitchell Cody allowed eight hits and five runs in 6.1 innings as he improved to 6-1 on the season for ValdostaState while Daniel Koger gave up seven hits and six runs in 4.0 innings as he fell to 7-1 on the season for Alabama-Huntsville.

Gouge was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three driven in to lead VSU offensively in the game. Reed tallied three hits in five at-bats while Jones and Smith also had two hits each for Valdosta State, which finished the game with 14 hits in the game.

The Blazers scored six runs in the top of the first inning of game two to once again grab the lead, but saw Alabama-Huntsville respond with 13 runs, including two grand slams, in the bottom of the inning. VSU scored two more runs in the second inning before the two teams played scoreless for the next four innings prior to the stoppage of play. The game will continue at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, with the top of the Valdosta State order, Reed, Gouge and Cruz, due up to bat.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - In a game that started Friday before being suspended due to inclement weather, a Valdosta State comeback bid fell short as the Blazers lost 13-10 to No. 7 Alabama-Huntsville in the suspended game, but the Blazers rebounded to take the series finale 6-4 in Gulf South Conference baseball action at Charger Park Saturday afternoon.

Both teams put up big numbers in the first inning of suspended game as Valdosta State (21-13, 13-9) scored six runs in the top of the first only to have Alabama-Huntsville (25-6-1, 15-6-1) respond with all 13 of its runs in the bottom of the inning.

The first four Blazer batters reached base in the top of the first as Mike Reed singled and Michael Gouge walked before Kevin Cruz singled to load the bases and Hayden Jones collected a base hit to score Reed. Bryant Hayman followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Gouge while both Jones and Cruz scored on a Zac Goodno double. Following a ground out, Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) added his third home run of the season to push the VSU lead to 6-0.

The Chargers responded by sending 17 batters to the plate in the bottom of the innings. UAH hit two grand slams in the inning, one each by Trey Mathis and Colton Simbeck, and collected nine total hits in the frame while capitalizing on a VSU error that led to five unearned runs.

VSU got two runs back in the top of the second as Jones tripled home Cruz and scored on a Hayman base hit, before the respective pitching staffs took control. In fact, after UAH got a hit in the bottom of the second inning, the Chargers managed just one more hit the rest of the game while Valdosta State tallied just four hits in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings combined.

The game was suspended entering the top of the seventh inning and resumed at that point Saturday. The Blazers attempted a final inning rally as B.J. Harmon reached on an error to open seventh and Reed was hit by a pitch before Gouge singled Harmon home. Cruz followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Reed for the game's final run.

Kyle Andre allowed five hits and seven runs, six earned, while recording just one out as he fell to 4-3 on the season. Meanwhile, UAH reliever Chris Kilpatrick walked three and gave up three hits, but no runs, in 3.2 innings as he improved to 2-1.

Jones was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two driven in to lead VSU offensively in the game while Gouge, Hayman, Goodno and Harmon all had two hits each.

Valdosta State also jumped out to an early lead in the series finale as it scored three runs in the top of the first inning. Gouge reached on an one-out single before Hayman also singled. A base hit by Jones loaded the bases and Cruz drove home Gouge with a single before Bobby Rice also singled to plate Hayman for a 3-0 VSU lead.

UAH responded with a pair of runs in both the first and second innings to take a 4-3 lead before neither team scored for the next five innings. The Blazers finally regained the lead in the top of the eighth inning as they scored two runs. Reed singled to open the inning and moved to second on a Gouge sacrifice bunt before Hayman singled him home. A fielder's choice erased Hayman and put Jones on first before Cruz singled him to third. Rice followed with a base hit that plated Jones for a 5-4 VSU lead.

Jayk Graham opened the ninth with a walk and eventually scored on a suicide squeeze by Reed for the game's final run.

Austin Glorius gave up no hits and walked only one in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen to improve to 2-2 on the season while UAH's Luke Mould allowed four hits and the final two runs of the game to fall to 3-1.

Cruz was 3-for-4 while Reed was 2-for-4 with a run scored and one driven in. Hayman and Rice also had two hits each.

Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, April 8 when it hosts Albany State at 5:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field.

 

 

 

ALBANY, Ga. - Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) hit for the cycle to lead Valdosta State to a 15-4 victory over Albany State in non-conference baseball action Wednesday evening.

By hitting for a single, double, triple and home run in the game, Graham became the first recorded Blazer to accomplish the feat and just the sixth player in Gulf South Conference history to do so.

After Bryant Hayman posted Valdosta State (22-13) to a 1-0 lead with his ninth home run of the season in the top of the first inning, Graham began his assault on the record book in the top of the second inning as he tripled with Zac Goodno on second base to put the Blazers in front 2-0.

Graham added a home run in the top of the fourth inning, his fourth of the year that drove home Goodno to put the Blazers in front 4-0 before Albany State (13-28) scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the inning, including three on a bases loaded triple by Sable Gilliard.

Goodno put VSU back in front with a double that scored Kevin Cruz in the top of the fifth inning while Graham added a sacrifice fly to plate Bobby Rice in the frame before the Blazers broke the game open with five runs in the sixth inning to take an 11-4 lead. VSU sent all nine batters to the plate in the inning, but collected just three hits, including a two-run double by Graham.

Graham added his final hit in the eighth inning as he singled to load the bases with one out. Brandon Harmon drove two runs in with a fielder's choice before Mike Reed tripled him home. Reed scored on a passed ball for the game's final run.

Graham finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate with six runs batted in and a run scored. Goodno was 3-for-3 with four runs scored and one driven in while Reed had three hits in five at-bats with two runs scored and one RBI.

Jarod Stanley allowed four hits, but no runs, in 2.2 innings of relief as he upped his record to 6-1 on the season.

Valdosta State returns to action Friday, April 10 when it opens a three-game Gulf South Conference series against West Georgia at 3:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field. The two teams will conclude the series Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with a single game.

VALDOSTA, GA - Valdosta State rolled to a 7-2 victory in game one before allowing seven unearned runs in an 8-7 loss in the second game as the Blazers split a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader with West Georgia at Billy Grant Field Friday afternoon.

The two pitchers dominated the first four and a half innings of the game as Valdosta State (23-14, 14-10) managed just three hits during the first four innings while West Georgia (25-12, 17-9) got just one hit.

The Blazers collected seven straight hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to open the scoring. With one out in the frame, Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) tallied a double before B.J. Harmon followed with an infield single. Mike Reed drove Graham home with a single and scored along with Harmon as Michael Gouge followed with a double. Hayden Jones, who collected two of the first three hits of the game for VSU, tallied his third single of the contest to put runners on the corners and Bryant Hayman cleared the bases as he followed with his 10^th home run of the season that gave VSU a 6-0 lead.

UWG got a run in the top of the sixth when Tyler Hutch doubled to open the inning and scored on a Sumner McWhorter single, only to have Graham double and eventually score on a Reed sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame to keep the Blazers in front by six runs.

The Wolves got their final run in the top of the ninth inning as Artemis Kakhodian reached on a lead-off walk and scored on a two-out single by Troy Brown.

Mitchell Cody allowed four hits and walked three to go along with six strike outs in 6.1 innings to improve to 7-1 on the season while Sexton surrendered 11 hits and seven runs in 5.0 innings to fall to 6-3.

Jones led VSU offensively in the game as he was 3-for-4 while Hayman was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Cruz and Graham also had two hits each.

Valdosta State took advantage of a West Georgia error in the bottom of the first inning of game two to jump out to a 2-0 lead. With two outs in the inning, Jones and Hayman reached on back-to-back singles before Cruz reached on a fielding error that allowed Jones to score. Zac Goodno followed with a single to right that plated Hayman for the second run of the inning.

The Blazers tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the second inning. Graham and Ryan Smith each singled to open the inning while Reed drove in Graham with a single. Gouge was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Jones singled home Smith before Cruz collected a two-out single that plated both Reed and Gouge to put VSU in front 6-0.

UWG got a run back in the top of the third inning and took advantage of three VSU errors in the fourth inning to score six unearned runs take a 7-6 lead.

VSU evened the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning as Gouge hit his eighth home run of the year, only to have West Georgia regain the lead in the top of the seventh as Dalton Rogers reached on a lead-off double and score when Garrett Hayes followed with a single to center.

Chris Burdette improved to 3-0 on the season as he allowed one hit and a run in 1.1 innings while VSU's Kyle Andre surrendered eight hits and eight runs, only one earned, in a complete game as he fell to 4-4.

Gouge was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI in the contest while Jones finished the contest 2-for-4.

The two teams conclude the three-game series Saturday with a single game beginning at Noon.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/4/10/BB_0410151949.aspx 

 

 

 

CLEVELAND, TN - Valdosta State dropped an 8-2 decision in the first game and rebounded for an 11-3 victory in game two as the Blazers split a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader at Olympic Field Saturday afternoon.

Lee (25-16-1, 14-13-1) never trailed in the first game as it jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Ben Holland walked to open the inning before Trenton Hill singled. Holland was erased at third base on a fielder's choice, but Nathan Wierzgac and Luke Toms each collected run scoring singles in the inning to put the Flames in front.

Valdosta State (25-15, 16-11) got a run back in the top of the third inning when Michael Gouge singled home B.J. Harmon, but LU responded with five runs in the sixth inning, including three on a home run by Toms. The Blazers added a run in the top of the seventh on Ryan Smith's second home run of the year while Lee closed out the scoring with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

Mitchell Cody took the loss for ValdostaState and fell to 7-2 as he allowed five runs on eight hits while Lee's Dustin Lawson improved to 4-1 after limiting VSU to seven hits and two runs in a complete game.

Hayden Jones and Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) had two hits each to lead VSU at the plate in the game.

The Blazers jumped out to a big lead in the second game as they scored the contest's first 10 runs. Six of the runs came in the fourth inning, the first of which came on Kevin Cruz's ninth homer of the season. Graham followed the home run with a triple and scored on a Zac Goodno bunt single before Bobby Rice walked. Following a pitching change, Harmon walked to load the bases and Gouge collected a two-out single that plated Goodno and Rice. Jones proceeded to triple to drive home both Harmon and Gouge and put VSU in front 6-0.

Valdosta State added four more runs in the fifth inning as Harmon and Gouge each drove in two runs while Lee got all three of its runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a Hill bases-loaded double. Mike Reed drove home Smith in the top of the seventh for the game's final run.

Kyle Andre gave up five hits and three runs in 5.2 innings to improve to 5-4 on the season while LU's Hill allowed four runs on five hits in 3.1 innings to fall to 6-5.

Cruz went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the game to lead VSU offensively while Reed and Gouge had two hits each.

Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, April 22 when it travels to Columbus, GA to take on Columbus State at 5:00 p.m.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/4/18/BB_0418154143.aspx 

 

 

COLUMBUS, GA - Columbus State used a five-run third inning to defeat Valdosta State 11-3 in non-conference baseball action at Ragsdale Field Wednesday evening.

ValdostaState (25-16) opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) opened the inning with a single and moved to third on a one-out double by Zac Goodno. B.J. Harmon proceeded to lay down a suicide squeeze bunt that allowed Graham to race home for a 1-0 VSU lead.

ColumbusState (33-12) responded with all the offense it would need in the bottom of the third. Blaine Collins drew a walk to open the Cougar half of the third and scored as Jackson Oliver followed with a home run to right. Mike McClellan also drew a walk and Dustin Averett singled before a Chris Daniel single drove McClellan home with a base hit. Two batters later, Chris Bowers singled home Averett while Blake Edwards loaded the bases with a single. Daniel also scored on a two-out ground out by Tim Massengale that put the Cougars in front 5-1.

The Blazers got back to within three runs when Ryan Smith hit his third home run of the year in the fourth inning, but CSU added two more runs in the sixth on a bases loaded fielder's choice and a wild pitch.

Massengale hit a two-run homer in the seventh to push the ColumbusState lead to 9-2 while Bryant Hayman hit his 11th homer of the year in the eight for VSU's final run of the game. Kevin Manos drove home the final two Cougar runs of the game in the bottom of the inning as he added a two-run home run to center.

Graham was 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead Valdosta State offensively while Hayden Jones tallied two hits in five at-bats.

Valdosta State returns to action Friday, April 24th when it opens a three-game series against Gulf South Conference foe Mississippi College. The series, which was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday and Sunday, was moved up a day due to heavy rain moving into the area over the weekend and will begin with a doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Friday followed by a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/4/22/BB_0422154034.aspx

TIFTON, GA - Valdosta State hit four home runs in an 11-0 game one win and added four more in a 7-2 victory in game two as the Blazers swept a Gulf South Conference baseball doubleheader from Mississippi College at Stallions Field Friday afternoon.

With the sweep, Valdosta State secured its spot in the 2015 Gulf South Conference Tournament.

Valdosta State (27-16, 18-11) opened the game one scoring with a two-out RBI single by Mike Reed in the bottom of the second inning before adding three more runs in the third. Hayden Jones doubled to start the third before scoring when Bryant Hayman singled. Kevin Cruz single put two runners on before Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) reached on a bunt single. A throwing error on the bunt allowed both Hayman and Cruz to score for a 4-0 VSU lead.

The Blazers pushed their lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Michael Gouge hit his ninth homer of the year with Reed on first while Jones followed with his seventh round tripper of the year on the very next pitch. Ryan Smith added his fourth home run of the year an inning later to push the VSU advantage to eight runs.

Hayman closed out the scoring bottom of the sixth inning when he hit his 12th home run, with Reed and Jones on base, out to left.

Mitchell Cody allowed just five hits in the games and walked none while striking out five in a complete game to improve to 8-2. He allowed more than one base runner just once in the game, on a pair of two-out hits in the seventh and needed just 84 pitches.

Jones was 3-for-4 with three runs scored while Hayman finished 2-for-3 with two scored and four driven in in the game. Reed also had two hits and also drew two walks while scoring two times as well.

Gouge's second home run of the day, a solo shot, in the bottom of the first inning put Valdosta State up 1-0 in game two before Mississippi College (12-33, 4-27) scored its first run of the day on two hits and an error in the top of the second.

Graham walked to open the bottom of the second and scored as Smith followed with a double off the wall in center field to put VSU back in front 2-1.

Jones added his eighth homer of the year with one out in the third inning to give the Blazers a two run advantage while the two teams traded runs in the fourth. Valdosta State pushed its lead to 6-2 in the fifth inning as Jayk Graham homered with Hayman on first.

Jones hit his second homer of the game and third of the day in bottom of the sixth to close out the scoring.

Jones finished the game 3-for-4 with two driven in and Gouge had two hits and two driven in to lead VSU offensively. Hayman also had two hits in the game.

The two teams conclude the three game series with a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field Saturday. Valdosta State's 2015 senior class will be honored prior to the start of the game.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/4/24/BB_0424153639.aspx 

 

VALDOSTA, GA - On Senior Day, senior Bryant Hayman went three-for-three with two runs scored and two driven in to lead Valdosta State to a 13-3 Gulf South Conference baseball victory over Mississippi College at Billy Grant Field Saturday afternoon.

After rain delayed the start of the game by two hours, Valdosta State (28-18, 19-11) jumped out to a quick lead as it scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mike Reed drew a walk to open the frame before Michael Gouge singled and Hayden Jones reached on an error to load the bases. Hayman followed with a single through the left-side of the infield to drive home both Reed and Gouge while Jones scored on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Cruz. Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) also singled in the inning to plate Hayman for the fourth run.

The game endured another 95 minute delay due to lightning in the middle of the second inning, the Blazers added three more runs to their lead in the third. Hayman tripled to open the frame and scored as Graham singled up the middle. Ryan Smith followed with a double off the centerfield wall to score Graham and also came home when Zac Goodno singled up the middle to make it 7-0 VSU.

Smith pushed the Blazer lead to 9-0 in the bottom of the fifth as he hit an opposite field home run to left with Graham on first before Mississippi College (12-34, 4-28) got five hits and took advantage of a Blazer error to score three runs in the top of the sixth.

Gouge hit his 11th  home run of the year with Dominique Smedley on base in the sixth inning, during which Jones singled and scored on a Cruz sacrifice fly, while the Blazers closed out the game when Gouge singled home Bobby Rice in the bottom of the seventh for the game's final run.
Gouge finished the game 3-for-4 with three driven in and two runs scored while Graham was also 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in. Smith also drove in three runs in the game and scored twice while finishing with two hits.

Kellan Bailey pitched 6.0 innings and surrendered 10 hits and three runs, only one earned, as he improved to 5-2 on the season.

Valdosta State returns to action Tuesday, April 28 as it hosts Georgia College in non-conference action at Billy Grant Field beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/4/25/BB_0425150453.aspx

 

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Seven Valdosta State baseball players were named to the All-Gulf South Conference team in a vote of the league coaches, as announced by the league office Wednesday.

Valdosta State's seven honorees, which spanned five on the first team and two on the second team, were the second-most among all conference teams, behind only the eight placed on the squad by regular season champion West Alabama.

Leading the way on the first team All-GSC squad was catcher Bryant Hayman, who made history by becoming just the second player in league history to earn first team honors in each of his four seasons. Only Delta State's Barry Lyons had previously earned first team recognition in all four of his years, having done so from 1979 through 1982. Hayman batted .366 during the 2015 regular season and was third in the Gulf South Conference with 12 home runs. He also had nine doubles and a triple for a .640 slugging percentage and scored 40 runs while driving in 50.

Also named to the first team was third baseman Michael Gouge, who garnered second team honors last year. Gouge enjoyed a career year as he drove in a Gulf South Conference-best 58 runs on the year while batting .398. He tallied 16 doubles and 11 home runs, which ranked fourth-best in the GSC, for a .684 slugging percentage and was successful on eight of his 11 stolen base attempts. Gouge also scored 47 runs and had a .493 on-base percentage as he drew 21 walks and was hit by a pitch 12 times.

Second baseman Hayden Jones joined Hayman and Gouge on the first team squad as he led the GSC with a .422 batting average. Jones had 13 doubles, four triples and nine home runs on the season for a .689 slugging percentage. He scored 48 times and drove in 43 runs on the season. Rightfielder Kevin Cruz also garnered the recognition as he batted .387 with 38 runs scored and 37 RBI. He counted 18 doubles, a triple and nine home runs among his hits.

Valdosta State's final first team All-GSC honoree came from the pitching staff as starting pitcher Mitchell Cody earned the recognition. Cody pitched in 14 games, with 13 starts, on the year and tallied an 8-2 record. He surrendered 34 runs in 88.1 innings for a 3.46 ERA and struck out 64 batters while holding opponents to a .237 batting average.

On the second team All-Gulf South Conference squad, shortstop Mike Reed and first baseman Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) (second from right)  were both recognized. Reed, who was a first team honoree in 2014, batted .300 during the 2015 regular season and scored a team-best 50 runs. He drove in 21 runs and also led the squad with 30 walks and with 17 stolen bases. Graham batted .355 on the season and counted 18 hits, three triples and five home runs among his hits for a .606 slugging percentage. He scored 30 times while also driving in 30 runs.

Alabama-Huntsville's Colton Simbeck was named the 2015 Gulf South Conference Player of the Year while West Florida starting pitcher Brandon Nagem garnered Pitcher of the Year honors. UAH also took home the Freshman of the Year award as A.J. Walden earned the honor while West Alabama head coach Gary Rundles was named the Coach of the Year.

LIVINGSTON, AL - Alabama-Huntsville scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Valdosta State 6-4 in the first game of the 2015 Gulf South Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon. 

Pitching dominated the first five innings of the game as Valdosta State managed just two hits and Alabama-Huntsville had four, two of which came in the first inning. The Chargers had the best chance to score during the first five innings as they also had a batter reach via an error in the first and had the bases loaded with no outs, before Cody struck out the next three batters.

Valdosta State (28-18) opened the scoring in the top of the sixth inning with a pair of two-out run-scoring singles. Michael Gouge walked with one out in the sixth before Hayden Jones collected a single. After a Bryant Hayman fly out, Kevin Cruz singled to right to score Gouge from second and Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) sent a ball up the middle for a base hit that plated Jones to make it 2-0 Blazers.

Alabama-Huntsville (36-9-1) responded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a two-run lead. Chandler Brock was hit by a pitch to open the frame before A.J. Walden was hit by a pitch. Colton Simbeck followed with his 15th home run of the season to put the Chargers in front. Brandon Lawing followed with a base hit and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on an error to give UAH a 4-2 advantage.

Mike Reed drew VSU back to within a run in the top of the eighth as he hit his second homer of the year while Gouge evened the game at 4-4 as he followed with his 12th round tripper of the season, a shot to straight away center.

The Chargers immediately regained the lead as Lawing and Trey Mathis opened the bottom of the eighth with singles. Following a sacrifice bunt, Ben Rhodes doubled to score Lawing and Mathis scored on an error by leftfielder Ryan Smith for the game's final runs.

Cody struck out a career-best 12 batters and allowed seven hits and four runs, three earned, in a no decision. Austin Glorius surrendered three hits and two runs in the eight to fall to 2-3.

Valdosta State advances to Sunday's elimination game against the loser of Saturday's Delta State versus West Alabama game. First pitch will be 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2015/5/2/BB_0502151917.aspx

 

The Valdosta State University Blazer baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Gulf Coast Conference poll conducted by the leagues coaches. The Blazers received 58 points in the poll including one first place vote. The Blazers feature 2011 PCHS alumnus Jayk Graham.

 

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team made a strong showing on opening day of the 2016 season with a doubleheader split against the No. 18 ranked North Georgia Nighthawks (3-4, 10-5) on Saturday afternoon at Bob Stein Stadium in Dahlonega, Ga.

The Nighthawks got right to it in game one and opened up the scoring with a solo shot off the bat of Nighthawk third baseman Devin Gearhart, but Blazer starter Kyle Andre settled in for the next four-plus frames to hold UNG scoreless before giving way to Troy Massaro after five full innings of work.

The Blazers used the opportunity to overtake the Nighthawks in the sixth when Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011) drove in Michael Gouge with an RBI single before scoring on a follow-up double into the left center gap by Tyler York.

UNG retaliated in the seventh and capitalized on a miscue in right field that allowed an Erick Delgado single to roll to the wall. With Steven Tomlinson aboard, both he Delgado came all the way around to score on the play, which put North Georgia back on top, 3-2.

Preseason All-American selection Gouge, who finished the first game 1-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored, knotted the contest up at 3-3 in the eighth with his first home run of the season.
 
The Blazers nulled a leadoff double by Gearhart in the eighth with a pickoff by VSU reliever Beau Blair, but a hit batsman (Sam Tidaback) and a single by Trevor Sams set the stage for the deciding run, as Tidaback advanced to third on a passed ball and came in to score on a wild pitch.

Blair suffered the loss in the contest to fall to 0-1 on the year, while UNG's Chris Cobb picked up the victory on just a single inning of work to open up his 2016 campaign at 1-0.

The Blazer bats came alive early in the day's second contest, starting with a two run shot by Marcus Sigmon in the first, preceded by a York sacrifice fly that drove in leadoff hitter Scott Mathews earlier in the inning.

North Georgia's Tidaback cut into the Blazers' lead in the bottom half of the first with a solo long ball, but Ryan Smith padded VSU's lead in the third with the Blazers' second homer of the game, a two-run blast to center field.

The power surge continued in the fifth, thanks to a York solo shot to left that represented one of his three hits in the game. The insurance run proved to be a critical one, as the Nighthawks posted a five run fifth inning to cut the Blazers' advantage to a single run at 6-5. Mitchell Cody, who allowed just one run prior to the fifth, was forced to hand the ball off to Kellan Bailey, who took control the rest of the way and held UNG scoreless over the remaining four frames.

Smith, Graham, and Clint Carr teamed up to drive in an additional four runs over the final three innings to supply Bailey with all the cushion he would need to pick up the win and improve to 1-0 on the young season.

York racked up five hits in six at-bats on the day with three RBI's, a double, and one run scored, while Graham and Smith also tallied three RBI's each over the course of the day. In addition, Mathews was productive in the leadoff spot with a 4-for-10 effort that included two runs scored and three stolen bases.

The Blazers, now 1-1, will host their home opener on Wednesday afternoon against AlbanyState, with first pitch scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Marcus Sigmon delivered his second homer in as many games to help spark a two-run sixth that lifted the Blazers to their second straight win, a 4-2 home opener triumph over the Golden Rams of Albany State at Billy Grant Field on Tuesday evening in Valdosta, Ga.

Clint Carr put Valdosta State on the board first in the bottom half of the fourth after a groundout fielder's choice to second base scored Sigmon, who led off the frame with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and moved up to third on a single by Dalton Duty.

Two innings later, Quantico Dodson-Williams capitalized on an opportunity after Terrence Worthy and Kelvin Wimbish reached on an error and a walk issued by Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011), respectively. The pair of runners came in to score and give ASU a 2-1 lead after Dodson-Williams split the right center field gap for a two-run double in the top of the sixth.

The Blazer offense picked Graham up in the bottom half of the same inning with the aforementioned homer by Sigmon. Carr followed up three batters later with his second RBI of the night, the result of a double to left center that brought in Chipper Andzel for the decisive run.

Duty provided his first home run of the season in the eighth. The solo shot put the Blazers in front 4-2 and helped VSU secure the win for Graham, who improved to 1-0 on the season. In addition, Hersey came on in the ninth and retired three of the four batters he faced to pick up the save.
 
Carr's two RBI's proved to be the difference in the contest, while Michael Gouge, Graham, and Duty all supplied pressure on the attack with two hits each.

Six different Blazer pitchers teamed up to claim the midweek victory, which helped lift the Blazers to 2-1 on the young season. Meanwhile, AlbanyState fell to 0-1.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Trailing 4-3 in the sixth, the Valdosta State baseball team hung four runs on Wingate to take a 7-4 advantage to the games' conclusion in non-conference baseball action on Saturday afternoon at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga.

Wingate got off to a quick start in the game, taking advantage of an early Blazer error that set up leadoff hitter Shane Billings with an opportunity to steal second base and score the game's first run on a follow-up single off the bat of Zach Little. Colby Barnette kept it going for Wingate one batter later with an RBI double to left, and Bill Krebs added an RBI single to put the Bulldogs up 3-0 with nobody out. A pair of wild pitches by Blazer starter Mitchell Cody allowed Krebs to move up to third and score on a sacrifice fly, before Cody ended the half inning with his first strikeout of the game.

Valdosta State softened Wingate's early blow with a three-run spot in the bottom of the same inning on three hits of their own. Duty singled through the right side between two strikeouts before stealing second base, and the Blazers used an error by Wingate shortstop Brett Branton to extend the inning. Jayk Graham (PCHS 2011) who reached on the aforementioned error, stole second base, and Marcus Sigmon delivered a clutch single to plate both baserunners. One batter later, York drove in Sigmon from second to cut Wingate's lead to 4-3.

Neither team broke through again until the bottom of the sixth, when Valdosta State sent seven batters to the plate and used a bases loaded double by Sigmon to score three and overtake the Bulldogs with a 7-4 lead. Sigmon's big blow to left chased Wingate starter Jordan Newsome, who finished the game with four strikeouts in five innings of work, and Ryan Smith added to Newsome's total runs allowed after driving in Sigmon two batters later with a sacrifice fly to center field.

After the first inning, Cody never allowed another run over the course of 6.1 innings of work, and the senior All-GSC hurler struck out seven while allowing just six hits. Valdosta State's big sixth inning helped Cody secure his first win of the year.

Sigmon's 2-for-4 effort at the plate included five RBI's and two runs scored, while York and Smith teamed up for one RBI each. Dalton Duty also had a strong day at the dish with three hits in four plate appearances.

Play continues for Valdosta State tomorrow at noon with another matchup against Wingate, followed by another contest against Florida Tech at 4:00 p.m.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State fell to Wingate 6-4 in game one of a Sunday doubleheader at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga., but the Blazers ended the day on a positive note with a walkoff extra inning 8-7 win over Florida Tech after a Marcus Sigmon base hit in the bottom of the 11thinning.

Wingate (2-2) scored early and often in game one, taking a 1-0 lead with a single run in the first and adding on with three in the third. The third inning surge by the Wingate offense led to two pitching changes, before Troy Terzi came on in relief in the third and settled down to hold the Bulldogs scoreless through the eighth inning after giving up two fourth inning runs.

The Blazers (4-2) cut into Wingate's 6-0 lead in the bottom half of the fifth on an RBI double by Dalton Duty, which scored Michael Gouge from first base. Valdosta State rallied in the bottom of the final inning to score three runs on three hits and two bulldog errors, but the comeback effort came up short, resulting in a 6-4 final in favor of the Bulldogs.

Kyle Andre suffered the loss for the Blazers in the opening contest, while Wingate's Brandon Donahue claimed the victory after allowing one run over five innings of work.

The Blazers carried over their ninth inning momentum into game two, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the first inning against Florida Tech (2-2) on four hits and two hits. Scott Mathews reached on a catcher's interference call, and Dalton Duty teamed up with Michael Gouge for back-to-back singles to load the bases. Sigmon followed with a fielder's choice grounder to third base to bring Mathews home for the game's first run, and Tyler York followed with an RBI single through the left side. A fielding error on the ensuing at bat by Panther third baseman Reid Neil allowed Sigmon to score, and the Blazers took a 4-0 lead on a Ryan Smith single later in the inning.

The Blazers added on two innings later after Sigmon walked to lead off the half inning, moved from first to third on a York single, and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011).

Florida Tech bounced back and picked up two in the top of the fourth on a two run blast by Grant McKown, and the Panthers tied the game up in next inning with three runs on three hits and a Blazer error. FIT threatened to add more in the fifth, but Colby Wisdom came on in relief for Beau Blair and struck out Daniel Szpik to limit the damage.

Drew Beyer relieved Tyler Deel in the top half of the fourth inning for the Panthers and blanked the Blazers through the eighth, which allowed Florida Tech to take a 7-5 lead on two runs in the ninth, but the Blazers got to Beyer in the bottom of the ninth with a single by Gouge and a heroic two-out, two-run blast over the left field wall by Sigmon to force extra innings.

"I don't want to overlook [Michael] Gouge's at-bat right before mine," said Sigmon after being asked about his game tying homer. "He went down 0-2 in the at bat before mine and battled back to get a single up the middle to allow [the home run] to even happen."

Two innings later, Dalton Duty delivered a leadoff grounder that hugged the left field line for a double, and Sigmon added to his clutch effort with the game winning single through the right side.
 
"I see great things with this team," added Sigmon after the game. "Even after the loss we had earlier today and our other loss against North Georgia. In both of those losses we came back late and made it a game, and we were able to do it again tonight. We don't go down easy, that's for sure."
 
Troy Massaro (1-0) picked up the win for Valdosta State in game two, while Brett Porter suffered the loss for the Panthers (0-1).

Valdosta State returns to action on the road this Tuesday to face Albany State in non-conference action in Albany, Ga. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.

The Valdosta State Blazers made things interesting late, but costly miscues proved to be the difference, as the Blazers dropped a non-conference matchup 9-6 to the Georgia Southwestern Bobcats on Wednesday evening at Billy Grant Field.

In the third and fourth innings, the Bobcats racked up six runs on five hits and two errors. Two of the four runs scored on bases loaded walks, and the run total in the two innings negated Valdosta State's big third inning, in which the Blazers tallied three runs on a leadoff walk by leadoff hitter Scott Mathews, followed by singles by Dalton Duty, Tyler York, Marcus Sigmon, and Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011).

GSW added on in the sixth with an additional run to improve their lead to 7-3, as Evan Alderma scored on a fielding error after a two-out double in the previous at bat.

 
One frame later, Zach Barron delivered the Bobcat's final blow with a two-out, two-RBI double into the left center field gap to put GSW on top 9-3. The two-bagger plated Davey King, who reached earlier in the inning after a throwing error, and Josh Logan, who singled and moved into scoring position just before the double after Brandon Weav was hit by a pitch.

 
The Blazers push for a comeback included three runs scored in the bottom half of the eighth inning, all of which crossed after a bases-loaded double by Ryan Smith down the right field line. The effort came up short, however, resulting in the three-run deficit upon the game's conclusion.

 
Valdosta State fell to 11-6 overall on the season with the loss, while GSW pitcher Dylan Brown picked up his first win of the season to improve the Bobcats to 10-6.

The Blazers return to Gulf South Conference action this weekend for a three game series in Livingston, Ala. against the Tigers of West Alabama. The weekend stint kicks off on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. EST, with live coverage available online at www.vstateblazers.com.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Blazer baseball's bats remained red hot on Saturday in a doubleheader sweep (11-1, 13-6) that capped off a perfect weekend for Valdosta State against the Shorter Hawks in Gulf South Conference Baseball action at Billy Grant Field.

The Blazers used eight home runs over the course of the day to improve their weekend total to 11 long balls, and Dalton Duty added two more monster shots to a weekend in which the Blazer right fielder hit .600 with a 6-for-10 effort at the plate with four home runs, a double, and eight RBI's.
 
Kellan Bailey gave the Blazers their second straight complete game performance on the hill in the game one victory. Bailey dealt seven strong innings with six strikeouts and just four hits allowed, which improved the VSU starter to 4-2 on the season.

Bailey received plenty of help at the dish, with 11 runs for the Blazer offense on eight hits. The Blazers plated runs in all but two of their six chances during the abbreviated contest, and Head Coach Greg Guilliams' squad put plenty of pressure on Shorter pitchers Jacob Ramos and Tyler Cates by way of the long ball. Chipper Andzel chased Ramos in the bottom of the fifth, in fact, with a leadoff shot, before Ryan Smith followed later in the half inning with a three run blast to give VSU a comfortable 8-1 advantage.

One inning later, Duty added on with three additional RBI's after connecting for what proved to be the game winning shot in the bottom of the sixth after Scott Mathews drew a one out walk and Andzel was hit by a pitch.

The Blazers held momentum in game two after Mathews led the bottom of the first off with a single, followed by a Marcus Sigmon walk and a base hit by Duty. With the bases loaded, Cliff Bryant took advantage of the opportunity with a two-run single to put VSU on top 2-0 early.

Shorter got a run back in the top of the second with a Greg Gladden homer, and the Hawks took a 6-3 lead in the top of the third after scoring five runs on four hits and a Blazer error. The lead was short-lived, however, as Valdosta State rebounded to score four runs of their own, thanks to two run shots off the bats of both Duty and Smith to knot the skirmish back up at 6-6.

One inning later, the Blazers capitalized on three Shorter errors for a decisive fourth inning, in which the Blazers scored three additional runs. VSU left no room for doubt in the sixth, as Sigmon led off the frame with several two-strike foul balls before crushing a solo shot over the left field wall. Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011) kept the rally going two batters later with a mirror image of Sigmon's homer, and Isaiah Aluko crushed another blast over the right center field wall two batters later to finish off a weekend in which the Blazers outscored the Hawks 35-11.

"One of our goals is to make postseason play, and our success this weekend puts us in a much better position to pursue that," said Guilliams following the pair of wins on Saturday. "Hitting is contagious, and we got hot swinging the bats. Next thing you know, everybody started feeling good about themselves and good things started happening. This is a mature group of guys, and when we got down in that third game tonight, they didn't panic. You may not always come away with a win the way we did tonight, but mature teams don't panic in those situations, and we certainly didn't tonight."

Beau Blair notched the victory on the mound in game two to move to 1-1 on the year after pitching two scoreless innings midway through the contest, while Michael Weiksner took the loss for Shorter to fall to 2-2 on the season.

With the weekend sweep, the Blazers improved to 14-9 overall and 7-5 in conference play. The Hawks dropped to 10-13 overall and saw their GSC record fall to 4-7.

 

Next up for Blazer baseball, it's a midweek non-conference matchup against Georgia Regents, scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday in Augusta, Ga.

The ValdostaState baseball team battled back from an early deficit to overtake the No. 2 ranked Tampa Spartans, 7-6, after a bases-loaded walkoff single by Marcus Sigmon in the bottom of the ninth inning of the non-conference midweek matchup at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga.

Blazer baseball starter Troy Massaro gave up four earned runs in the first inning, but the junior weathered the early storm and went on to follow up with five scoreless innings of work. After the early offensive outburst by the Spartans, Massaro went on to strike out seven batters before giving way to Colby Wisdom in the seventh.

During Massaro's dominant stretch, the Blazers chipped away at Tampa's lead, beginning with a sacrifice fly by Tyler York in the first to drive in Chipper Andzel, who led off the inning with a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error by Tampa catcher J.D. Osborne.
 
Trailing 4-1, the Blazers added another run in the bottom of the second, as Clint Carr delivered a two-out infield single and scored two batters later on a Ryan Slaughter double to left center field.

Tampa starter Kevin Martin held the Blazers scoreless in the third and fourth, but the Blazers flipped the script in inning number five, when Andzel and Dalton Duty led off the inning with back to back hits before York blasted a three-run shot over the wall and put VSU in front 5-4.

The Spartans evened the game up in the seventh when Osborne led off the inning with a walk, advanced on a passed ball, and scored two batters later on a two-out single to left center field by Cody deNoyelles.

The back and forth affair continued in the eighth inning when Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011) ripped a single to left with one away. Carr hit into what appeared to be an inning-ending grounder two batters later, but Laz Rivera committed a costly fielding error that allowed Graham to score and give the Blazers a 6-5 advantage.

The resilient Tampa squad fired back in the top of the ninth with an Osborne homer, which tied the game and set the stage for VSU's dramatic finish in the bottom of the ninth. Andzel, who finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, reached second on a one-out double, before back-to-back walks put Marcus Sigmon in position to strike with a flair to right for the walkoff winner.
 
With the clutch RBI, Sigmon improved his season total to 33, which places him second among all players in the Gulf South Conference. Sigmon's heroics resulted in just the fourth loss of the season for the Spartans and dropped Tampa to 21-4 overall. Meanwhile, the Blazers improved to 17-12.
 
Graham came on in relief in the ninth to pick up the victory and improve to 2-0 on the season, while Tampa's Christopher Williams was tagged with the loss and fell to 3-1.

ValdostaState returns to action at home on Friday with a doubleheader opener to a three game weekend series against the visiting Lee Flames. Friday's first pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m.

 

 

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team celebrated Senior Day with a series win after securing an 11-9 triumph over Alabama-Huntsville in the Gulf South Conference series finale on Sunday afternoon at Billy Grant Field.

The win marked the ninth in VSU's last ten games and lifted the Blazers to 24-12 overall and 15-7 in GSC play. As a result, ValdostaState currently ranks third in the GSC, while UAH fell to sixth place and saw their record fall to 25-15 overall and 15-9 against league opponents.

The Blazers trailed early in the contest after Michael Fox reached with one out in the second inning on a fielder's choice and moved into scoring position on a groundout to second base by Justin Cantrell. Parker Farley delivered a two out single to center, and Fox crossed one batter later as an unearned run after Ben Rhodes reached on a misplayed grounder at short.

Alabama-Huntsville's lead was short lived, as the Blazers fired right back in the bottom half of the second with a clutch two-out double that drove home both Scott Mathews and Ryan Smith and gave VSU a 2-1 lead.

Although the contest turned into a bit of a slugfest from that point forward, the Blazers matched the Chargers along the way and did not relinquish their advantage. After scoring at least one run in three straight innings following the aforementioned two-run second, VSU gave themselves enough padding to survive two-run frames by the Chargers in both the fifth and the sixth innings.

Because the Chargers were held at bay throughout the remainder of the contest with solid pitching and some offensive help, senior Kyle Andre posted a memorable senior day and recorded his third win of the year to improve to 3-2. Meanwhile, UAH starter Heath McRae was handed the loss and dropped to 5-2. Andre finished the day with 5.2 innings of work and two strikeouts, while Troy Massaro, Colby Wisdom, Dustin Hersey, and Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011) teamed up to help seal the victory in relief. Graham earned the save after coming on in the ninth, which represented his first of the year.

The key frame for the Blazer bats came in the bottom of the eighth, when Dalton Duty doubled to right to spark a rally that included four runs on four hits and an error. The biggest blow of the frame was a two-run double off the bat of Ryan Slaughter, who finished the day 2-for-4 and drove in four of VSU's 11 runs. His two-bagger crept into the right field corner, which followed an RBI bunt single by Scott Mathews just one batter prior and resulted in an 11-6 cushion for VSU.
 
The inning proved to be a critical one for Valdosta State, as UAH posted one final threat in the top of the ninth and scored three runs on four hits before Graham entered to slam the door.

Seniors Tyler York, Jaykob Graham, Colby Wisdom, Scott Mathews, Ryan Smith, Michael Gouge, Mitchell Cody, Kyle Andre, Kellan Bailey, and Sam McGovern were all recognized and honored as they were joined on the field by family members during a pregame ceremony.

Valdosta State now turns their attention to West Georgia for a three game conference showdown, scheduled to begin next weekend with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday in Carrollton, Ga.

 

 

 

CARROLLTON, Ga. – Valdosta State took an early lead over the Wolves of West Georgia during the fourth inning of the series finale on Sunday afternoon, but UWG came alive on offense in the bottom half of the same inning and scored runs in each of their final five frames to down the Blazers 7-3 at Cole Field in Carrollton, Ga.

The Gulf South Conference loss dropped the Blazers to 24-15 overall and 15-10 in GSC play, while the Wolves improved to 30-10 overall and 18-9 against league opponents.

After starter Kyle Andre blanked West Georgia for the first three frames, the ValdostaState offense struck first in the fourth after Marcus Sigmon ripped a leadoff double, advanced on a Ryan Smith ground ball and scored from third on a sacrifice fly ball to left field off the bat of Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011).

ValdostaState's one run advantage was erased in the bottom of the same inning after the Wolves used a leadoff single by Tyler Hutch and a double by Drew Eady to set the table for Ben Utley, who drove Hutch in from third with a ground ball to second base.

The 1-1 tie held until the bottom of the fifth, when Dalton Rogers clubbed a three-run home run to center field. The homer ended the day for Andre, who ultimately suffered the loss to fall to 3-3 on the season.

ValdostaState closed the gap to 6-3 with a pair of runs in the top half of the eighth inning, when Dalton Duty led off the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a Tyler York single down the right field line. Sigmon followed with an RBI single, and Graham delivered his second sacrifice fly ball of the day after York moved up to third on a passed ball.

UWG starter Josh Morgan teamed up with Mitchell Mannino to limit the Blazers to three runs on the day, while the West Georgia offense strung together 12 hits to drive their offensive attack. Morgan picked up the win after 7.0 inning of work and improved to 4-0 on the year.

ValdostaState will have a chance to return to form next weekend against the Delta State Statesmen with a three game set in Cleveland, Miss. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m. EST.

 

 

 

CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Valdosta State baseball team's push for postseason play took another hit after a pair of losses to No. 15 Delta State on Saturday at Harvey Stadium in Cleveland, Miss.

On the back of starter Mitchell Cody, the Blazers took advantage of Cody's run of five straight scoreless innings and gained a 2-0 lead in the fourth after a two-run blast by Jaykob Graham PCHS 2011), which represented his second of the season and one of five hits for the Blazers off of DSU starter Dalton Moats (8-3).

Prior to the fifth, Cody retired 12 consecutive batters. And although he gave up two singles in the fifth inning, the senior managed to induce a double play and leave a runner stranded at third after striking out Colton Welch to end the threat.

The Statesmen spoiled Cody's outing in the sixth, however, after Dakota Glore reached on an error to open up the frame and Erick Santiago built momentum with an infield single. Brandon Cummins hit into a fielder's choice to place runners at the corners, and the Statesmen proceeded to string together three straight hits, the last of which was a three-run homer off the bat of Ethan Gill that gave DSU a 5-2 advantage.

 Cody's day ended in the seventh when Trent Giambrone connected for an RBI double into the gap in left center field. He closed out with a line of two strikeouts and 11 hits allowed for seven runs, six of which were earned. The Statesmen finished the seventh with the final two runs of the game, which resulted in a 7-2 loss for VSU and dropped Cody to 5-4 on the year.

The Blazers racked up 10 hits in game two and converted the offensive production into four runs in the contest, but by the time VSU got the bats going late in the game, DeltaState had already plated seven runs.

DSU pushed across two runs in the second, third, and fourth innings to take a 6-0 lead, before Clint Carr ripped a double down the left field line and came across on a two-out base hit by Chipper Andzel.

Facing a 7-1 deficit heading into the final frame, the Blazers put together a rally in the seventh that included four hits and a little bit of help by the Statesmen defense, which committed two errors in the inning. Dalton Duty, Tyler York, and Marcus Sigmon made DSU pay with three consecutive RBI singles, but the hits came with two outs, and Jake Brumfield was able to end VSU's threat with a strikeout to seal DSU's victory.

Kellan Bailey suffered the loss on the hill for VSU to fall to 6-5 on the season, while DeltaState's Tre Hobbs took advantage of the run support and secured the victory to improve to 10-1 on the year.

With the loss, the Blazers fell to 15-12 in conference play and currently sit at two games behind the sixth placed Lee Flames. The Blazers now hold an overall record of 24-17 on the season, while the Statesmen improved to 32-13 overall and sit in second place with a 21-8 GSC record.

The Blazers will square off against DeltaState for the series finale tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in Cleveland.

 

FLORENCE, Ala. - Valdosta State baseball wrapped up an unfinished contest on Saturday for a 5-3 victory before closing out their 2016 season with a 5-0 victory over the North Alabama Lions at Mike Lane Field in Florence, Ala.

The Blazers, who went into extra innings on Friday against the Lions and took a 5-2 lead in the top half of the tenth inning, were forced to finish off Game 1 of the series on Saturday after a thunderstorm halted play on Friday. The Blazers allowed the Lions one run in the final half inning of the game on Saturday before sealing the victory.

Colby Wisdom (2-0) earned the win in relief for the Blazers, while Troy Massaro picked up the final two outs to secure his second save of the year.

Game two featured an impressive outing by Kellan Bailey, who dealt six innings of scoreless work on the hill. With the help of the Blazer offense, who racked up five runs on eight hits, Bailey improved to 7-5 overall, while Massaro came on yet again for VSU to cap off the shutout with three dominant frames.

Valdosta State's offensive firepower in the second game included a series of timely hits, beginning with back-to-back base hits by Chipper Andzel and Dalton Duty, which set Marcus Sigmon up for an RBI grounder to short. The run represented one of two for the Blazers in the opening frame and put VSU in front 2-0 early.

The Blazers added on in the top of the third when Cliff Bryant drove in a run from third with a runner at third base to put VSU up 3-0, and the lead was extended further when Ryan Slaughter reached on an error, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a passed ball in the sixth.

Working with a 4-0 lead, Valdosta State cushioned their lead in the eighth after Bryant walked to lead off the inning and moved into scoring position on a Jaykob Graham (PCHS 2011) sacrifice bunt. Bryant proceeded to steal third base on a strikeout promptly scored during the next at-bat on another wild pitch.

The win gave the Blazers a 27-17 finish on the year and an 18-12 finish in GSC play. VSU's conference record placed VSU just half of a game shy of the Lee Flames, who finished at 18-11 after their games on Saturday against No. 17 West Florida were cancelled due to inclement weather.

Source: http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2016/4/30/baseball-closes-season-with-pair-of-victories.aspx 

 

 

Pierce County senior Jayk Graham (second from left) signed a letter-of-intent Wednesday afternoon at the PCHS baseball field with West Georgia College joining former teammate Trey Thompson as a member of the Wolves’ baseball program. Graham was joined by his mother Kandi Turner, father Greg Graham, sister Jeanna Graham and head coach Keith Mobley along with the entire baseball team.

Graham is following in the footsteps of his father, who prepped at Coffee High and started his collegiate career as a shortstop for the South Georgia College Tigers.

Carrollton, GA – Coach Skip Fite is counting on a strong recruiting class to add a major boost to his efforts in rebuilding the West Georgia Wolves’ baseball program. In November, Fite announced his first three signees. Wednesday, UWG’s third-year coach added a bevy of impressive prospects to the list.

“We’re very excited about our 2011 recruiting class,” says Fite. “We were able to bring in a good mix of older players who will make an impact on our program, and some freshmen who should be able to play early.”

While the Wolves entered the recruiting season looking for help in all areas, Fite said that his primary focus was pitching. “The arms that we added will make us a lot better on the mound,” he said.

UWG has added a large number of quality arms, including a pair from Chattanooga State (Tenn.) Community College: Max Aeschlimann, and Chase Reiner. The Wolves also signed a third hurler from Chattanooga State, Patrick Merkling. However, Merkling is headed to professional baseball after being taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the annual amateur draft.

Fite has also added another promising juco arm to his team’s staff, this one with a local flavor. Cody Skinner, a star at West Georgia Tech and product of nearby Ranburne (Ala.) High School, will be part of the Wolves’ pitching mix in 2012.

From the high school ranks, West Georgia has added a pair of players who starred on the mound and in the field during their prep careers. Dustin Brantley, a pitcher/third baseman from Landmark Christian School in Fairburn is headed to UWG and Fite also signed Alex Allen, a pitcher/second baseman from Johnson County High in Wrightsville.

Away from the mound, UWG has added talent via both the high school and transfer route. The Wolves signed first baseman Adam Whitlock, a transfer from Valdosta State who previously starred at Chattanooga State. Also from the juco ranks, Fite recruited Evan Hester, a catcher/outfielder from Calhoun (Ala.) Community College; Galen Smith, a catcher from Cleveland (Tenn.) State Community College, and Gabe Herman, an outfielder from Chattanooga State.

Also in the Wolves’ recruiting class is a pair of high school position players. UWG signed shortstop/third baseman Luke Williamson of Dawson County High, and Toombs Norman, a shortstop/third baseman from Dalton High School.

UWG’s newest recruits join a talented trio of signees from the November recruiting period. This group includes infielder-pitcher Marquise Vialet of Douglasville and South Paulding High School; pitcher-infielder Jayk Graham of Blackshear and Pierce County High, and Dylan Griffin, a pitcher-first baseman from Spalding High in Griffin.

Despite the impressive results thus far, the Wolves may not be finished with their recruiting efforts. Fite and assistant coach Jeff Smith are still busy, and may be adding additional prospects before the fall classes begin in August.

The University of West Georgia baseball team kicks off their 2012 campaign with a home series against Augusta State on Saturday, February 11 at 2:00 PM.

UWG head baseball coach, Skip Fite, is set to open the season with his squad against his former school. Fite is currently 0-4 against the Jaguars and would be happy with a solid opening to the 2012 season at Cole Field this weekend.

The 2011 Wolves collected 18 wins, with only five of those coming in the Gulf South Conference. Last year was a tough one on the diamond in Carrollton, but Fite and his staff had a solid recruiting year and look to turn things around in 2012.

"We are very happy with our starting 10 this season," Fite said. "We have set a goal of 30 wins this season and feel that it is an attainable goal."

Stars Returning
One step in the right direction toward 30 wins in 2012 will be on the right side of the infield, as 2011 All-American Stuart Drew returns at second base along with 2011 All-Gulf South Conference first baseman Andy Marinelli.

Drew batted .440 in 2011 with 80 hits and 35 stolen bases and was named a Preseason All-American during preseason. Marinelli, who batted .379 with eight homeruns and 47 RBI’s last season, was on the preseason All-American watch list and looks to continue his hot hitting in 2012.

The Pitching Staff
The 2012 Wolves' pitching staff will look quite different, as four pitchers transferred to UWG from the No. 2 team in the junior college ranks last season, Chattanooga State.

"Max Aeschilmann, Chase Riemer, Seth McClure, and David Birch all will see time on the mound this season and are in the mix for the weekend rotation," said Fite. "They will help out last year’s top pitchers Brandon Crumbley and Jamie Sexton and give us plenty of depth in the starting rotation."

Aeschlimann earned a pitching record of five wins and zero losses in the 11 games he pitched in with a 0.81 strikeouts to inning ratio last season at Chattanooga State. McClure had six wins and two losses with a 3.81 earned run average in the 13 games he pitched in. Riemer also recorded five wins and zero losses with a 3.91 earned run average in the 12 games he pitched.

Crumbley and Sexton return this season for the Wolves after many appearances by both pitchers last year. Crumbley struck out 45 batters in 57.2 innings of work while earning three wins last season. Sexton struck out 47 batters in 72.1 innings pitched while also earning three wins.

Other starting pitchers include Cody Skinner and freshmen Marquise Vialet and Dustin Brantley.

"Vialet and Brantley are improving daily on their location and overall feel of pitching and could work their way into the mid-week rotation," Fite said. "Skinner looks to be a reliable starter also for us and should give us solid work."

Others who are looking to make an impact this season for the Wolves are Austin Shaw, Alex Wilson, Blake McLemore, Alex Allen, 2011 PCHS Bear graduate Jayk Graham, Joey Wood, and David Birch.

Fite’s three keys for this pitching staff to succeed will be for the starters to stay healthy, Chase Riemer and Brandon Crumbley to get healthy and back to 100%, and for his freshmen to get control over their pitching game. Fite has set a team ERA goal of 4.00 and a win mark of 30 for this season; neither looks out of the question. .

The Catchers
The Wolves look to add a solid team leader behind the plate for the 2012 season. Galen Smith, a 6-1, 205-pound transfer from Cleveland State Community College, appears to be the likely Opening Day starter for UWG when they take on Augusta State at Cole Field.

"Not only is Galen a great catcher, but he can call a game very well," Fite said. "I have and the pitchers have full confidence in the pitches he calls, which gives me the opportunity to focus on other areas during the game."

Smith will not only look to improve the Wolves defensively, but offensively too. The transfer from CSCC hit .291 with 27 runs batted in, three homeruns, and a slugging percentage of .482 in his 2011 season with the Cougars and started 44 of the 48 games he played in.

Two other players that will see some playing time behind the dish is Evan Hester, a 6’1 205-pound outfielder/catcher from Kennesaw and a newcomer from Cumming, GA David Collins. Hester, primarily an outfielder, will be the first one to relieve Smith if and when he needs an off day.

Source: UWG website, February 8, 2012

The West Georgia Wolves picked up a split on the first day of action against Northern Kentucky, blasting the Norse 11-7 in the first game, followed by a 5-3 loss in extra innings in the nightcap.

Wolves take Game 1 against Norse
The West Georgia Wolves put on a hitting and defensive clinic against the Northern Kentucky Norse in game number one of the doubleheader at Cole Field winning by a score of 11-7. The game was a lot more one-sided than the score showed. The Wolves were up 11-3 going into the top of the ninth inning and some sloppy pitching and a few hits gave the Norse some hope but Randall Wright ended the rally for Northern Kentucky.

The win today for the Wolves went to Max Aeschilmann, (2-1) who went seven innings, giving up two runs and striking out seven Norse. Aeschilmann has started three games for the Wolves this season (18 innings) and has only given up four earned runs and has struck out 18 batters.

The Wolves generated 16 hits today against the Norse. Dylan Coleman, Galen Smith, and Gabe Herman all had three hits each and combined for eight of the 11 RBI’s on the team. Other Wolves with multi-hits were Andy Marinelli, Evan Hester, and Jayk Graham.

This win puts the Wolves at 5-3 on the season.

Wolves Fall Again in Extras
The second game to this doubleheader today was a completely different story for the Wolves. UWG started slow offensively and nothing ever really picked up. The Wolves scored one run in the first, one run in the third, and their last run of the game in the bottom of the fifth eventually falling 5-3.

This game, just like the Montevallo game earlier this week, only took one extra inning to decide a victor as the Norse scored two runs in their first extra inning, which would be all they would need. One of the Norse runs in the eighth came off a failed suicide squeeze that somehow worked in Northern Kentucky’s favor as catcher Smith couldn’t get a handle on the ball allowing the opposing base-runner to steal home.

Cody Skinner started for the Wolves today going five innings and giving up six hits and three runs while striking out four. Jamie Sexton came in to relieve Skinner and pitched great up until the top of the eighth where he allowed two hits and gave up two runs.

Stuart Drew, for the Wolves, scored all three runs and had two hits to keep West Georgia in this game. Smith, Brett Wright, and Garrett May also had hits in the second game.

The Wolves will finish up this series Sunday, February 26th, at 1:00 PM at Cole Field. The starting pitcher for West Georgia will be Seth McClure.

Source: UWG website

Carrollton, GA - In their first trip to New Orleans to face-off with the Privateers, the UWG baseball team split the first day of the two-day series on Saturday afternoon, falling 5-3 in the opener followed by a huge 9-2 victory in the nightcap.

The two ends of the doubleheader could not have been more different than they were, as the opener featured a UNO offensive that pounded out 10 hits while allowing only six to the Wolves. In the nightcap, the story was West Georgia's junior starter Cody Skinner, who slammed the door shut early on the Privateers, allowing just five hits while the Wolves had a hit parade with 15 hits.

The opener saw West Georgia begin the series off-balance at the plate, as Wolves went hitless through the first six innings. The first three innings were a pitcher's duel between UWG starter Seth McClure and New Orleans hurler Stone Speer, as the two teams were scoreless in that span. But in the fourth and fifth, the wheels came of for West Georiga, as UNO put five runs on the board in those two innings.

The Wolves put some pressure on in the top of the ninth inning, scoring two runs, but it was too little, too late as New Orleans handed West Georgia a 5-3 loss.

McClure took the loss, his second of the season, allowing four runs on eight hits in four innings of work. Chase Reimer took over in the fourth inning and went the rest of the way, allowing one run on two hits while striking out four. Junior Brett Wright was a bright spot at the plate, scoring a run in a 3-for-3 performance. Sophomore Justin Croft added a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning, a two-run shot to right field.

In the second game, senior Stuart Drew kicked things off with a single to lead off the game. After a one-out walk to Evan Hester, senior Adam Whitlock advanced the runners with a groundout. Tanner Drennen cleared the bases with a two-out single, giving Skinner a 2-0 head start.

The Privateers picked up a run in the bottom of the first, but the UWG bats were wide awake at that point, as the Wolves added two more runs in the top of the second and three more in the third.

Drew and Wright were the culprits for the bulk of the first seven runs for the Wolves, especially in the second and third. In both innings, Drew had an RBI single, accounting for two of the UWG runs. Wright had an RBI single in the second inning and blew the game wide open in the third, picking up two RBI on a two-out triple that scored Drew and Jayk Graham.

Sophomore Keith Borger closed out the scoring in the top of the sixth with a two-run single. Whitlock and Drennen kicked off the inning with back-to-back one-out singles. After Croft moved the runners over, Borger laced a single into center, scoring the final runs of the game.

Skinner worked 6.1 innings on the afternoon, picking up his fifth win of the season by allowing five hits and striking out three. Randall Wright finished off the game by getting the final two outs of the game.

Drew, Drennen and Graham all went 3-for-4 to lead the Wolves offensively in the contest. Drew and Graham scored two runs each and Drew, Drennen and Borger all had two RBI on the afternoon. Eight of the Wolves' nine starters in the lineup had a hit in the contest.

The same two teams close out the series on Sunday afternoon with the rubber game at 1 p.m.

Source: UWG website

The hit parade that started in game two on Saturday continued in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, as the UWG baseball team pounded out 19 hits against New Orleans in the series finale, propelling the Wolves to a 12-6 victory and also a series victory, West Georgia's third of the season.

Sunday marked the midpoint of the conference season for the Wolves and West Georgia's overall record stands at 17-11, including an 8-4 mark in Gulf South Conference play. The Wolves have won three of the first four conference series and won a single game in the fourth against then #5 North Alabama. The eight conference wins marks the most since the 2004 season for UWG, when West Georgia went 9-11 in GSC play.

The Wolves opened up the scoring in Sunday's game in the top of the second, as Tanner Drennen led off the inning with a double, followed quickly by an RBI single from Justin Croft. Four batters later, with two outs and two runners on, senior Stuart Drew singled, scoring both runners and giving the Wolves a 3-0 lead.

New Orleans answered in the bottom of the second with two runs, then tied the game in the bottom of the third with another run plated, making the score 3-3 heading into the top of the fourth.

Sophomore Keith Borger opened the fourth inning with a single, followed by a base hit from Garrett May. Jayk Graham moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, bringing Drew back to the plate. The senior continued his hot streak with another two-run single, putting UWG on top by a 5-3 count.

The UWG leftys started the scoring in the top of the fifth frame, as first baseman Adam Whitlock led off and was hit by a pitch. He stole second and the catcher's throw was wild, allowing Whitlock to move to third and giving the Wolves a runner on third with one out. The other lefty in the UWG lineup, Croft, singled and brought Whitlock home for a 6-3 UWG lead.

But the Wolves weren't done there, as a Drew single and a double each from Evan Hester and Drennen brought home two runs in the top of the sixth inning, putting West Georgia in front for good at 8-5.

The UWG pitching staff took over at that point, as Randall Wright and Alex Allen worked the final three innings of the contest, allowing no runs and no hits in that span to slam the door shut on the Privateers. UNO scored all six runs on the afternoon on starter Max Aeschilmann, who gave up 11 hits and struck out two. Wright had three strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work and Allen closed out the ninth by fanning two New Orleans hitters.

Just for good measure, the Wolves added four more runs in the final three innings to bring the final score to 12-6. The Wolves outscored UNO 21-8 in the final two games after opening the series with a 5-3 loss.

Drennen and Drew each had four hits on the day and Drew had four RBI and two runs scored. Drennen had two RBI and two runs scored on the day. Croft was 3-for-6 in the game, starting at the DH spot. He had a run scored and four RBI to aid in the cause.

The Wolves are home all next week, hosting Columbus State at 5 p.m. on Wednesday followed by a home Gulf South Conference series against Alabama-Huntsville next weekend.

Source: University of West Georgia Wolves website

Carrollton, GA – After the cancellation of Friday’s matchup between West Georgia and Valdosta State, there would only be two games to play in this series. West Georgia started off slow but finished strong in the first game beating the Blazers 7-3. The Wolves started their scoring too late in the second game, as they ran out of time and took the loss 7-5.

In game one, Chase Riemer got the start for the Wolves against the top team in the Gulf South Conference standings. Riemer pitched eight solid innings, giving up nine hits and only three earned runs while striking out three. Riemer helped himself out on the mound a few times today making some great defensive plays and keeping a few Blazers off the bases.

Max Aeschilmann pitched the ninth inning for the Wolves, striking out two of the four batters he faced and inducing a fly-out to end the game and shut down the Blazers.

Andy Marinelli got his first start today since injuring his wrist while diving for a foul ball early this season. Marinelli was 1-for-3 in the opener and knocked in two runners. First baseman Adam Whitlock was 2-for-5 during the first game and drove in a runner as well. Other Wolves with hits today were Stuart Drew, Brett Wright, Evan Hester, and Tanner Drennan.

Game 2
In game two, Cody Skinner got the start for the Wolves. Skinner did not last long, only going two innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs. Alex Wilson relieved Skinner and spent two innings on the mound allowing only one hit. Randal Wright entered the game to pitch for Wilson in the top of the fifth and pitched only a third of an inning giving up three hits and two earned runs. Aeschilmann made his second appearance of the day and would close out the game on the mound for the Wolves.

The Wolves didn’t score their first run until the fourth inning of this seven-inning contest on a Marquise Vialet single to centerfield. Going into the bottom of the seventh, the Wolves were down 7-1. They would make this game much closer by scoring four runs on three hits and a walk. Three of the four runs came off a Marinelli bomb to left field to make the score 7-5. This would be as close as the Wolves would get though.

Other Wolves who contributed offensively were Galen Smith with his three-hit and one RBI performance and Garrett May with his 2-for-4 and one run performance. Brett Wright, Tanner Drennan, Jayk Graham, and Keith Borger also had hits on the day.

The Saturday split puts the Wolves at 18-16 overall and 9-8 in the Gulf South Conference. UWG will pick back up next week with home games against Miles, GCSU, and a doubleheader against Paine on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Source: UWG website

PCHS graduates Jayk Graham (2011) and Will White (2012) have been added to the Valdosta State Trailblazers fall baseball roster.

The fall baseball schedule has not been released yet but as soon as it is, it will be posted here so that you may have an opportunity to go watch our former players continue their careers.

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State baseball team claimed a pair of walk-off victories on Saturday as it defeated the Union Bulldogs 4-3 and 5-4 in a Gulf South Conference doubleheader at Billy Grant Field.

Late inning clutch hitting was on display for Valdosta State in game one, as the Blazers scored three runs in the final two innings to defeat Union 4-3. The big hit of the game came with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning as Will Wilson delivered the final blow for Valdosta State, as he drove in the final two runs with a single to right field.

The Blazers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of a leadoff double by Jake Fields. Michael Gouge moved the runner to third with a sacrifice bunt and Cooper Lemonds drove in the run with a ground ball to short.

The Bulldogs scored in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to give Jared Davis a 3-1 lead. Davis, who started the game with an 0-8 record for Union, held the Blazers to one run until the eighth, when an error by his shortstop Pierson Waring allowed Cooper Lemonds to reach to begin the Blazer half of the inning. Will Wilson pinch ran for Lemonds and stole second base before Jake Montgomery followed with a pinch hit single that moved Wilson to third. During the next at bat, Montgomery broke for second base, drawing a throw from Union catcher Zach Wylie. Wilson stole home on the throw, tightening the score at 3-2. Daniel Hoover proceeded to single with Montgomery in scoring position, but a strong throw by Union right fielder Wacey Russell cut down Montgomery at the plate.

In the ninth, Jayk Graham started a rally for the Blazers with a pinch hit single to shortstop. Bryant Hayman singled sharply through the left side, but during the following at bat, pinch runner Will Austin was picked off at second base for the second out of the inning. With only one out remaining for the Blazers, Jake Fields was awarded first base after being hit by a pitch, and Michael Gouge hit the second infield single of the inning to shortstop, setting the table for Wilson's late inning heroics.

Wilson, who went 3-5 on the day with three RBI and two stolen bases, continued his strong performance in game two as he led off the Blazers' three-run fourth inning with the first of three consecutive doubles. Hayman brought Wilson in with the second double of the inning, and Fields drilled the third off the wall in left center to score Hayman. Cooper Lemonds drove in the third and final run of the inning with a single to right field.

In the final inning with the score tied 4-4, Hoover led off with yet another infield single for the Blazers. Three walks were later issued by Union pitcher Derek Roof, allowing Hoover to score the winning run to end the game.

Reliever Benjamin Weil picked up both wins for Valdosta State, improving his record to 4-2 on the season.

With the sweep, the Blazers are now 25-14 on the season, 11-9 in conference play. Union falls to 9-30 overall, 2-20 in the conference.

The two teams conclude the weekend's three game conference series on Sunday, April 21, at Billy Grant Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

  

 

Former PCHS diamond standouts Cole Dowling (2013), Vince Elliott (2013) and Nate Gay (2012) will join Jayk Graham (2011) on the roster for the 2013-2014 Valdosta State University Blazers baseball program.

Cole and Vince are entering their first year of college baseball while Nate is on his second year after playing for the ABAC Stallions last year. Jayk is in his third year of college baseball where he played his freshman year at West Georgia College before transferring to VSU last year as a sophomore.

The VSU fall baseball schedule has not been posted yet but you can check out the player profiles by clicking here: http://www.vstateblazers.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball.