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Andersen Earns GSC Weekly Honor

2010-09-06

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State's Daniel Andersen earned his first career Gulf South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award Monday after leading VSU to a 25-22 victory over Wingate on Saturday. Andersen propelled the Blazers to victory as he kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired for the deciding points. The 42-yard try was the second-longest successful attempt of his young career. Andersen finished the game with three made field goals, on four attempts, and was also successful on both of his extra point tries. He scored all nine VSU points during the second half of play as he kicked a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter and added a 20-yard attempt in the fourth quarter.

Blazers Win Nailbiter 25-22

2010-09-04

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Daniel Andersen connected on a 42-yard field goal as time expired to lead Valdosta State to a 25-22 victory over visiting Wingate at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Satuday evening. Andersen's kick was set up after Wingate (1-1) drove 85 yards for a touchdown and added a two-point conversion with 48 seconds remaining in the ballgame. Matt Pierce fielded the kickoff and returned it 19 yards to the VSU 48 yard line to give the Blazers (1-0) good field position. After an incomplete pass to open the deciding drive, Brett Whitmire connected with Ronnye Nelson for a 22-yard pick up that moved the ball to the Bulldog 30. With no time outs remaining, Valdosta State was forced to spike the ball and Whitmire hit Jackson Dean for a five yard pick up. Another spike stopped the clock with 4.3 seconds remaining and allowed the Blazer field goal unit to get on the field for Andersen%u2019s winning kick. Cody Haffly connected on six-of-nine passes, including the final four of the drive, to move Wingate the 85 yards for the tying score. After an incomplete pass to open the drive, he connected with Delric Ellington for a pair of catches for 15 yards before tossing two more incompletes. The junior then found Ellington for another 16 yard gain and hit Chris Bowden on a pair of passes that covered 11 and 31 yards, respectively, before finding Perry Floyd in the left corner of the end zone for the touchdown. Ellington added a reception on the two-point try to even the game at 22-22. Valdosta State took to the ground to open the scoring as the Blazers scored on a pair of rushing plays while jumping out to a 16-0 lead. Nelson capped off a four-play, 71-yard drive with a 53-yard run for the first touchdown on VSU's first drive of the contest while Michael Brown took a hand-off and ran off the right end for a 36-yard score just 1:22 into the second quarter. After VSU downed a punt inside the Wingate one-yard line, Marcus Nedd tackled Nelson Woods in the end zone to give the Blazers two more points only to have the Bulldogs score two touchdowns in the final 72 seconds to cut their deficit to 16-14 at the half. Bowden caught a 10-yard scoring strike for the score. Valdosta State attempted to kill the clock over the remaining seconds, but Wingate regained the ball with 0.7 seconds remaining and Haffly through a jump ball that Bowden came down with for the second touchdown of the night for WU. Andersen gave VSU a 19-14 lead with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter as he hit a 32-yard field goal and pushed the Blazer advantage to 22-14 with a 20-yard field goal with 9:15 remaining in the contest. Valdosta State tallied 430 yards of total offense, including 128 rushing yards and 302 through the air. Whitmire threw for 201 yards as he completed 14-of-23. Fourteen different Blazers caught a pass in the game while Nelson, who tallied three receptions for 49 yards, also picked up 83 yards rushing on 10 carries. Larry Dean tallied 11 tackles, including one and a half for loss, and broke up a pass to lead the VSU defense on the evening. Pierce, who also returned an interception 11 yards, finished with seven tackles, as did Ryan Smith. Stevie Harden also intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards. Wingate tallied 303 yards of total offense, including 268 through the air, but was held to just 35 rushing yards. Haffly completed 26-of-42 passes while Ellington caught 10 passes for 108 yards while Bowden finished with a pair of touchdown catches. Robert Fletcher tallied 11 tackles for the Bulldogs while Terrence Stephens finished with 10. Valdosta State returns to action next Saturday, September 11 when it travels to Newberry, S.C. to face the Wolves of Newberry College at 6:30 p.m.

VSU Falls to No. 16 Lewis

2010-09-04

BOCA RATON, Fla. - For Valdosta State's last match at the Lynn Invitational, the Lady Blazers drew a tough test. Against undefeated No. 16 Lewis, VSU lost, 25-18, 25-16, 25-15. The Valdosta State setters, Emelia Saulter and Hope Ripsam, combined for 26 assists, 13 each. Ruthie King led the team in kills with nine on a .333 attack percentage. Macy Markham dug up 10 balls to lead all players in the match. There weren't many blocks for either team, but Katie Onushko and Arielle Parnell teamed up for the only VSU block in the match. Valdosta State faced three outstanding teams in Boca Raton, Fla., this weekend. The team will look to bounce back next weekend against Concord, Lander, Anderson and South Carolina-Aiken at the USC-Aiken Invitational.

Lady Blazers Drop Two at Lynn Tourney

2010-09-03

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BOCA RATON, Fla. - Valdosta State volleyball started its season Friday against two tough opponents at the Lynn Invitational. First off, the Lady Blazers fell to Lynn of the Sunshine State Conference, 3-0, then dropped a match to Colorado-Colorado Springs, 3-0. The only Lady Blazer to reach double-digit kills on the day was Irene Hannan with 13 on a .345 attacking percentage against Colorado-Colorado Springs. She doubled up with 11 digs. Valdosta State unveiled a new offense in which two setters play throughout the match. Senior Emelia Saulter finished the day with 30 assists while freshman newcomer Hope Ripsam had 29. Against the Knights of Lynn, Ruthie King had a strong defensive game with 18 digs while Macy Markham dug up 15 from the libero position. Katie Onushko and Arielle Parnell were in on six and five blocks respectively against Lynn, but the Lady Blazers could only muster two blocks against Colorado-Colorado Springs. Despite struggling on offense against Lynn with just a .104 attacking percentage, VSU gave the Knights three solid sets. After falling 25-21 and 25-19, the Lady Blazers forced extra points in the third frame, but fell 27-25. While VSU's offensive efficiency improved a little bit against Colorado-Colorado Springs, the Lady Blazers just could not score the points they needed. Valdosta State fell 25-20, 25-20, 25-16. Valdosta State will get a chance to bounce back against Lewis at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Wingate Game Notes

2010-09-03

Today's Game: Valdosta State opens its 29th season of football as the Blazers host the Bulldogs from Wingate University in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. While VSU is playing its first game of the new season, WU will enter with a 1-0 record after defeating West Georgia 10-7 last Saturday. The game features the first ever meeting between the two schools. A bevy of newcomers will get to wear the Valdosta State uniform for the first time in 2010 as 33 players will don the Red and Black for the first time against Wingate. The new faces will bring some youth to the VSU roster as the group of 33 includes 18 freshmen, five sophomores, seven junior college transfers and three Division I transfers. While a host of new names dot the roster, the starters return fairly well intact from 2009 as Valdosta State returns 15, out of a possible 25, starters off of last year%u2019s club. All three special teams starters return while the offense welcomes back seven players and the defense five. In all, 44 letterwinners return from 2009. After averaging 31.2 points and 418.4 yards of total offense last year, Valdosta State faces the question of who will lead the offense in 2010 as no quarterback on the current roster has ever completed a pass for the Blazers. The vaunted VSU passing attack also lost three of its top four receivers from last year, but the running game welcomes back seven of its top nine rushers and the offensive line returns four starters and nine of its top 11 players from 2009. The defense, which allowed 22.4 points and 343.1 yards a game last season, features a veteran linebacking corps as well as the return of preseason All-American defensive tackle Demario Jones, who missed seven games last year due to injury. Larry Dean leads the group, needing just 94 more tackles to break Jessie Tuggle's school record of 340 career stops. The Wingate game will be the 321st game in school the history of Valdosta State football. The Blazers have won 216 contests, lost 100 and tied four times, a winning percentage of .681. The 2010 Blazer Radio Network: The 2010 Valdosta State Blazer Radio Network is the largest in the history of the program as 12 stations will carry VSU football this season. The 12-station network will cover 52 counties in Georgia, 10 in Florida and can be heard by approxiamately 1.4 million people. The 2010 Blazer Radio Network includes: WDDQ, Talk 92.1 FM (Valdosta, Adel); WAAC, 92.9 (Valdosta); WSFB 1490 AM/97.7 FM (Quitman); WKZZ, Z 92.5. FM (Tifton); WDMG, The Big Dog 97.9 FM (Douglas); WJEM, 96.1 FM/1150 AM (Valdosta); WRDO, Real Radio 96.9 FM (Fitzgerald); WDMG 860 AM (Douglas); WJHC, Talk 107.5 FM (Jasper, Fla.); W279BD, 103.7 (Thomasville). Dick Rockey (play-by-play), Wes James (analysis) and Tom Odom (sideline) call the action. 2010 Captains Named: After a preseason vote by the team, five seniors were named team captains by head coach David Dean prior to the start of the season. Linebacker Larry Dean returns for his third season as a captain and will be joined by defensive tackle Demario Jones and quarterback Russ Callaway, both of whom are in their second year as captains, as well as first-year captains offensive lineman Kyle Fox and safety Dudley Spence. Click for Complete Game Notes

Don't Miss Blazerzone in the Park

2010-08-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State will host a pregame party in Drexel Park for the Blazer football's season opener against Wingate Saturday. Be sure to sign up to tailgate at Blazerzone! Student organizations, non-profit organizations, businesses, radio and even individuals or families are welcome to tailgate for Blazerzone. Just fill out this form and return it to Tom Hughes, Director of Athletic Marketing. The guidelines to tailgate at Blazerzone are as follows: - Must be registered - No trailers, couches or motorized vehicles are allowed in Drexel Park - Loud and/or obnoxious behavior will not be permitted in Drexel Park - Set up is permitted in reserved spaces only There is a $25 fee for businesses and $50 fee for radio stations. For any questions, contact Tom Hughes at tbhughes@valdosta.edu or call at (229) 245-6402.

Softball to Host Blood Drive

2010-08-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State softball teams with the Red Cross to host a blood drive Tuesday from noon to 8 p.m. at the University Center. Don't miss out on your opportunity to help someone in need.

VSU Radio Network Expands for 2010

2010-08-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State's Blazer Radio Network has expanded to nine radio stations for the 2010 VSU football season with the newest addition being WAAC 92.9 Country FM. The flagship station for the VSU Football Radio Network will continue to be Talk 92.1 FM, backed up by 92.9 Country FM, Classic 93 (93.5 FM), Z93 (92.5 FM), 96.9 FM Real Radio, Talk 107.5 FM, 1490 AM, 97.7 FM, and 103.7 FM. By adding WAAC to the radio network, Valdosta State football will now be heard over 52 counties, and could reach a potential 1.4 million listeners. With all nine radio stations, VSU football can be heard almost as far away as Statesboro. "Our visibility and coverage used to be limited to a single station just four short year ago, but with the addition of 92.9 Country this season is now fully embraced by nine radio stations that understand the excellence of Valdosta State football and the importance of our regional university itself," said Scott James, owner of Talk 92.1. WAAC is, by far, the most powerful station in the network at 100,000 watts. "I'm really excited to add WAAC to our VSU Football Radio Network," said Herb Reinhard, Valdosta State Director of Athletics. "WAAC really enhances and solidifies our coverage in the South Georgia market and provides us with coverage in North Florida, including the Tallahassee market." Both James and Reinhard are pleased with the expansion. "As a converted Gator and full-fledged Blazer fan on Saturdays, it has been a thrill to help expand the reach of our Blazer Football Radio Network," said James. Reinhard is not only happy with VSU's radio network on its own, but what this type of wide-ranging network does for VSU athletics in that nation. "I would guess we have one of the largest NCAA Division II football networks in the country, and we are certainly proud of that."

Meet the Blazers Saturday

2010-08-24

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State hosts the football team's annual Meet the Blazers at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium this Saturday, August 28, from 9-11 a.m. Registration for children between the ages of five and 13 starts at 8 a.m. This is a child's chance to interact with VSU football players. Valdosta kids will get to run through drills with the collegiate players, get autographs and take photos with the Blazers, get a free t-shirt and a free lunch. Meet the Blazers is a free event so everyone is welcome. Just be sure to have a completely filled out registration and waiver form at the gate. Click here for a copy. Don't miss out on an opportunity for fun with the VSU Blazers this Saturday, August, 28.

Defense Dominates Second Scrimmage

2010-08-21

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State defensive unit put on an impressive display in VSU's second scrimmage of the 2010 preseason as the Black Swarm stifled the offense Saturday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The defense tallied five sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions, including one returned 53 yards for a touchdown, while limiting the offense to scores on just three possessions on the day. The day started on an ominous tone for the offense as Chris Wellborn dropped a pass that promised a big pickup on the first play of the scrimmage and the offense was held to minus-eight yards of total offense over the next six drives, which totaled 18 plays. The seventh drive of the day finally saw the offense begin to move the ball, as it gained 25 yards, only to have Stevie Harden jump in front of a Brett Whitmire pass for the day's first interception. The offensive improvement continued over the ensuing three drives as the offense gained 40, 19 and 33 yards, but all three drives came to naught with a fumble after a 12-yard completion ending the first period of the scrimmage. The next four drives of the scrimmage featured the offense needing to pick up a pair of first downs while starting on its own five yard line. After a defensive stop on the first drive, the offense converted on three consecutive opportunities. All three scores on the scrimmage came as the team worked in the red zone, with Jimmy Coy leading the team to two touchdowns while Austen Roberts tallied the third. The defense forced a fumble on the final drive of the period and after stopping the offense on the first two-minute drill, tallied its third fumble recovery of the day on the second hurry-up drive. The offense was stymied on two consecutive drives before Alex Webster made the play of the day when he stepped in front of a Coy pass and returned it 53 yards for the score. The Blazer offense finally seemed to get on track on the next drive, as it moved to the defense's 26 yard line, only to have lightning end the scrimmage prematurely. Coy completed 14-of-20 passes for 108 yards on the day while Whitmire was 14-of-22 for 117 yards.

Shirey Named Catcher of the Year

2010-08-20

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Accolades continue to roll in for Valdosta State softball's championship 2010 season. One of the senior leaders and the only All-American on the team, Alyssa Shirey, was named the 2010 NCAA Division II Diamond Catcher of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association. The Diamond Catcher of the Year award is presented annually to the top catcher from an NFCA member institution in each the association's divisions. A committee comprised of head coaches in each of the 10 divisions determines the winner of their respective award. Shirey put together a stellar season in 2010 and capped it off with an excellent NCAA Division II National Tournament. She hit .432 for the season and finished the year with one of the best slugging percentages in all of Division II at .814. Shirey belted 20 home runs (fourth in Division II) and hit in 61 RBIs, leading the team in both categories. Of Shirey's 79 hits, 30 were for extra bases. She scored 37 runs and led the team in hit by pitches at 13. From behind the plate, Shirey caught nine base runners stealing and registered 326 putouts and 31 assists in her first full season at catcher for VSU. At the NCAA Division II National Tournament, Shirey put together one of the best streaks Division II has ever seen, going five for six in the first three games of the tournament and completing the tournament batting .700. In nine appearances, Shirey was only retired once, laying down five hits and earning a walk on three occasions. The Diamond Catcher of the Year award is one in a line of achievements for Shirey in 2010, recently being named to the Gulf South Conference's All-Decade Team, the GSC East's Player of the Year, an NFCA All-American as well as All-Conference and All-Region in 2010. Shirey was the best player and unquestioned leader on a VSU team that will stand strong in Valdosta State athletic history.

Baseball to Hold Open Tryouts

2010-08-19

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State Head Baseball Coach Greg Guilliams will hold open tryouts for the Valdosta State baseball team September 13 at 5:30 p.m. Participants must have a completed tryout waiver form and proof of a physical within the last six months. To participate, prospective athletes must be enrolled full-time at Valdosta State and registered with the NCAA. For any questions, contact Coach Guilliams at (229) 259-5563 or email at gaguilliams@valdosta.edu.

Callaway Out With Torn ACL

2010-08-17

VALDOSTA, GA. - Valdosta State Head Football Coach David Dean announced Tuesday that senior quarterback Russ Callaway will miss the 2010 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Callaway also tore the medial meniscus in his knee while participating in the Blazers%u2019 first scrimmage of the 2010 season this past Sunday. The fifth-year senior rolled out for a pass and attempted to pivot on his right leg before falling to the ground. He attempted to walk off the field under his own power, but eventually had to be helped from the field by teammates. Callaway also tore the ACL in his right knee in March of 2009. He had surgery on the knee in April of that year, and after an intensive rehabilitation, returned to the field just five months later as the Blazers opened summer camp prior to the 2009 season. He battled for the starting job prior to the start of that season before serving as the back-up for the year. Callaway earned the top spot among the VSU quarterbacks after the Spring 2010 practice session and was battling junior Jimmy Coy and freshman Brett Whitmire for the starting job at the time of his injury. "Disappointed, heart-broken and any other adjective along those lines that you can think of describes how we are feeling right now," stated Dean. "Russ worked so hard to come back from the injury last year and was set to have a great senior season. "Our team is hurting right now. Not only have we lost a great player, but we have lost a great leader. Everyone on this team looked up to Russ because of how hard he works and because of the positive attitude he brings to the team. Guys are going to have to step up and fill that void. We lost one of our captains last year when Demario (Jones) went down with an ACL tear so the rest of the team got a taste of what it takes to fill a leadership void. Now we have lost another captain and we will once again need some guys to step up."

Blazer Soccer to Hold Tryouts

2010-08-16

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Head Coach Melissa Heinz has announced open tryouts for Blazer soccer. There will be a tryout meeting held August 25 at 7:30 a.m. Soccer hopefuls will meet in the soccer team room at the Valdosta State Athletic Field House at 605 West Mary Street. Those who wish to try out will need to bring a class schedule to the meeting. Please RSVP to Graduate Assistant Coach Erin Foote at eefoote@valdosta.edu or call (229) 219-3289.

Blazers Shine During First Srimmage

2010-08-15

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State offense scored four touchdowns and added two field goals as the Blazers held their first scrimmage of the 2010 season Sunday afternoon at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The success of the offense on the day was overshadowed by an injury to quarterback Russ Callaway, who was vying for the VSU starting position. Callaway went down after rolling out on a pass attempt on the last field-length drive of the practice. He did not return to practice after the injury and will see a doctor on Monday. "Russ didn't seem to think it was too serious," said head coach David Dean after the practice. "He said he felt good so we are optimistic. He'll see the doctor tomorrow morning and hopefully won't miss too much time." Callaway had been productive through the three-plus series that he had taken part on in the scrimmage as he had completed eight-of-10 passes for 72 yards. He had also carried the ball nine times for 12 yards while leading the team to field goal on his third drive. The rest of the VSU quarterbacks were just as impressive, led by Jimmy Coy who completed 14-of-22 yards for 189 yards and a touchdown. The junior also rushed for a touchdown while also driving the team to a field goal. Meanwhile, Brett Whitmire completed 12-of-17 passes for 90 yards and Austen Roberts was five-of-seven for 82 yards while directing the offense to a touchdown. While the offense shone on the day, the defense wasn't without its moments. The Black Swarm limited VSU to just one touchdown on six tries in the red zone. The defense also tallied six sacks on the day and opened the scrimmage with a near turnover as Chris Pope stripped David Arnold of the ball on the first play of the day. "We saw some good things out of both sides of the ball today," concluded Dean. "The offense put together some good drives, with two drives that lasted 12 plays, but the defense really stepped up during the red zone portion of the scrimmage. We still have some work to do, but I told the team we are better now than we were this time last year so its a step in the right direction." Valdosta State will hold five practices over the coming week before its second and final scheduled scrimmage of the year next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

Blazers Finish First Week of Practice

2010-08-13

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State football team wrapped up its first week of practice Friday as the squad participated in its first full pad workout of the year. Friday's practice also featured the first full-team workout of 2010 after four days of split squad practices. The full squad practice was a deviation from the preseason schedule as the VSU coaching staff felt a change was in order after a grueling week that featured temperatures in the mid to high 90's. "Its been a tough week heat-wise," said head coach David Dean after Friday's session. "Luckily, we haven't had any heat problems, but we decided we would give the guys a day to kind of get their legs back underneath of them. With the full squad, the players aren't taking as many reps as they do when we are in a split squad practice, so this was kind of a chance to allow them to get ready for the weekend ahead." The full-pad practice was the first of four straight for VSU, which will hold its only two-a-day practice day on Saturday before holding its first scrimmage of the year on Sunday. Saturday's two-a-day sessions will both be held at Reames Field while Sunday's scrimmage, which is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m., will be at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. Dean indicated he was pleased with the progress of the first week, although he acknowledged that the team, and its young players in particular, still had a long way to go before the season opener September 4. "As a coaching staff, we have been very pleased with the practice this week," he continued. "We have seen a lot of improvement already as are young guys and new guys have begun to pick up what is expected of them. That's not to say we are done working. We still have a lot of areas we need to improve in. We're a young team, but we also have a lot of depth and a lot of guys that can play. Its our challenge as coaches to make sure they are ready for the start of the season." Most importantly to Dean and his staff, the first week of practice ended without any serious injuries. "Knock on wood, but we made it through the first week with nothing but the normal things injury-wise," Dean concluded. "We have some guys with sore ribs, bruises and sore ankles, but other than that we are healthy. Our only major problem thus far is Kyle Fox has a thigh contusion and has been limited the last two days, but he will be okay for the season.

Blazers Report to Camp Saturday

2010-08-06

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State football team will open preparation for the upcoming 2010 season this weekend as the Blazers report for preseason camp Saturday afternoon. Nearly 130 student-athletes will check into the VSU campus on Saturday before holding their first team meeting at 7:00 p.m. that evening. After additional meetings and equipment issue on Sunday, the Blazers will take to the field for the first time on Monday with the first of five split squad practices. Group A, which will practice in the morning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will kick off the practices at 8:00 a.m. while Group B, which will take the morning sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, will take to the field at 3:00 p.m. Both practice sessions will feature a mixture of new and returning players and will last approximately 2.5 hours each day. Saturday, August 14 will feature the only true two-a-day practice of 2010 for the Blazers as Valdosta State will practice as a complete squad for the first time at 8:00 a.m. that day before taking the field a second time at 3:30 p.m. A pair of scrimmages will highlight the next week of the practice schedule as the team will hold an inter-squad scrimmage at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 15 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium before holding a second scrimmage at 2:00 p.m. the following Saturday, August 21. Monday, August 23 will begin the Blazers' normal in-season practice schedule, with the sessions beginning at 3:00 p.m. each day and lasting to 5:30 p.m. Valdosta State will hold its annual "Meet the Blazers Day" on August 28, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

2010 Practice Schedule

8/9 Helmets (Split Squad) 8:00 am and 3:00 pm - Reames Field 8/10 Helmets (Split Squad) 8:00 am and 3:00 pm - Reames Field 8/11 Shells (Split Squad) 8:00 am and 3:00 pm - Reames Field 8/12 Shells (Split Squad) 8:00 am and 3:00 pm - Reames Field 8/13 Full (Split Squad) 8:00 am and 3:00 pm - Reames Field 8/14 Full 8:00 am and 3:30 pm - Reames Field 8/15 Full 3:00 pm (Scrimmage) - Bazemore-Hyder Stadium 8/16 Shells 8:00 pm - Bazemore-Hyder Stadium 8/17 Full 3:30 pm - Reames Field 8/18 Full 3:30 pm - Reames Field 8/19 Full 3:30 pm - Reames Field 8/20 Shells 3:30 pm - Reames Field 8/21 Helmets 8:00 am - Reames Field 8/21 Full 2:00 pm (Scrimmage) - Bazemore-Hyder Stadium 8/22 Shells 8:00 pm - North Campus Normal practice schedule (3:00-5:30 pm) begins on Monday, August 23.

Two Lady Blazers Make Preseason All-GSC

2010-08-04

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valdosta State's stellar duo of outside hitters Irene Hannan and Ruthie King were named to the 2010 volleyball preseason All-Gulf South Conference team. Freshman setter Hope Ripsam was named a 2010 Top Newcomer. Valdosta State was one of just two schools from the GSC East to place multiple players on the preseason team. West Florida led the way with four while both North Alabama and West Alabama each placed a player on the team. King and Hannan combined for 651 kills and 662 digs in the 2009 season. That was good enough for 6.1 kills and 6.2 digs per game. The combo has been good for 2,166 kills in three seasons. Both Hannan and King were named first team All-GSC last season and look to be back for more in 2010. Ripsam is a freshman for the Lady Blazers. She hails from Stanley High School in Westminster, Colorado. Ripsam will compete with senior Emelia Saulter for the starting setter position. West Florida was chosen to win the team's third consecutive GSC title while North Alabama was picked second. Valdosta State and West Alabama tied for third while Alabama-Huntsville and West Georgia took fifth and sixth respectively.

Valdosta State Picked to Finish Third

2010-08-03

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State football has been picked to finish third in the Gulf South Conference according to a vote by the league coaches while four Blazers were selected to the preseason All-GSC squad Tuesday. The Blazers earned 81 points in the 2010 preseason poll to finish 97 points behind North Alabama. The Lions, who won the GSC crown in 2009, earned eight first place votes while West Alabama tallied two first place votes to edge VSU with 84 total points. Valdosta State garnered the final first place vote in the poll. Delta State (72), Arkansas Tech (62), Ouachita Baptist (51), Henderson State (47), Arkansas-Monticello (46), Southern Arkansas (26), Harding (24) and West Georgia (15) rounded out the poll. Two players from both the offensive and defensive side of the ball were named to the preseason All-Conference team. Senior offensive guard Kyle Fox, who has started on the offensive line in each of the last two seasons, earned one of the offensive nods while sophomore wide receiver Gerald Ford, who earned second team All-GSC while being named the league's Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, also earned the recognition. Larry Dean, who earned first team All-GSC honors in 2009, was named one of the top linebackers entering the 2010 season and was joined on the defensive side of the preseason All-GSC team by defensive tackle Demario Jones, who earned the honor despite missing all but three games from 2009 due to a torn ACL. Valdosta State reports to preseason camp this Saturday, August 7 and will take to the field for the first practice of 2010 on Monday, August 9. 2010 RECORD BOOK NOW AVAILABLE Due to new Gulf South Conference legislation, conference schools are no longer permitted to print media guides. However, the 2010 Valdosta State Football Record Book can be found on the internet by clicking here or by visiting the "Publications" link on the VSU football home page. The 2010 VSU Football Record Book includes information about the campus and football facilities, a 2010 roster, biographical information on the coaching staff, a look back at the 2009 season and the history and records of the VSU football program. Additionally, by clicking on a player's name on the rosters found on pages 2 and 3 of the book, you can access the biographical information for the 2010 Blazers.

Five Named GSC All-Decade

2010-07-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Five Valdosta State baseball players have been named to the Gulf South Conference All-Decade team, according to a vote of the conference sports information directors. Brandon Decker was the only Blazer to earn first team honors as he was one of five players to earn unanimous selection to the squad. Decker earned All-America honors both seasons he played for VSU while also being named the 2010 GSC East Division Player of the Year. The Holiday, Fla. native batted .413 over the course of his two seasons and hit 43 career home runs, the second-most in VSU history. He also tallied 163 RBI and 156 runs scored before being drafted in the 27th round of the 2010 Major League draft. Four Blazers earned second team All-Decade mention, led by Robert Morgan. Morgan was first team All-GSC in both 2004, during which he was named the league's Player of the Year, and 2005. He batted .416 and scored 103 runs while driving in 71. Morgan was joined by outfielder John McDonald, who also earned All-GSC in 2004 and 2005. McDonald hit .381 during his two seasons with Valdosta State and scored 95 runs while driving in 105. A pair of pitchers rounded out the Blazers on the All-Decade team, led by starting pitcher Adam Lingenfelter. Lingenfelter was 15-8 with a 3.18 ERA in two seasons for the Blazers, during which he struck out 159 batters in 172.2 innings. He was joined on the pitching staff of the All-Decade team by relief pitcher Justin Lamb. Lamb was a two-time All-GSC performer and earned first team All-America honors as the Blazers' closer in 2008. He compiled an 8-5 career record, but also tallied 13 career saves and a 2.84 ERA. Lamb struck out 129 batters in just 114.0 innings on the mound for VSU. Four more Blazers earned honorable mention honors, including long-time coach Tommy Thomas who retired as NCAA Division's all-time winningest coach. Outfielder Toby Evans, pitcher/designated player Matt Costello, and pitcher/designated player Jason Bulger also earned honorable mention on the team.

Softball Places Eight on All-Decade Team

2010-07-22

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The first decade of the 21st century concluded with Valdosta State's first ever appearance in the NCAA National Championship game, a sign of the success VSU softball has enjoyed throughout the decade. The Gulf South Conference chose to honor eight Lady Blazers, the most from any team in the GSC East, for their achievements over that time span. While Alabama-Huntsville took team of the decade honors, and placed five players on the All-Decade first team, VSU had the highest total number of players with four on the first team and four on the second team. Robin Williams (2005-08), Alex Acosta (2007-08), Alyssa Shirey (2009-10) and Lindsey Ellingsworth (2001-02) represented VSU on the first team while Kristina Ely (2007-08), Marti Littlefield (2009-), Ryann Ellingsworth (2002-03) and Brianna Collis (2006-09) filled out the second team. Despite being known for their power at the plate in recent history, the Lady Blazers took two of the six available pitching awards on the All-Decade Team. Lindsey Ellingsworth was an All-American in 2002 and tallied 29 wins and 267 strikeouts in two seasons at VSU. Meanwhile, second team pitcher Collis, was the 2007 GSC Co-Pitcher of the Year and finished her four seasons at VSU with a 49-8 record with 300 strikeouts. The other three VSU first teamers all played under current Head Coach Thomas Macera, which means they can hit. In fact, Williams, the first baseman of the decade, finished her career second in the Gulf South Conference in home runs and has yet to be passed up. She was also an All-American in 2008 and a three-time All-Conference player. Williams also holds school records for home runs in a career (53), walks in a season (45-2008), walks in a career (120) and RBIs in a career (170). Acosta, a shortstop, dominated in two seasons at VSU. She was twice named the GSC East Player of the Year and was an All-American in both seasons. In her first season at VSU, Acosta broke the record for RBIs in a season with 61, then set the mark again in her second season with 64, a record that stood until second teamer Littlefield broke it in 2009 with an eye-popping 103 RBIs. Acosta finished her career with a .369 batting average, 25 home runs, 26 doubles and 125 RBIs. Shirey, a member of this season's squad, spent most of her senior season catching, but alternated between outfield and catcher spots in her first season at VSU. She made the All-Decade Team as an outfielder after earning a GSC East Player of the Year award this season. She is a two-time All-American and was named to the NCAA All-National Tournament Team. In just two seasons, Shirey put up 37 home runs, 125 RBIs, 23 doubles and finished with a .412 batting percentage. Ely made the second team as a second baseman. She was an All-American her senior season and a two-time All-Conference performer. She broke the VSU record for home runs in a season with 19 in 2008, which only lasted one season before Littlefield stole that record too with 25 homers her freshman year. Ely put up 76 RBIs in two seasons and finished her VSU career with a .372 on-base percentage. Littlefield teamed with Acosta to make it a VSU sweep at the shortstop position on the first and second team. Littlefield, a junior in 2011, is one of the few players of any sports who has a legitimate chance to be named to consecutive All-Decade Teams. She already owns VSU and GSC records in home runs (25), RBIs (103), and slugging percentage (.905). She was named GSC East Freshman of the Year in 2009 as well as an All-American. In two seasons, she has put up astounding numbers including a .383 batting average, 42 home runs, 154 RBIs, .802 slugging percentage and 31 doubles in 125 games. Rounding out the VSU All-Decade performers is Lindsey Ellingsworth's little sister Ryann. As a designated player, Ellingsworth was a two-time All-GSC East performer, finishing her career with a .431 batting average. In 2002, Ryann led the GSC in hits. She put up 82 RBIs, 174 hits and 102 runs in two seasons. With a past like that, Valdosta State is only looking to build upon its successful history in the coming decade.

Tennis, Golf Take All-Decade Honors

2010-07-22

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valdosta State continues to be recognized on the Gulf South Conference's All-Decade teams. This time, men's and women's tennis dominates the awards while golf places one. In addition to individual awards, the VSU men's tennis team was named the decade's top team. The Blazers won six GSC titles, including four consecutive from 2007-10, and finished atop the GSC East five times throughout the decade. Head Coach John Hansen has led the men's team to the NCAA postseason all 10 seasons, advancing to the national title match on four occasions, including this season, and winning the National Championship in 2004. Women's tennis finished behind West Florida for team of the decade while golf finished fourth in the rankings behind West Florida, North Alabama and Arkansas Tech in that order. Christoph Schneider (2003-06), Eduardo Rincon (2004-05), Leos Jelinek (2006-09) and Joerg Ekkenga (2007-09) were the All-Decade honorees for men's tennis. The foursome helped keep VSU consistently at the top as there were at least two All-Decade tennis players on the team from 2004-2009. Schneider was a four-time first team All-GSC player culminating in a 2006 Player of the Year award his senior season. Rincon was a two-time All-American, twice being named to the conference's first team. Jelinek and Ekkenga were both three-time All-Americans. Jelinek was named to the GSC's first team four times and Ekkenga earned the honor three times. Six Lady Blazers made the All-Decade team, four on the first team. Annika Biro (2003-06), Eva Petschnig (2003-05), Dominique Rothlaender (2007-10) and Anne Corten (2005-07) dominated the first team in the east. All four players were All-Americans, Petschnig leading the pack as she earned the honor three times. Both Rothlaender and Corten were two-time All-Americans while Biro made it in 2005. Biro held the edge in All-GSC honors though as she was a four-time GSC first teamer. Both Rothlaender and Corten made it three-times while Petschnig rounded out the group as a two-time honoree. Raphaelle Durante (2007-10) and Natali Gumbrecht (2008-10) completed VSU's group on the second team. Durante was a four-time All-GSC honoree and was twice named an All-American. Gumbrecht made first team All-GSC three times and dominated the GSC two seasons in a row as the GSC Player of the Year. Brent Witcher was the lone representative of the Valdosta State golf team on the GSC All-Decade team, but he made it count as a first teamer. In Witcher's time at VSU from 2007-2009, he was a two-time GSC Player of the Year and blew the nation away when he was named the 2009 NCAA Division II Player of the Year, earning the Jack Nicklaus Award. No matter the sport, Valdosta State continues to be at the top of the Gulf South Conference and the nation.

Tennis, Golf Take All-Decade Honors

2010-07-22

Tennis, Golf Take All-Decade Honors

2010-07-22

Softball to Hold Open Tryouts

2010-07-16

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Head Coach Thomas Macera will hold open tryouts for the Valdosta State softball team August 18. Participants must have a completed tryout waiver form and proof of a physical within the last six months. To participate, prospective athletes must be enrolled full-tim at Valdosta State and registered with the NCAA. For any questions, contact Macera at (229) 563-0599 or email at tjmacera@valdosta.edu.

Hill, Sprolden, Peterson Earn All-Decade Honors

2010-07-15

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Any fan of Lady Blazer basketball is familiar with the names Kiley Hill, Tracey Sprolden and Carley Peterson. All three are staples at Valdosta State, but the trio also made its mark in the Gulf South Conference record books. Hill was named the GSC East Coach of the Decade, beating out Craig Roden of West Alabama and West Georgia and Shannan Bergen of West Florida for the honor. Sprolden was named to the first team while Peterson made the second team. Valdosta State was also named the fourth best team in the entire conference throughout the decade behind Delta State, Central Arkansas and Arkansas Tech in that order. From 2001-2010, Hill led the Lady Blazers to a record of 190-98. This season he earned his 200th career victory in the GSC East, as he also coached a season at West Alabama. Also in 2010, Hill was named GSC East Coach of the Year. That marked the second time he earned the honor, previously winning it in 2007. Four times throughout the first decade of the 21st century the Lady Blazers were champions of the GSC East, winning in 2005, 2007, 2009 and going undefeated in conference play to take the honor in 2010. VSU made the GSC Tournament eight times throughout the decade and participated in the NCAA tournament five times, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2008. Even though she spent four seasons at Valdosta State, Sprolden only played two seasons in this decade over her career from 1997-2001. The 2001 GSC East Player of the Year was the only forward to make the first team. She still holds the conference record in career blocked shots and scored nearly 2,000 points at Valdosta State. She finished with 1,901 points for an average of 17.8 points per game. Peterson made it two Lady Blazers on the squad. Only West Florida had more. Peterson made the second team thanks to her shooting prowess and sheer domination from 2004-08 at Valdosta State. Peterson was named All-GSC East twice and an All-American in her senior season. She joined the 1,000 point club, finishing her career with 1,133 points. Continue to check www.vstateblazers.com throughout the summer for other all-decade performers.

Homecoming Softball Alumni Game

2010-07-15

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Amid all of the Valdosta State Homecoming activities going on the weekend of October 2, Lady Blazer softball alumni should make time for some softball. All softball alumni are invited to an alumni game at 10 a.m. at the softball field October 2. The only requirements to play are that participants must have graduated from Valdosta State and used all four years of athletic eligibility. If you still have game, bring it. Get a crack at the defending south region champions on the most successful softball team Valdosta State has ever had.

Men's Basketball Named GSC Team of the Decade

2010-07-15

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State placed two players on the Gulf South Conference men%u2019s basketball All-Decade East Division Team while the Blazers were named the conference%u2019s overall Team of the Decade, according to an announcement made by the league office on Thursday. The Blazers topped West Georgia by just half a point, earning 115 out of a possible 161 points, to earn the Team of the Decade honor. The Blazers finished with 71.4 percent of the possible points in earning the award while the Wolves tallied 71.1 percent. Harding was third with 108.5 points (67.4) followed by Delta State with 107.5 (66.8) and Alabama-Huntsville with 106 (65.8). Former Blazer Tyrone Curnell, who finished his stellar two-year VSU career this past season, earned first team All-Decade honors while Jon Rogers, who starred for the Blazers from 2002 through 2006, was recognized on the second team. Curnell earned All-America honors both seasons he was with VSU while being named the GSC and South Region Player of the Year in 2010. Curnell averaged 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over the course of his two years as he scored 1,003 points and grabbed 538 rebounds in 61 games. He shot 50.6 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the free throw line while dishing out 136 assists, blocking 58 shots and tallying 115 steals. Rogers was one of the most dominant big men in the GSC throughout his four year career as he 10.5 points and 7.4 rebounds during his time in the Red and Black. He scored 1,148 points and had 804 rebounds while playing in 109 out of a possible 110 games in his career. Rogers blocked 195 career shots and had 69 steals while also handing out 43 assists. He also shot 55.5 percent from the floor over the course of his career.

VSU Dominates GSC All-Decade Football Team

2010-07-12

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State placed 10 players on the Gulf South Conference All-Decade Team and was named the 2000 through 2009 Team of the Decade, according to an announcement made by the league offices recently. The Blazers earned 103.5 out of a possible 116 points, or 89.0 percent of the possible points, in being named the Team of the Decade. VSU easily out-distanced runner-up Delta State, who tallied 90 points, or 78.0 percent, while North Alabama was third with 83 (72.0 percent). Valdosta State finished among the top three teams in the conference all 10 years during the decade, including league championships in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. Dusty Bonner, who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as NCAA Division II's top player both seasons he played for Valdosta State, was named the GSC Offensive Player of the Decade. One of only three players to ever win the Harlon Hill in back-to-back seasons, Bonner dominated during the 2000 and 2001 seasons as he passed for 8,163 yards and 107 touchdowns. He owns the league record for career completion percentage (71.1 after completing 649 of 913 passes), touchdown passes in a game (seven) and touchdown passes in a season (55). Valdosta State also laid claim to the GSC Coach of the Decade as Chris Hatcher earned the honor after leading VSU to four conference championships and a national title in 2004. Hatcher, who led the Blazers from 2000 through 2006, compiled a 76-12 record during his seven seasons with the Red and Black. He was named the GSC Coach of the Year in three of his seven seasons and left VSU with a .864 winning percentage, the highest in league history. Bonner was joined on the first team All-Decade squad by a quartet of offensive players as well as one each from defense and special teams. The seven first team All-Decade members for Valdosta State were the most by any school in the conference. The Blazers dominated the skill positions as Aaron Jenkins was one of two running backs named to the squad. Jenkins was named the 2002 GSC Offensive Player of the Year and led all conference running backs with a VSU record 3,859 rushing yards during the decade. Jenkins also scored 34 touchdowns while earning All-America honors in 2002. A pair of receivers also earned first team recognition as wide receiver Reggie Mosley and tight end C.J. Lofton, who teamed together between 1999 and 2002, won the honor. Mosley, one of three wide receivers on the first team, is the GSC career leader in receiving yards with 3,738 and receiving touchdowns with 48. A two-time All-American, Mosley is also fourth in the league history books with 235 career receptions. Lofton, a three-time All-American, also ranks among the top 10 in all three categories as he is third in touchdowns with 32, fifth in receptions with 228 and 10th in receiving yards at 2,724. Torrey Howard rounded out the first team offensive honorees for VSU as he was named first team All-GSC in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Also an All-American in 2004, Howard is just one of seven offensive lineman in the history of the conference to earn All-GSC three times. Three-time All-American Sherard Reynolds was the lone Blazer honored on the defensive side of the ball. Reynolds, who played wide receiver as a freshman before moving to safety for his final three years, tallied 243 tackles in his three seasons on the defensive side of the ball, the 11th highest total in VSU history. He also intercepted 14 passes and recovered five fumbles while breaking up 18 passes. Kicker Will Rhody rounded out the VSU first team honorees. Rhody scored 308 points during his Valdosta State career, the fourth-highest total in GSC history. He kicked a league-record 51 field goals during his four-year career and led the decade with 158 extra points made. Three Blazers earned second team All-Decade recognition, led by wide receiver Cedric Jones. Jones, the conference leader in career receptions with 252, was named first team All-GSC three times in his career and earned All-America honors in 2007. He was joined on the offensive side of the ball by offensive tackle Gerald Davis, who played for the 2004 and 2007 national championship teams, as well as defensive end Tim Thompson, who recorded a school record 49.0 tackles for loss during his career.

Macera and Staff Named Region Coaches of the Year

2010-07-06

STARKVILLE, Miss. - After leading Valdosta State to the NCAA Division II National Championship softball game, Head Coach Thomas Macera, Assistant Coach Ashley Mayhue and Graduate Assistant Coach Kristina Ely were named the south region's coaching staff of the year by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association. The trio helped the Lady Blazers to a 51-9 record in the 2010 season, a season in which VSU spent most of it ranked among the top five teams in the country, and going as high as second. Gulf South Conference Champion Valdosta State provided fans with some of the most exciting postseason play in some time. After winning both the regional and super regional tournaments coming out of the loser's bracket, VSU went on to dominate at the NCAA Division II National Tournament, going 3-0 to start. Then the Lady Blazers finished against Hawaii Pacific, the national champions, in a thrilling national championship game. Macera earned his 200th victory at Valdosta State in 2010 while he and his staff coached Alyssa Shirey to an All-American season. In addition, Shirey was named the GSC East Player of the Year. Freshman Morgan Johnson took home the Freshman of the Year award while Holly Satterfield was named the GSC East Pitcher of the Year. Eight Lady Blazers were named to the All-GSC East team while five were named All-Region. Valdosta State only loses two seniors from its stellar 2010 campaign, but Shirey and Stephanie Carlson provided 29 home runs and 113 RBIs in their senior seasons. The Lady Blazers will return their entire pitching staff led by Margaret Carter and Holly Satterfield as well as top returning hitter Marti Littlefield in 2011.

Koenigsfeld Wins Commissioner's Trophy

2010-06-24

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Jon Koenigsfeld capped off a stellar Valdosta State career Thursday evening as he was named the Gulf South Conference Commissioner's Trophy winner as the conference's top male student-athlete. Koenigsfeld became just the fifth VSU player, and the first since 1997, to earn the league's highest honor, which is handed out to the top male and female at the conclusion of each year. Koenigsfeld earned the honor after batting .386 and leading the GSC with 90 hits while helping VSU to the conference title in 2010. A first team All-GSC honoree, Koenigsfeld was second on the team in doubles with 19 and third in batting average, runs scored (59) and RBI (47). "We are extremely happy and proud of Jon," said head coach Greg Guilliams when he learned of the honor. "I have said time and again that Jon embodies everything we look for in a student-athlete." Koenigsfeld's success on the field was just a small part of his success at Valdosta State as he graduated Summa Cum Laude in December with a degree in Middle Grades Education. The New Port Richey, Fla. native carried a perfect 4.00 grade point average and was named the 2010 Dewar College of Education Outstanding Student of the Year. His academic and athletic prowess also earned him first team honors on the prestigious ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America first team, just the third VSU athlete to ever earn the honor and the first since Chris Hatcher did so in 1994. Koenigsfeld also became just the 13th baseball player in GSC history to earn Academic All-GSC honors the maximum three times. Koenigsfeld also tallied 50 hours of community service during the past year, including 30 hours of mentoring at area schools. He ended the 2009-10 school year repeating as winner of the VSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year honor. "As an Athletic Department and University we are very proud of what Jon has accomplished," added VSU Athletic Director Herb Reinhard. "Jon epitomizes everything that is right about intercollegiate athletics. He is a tremendous representative of student-athletes at Valdosta State and the Gulf South Conference." The feelings about Koenigsfeld were echoed across the VSU campus as, in making the nomination for the award, President Patrick Schloss said "Jon Koenigsfeld is a truly remarkable student-athlete and a wonderful representative for Valdosta State University. He has had a wonderful career on the baseball field, has been a tremendous leader in the classroom and has made a very positive contribution to our community through his many hours of community service. Jon is a very positive representative for student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics and all of Valdosta State is proud that he is a Blazer." Meanwhile, Scott Grubbs, who worked closely with Koenigsfeld in his role as Coordinator for the Middle Grades Education department for the Dewar College of Education, added "Jon is the very embodiment of what we aspire for our students to be, not only in the Dewar College of Education, but for the entire institution as well. Jon's academic, athletic, and community success should be an example to all regarding what can happen when we work hard to realize our potential." Koenigsfeld becomes the first Blazer to earn the Commissioner's Trophy since Lance Funderburke and Kathy Kennedy swept the honor in 1997. Other VSU athletes to win the honor include Chris Hatcher, who did so in 1994 and 1995, Bridgette Moore, who repeated as well in 1986 and 1987, and Masa Oreskovic, who teamed with Hatcher to sweep the award for Valdosta State in 1995.

VSU Places Two on GSC Top Ten

2010-06-22

VALDOSTA, Ga. - A pair of Valdosta State athletes were tabbed as among the top in the Gulf South Conference Tuesday as Jon Koenigsfeld and Natali Gumbrecht were named to the GSC Top Ten list. Koenigsfeld earned the honor for the second straight season after batting .386 and leading the GSC with 90 hits while helping VSU to the conference title in 2010. A first team All-GSC honoree, Koenigsfeld was second on the team in doubles with 19 and third in batting average, runs scored (59) and RBI (47). Koenigsfeld's success on the field was just a small part of his success at Valdosta State as he graduated Summa Cum Laude in December with a degree in Middle Grades Education. The New Port Richey, Fla. native carried a perfect 4.00 grade point average and was named the 2010 Dewar College of Education Outstanding Student of the Year. His academic and athletic prowess also earned him first team honors on the prestigious ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America first team, just the third VSU athlete to ever earn the honor and the first since Chris Hatcher did so in 1994. Koenigsfeld also became just the 13th baseball player in GSC history to earn Academic All-GSC honors the maximum three times. Koenigsfeld also tallied 50 hours of community service during the past year, including 30 hours of mentoring at area schools. He ended the 2009-10 school year repeating as winner of the VSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year honor. "Jon sets a new standard for teachers prepared by the Dewar College of Education," stated Dr. Phil Gunter, Interim Provost at Valdosta State and Dean of the Dewar College of Education, when asked about Koenigsfeld. "As a mathematics educator with a 4.0 GPA, he certainly has an exceptional command of the content; as a young athlete, his appeal and insight into the needs of even the most "difficulty-to-teach" students at his middle-school, student teacher placement seemed to come naturally. As a person, Jon is simply someone who is enjoyable to talk with because his humility prevents his exceptional abilities from detracting from what he has to say. Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be given is that any parent would be honored to have Jon teach her/his child." Blazer head coach Greg Guilliams was equally effusive in his comments on the shortstop as he added: "Jon embodies and exceeds all the qualities that we think of in a student-athlete. He excels in the classroom, on the playing field and as a person. He is the type of young man that I wish both of my boys would grow up being like. I cannot give him any higher compliment." Gumbrecht earned mention on the Top Ten list for the first time after also excelling on the court and in the classroom. Gumbrecht graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Marketing in December as she carried a 3.78 GPA. Gumbrecht earned Academic All-GSC in 2008, 2009 and 2010, including unanimous selection in each of the last two years, and was a member of the Dean's List in each of her final five semesters. On the courts, Gumbrecht spent the last three seasons as one of the top tennis players in the nation. She was named the GSC Player of the Year in each of the last two years, becoming just the third player in league history to earn the honor in back-to-back years, and was named All-Gulf South Conference first team in each of the last three seasons. Gumbrecht, who was 8-4 in singles and 15-3 in doubles play this past year, was named the South Region Senior Player of the Year and earned All-America honors for the second straight year. "Natali Gumbrect is the ultimate team player," coach John Hansen had to say about his top player. "Not only is she an excellent player (#6 singles and #7 doubles, in the final ITA national rankings), but she is always a big help to the other players on the team. With a 3.78 GPA and her intercollegiate tennis achievements, Natali is the perfect picture of the student/athlete." VSU Athletic Director Herb Reinhard added: "Natali has had an outstanding career at Valdosta State. She has been the top tennis player in the GSC for the past two seasons and has been ranked very high on the national level. She has led our tennis team to tremendous national success including last year's run to the national semifinals. Natali has also been a star in the classroom where she compiled an extremely high grade point average in her business major. She has been a leader on the tennis court and off as she has served as our women's tennis program's representative on our Student-Athlete Advisory Council. She is a great representative for Valdosta State University and the Gulf South Conference." Gumbrecht's and Koenigsfeld's selection to the GSC Top Ten list makes them eligible for the Commissioner's Trophy as the GSC's top male and female student-athletes. Gumbrecht and Koenigsfeld made Valdosta State the only GSC school to have multiple honorees. The remaining four women included West Florida soccer player Courtney Jones, Henderson State volleyball player Bethany Wright, Harding cross country runner Katy Grant and Arkansas-Monticello softball player Becca Tipton. Joining Koenigsfeld on the men's side were Arkansas Tech basketball player Brandon Friedel, North Alabama golfer Brett Munson, Southern Arkansas baseball player Hayden Simpson and Alabama-Huntsville cross country runner Josh Moshier.

Six Tennis Players Named All-American

2010-06-18

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State's incredibly successful tennis seasons led to six players being named All-Americans. Philip Pakebusch and Natali Gumbrecht were both named All-Americans in both singles and doubles play. Each player was the top player for their respective teams. Pakebusch led his team to a regional championship as well as a Gulf South Conference title while Gumbrecht and the women's team also won a GSC Championship. In singles play, Daniel Dueren and Raphaelle Durante were named All-Americans. Michael Kuech and Hollie Bees also earned All-American honors as they played doubles with Pakebusch and Gumbrecht respectively. Bees, Durante and Gumbrecht finished their senior seasons with the team, but Pakebusch, Dueren and Kuech will all return for the men's team in 2011.

Six Tennis Players Named All-American

2010-06-18

Decker Selected in MLB Draft

2010-06-09

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Former Valdosta State outfielder Brandon Decker has been selected in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball draft. Decker was the 834th overall pick in the draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Angels. Decker batted .426 during his senior season with the Blazers and hit 21 home runs while driving in 79 runs, both team highs. He also led the squad with 81 runs scored and 21 doubles. During his two seasons with VSU, Decker .413 and hit 43 home runs, the second-most homers in school history. He drove in 163 runs in 121 games played while scoring 156. Decker earned All-America honors both seasons with Valdosta State and was the 2010 Gulf South Conference East Division Player of the Year. Decker is the third Blazer in the last two seasons to be drafted by a Major League organization, joining Brandon Graves and Matt Costello, who were both taken in the 35th round a year ago.

Summer Softball Clinics Schedules Set

2010-06-07

Head Coach Thomas Macera has opened times for clinics for hitting, pitching and defense this summer. This is your chance for one-on-one work with Macera, coach of the South Regional Champion and Gulf South Conference Champion Lady Blazer softball team. In 2010, Macera led the team the furthest VSU softball has ever gone with a National Championship appearance. Contact Macera at (229) 563-0599 or email at tjmacera@valdosta.edu. Time slots for summer clinics are as follows: Hitting Clinics Mondays/Wednesdays 4-5 p.m. 5-6 p.m. 6-7 p.m. Pitching Clinics Tuesdays 4-5 p.m. 5-6 p.m. 6-7 p.m.

Ticket Renewals to Begin June 7

2010-06-04

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State will begin its annual ticket renewal process Monday, June 7. The current ticket renewal process will focus on football season ticket holders and Blazer fans who annually purchase the Blazer Sports Pass. Renewal letters will be mailed out beginning next week with a renewal purchase form, which can be filled out and mailed back or dropped off at the VSU Ticket Office in The Complex. Likewise, fans can also print the Season Ticket Purchase Form (click to open form) and mail or bring it by the Ticket Office. Blazer fans who had season tickets for the 2009 VSU football season have until Monday, August 2 to renew their tickets and keep their same seats for 2010.

Blazer Athletes Earn Academic Honors

2010-06-03

VALDOSTA, Ga. - After one of the most successful spring athletic seasons in the history of the school, Valdosta State learned its athletes excelled in the classroom as well on Wednesday as nine VSU student-athletes were named to Gulf South Conference All-Academic team for their respective sports. Eight of the nine honorees were unanimous choices to the GSC All-Academic squads, led by baseball's Jon Koenigsfeld, who earned the honor for the second straight year. Koenigsfeld, who batted .386 on the season, graduated with a perfect 4.00 grade point average as a Middle Grades Education major in December before also carrying a 4.00 GPA in his first semester of graduate school. He became just the 13th baseball player in the history of the GSC to earn All-Academic the maximum number of three times in their career. He was joined on the baseball All-Academic team by fellow consensus pick Clayton Cain. Cain led the GSC with a .429 batting average during the 2010 season while finishing second on the VSU team in runs scored, RBI and home runs. He tallied a 3.44 GPA while graduating with a General Studies degree in May. Marti Littlefield, who led the VSU softball team to a national runner-up finish, was a unanimous choice for the GSC All-Academic softball team. Littlefield batted .346 with 17 home runs on the season while carrying a 3.43 GPA as an Exercise Physiology major. The national runner-up men's tennis squad had three unanimous choices to the All-Academic team, led by Daniel Dueren, who also won the award last year. Dueren compiled a 21-2 singles record and a 22-1 doubles mark during the 2010 season while carrying a 3.36 GPA as a Finance major. He was joined by Michael Kuech, who was 9-8 in singles and 23-2 in doubles on the season while owning a 3.51 GPA in Finance, as well as Otto Lenhart, who went 9-6 in singles and 17-8 in doubles while compiling a 3.92 GPA, also in Finance. The final three honorees all came from the women's tennis squad, including unanimous choices Raphaelle Durante and Natali Gumbrecht. Gumbrecht, who graduated in December with a 3.78 GPA as a Marketing major, was 8-4 in singles and 15-3 in doubles on the season while being named the GSC Player of the Year. Durante, who will graduate in December and currently carries a 3.43 GPA as a Finance major, was 8-7 in singles and 13-5 in doubles on the year. They were joined by Tina Trautmann, who tallied an 8-6 singles mark and a 14-5 doubles record while carrying a 3.84 GPA as a Psychology major. To earn All-Academic, a student-athlete must have a 3.20 GPA, have completed at least a year at their respective school and be a significant contributor to their team during the season. A total of 35 VSU student-athletes earned GSC Honor Roll recognition for completing the year with a 3.00 or higher GPA. The total included seven baseball players, 10 from softball, four from men's golf, six from men's tennis and eight from women's tennis.

Two Blazers Earn All-America

2010-06-03

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State's Brandon Decker and Clayton Cain have been named All-America, according to announcements made by the College Sports Information Directors of America and Daktronics, the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Decker, who also earned All-America honors as a junior in 2009, was a unanimous choice first-team selectee as he received the honor from all three organizations. Decker batted .420 during the 2010 season and belted 21 home runs. He drove in 79 runs and scored 81 while also counting 21 doubles and two triples among his 87 hits. He finished the year with an .858 slugging percentage and a .560 on-base percentage and was named the Gulf South Conference East Division Player of the Year. Cain, who was first-team All-GSC in 2010, earned third team honors from both the NCBWA and the ABCA. The senior led the GSC with a .429 batting average on the year and drove in 75 runs while scoring 67 times. He had a team-high 90 hits on the year, including 11 doubles, one triple and 20 home runs, and owned a .776 slugging percentage and a .516 on-base percentage.

Lady Blazers Fall Short of National Championship

2010-05-31

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Valdosta State scored two first-inning runs and a third in the fifth but gave up four runs to Hawaii Pacific in the fifth inning to fall one run short of the NCAA Division II National Softball Championship. The Lady Blazers end their season at 51-9 with the 4-3 loss. Valdosta State came out guns blazing when Morgan Johnson singled followed by doubles from Marti Littlefield and Alyssa Shirey to score two runs in the bottom of the first. Then the game turned into a defensive battle with no runs scored until the fifth inning. Hawaii Pacific led off with a single, and Caira Pires moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Then the Sea Warriors rifled off five consecutive singles. To compound problems, Valdosta State tallied two errors in the inning to help Hawaii Pacific put up four runs. The Lady Blazers answered with a run of their own to pull within one, but it would not be enough. Amber Shaw, Littlefield and Shirey each went two for four on the day to lead VSU. Shaw and Littlefield each scored a run while Shirey notched the opening inning's two RBIs. Johnson, Stephanie Carlson, Sarah Vaughn and Melessa Jackson each went one for three with Johnson scoring a run. Valdosta State did not give up much in pitching. In fact, Valdosta State tallied more hits, 10, than Hawaii Pacific, seven. In 4.1 innings played, Holly Satterfield gave up four hits and three runs. She walked two and struck out four. Margaret Carter struck out three in 2.2 innings of play. She gave up three hits and one run. As the second place team in the country, Valdosta State made a statement with four Lady Blazers making the All-National Tournament Team. Satterfield was one of just two pitchers while Shirey was the only catcher on the squad. April Hutchens made it as an infielder, and Vaughn made the team at the designated player position. The 2010 squad went the furthest in postseason play in the history of Valdosta State softball. The Lady Blazers will be back in February of 2011.

VSU Punches Ticket to Championship Game

2010-05-30

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Valdosta State is one win away from the first NCAA National Championship ever for the VSU softball program and the fifth in school history. The Lady Blazers eliminated Angelo State from postseason play with a 3-2 victory as Margaret Carter and Morgan Johnson came through in the clutch to send the Rambelles home at 50-15 for the season. Thanks to Johnson's walk off home run in the seventh, Valdosta State moves to 51-8 on the season and advances to the winner take all national championship game at 3 p.m. Monday. Now Valdosta State will face Hawaii Pacific, also undefeated in the national championship tournament and winners over Metro State Sunday, 7-2, at 3 p.m. Monday in a winner take all single game. For the radio broadcast, fans can listen at Talk 92.1 FM, or go online at www.talk921.com. There will be live stats here and the NCAA will also webcast the game here. CBS College Sports channel will broadcast the championship game on television. The game was tied at 2-2 in the seventh inning thanks to two runs in the sixth for Angelo State. The situation didn't faze the Gulf South Conference East's Freshman of the Year, Johnson, as she took the first pitch for a ride over the left field fence. NCAA officials might have to take a ride on the train that rolls past the outfield to find that ball. Johnson walked twice in the game and was a perfect one for one with her home run in the seventh. April Hutchens led the team with a two for three performance while Alyssa Shirey was one for two with an RBI. Marti Littlefield also had an RBI in the game on a one for three performance. Other players with hits were Stephanie Carlson, Colette Rollins and Sarah Vaughn. Holly Satterfield pitched 5.1 innings and gave up seven hits and two runs. She struck out five and walked one. Carter finished the last 1.2 innings without giving up a hit. Valdosta State has won five consecutive games in which Carter has made an appearance. As they have in each of the previous national championship tournament games, the Lady Blazers scored in the first inning. Amber Shaw reached on an error by the Angelo State third basemen, then moved to second on a sacrifice from Johnson. Shaw found third when Littlefield put the ball in play, and came home on a Shirey hit to center field. In the fifth inning, Melessa Jackson reached on a fielder's choice but made up for the out by scoring. She went to second on one of Johnson's walks and came home on a Littlefield single to center. Nicole Smith singled to start the sixth inning for the Rambelles. The lead off hitter, Sarah DeMoss, also singled, and Kaycee Taylor doubled to score Smith. Taylor came in on a double by Alix Dean to tie the game. Satterfield walked the next hitter, then Carter entered the game. She promptly retired two batters. Johnson closed the book on any comeback for Angelo State with her walk off in the seventh. She was the first batter and swung on the first pitch.

Don't Miss Out on Summer Soccer Camps

2010-05-28

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Don't miss out on fun, competitive soccer summer camps in Valdosta this summer. Head Coach Mel Heinz will be hosting camps throughout the summer. Click here for the brochure.

Valdosta State Sacks No. 1 Saints

2010-05-28

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Valdosta State received an excellent day of pitching from starter Holly Satterfield to beat undefeated North Georgia, the top team in the country, 6-1. The Saints drop to 51-1 on the season while their All-American pitcher Sarah Phillips drops to 44-1. The Lady Blazers move to 50-8 with five earned runs against Phillips who has an 0.83 earned run average for the season. Satterfield only gave up one hit through the first five innings and three hits all day. She finished with eight strikeouts and no earned runs allowed. Meanwhile, the Lady Blazers blew up Phillips for eight hits, four coming in the big four-run inning in the third for VSU. Senior Stephanie Carlson continues to rack up runs batted in at the national tournament with two RBIs for the second consecutive game. She was one for three on the day. Alyssa Shirey also had a repeat performance in Valdosta State's second game, staying perfect for the tournament. Yet to be retired at the national tournament, Shirey was a perfect two for two with a run scored and two walks, one of which was intentional. Colette Rollins also registered two hits on the day with a two for three performance with an RBI. Marti Littlefield and Sarah Vaughn also registered RBIs in the victory. North Georgia scored its only run, unearned, in the first inning. Laura Voyles, the leadoff hitter walked and went to second on a bunt from Lauren Dykes. Then she reached third on an error and scored on a double steal. After that, Satterfield and the VSU defense shut the Saints down. The second and third innings were either strike outs from Satterfield or throw outs from Littlefield to Rollins. Then, in the fourth, after another Satterfield strike out, Littlefield showed her wheels when she took off from her shortstop position to catch a foul pop up along the shallow left field fence. Then April Hutchens got in on the action. She notched the third out of the fourth inning with a throw to Rollins at first. Then she showed off quick reaction speed with a jumping catch for the first out of the fifth inning. The first out of the sixth inning was another play by Hutchens. She showed everyone at the national tournament that Valdosta State's middle infield is a force to be reckoned with as she made an excellent diving catch on a foul ball that was a mirror image of Littlefield's play two innings earlier. Valdosta State showed off excellent hitting to go with shutdown defense. After giving up a run in the first inning, VSU answered in the top of the second when Ariel Shaw, running for Shirey, scored after Shirey's single to left field. Carlson sacrificed Shaw to second and Vaughn drove her in with a single to center field. Then VSU showed the kind of offense the team used to get to the final eight in the third inning. Melessa Jackson led off with a single to left field and went to second on a sacrifice from Morgan Johnson. Littlefield hit a line drive up the middle to score Jackson and advanced to second on the throw. After that, the Saints made a decision that would bite them. Phillips intentionally walked Shirey to put runners on first and second for Carlson. She doubled to deep right center to score both runners. Then Carlson scored on a single from Rollins to give VSU a 5-1 advantage just two and a half innings into the game. The Lady Blazers would score one more run in the sixth inning. Rollins singled to left field and reached second on an error by the outfielder. Amy Brightwell came in as a pinch runner and scored on an error by the first baseman who muffed the catch on a Vaughn sacrifice. With the win, Valdosta State will be able to rest Saturday. The Lady Blazers will next be in action at 1 p.m. Sunday against an opponent still to be determined. For the radio broadcast, fans can listen at Talk 92.1 FM, or go online at www.talk921.com. There will be live stats here and the NCAA will also be webcasting games throughout the tournament here. CBS College Sports will broadcast the championship game on television.

Alyssa Shirey Named All-American

2010-05-27

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - In her senior season, Alyssa Shirey has made her presence known beyond the south region throughout the entire nation. At the Banquet of Champions in St. Joseph, Missouri, Wednesday night, Shirey was honored with all of the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association's All-Americans across the country. Shirey was named a First Team All-American by the NFCA to go with her first team regional honors and Gulf South Conference East Division Player of the Year award in 2010. The senior catcher is no stranger to success as this is her second time to make the NFCA's All-American list. In 2009, Shirey was named to the second team. Shirey has been a monster for the Lady Blazers throughout the season with a team leading .416 batting average and 20 home runs on the season, good enough for fourth in the country. She is seventh in home runs per game and 18th in slugging percentage at .809. She leads the team in runs batted in at 58 and is tied with teammate Amber Shaw to lead the team in hits at 72. She also leads the team in putouts (300), on-base percentage (.492) and hit by pitches (11). Shirey looks to lead the Lady Blazers in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament, which starts for VSU at 3:30 p.m. against Bloomsburg Thursday. For the radio broadcast, fans can listen at Talk 92.1 FM, or go online at www.talk921.com. There will be live stats here, and the NCAA will also be webcasting games throughout the tournament here. CBS College Sports will broadcast the championship game on television.

Catch the Blazers at Buffalo Wild Wings

2010-05-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State and Buffalo Wild Wings are teaming up to bring Lady Blazer softball from Missouri back to Valdosta. Buffalo Wild Wings will webcast Valdosta State's College World Series matchup against Bloomsburg at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, and will continue playing Valdosta State games throughout the NCAA Division II Championship. Get there early to grab the best seats, and make sure you're part of the party.

Gunn Named All-American

2010-05-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State golfer Chesley Gunn has been named second team Ping All-America, as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America Thursday. Gunn led Valdosta State with a 72.5 strokes per round average on the season while playing in all 31 rounds for the Blazers during the 2009-10 season. Gunn saw his score count in 29.5 of the 31 rounds as he paced VSU in six of the squad's 11 tournaments. A senior, Gunn opened the season with a victory at the Flagler Invitational and followed with a second place showing at the AFLAC/Cougar Invitational two weeks later. On the year, he tallied four Top Five, eight Top 10 and nine Top 20 finishes. Gunn shot a season-low round of four-under 67 in the Cougar Invitational while ending the year with a season-best 211 at the NCAA South/Southeast Super Region Tournament. On the year, he tallied 16 rounds of par or better and finished six tournaments with a score of par or better. The 2009-10 season marks the fourth straight year a VSU golfer has earned All-America honors. Jason Flowers earned the recognition in 2006-07 while Cole Willis and Brent Witcher did so in 2007-08. Witcher repeated the honor in 2008-09 while also earning the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award.

Lady Blazers Too Hot for Huskies

2010-05-27

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Valdosta State started the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament with a 7-5 victory against Bloomsburg, the Atlantic Region champion and sixth ranked team in the country, to move to 49-8 on the season. Holly Satterfield put on a dominating performance throughout the first six innings, only giving up three hits and notching six strikeouts. Against Shavaun Fisher, the Bloomsburg pitcher coming off three consecutive shutouts, Valdosta State's offense supported Satterfield with home runs from Melessa Jackson, Sarah Vaughn and Marti Littlefield to help the team to seven runs. The Lady Blazers only went scoreless one inning, the second. But in the seventh inning, with one out, Valdosta State gave up an error. Bloomsburg used the opportunity to score five runs, four unearned. Margaret Carter came in to get the final out. After battling it out with Sam Pientack, who hit a number of long fouls, Carter was able to get Pientack to fly out to Jackson in center field. Bloomsburg finished with eight hits while Valdosta State had 10. Morgan Johnson, Alyssa Shirey and Stephanie Carlson led the Lady Blazers with two hits each, Shirey going a perfect two for two and reaching twice after being hit by pitches. Johnson and Carlson were both two for four with one run scored from Johnson and two runs batted in for Carlson, one of which came in the first inning. Littlefield was one for three with an RBI and two runs scored while April Hutchens was one for two with a run. Both Vaughn and Jackson were one for three but both notched two RBIs. Littlefield was the first base runner for the Lady Blazers, reaching on a walk after two outs in the first inning. After a single up the middle from Shirey, Littlefield moved to second. Then Carlson hit a shot to centerfield. Littlefield hustled from second all the way home and scored with an excellent slide, her second scoring slide in consecutive weeks, to put up the first run on Fisher in three games. It would be the third inning before the Huskies would get a base runner, but that was all Bloomsburg was able to get in the third. Valdosta State, meanwhile, scored another run on another RBI from Carlson. Johnson hit a stand up double to right center that would have been a home run at the softball complex in Valdosta, Ga., but at Heritage Park in St. Joseph, Mo., it ricocheted off the top of the fence. It didn't take Johnson long to score though as Carlson hit a single right through the pitcher's legs that bounced off the bag at second base. Johnson showed off blazing speed to make it in for VSU's second run of the game. That started a string of four consecutive innings in which Valdosta State scored. Hutchens was the next to score for VSU, as she singled to left field in the fourth inning. Jackson stepped up next to homer down the left field line for a two-run homer. After that, Shirey started the fifth inning with a double that also hit the wall. Then Vaughn announced her presence at the national tournament with another VSU two-run homer. Then it was Littlefield's turn to get in on the action. She went over the right center fence in the sixth inning for VSU's final run of the game. In the top of the seventh, Bloomsburg tried to rally. The first hitter struck out, but Cait Paine, the relief pitcher, singled to right field. Mandy Koch reached on an error that pushed Paine all the way to third. Two consecutive singles from the Huskies scored Paine for Bloomsburg's first run of the game. Then Nikki Shiko, the Huskies top hitter of the season stepped up to the plate. Satterfield struck her out to complete an 0-4 day for Shiko. Shiko was hitting .650 in NCAA postseason play before facing VSU. The Lady Blazers still needed one out but Danielle Lazorka singled down the right line to score two runs. Lacy Mauro then doubled to right center for two more Bloomsburg runs to pull within two. Jackson ended the game though when Carter was able to get Pientack to fly out to center. With the win, VSU advances to play North Georgia at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Saints of North Georgia are 51-0 this season and ranked atop the country. For the radio broadcast, fans can listen at Talk 92.1 FM, or go online at www.talk921.com. There will be live stats here and the NCAA will also be webcasting games throughout the tournament here. CBS College Sports will broadcast the championship game on television.

Lady Blazers Lend a Helping Hand

2010-05-26

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Valdosta State, along with the seven other teams at the NCAA Division II National Softball Championship Tournament, took time Wednesday to put on a softball clinic for the community of St. Joseph, Missouri. "This is a great experience for not only the young girls out here, but us as well," said Stephanie Carlson. "They get an opportunity to learn but we get the opportunity to teach a game that we all love." Carlson, along with the rest of the Lady Blazers, put on a hitting clinic for nearly 30 young girls Wednesday as the team prepares for the start of the tournament Thursday. "This is great. My daughter is clearly learning a lot in just a little bit of time. She is getting an opportunity to learn from the best while she's still a sponge to soak it up," said Regina Jewett, a St. Joseph resident. "Really, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for her." Valdosta State does plenty of work with youth softball in the Valdosta community, but the Lady Blazers enjoyed the opportunity to help out young softball players in another community. "Our girls love working with youth. They do it a lot at home, and it's nice to be able to do it here too," said Head Coach Thomas Macera. Now that Valdosta State has put in a practice session and worked with the community, all that is left for the Lady Blazers is to start playing games. That takes place at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. For the radio broadcast, fans can listen at Talk 92.1 FM, or go online at www.talk921.com. There will be live stats here and the NCAA will also be webcasting games throughout the tournament here. CBS College Sports will broadcast the championship game on television.

Koenigsfeld, Cain Receive National Honor

2010-05-25

VALDOSTA, Ga. - A pair of Valdosta State baseball players have been honored for their play on the field and work in the classroom as Jon Koenigsfeld and Clayton Cain were named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Koenigsfeld, a native of New Port Richey, Fla., was named to the first team squad after ending his Valdosta State career with a 4.00 grade point average as a Middle Grades Education major. Koenigsfeld, who was the VSU Dewar College of Education Student of the Year, batted .386 on the season while scoring 59 runs and driving in 47. He had a team-high 90 hits on the year, including 19 doubles. In addition to leading the team in hits, Koenigsfeld was second on the VSU squad in doubles and third in batting average, runs scored and RBI. Koenigsfeld became just the third Valdosta State athlete to earn first team Academic All-America honors and the first since Chris Hatcher earned back-to-back first team selections in 1993 and 1994. Cain, who hails from Snellville, Ga., was named to the third team squad after tallying a 3.47 G.P.A. as a General Studies major during his college career. A designated hitter this last season, Cain led the VSU squad with a .429 earned run average and matched Koenigsfeld with a team-high 90 hits. He was second on the team with 75 runs batted in as well as with 67 runs scored. He counted 20 home runs, second-most in the GSC, 11 doubles and one triple among his hits and finished the year with a .776 slugging percentage and a .516 on-base percentage, both second on the VSU team. While excelling as individuals on the field and in the classroom, Koenigsfeld and Cain also directed the VSU squad to success on the field as the Blazers finished the year with a 43-17 record and won the Gulf South Conference championship for just the third time in school history. The squad also played in its second straight NCAA South Region Tournament. Valdosta State was just one of four schools nationwide to have two players named to the three-team Academic All-America list, joining Scranton, Rose-Hulman and Thomas More. Cain and Koenigsfeld become just the 10th and 11th VSU players to earn Academic All-America honors since the program%u2019s inception in 1952. To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution. The voting consists of a regional vote, with the first team members of the advancing to the national ballot.

Valdosta State Heads to Nationals

2010-05-24

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State fought its way out of the loser's bracket two weekends in a row to claim the NCAA Division II Softball South Regional Championship. Now, the Lady Blazers will travel to St. Joseph, Missouri, to battle the best of the best at the National Championship Tournament. Valdosta State (48-8) will first meet Bloomsburg (49-6) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the second game of the tournament. A win could put VSU up against in-state rival North Georgia (50-0) in the next round. North Georgia starts the tournament against Molloy (43-19) at 1 p.m. Wayne State (52-11) will play Hawaii Pacific (46-8) at 6 p.m. followed by Angelo State (48-13) and Metro State (51-4) at 8:30 p.m. to round out the first day. A complete bracket and schedule can be found here. For tickets to the championship tournament, check here or call (816) 271-4717. Ticket prices are as follows: All-Tournament Pass: $30 Adult Single Day Pass: $10 Student (13-College) and Senior Citizen (60 and Over) Single Day Pass: $6 Children 12 and Under Single Day Pass: $3 All games will be webcast at ncaa.com, and the final championship game will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. For any other information on Valdosta State's run for the national championship, continue to check back throughout the week at www.vstateblazers.com.

VSU Wins Two to Reach Nationals

2010-05-22

Game 1 BOX SCORE Game 2 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State, the top team in the south region, beat Arkansas-Monticello twice Saturday, 4-3 and 2-1, to secure the NCAA Division II South Regional Championship and Valdosta State's first trip to the NCAA Division II National Softball Tournament. The Lady Blazers move to 48-8 on despite some feisty base running and solid hitting from Arkansas-Monticello, whose season will end at 55-13. The Lady Blazers came back after dropping one game Friday to sweep their opponent on the final day of the tournament for the second week in a row, proving a willingness to perform in the clutch. They will need that in the field of the final eight teams in the country next week. Fittingly, Alyssa Shirey, senior captain and Gulf South Conference East Player of the Year recorded the last two outs of the day with a double play from the catcher's position. Emilie Hobbs, the UAM lead off hitter, tried a bunt to move Randa Perry to second, but she popped it up. Shirey jumped up to snag the ball and rifled it to Colette Rollins at first, as she had done a number of times Saturday, to pick off Perry for the win. Margaret Carter pitched a complete game in the first game of the day, giving up seven hits and striking out three batters. Holly Satterfield struck out two and gave up four hits in five innings before leaving a tied game. Carter finished the last two innings to clinch the South Regional Championship. In game one, the big offensive performer for VSU was Marti Littlefield. She went two for four with two RBIs and a run scored. April Hutchens was two for three with a run. And it was Melessa Jackson who hit a two-out triple to knock Rollins in to score the game deciding run. Arkansas-Monticello jumped on the board first with a second inning home run from Becca Tipton to take an early 1-0 lead, but Valdosta State bounced back with two runs in the third. Hutchens used her speed to leg out a single after hitting the ball to third base. Then Amber Shaw singled to shallow center field to put runners at first and second. Morgan Johnson laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners, and Littlefield did the rest of the work. She hit a smoker to right field and dove at first for the hit. Shaw and Hutchens scored on the play. In the fifth inning, Littlefield singled to right again and was brought in by Shirey's double to right field. Rollins came in on Jackson's triple in the sixth. The Cotton Blossoms were not going to go down easily as they put up two runs in the seventh inning. Faith Lund singled and Kendra White doubled. Perry doubled to left center to score Lund and UAM put up the other run on a throwing error. Carter retired the next two hitters to end the game. Another Valdosta State senior, Stephanie Carlson teamed up with Johnson to lead VSU in game two. Carlson drilled a shot to left center in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice fly from Hutchens. Then, she was hit by the UAM pitcher in the sixth to allow Johnson to score the winning run. The Lady Blazers were able to win game two despite being out hit seven to one by the Cotton Blossoms. Valdosta State has been able to keep winning when it counts but has yet to click on all cylinders in the postseason. The Lady Blazers hope to do so at the eight-team national tournament to be played May 27-31. Valdosta State will start at 2:30 p.m. Thursday against Bloomsburg from the Atlantic Region, who won its super regional with 9-0 and 7-0 victories. Continue to check www.vstateblazers.com for updates on schedule and scores throughout the tournament.

VSU Falls in 12-inning Marathon

2010-05-21

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Softball fans received their money's worth at the NCAA Division II Softball South Super Regional Friday night. Valdosta State and Arkansas-Monticello each scored one run in the first two innings, and then went scoreless until the top of the 12th. The Cotton Blossoms made contact on five hits, one of which was a home run by Sarah Hayslip, for four 12th inning runs to take a 5-1 lead. Arkansas-Monticello's ace, Kayla Jackson, retired three batters in four tries to drop Valdosta State to 46-8 on the season. The Cotton Blossoms move to 55-11 with the win. Both teams put up a combined 23 hits, 15 for UAM and eight for VSU while both teams left a combined 21 runners on base (10 for VSU, 11 for UAM). However, both Jackson and Holly Satterfield did plenty of work. Satterfield finished with five strikeouts in 11.2 innings of play. She gave up 14 hits and just one run through 11 innings. Jackson also struck out five and walked two in 12 innings. She gave up eight hits and no earned runs. The only Lady Blazer with multiple hits was Amber Shaw. She finished two for six. Six others registered a hit throughout the marathon game. Marti Littlefield scored VSU's lone run in the game in the first inning. Arkansas-Monticello bounced back in the second with a solo home run from UAM right fielder Sarah Hayslip. She was three for five on the day with three RBIs. Her second home run of the day, and 17th of the year, came in the top of the 12th to ice the game. Randa Perry singled to start the 12th and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Katie Bowman then singled to left field and pushed for second base. Morgan Johnson hurled the ball to second and looked to get it there in time, but, somehow, Bowman got under the tag. After that, Jackson hit a fly ball to deep center. Melessa Jackson made the catch but had no chance to catch Perry running from third. After the go ahead run, UAM went for more. Becca Tipton, on a four for six night, singled to left center to score Bowman. Then Hayslip went deep to cap the scoring at 5-1. Valdosta State will have to win both games Saturday for the second week in a row to avoid elimination. The two teams will meet again at 1 p.m. Saturday and a third game will be played, if necessary, 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game of the day. Fan can follow live stats for both games here and a live webcast sponsored by US Education TV here throughout the weekend.

Five Lady Blazers Earn Region Awards

2010-05-20

STARKVILLE, Miss. - As Valdosta State prepares for the NCAA Division II South Super Regional Tournament against Arkansas-Monticello this weekend, awards continue to roll in for the Lady Blazers. Daktronics named Alyssa Shirey, Marti Littlefield and Holly Satterfield to the All-Region list, and now the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association did the same. Shirey, Littlefield and Satterfield took first team honors on the south's All-Region team while Amber Shaw and Morgan Johnson earned second team honors. The five Lady Blazers represent the most from one school on the All-Region team. This is the second such honor for the first teamers, Shirey, Littlefield and Satterfield. All three earned NFCA All-Region recognition last season. Shaw and Johnson make their first appearance on the team, Johnson doing it as a freshman. All five of the Lady Blazers also made the All-Gulf South Conference team. Shirey took home the GSC East Player of the Year award while Satterfield earned the GSC East Pitcher of the Year award. Johnson was named the GSC East Freshman of the Year. Littlefield and Shaw both made first team. The five will look to lead the Lady Blazers past the Cotton Blossoms of Arkansas-Monticello this weekend.

Three Lady Blazers Tabbed All-Region

2010-05-19

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - Valdosta State is the top rated team in the south region and will host the super regional tournament this weekend against Arkansas-Monticello. Two of the biggest reasons VSU has been so successful this season are GSC East Player of the Year Alyssa Shirey and All-GSC First Team Marti Littlefield. Holly Satterfield, the GSC East Pitcher of the Year also made the region's second team. Both players were named to the Daktronics South Region second team at their prospective positions, catcher and shortstop. Shirey is batting .429 with 20 home runs on the season. It was her home run that tied the game against Palm Beach Atlantic at regionals, and her RBI that scored the go ahead run. She has a team leading 57 RBIs on the season and 69 hits. Both Shirey and Littlefield have started all 53 games for the Lady Blazers. Littlefield is hitting .346 with 16 home runs of her own. She is third on the team in RBIs with 46 but leads the team with 11 doubles. Littlefield has put down 56 hits and scored 48 runs on the season. Satterfield is an outstanding 25-2 on the season with a 1.30 earned run average. She pitched 24 complete games with 10 shutouts. Satterfield notched 147 strikeouts on the season. The three will look to lead Valdosta State against Arkansas-Monticello at this weekend's south regional championship.

VSU Wins GSC Men's All-Sports Trophy

2010-05-19

VALDOSTA, Ga. - For the third straight year, Valdosta State claimed the Gulf South Conference Men's All-Sports Trophy, according to an announcement made by the league office. VSU becomes just the fourth school to win three straight GSC Men's All-Sports Trophies and the first since North Alabama in 1993-96. The award was the sixth overall for the Blazers, the third-highest total in conference history and tops among current Gulf South Conference institutions. Valdosta State earned the award on the strength of an impressive spring sports season that saw its three men's teams claim two GSC championships while finishing second in the third. Baseball and tennis claimed the the league title while golf finished tied for second at its conference championship event. The trio of sports accounted for 33.5 of VSU's 57.5 points on the year. North Alabama was the only other school to break the 50-point barrier as UNA tallied 54.5 points to finish second. West Florida was third at 45.5 followed by Arkansas Tech (42.5), Alabama-Huntsville (40.0), Harding (39.0), Delta State (33.5), West Georgia (31.0) and Ouachita Baptist (28.0). Southern Arkansas (27.0), West Alabama (25.5), Henderson State (21.0), Arkansas-Monticello (20.5) and Christian Brothers (20.5) rounded out the conference. The VSU women's program finished third on the women's side, despite the fact that the school does not currently carry two conference-sponsored sports. West Florida won the women's title with 72.5 points while Harding was second at 53.5, besting VSU by 1.5 points. VSU also claimed two GSC championships on the women's side during the spring season as softball and tennis both won their respective titles.

Blazers Earn Baseball Honors

2010-05-18

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Three Valdosta State Blazers have earned All-South Region baseball honors, according to the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. After earning South Region Player of the Year and first team All-Region honors from Daktronics and CoSIDA last week, senior Brandon Decker swept the Player of the Year awards this week as he earned the honor from both the ABCA and the NCBWA. Decker batted .426 on the season and hit a region-high 21 home runs. He just missed leading the South Region in all three Triple Crown categories as he was second in batting average, first in home runs and second in RBI, finishing with 78 on the season. Decker was joined on the ABCA and NCBWA All-Region first teams by designated hitter Clayton Cain, who also earned second-team All-Region from Daktronics. Cain batted .429 during the 2010 season and hit 20 home runs while driving in 75 runs. Pitcher Jeremy Forbus rounded out the honors as he was named second team All-Region by both organizations. Forbus, who joined Cain on the second team Daktronics All-Region squad, compiled a 9-1 record during his senior season while finishing the year with a 4.37 earned run average. He struck out 72 batters on the year.

Valdosta State to Host Arkansas-Monticello

2010-05-17

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State will host Arkansas-Monticello for the NCAA South Super Regionals this weekend. The best-of-three series will be for the South Region Championship. Valdosta State beat Palm Beach Atlantic twice Sunday to claim the right to host while Arkansas-Monticello beat regional host Alabama-Huntsville twice Monday. Times for this weekend's series are as follows: Friday, 6 p.m. - Game 1 Saturday, 1 p.m. - Game 2 Game 3, if necessary, will be played 45 minutes after completion of Game 2. Tickets for this weekend's series are as follows: Adult Day Pass - $5 Senior/Student (Age 12-College with ID) Day Pass - $3 Youth (Ages 3-11) Day Pass - $2 Don't miss out on an opportunity to support the Lady Blazers in the South Regional Championship for the right to go to the national tournament in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Valdosta State Outlasts PBA Pitcher

2010-05-16

Game 1 BOX SCORE Game 2 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. %u2013 Valdosta State beat Palm Beach Atlantic twice Sunday, 2-1, 5-2, to advance to the NCAA Division II South Regional Championship against either Arkansas-Monticello or Alabama-Huntsville. After dropping a game to PBA Saturday, the Lady Blazers needed to beat the Sailfish twice Sunday to advance. The first game was a defensive struggle that showcased three excellent pitchers: PBA's Ashley Jones and VSU's Holly Satterfield and Margaret Carter. Not a run was scored until Palm Beach Atlantic put up a run in the 10th inning. The Sailfish were close to scoring in the seventh inning, but Morgan Johnson teamed with Alyssa Shirey to end the threat. Mari Stokes tried to get home from second base on a rocket grounder from Dani Perrotti. Johnson scooped up the ball and drilled it to Shirey to catch Stokes at the plate. After that, Johnson caught a liner to left field from Miranda Welch to end the inning. In the 10th inning, Erica Walters reached on an error and advanced to second on another error, two of VSU's seven errors committed in the game. On a single to left center, Walters went to third. After that, Candace Horton, the PBA designated player, hit a ball to right field. Amber Shaw made the play and threw Horton out at first, but Walters scored the lone run of the game to that point. Needing at least a run in the 10th, Valdosta State scored two to win it. Marti Littlefield reached on an error to start the inning. Valdosta State's season hung in the balance two outs later with freshman Sarah Vaughn at the plate. She pushed Littlefield to third and reached second on a dropped ball by the left fielder. Ashley Steinhilber, another freshman, put the ball in play to the shortstop next. Caitlin Bouschet bobbled the ball and overthrew second, allowing Littlefield and Vaughn to score the winning runs in the bottom of the 10th. The day wasn't over for either team though. The Sailfish hadn't lost all weekend, so VSU had to put them away twice. It didn't look good early when the Lady Blazers gave up two unearned runs in the first. After that, Carter only gave up three hits in the six remaining innings. Carter finished the day with two wins and three strikeouts in 9.1 innings of play. She gave up eight hits and no earned runs. Satterfield went 7.2 innings with just three hits allowed along with three strikeouts of her own. Shirey gave VSU hope with a solo home run off Jones in the fourth inning to pull within one. Then Valdosta State proved how tough it is to hold a hitting team down with a four runs in the sixth inning. Littlefield singled to left field and scored on a well placed hit down the left field line by Shirey. Stephanie Carlson used a sacrifice bunt to advance Shirey, the go ahead run, to second. With that, Palm Beach Atlantic pulled Jones. For the day, she finished with a 1.80 earned run average. Jones struck out 13 batters and walked just one in 15 innings. Heather Laird tried her hand for Palm Beach Atlantic, and it did not go well. Vaughn started with a triple down the right field line to score Shirey and pull ahead for VSU. Then Steinhilber singled to left field to bring in Vaughn. April Hutchens moved Amy Brightwell, running for Steinhilber, to second with a single to left field. With that, Laird walked two consecutive batters to score the fifth and final run for VSU. Palm Beach Atlantic could not answer in the sixth or seventh innings. Valdosta State's power hitting lineup was able to outlast the outstanding pitching of Jones. Hutchens and Shaw were the only Lady Blazers to put up hits in the first game. In the second game, VSU's top offensive performers were Shirey (three for four with two runs scored and two RBIs) and Vaughn (two for two with a run and an RBI). Six other Lady Blazers tallied hits in the win. As the top team in the south region, Valdosta State earned the right to host super regionals with Sunday's victories. Arkansas-Monticello and Alabama-Huntsville play Monday for the right to face VSU for the south regional championship. It will be a best of three series to be played Friday and Saturday. Continue to check www.vstateblazers.com throughout the week for updates on the schedule and ticket information. For information on the rest of the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament at Valdosta, Ga., click here.

Blazers Fall 8-4 to Rollins

2010-05-15

TAMPA, Fla. - Stephen Hiscock pitched a complete game to lead Rollins to an 8-4 victory over Valdosta State in an elimination game of the NCAA South Region Tournament Saturday. Hiscock allowed 11 hits and three runs while striking out four in a complete game effort to improve to 7-2. Rollins (40-18) got on the board first as it plated a run in the bottom of the third inning. With one out in the frame, Justin Yount singled and stole second before coming home two batters later when Tony Brunetti doubled to left-center field for a 1-0 Rollins lead. Clayton Cain led off the fourth with his 20th home run of the season to even the game at 1-1 before a three-run homer by Scott Chase gave the Tars the lead back in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Luker drew a walk to open the RC half of the sixth and Ben Hewett was hit by a pitch before Jeremy Forbus relieved VSU starter Tyler Wooten. Chase proceeded to hit the second pitch he saw from Forbus over the ball in right to post Rollins to a 4-1 advantage. Valdosta State (43-17) got a two runs back in the top of the seventh on Brandon Decker's 21st roundtripper of the year. With one out in the inning, Ryan Danbury doubled to left center and scored as Decker hit a 2-2 pitch off the top of the wall in left to cut the Blazer deficit to 4-3. Taylor Ferguson connected on his 13th homer of the year to open the bottom of the seventh to push the Rollins lead back to two runs while Kevin Mager reached on an error and scored on a Hewett base hit later in the frame. Chase also singled in the frame and advanced to second on a throw to third on the play before Joey Manning singled to plate both base runners for an 8-3 Tars edge. The Blazers threatened in the eighth as they loaded the bases, but were unable to get a run home before closing out the scoring with a sacrifice fly from Jordan Yost in the ninth that plated Decker. Wooten allowed seven hits and three runs in five-plus innings of work while falling to 4-1 on the season. Forbus surrendered five hits and five runs, two earned, in two innings. Decker tallied three hits and two RBI on the day to lead VSU offensively while Danbury, Cain and Koenigsfeld tallied two hits each. With the loss, Valdosta State ends its season with a 43-17 record.

Valdosta State Falls in National Championship

2010-05-15

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Valdosta State fought through doubles to come out with a 2-1 lead, but it would not be enough as Barry battled back to win the NCAA Men's Tennis National Championship, 5-4. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech received all they could handle against Ales Svigelj and Max Wimmer, but still came out on top, 9-8 (10-8). The other doubles point came from Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen. They beat Emanuel Fraitzl and Marco Mokrzycki, 8-6. Andrew Sharnov and Sergio Velez was able to get the final doubles point over Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman, 8-6. In singles, Dueren was the first to finish with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Svigelj. The next point for Valdosta State came in the top spot. Pakebusch beat Mokrzycki, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3). After that, there was not much good news for the Blazers. Valdosta State fell in the final four singles matches. Valdosta State was close to earning the winning point in two separate instances though. Hansen won first set over Fraitzl in the third position, 7-5, but fell in the second set, 6-2. Then he jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set, but would not win another game as Fraitzl finished the final set, 6-4. Valdosta State's other chance came in the fifth slot with Konstantin Kutschenko. He fell in the first set, 3-6, but came back to win the second, 6-2. Kutschenko earned a 4-1 advantage in the final set, but let Andrew Sharnov come back to take a 5-4 lead. The two went to a tiebreaker, but VSU could not pull it out. Barry 5, Valdosta St. 4 05/15/10 at Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Sanlando Park) Singles competition 1. Philip Pakebusch (VSU) def. Marco Mokrzycki (BU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) 2. Daniel Dueren (VSU) def. Ales Svigelj (BU) 6-2, 6-1 3. Emanuel Fraitzl (BU) def. Christian Hansen (VSU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 4. Max Wimmer (BU) def. Otto Lenhart (VSU) 6-4, 6-0 5. Andrew Sharnov (BU) def. K. Kutschenko (VSU) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) 6. Sergio Velez (BU) def. Michael Kuech (VSU) 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 Doubles competition 1. Philip Pakebusch/Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Ales Svigelj/Max Wimmer (BU) 9-8 (10-8) 2. Daniel Dueren/Christian Hansen (VSU) def. Emanuel Fraitzl/Marco Mokrzycki (BU) 8-6 3. Andrew Sharnov/Sergio Velez (BU) def. Otto Lenhart/Frank Sickman (VSU) 8-6

Blazers Advance to Championship

2010-05-14

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Valdosta State advanced to the third NCAA Championship match in school history as the Blazers defeated Columbus State 5-0 in the semifinals Friday. The Blazers swept all three doubles points to open the match. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech opened the scoring with an 8-4 win over Frank Suarez and Christophe Noblet at No. 1 doubles. Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen downed Oliver Simonet and Nemanja Djuric 8-5 at No. 2 while Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman closed out doubles action with an 8-4 victory over Philip Cojbasic and Daniel Stomberg at No. 3. Dueren claimed the fourth Blazer point with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Diego Motivar at No. 2 singles while Pakebusch closed out the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Suarez at No. 1. The Blazers will face the winner of the Barry/Concordia match on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Blazers Fall 16-6 to Tampa

2010-05-14

TAMPA, Fla. - No. 2 Tampa scored seven runs in the first inning as the Spartans defeated No. 12 Valdosta State 17-7 in the second day of play at the NCAA South Region Tournament Friday evening. Tampa (44-8) sent 11 men to the plate while scoring the seven runs in the first. Correy Figueroa was hit by a pitch to open the game and Patrick Donahue singled through the right-side of the infield before Mike Schwartz drew a walk. Mike Blanke was hit by a pitch to force home Figueroa and Jared Simone singled to left to plate Donahue. Chris Wrobel relieved Blazer starter Ross Gusky and got a strikeout before walking Brad Roberts to plate Schwartz. Dylan Brown followed with a double to left that scored Blanke and Simone while a ground out plated Roberts and a wild pitch Brown to give Tampa a 7-0 lead. A Cox base hit in the third scored Roberts for the eighth Spartan run of the game while Figueroa also singled in the frame to score Cox to push the UT advantage to 9-0 before Schwartz hit a two run double to push the Spartan advantage to 11 runs. Clayton Cain hit his 19th home run of the year in the bottom of the third, scoring Brandon Decker who was hit by a pitch, to cut the VSU deficit to 11-2 while the Blazers (43-16) scored two more runs in the fourth. Jordan Hollis drew a walk to open the Valdosta State fourth and got to third as Chris Jones doubled down the left field line. Two batters later Ryan Danbury singled up the middle to score both base runners, pulling VSU to within seven runs. Schwarz doubled and scored Figueroa and Blanke hit a sacrifice fly that plated Donahue in the seventh while ground outs by Tyler Cox Figureroa in the eight added two more runs for the Spartans. Jon Koenigsfeld singled and plated Antonio Clark, who had doubled to open the frame, in the bottom of the eighth. The VSU shortstop took advantage of a throwing error by Blanke later in the inning while Tampa plated two final runs in ninth. Koenigsfeld plated the final run with a single in the bottom of the ninth. Gusky allowed two hits and five runs without recording an out as he fell to 8-4 on the season. Wrobel went six and a third innings and allowed 12 hits and eight runs. Koenigsfeld finished with three hits in the game while Danbury and Jordan Yost had two hits each to as the Blazers pounded out 14 hits in the game. Aaron Gerbasi went an inning and a third in relief and surrendered three hits to improve to 3-0. Figureroa, Schwarz, Roberts and Donahue finished with three hits each as Tampa tallied 19 in the game. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, May 15 at Noon when the Blazers will face Rollins in an elimination game.

NCAA Softball South Regional Tournament Central

2010-05-14

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Palm Beach Atlantic Gives Up First Game of the Day

Errors Lead to Winning Runs for VSU Game 6 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State and Palm Beach Atlantic played an instant classic in the first game at the softball complex Sunday. The game went to the 10th inning with Palm Beach Atlantic finally scoring the first run of the game to go ahead, 1-0, in the top of the 10th. Then PBA made three consecutive errors to help Valdosta State score two unearned runs to get the win. Both teams will play the championship shortly. Palm Beach Atlantic pitcher Ashley Jones went 9.2 innings and gave up just two hits. She struck out seven, but her defense failed her in the end. Holly Satterfield pitched 7.2 innings for the Lady Blazers and only allowed three hits. She struck out three and walked one. Margaret Carter finished last 2.1 innings. She gave up two hits and struck out two to get the win. Amber Shaw and April Hutchens were the only Lady Blazers to record a hit against Jones. Ariel Shaw and Sarah Vaughn scored the winning runs for VSU. Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - VSU, 8-0 Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-2 Game 4 - West Florida vs. Albany State - UWF, 4-3 Game 5 - West Florida vs. Valdosta State - VSU, 3-0 Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Palm Beach Atlantic vs. Valdosta State - VSU, 3-2 Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6

Game Times Moved up One Hour

Lady Blazers to Face Palm Beach Atlantic at 12:30 p.m. Due to possible inclement weather, Valdosta State's game against Palm Beach Atlantic has been moved ahead one hour to 12:30 p.m. In the case that another game must be played, it will take place immediately following the first game of the day.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Valdosta State Advances to Face Palm Beach Atlantic

Lady Blazers Beat West Florida, 3-0 GAME 5 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - After falling to Palm Beach Atlantic in the first game of the day, Valdosta State rebounded with a 3-0 victory over West Florida to stay alive in the national tournament. With the win Valdosta State advances to play Palm Beach Atlantic at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The Lady Blazers will need to beat PBA twice to advance to super regionals. In the elimination game against West Florida, the Lady Blazers brought the big bats. Alyssa Shirey, Stephanie Carlson and Morgan Johnson, all three All-GSC East performers, hit home runs. Shirey started the scoring in the second inning while Johnson and Carlson each hit their homers in the sixth. That was all VSU needed to put away the Argonauts thanks to a shutout from Margaret Carter. Carter moved to 19-5 on the season with the win. She only gave up three hits and struck out six with no walks. The Argonauts end their season at 40-16 while the Lady Blazers stay alive for Sunday at 44-7. Valdosta State will meet Palm Beach Atlantic for the second time this weekend after falling to the Sailfish in the early game, 3-2. PBA pitcher Ashley Jones struck out 11 while the VSU duo of Carter and Holly Satterfield struck out just four. Both teams gave up three hits. It was a 2-2 dead heat after both teams scored two runs each in the third inning. Then in the fifth inning through a combination of errors and hitting, the Sailfish put up the winning run. For the day, VSU's top performers at the plate were Shirey (two for four with a home run and three RBIs) and Carlson (three for five with a homer). Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - VSU, 8-0 Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-2 Game 4 - West Florida vs. Albany State - UWF, 4-3 Game 5 - West Florida vs. Valdosta State - VSU, 3-0 Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Palm Beach Atlantic vs. Valdosta State - 12:30 p.m. Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6

West Florida Squeaks by Albany State

Argos Use Three Pitchers to Beat Albany State GAME 4 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - West Florida advances on to play Valdosta State in the fifth game of the NCAA Division II South Regional Saturday. Ahleigh Allgood picked up the win for West Florida to move to 17-6 on the year while Jillian LaFrance earned the save. The Argonauts moved to 40-15 with the win. Albany State drops to 38-25. Sasha Reece picked up the loss to drop to 14-8. West Florida tallied seven hits to five for the Golden Rams. The Argonauts took a slim 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. After two scoreless innings, the Argonauts put up two more runs sixth inning. Albany State answered with two runs of their own, but could not get over the hump. With the loss, Albany State's season ends. Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - VSU, 8-0 Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-2 Game 4 - West Florida vs. Albany State - UWF, 4-3 Game 5 - West Florida vs. Valdosta State - 6:30 p.m. Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6

Valdosta State Falls to Palm Beach Atlantic

PBA Moves to Finals, VSU to Face Winner of West Florida/Albany State GAME 3 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Palm Beach Atlantic pitcher Ashley Jones led the Sailfish past Valdosta State in the opening game of Saturday. Jones moved to 24-7 on the season to help PBA move to 36-11. Valdosta State fell to 43-7. Jones only allowed three hits to a powerful Valdosta State lineup. Meanwhile, the Sailfish posted three hits against the VSU duo of Holly Satterfield and Margaret Carter. Valdosta State committed two costly errors in the game, and couldn't get the hits the team needed late in the game. PBA moves to the finals at 1:30 p.m. Sunday while Valdosta State will play at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against the winner between West Florida and Albany State. Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - VSU, 8-0 Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-2 Game 4 - West Florida vs. Albany State - 4:00 p.m. Game 5 - Winner Game 4 vs. Valdosta State - 6:30 p.m. Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6

Friday, May 14, 2010

Valdosta State Puts Away Albany State

Lady Blazers to Face Palm Beach Atlantic GAME 2 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State started the NCAA South Regional Tournament with an 8-0 victory over Albany State. The win will put VSU against Palm Beach Atlantic, who beat West Florida in the first game of the tournament, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. West Florida and Albany State will play at 4 p.m. Holly Satterfield moved to 25-2 with the win. She struck out five, walked two and allowed three hits in five innings of play. As usual, she received ample support from the VSU offense. Morgan Johnson started quick with a two-run homer in the first inning. After that, Marti Littlefield hit a solo shot in the third inning. With that, Albany State made the switch from Melissa Hurst to Sasha Reece in the pitcher%u2019s circle. It did not help. April Hutchens hit a deep shot to left center for a stand up double in the fourth. She moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on a single from Amber Shaw. Johnson scored next off a single up the middle from Alyssa Shirey. Littlefield was able to score as well before the fourth inning ended. Just two runs away from a run-rule victory, the Lady Blazers were set to close it out in the fifth. Hutchens hit another double and slid in safe just in time. Shaw reached first after being hit to set up Johnson to do more damage to the Golden Rams. She singled to left field to score Hutchens, and Shaw ended the game on a single from Littlefield. Five Lady Blazers notched two hits in the game with a perfect outing from Shaw, Johnson and Shirey. Hutchens went two for three with two runs while Johnson was two for four with two runs and three runs batted in. Littlefield scored two runs with two RBIs while Shirey notched one RBI. Shaw also scored two runs with one RBI. Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - VSU, 8-0 Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - 1:30 p.m. Game 4 - West Florida vs. Albany State - 4:00 p.m. Game 5 - Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 - 6:30 p.m. Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6

Palm Beach Atlantic upends West Florida

The Sailfish Beat West Florida in First Round GAME 1 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Palm Beach Atlantic outlasted West Florida, 3-1, Friday afternoon. The two dueled it out in a defensive battle that went eight innings. It was a 1-1 dead heat from the third inning throughout the seventh. Then, in the top of the eighth, the Sailfish made their way around the bases. Palm Beach Atlantic tallied 10 hits throughout the game, but only found home base once in the early going. In the eighth inning, a combination of PBA hits and West Florida errors led to two runs. The Argonauts could not answer in the bottom of the eighth. Ashley Jones picked up the win for a 23-7 record to push PBA to 35-11 on the season while Jillian LaFrance fell to 15-5 to drop West Florida to 39-15. Palm Beach Atlantic awaits the victor of Valdosta State and Albany State. The two winners will play at 1:30 p.m. while West Florida will see the loser of game two at 4 p.m. Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - 6:30 p.m. Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - 1:30 p.m. Game 4 - West Florida vs. Albany State - 4:00 p.m. Game 5 - Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 - 6:30 p.m. Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6

Valdosta State to Host 2010 NCAA Softball South Regionals

Lady Blazers Host West Florida, Palm Beach Atlantic and Albany State VALDOSTA, Ga. - The NCAA Division II Softball Tournament field is set, and Valdosta State is the top team in the NCAA South Region. As the top team, VSU will host three other teams from the south in a double elimination tournament. The Lady Blazers (42-6) will first meet Albany State (38-23), the fourth seed in VSU's bracket. The other two teams headed to Valdosta are West Florida (39-14), second seed, and third seed Palm Beach Atlantic (34-11). Alabama-Huntsville (39-10), the first seed in its bracket, plays host to the rest of the region, which includes second seed Rollins (44-4), third seed Arkansas-Monticello (50-10) and fourth seed Nova Southeastern (45-15). West Florida and Palm Beach Atlantic will meet at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by VSU and Albany State at 6:30 p.m. You can catch live stats for all of the tournament games here. The winners of both games will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday while the first day losers will play at 4 p.m. The complete schedule is as follows: Day 1 - Friday, May 14th Game 1 - No. 2 West Florida vs. No. 3 Palm Beach Atlantic - 4 p.m. Game 2 - No. 1 Valdosta State vs. No. 4 Albany State - 6:30 p.m. Day 2 - Saturday, May 15th Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 1:30 p.m. Game 4 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 4:00 p.m. Game 5 - Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 - 6:30 p.m. Day 3 - Sunday, May 16th Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. Game 7 - If Necessary - 45 Minutes after completion of Game 6 The first 100 VSU students will get in free. Other tickets to the south regional will go on sale at the gate one hour previous to the first game of the day. Ticket prices for the south regional are as follows: Day Passes Adults - $5 Senior (65 )/Student (Age 12-College with ID) - $3 Youth (Ages 3-11) - $2 Ages 2 and under - Free Tournament Passes Adults - $12 Senior (65 )/Student (Age 12-College with ID) - $7 Youth (Ages 3-11) - $5 Ages 2 and under - Free Below is a video update by Josh Colwell on Valdosta State, the top seed in the south region and the Gulf South Conference Champion.

Three Named All-South Region

2010-05-14

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State senior Brandon Decker has been named the Daktronics South Region Player of the Year and is one of three Blazers to earn All-South Region honors, according to a vote by the South Region Sports Information Directors. Decker is attempting to win the South Region triple crown as he currently leads in home runs with 20 and runs batted in with 77. He is second in batting average at .426, seven points behind teammate Clayton Cain. Decker, who is tied for second in career home runs at Valdosta State, was also named to the first team All-South Region squad as an outfielder. Cain earned second team All-Region honors as he currently leads the region in batting average and is second in home runs with 18. He also has 72 RBI, the third-most in the South Region. Cain was joined on the second team squad by fellow senior Jeremy Forbus. Forbus currently owns a 9-1 record and has struck out 72 batters on the season.

Blazers Down West Florida 6-3

2010-05-13

TAMPA, Fla. - Brett Kennedy allowed just one hit in seven innings of work on the mound to lead No. 12 Valdsota State, the No. 3 seed, to a 6-3 victory over No. 29 West Florida, the No. 6 seed, in the first game of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament Thursday. Kennedy allowed five hits and just one run while walking three and striking out three as he improved to 8-4 on the season. Jeremy Forbus pitched the final two innings and gave up six hits and two runs while striking out three. Valdosta State (43-15) opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning as it loaded the bases with no outs. Austin Smith doubled down the right field line to open the frame and moved to third as Jake Summers reached on a bloop single. Jordan Yost followed with a walk to load the bases, but Josh Vining followed with a double play ball that scored Smith. Summers moved to third on the play and scored as Jon Koenigsfeld hit a seeing eye single through the right-side of the infield to give VSU a 2-0 lead. The Blazers upped their lead to 3-0 in the third. Clayton Cain singled to open the frame and moved to third when a Smith ground ball was booted by Argonaut shortstop Brandon Brewer. A Summers single plated Cain to post Valdosta State to a three-run advantage. A Chris Jones singled in the sixth pushed VSU's lead to 4-0 before West Florida (36-19) plated a run in the seventh. Greg Pron drew a walk with one out in the frame and stole second while moving to third on a throwing error on the stolen base. Jack Materne followed with a base hit to right-center to score Pron, cutting the Blazer advantage back to three runs. Brandon Decker got the run back for the Blazers in the bottom of the seventh as he led off with his 20th home run of the year while Summers added a RBI ground out later in the inning to push the Blazer lead to 6-1. The Argonauts plated a run in the eighth to cut their deficit to 6-2. Brewer doubled to open the frame and moved to third on a Dustin Lawley single before scoring when Zach Cates singled with one out. A Brewer base hit in the ninth scored Eric Kroll for the final run of the game. Summers finished the game with two hits and two runs driven in to lead the Blazers offensively while Cain, Jones and Smith also tallied two hits each. Kevin Johnson fell to 8-4 for West Florida after surrendering 10 hits and six runs, five earned, in six-plus innings of work. He walked two batters in the game and struck out three. Valdosta State returns to action Friday at 4:30 p.m. when it will play the winner of Thursday%u2019s Tampa versus Florida Tech game.

VSU Takes Down Abilene Christian

2010-05-13

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Valdosta State continued to roll at the NCAA tournament with a 5-1 win over Abilene Christian Thursday to follow a 5-0 victory over Queens Wednesday. The Blazers took a 2-1 lead after doubles thanks to wins from teams of Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech and Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen. Pakebusch and Kuech beat Luke Hawk and Bryan Joiner, 8-2, while Dueren and Hansen took down Edad Campbell and John Strahl, 8-1. Needing only three singles points, Dueren, Konstantin Kutschenko and Kuech were the first Blazers to clinch. Dueren won in second position over Strahl, 6-0, 6-2. Kutschenko beat Joiner, 6-2, 6-0, in the fifth spot. Kuech took down Brett Proctor, 6-1, 6-1, in sixth position. Valdosta State will face Columbus State, winner over West Virginia Wesleyan and Northwood, at 1 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. Valdosta State 5, Abilene Christian 1 05/13/10 at Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Sanlando Park) Singles competition 1. Philip Pakebusch (VSU) vs. Edad Campbell (ACU) 6-4, 1-2, unfinished 2. Daniel Dueren (VSU) def. John Strahl (ACU) 6-0, 6-2 3. Christian Hansen (VSU) vs. Alfredo Desiati (ACU) 6-4, unfinished 4. Otto Lenhart (VSU) vs. Luke Hawk (ACU) 6-2, 1-0, unfinished 5. K. Kutschenko (VSU) def. Bryan Joiner (ACU) 6-2, 6-0 6. Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Brett Proctor (ACU) 6-1, 6-1 Doubles competition 1. Philip Pakebusch/Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Luke Hawk/Bryan Joiner (ACU) 8-2 2. Daniel Dueren/Christian Hansen (VSU) def. Edad Campbell/John Strahl (ACU) 8-1 3. Brett Proctor/Alfredo Desiati (ACU) def. Otto Lenhart/Frank Sickman (VSU) 8-6

Hansen Named National Coach of the Year

2010-05-12

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State's longtime tennis coach, John Hansen, was named the National Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. His men's team is currently ranked No. 1 in the Campbell/ITA National Rankings and will play Wednesday in the NCAA National Tournament. His VSU Blazers were one of the few teams to knock off Armstrong Atlantic State this season, so Valdosta State is poised to unseat the defending NCAA Champions in Altamonte Springs, Fla., this week. Hansen's women's team won the Gulf South Conference Championship, as did the men, and went onto the NCAA South Regional Finals. Along with Hansen, his assistant coach, Leos Jelinek, was named the south regional assistant coach of the year. Senior women's player, Natali Gumbrecht was named the south regional senior player of the year. In her senior season, she finished 8-4 in the top spot in singles play and 15-3 in doubles action, good enough for a national ranking of No. 6. Hansen and Jelinek will try to coach the men's team to even more national success at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday as the Blazers start the national tournament against Queens.

Valdosta State Wins on First Day

2010-05-12

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Valdosta State started nationals with a 5-0 sweep of Queens Wednesday afternoon to move one step closer to the team's second national championship. Valdosta State's doubles have served the team well throughout the season and Wednesday was no different. The Blazers jumped out to a 3-0 lead with 8-0, 8-1 and 8-2 victories in doubles play. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech started the day with an 8-0 sweep. Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen as well as Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman followed suit with wins of their own. Dueren and Hansen won, 8-1, while Lenhart and Sickman took it, 8-2. With the 3-0 lead, VSU only needed two wins in singles. Konstantin Kutschenko and Pakebusch gave the Blazers what they needed. Kutschenko swept his opponent, 6-0, 6-0, in the fifth spot while Pakebusch nearly did the same in the top position. Pakebusch won, 6-1, 6-1. Valdosta State will face the winner between Abilene Christian and Hawaii Pacific at 1 p.m. Thursday. Valdosta State def. Queens, 5-0 Doubles Philip Pakebusch/Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Polus/Minami (QU), 8-0 Daniel Dueren/Christian Hansen (VSU) def. Burstein/Smith (QU), 8-1 Otto Lenhart/Frank Sickman (VSU) def. Preston/Hiraoka (QU), 8-2 Singles Philip Pakebusch (VSU) def. Polus (QU), 6-1, 6-1 Konstantin Kutschenko (VSU) def. Nanikashvili (QU), 6-0, 6-0

Blazer Teams in NCAA Play

2010-05-11

Below is the most up-to-date schedule for Valdosta State's baseball, softball and men's tennis action for the coming weekend. Make sure to check back for updates on upcoming opponents, results and any time changes.
Wednesday, May 12
Men's Tennis vs. Queens (N.Y.) - W, 5-0
Thursday, May 13
Baseball vs. West Florida - W, 6-3
Men's Tennis vs. Abilene Christian - W, 5-1

Friday, May 14
Baseball vs. Tampa - 4:30 p.m. - Tampa, Fla.
Men's Tennis vs. Columbus State - W, 5-0
NCAA South Region Softball - West Florida vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-1 - Valdosta, Ga.
Valdosta State vs. Albany State - VSU, 8-0 - Valdosta, Ga.
Saturday, May 15
Baseball at NCAA South Region - TBA - Tampa, Fla. (depending upon outcome of earlier games)
Men's Tennis vs. Barry - BU, 5-4 - Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Softball at NCAA South Region - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - PBA, 3-2 - Valdosta, Ga.
Softball at NCAA South Region - West Florida vs. Albany State - UWF, 4-3 - Valdosta, Ga.
Softball at NCAA South Region - West Florida vs. Valdosta State - VSU, 3-0 - Valdosta, Ga.
Sunday, May 16
Softball at NCAA South Region - Valdosta State vs. Palm Beach Atlantic - VSU, 2-1; VSU, 5-2 - Valdosta, Ga.

Two Blazers Receive Academic Honor

2010-05-11

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Two Valdosta State baseball players have been named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Region team, in a vote of the South Region Sports Information Directors. Jon Koenigsfeld earned the recognition for the second straight year as he followed up 2009's second team honor with a first team nod this year. Koenigsfeld owns a 4.00 grade point average as a Middle Grades Education major and is third on the VSU team with a .384 batting average. The senior has scored 58 runs on the season and driven in 44 while starting all 57 games. Koenigsfeld was joined on the first team by fellow senior Clayton Cain. Cainowns a 3.47 grade point average as a General Studies major and is second on the team in batting average at .429. He leads the VSU squad with 85 hits and stands second in runs scored (63), home runs (18) and runs batted in (72). By earning first team honors, Koenigsfeld and Cain advance to the national ballot.

VSU Tennis Heads to NCAA Nationals

2010-05-10

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Valdosta State men's tennis will be in action at the NCAA Division II National Tournament in Altamonte Springs, Fla., from Wednesday through Saturday. The Blazers will be one of three VSU teams competing in the national tournament over the weekend, joining Valdosta State baseball and softball. Valdosta State is slated to start the tournament against Queens at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Three victories will get VSU into the championship round. You can follow the Blazers on vstateblazers.com and through the interactive bracket at NCAA.com.

Blazer Baseball Headed to Tampa

2010-05-09

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State learned Sunday evening it will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA South Baseball Regional Tournament. The Blazers will face the No. 6 seed West Florida on Saturday at UT Baseball Field on the campus of the University of Tampa. Game time will be 7:45 p.m. The remainder of the South Region includes No. 1 Southern Arkansas facing No. 8 Albany State, No. 2 and host Tampa against No. 7 Florida Tech as well as No. 4 Florida Southern versus No. 5 Rollins. More information will be posted on www.vstateblazers.com as it becomes available.

Valdosta State Falls Short at Regionals

2010-05-08

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Valdosta State fell behind, 2-1, in doubles play and could not overcome the deficit in singles. The Lady Blazers fell to Lynn in the NCAA Division II South Regional Championship by a score of 5-3. Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann were able to claim the only doubles point for the Lady Blazers with an 8-2 victory over Tessie Salame and Jessica Yanoff. Hollie Bees and Natali Gumbrecht fell in the top doubles spot, 9-8 (9-7), to Katerina Jiskrova and Magdalena Ekert. In the third spot, Dominque Rothlaender and Sonya Haggstrom lost, 8-3, to Eleonora Iannozzi and Christine Johnstone. The Lady Blazers tried to bounce back in singles with victories in the first and sixth slots, but Valdosta State could not hold off the Fighting Knights. Gumbrecht beat Jiskrova in the top spot, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 while Haggstrom put away Johnstone with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep. Lynn was able to earn the points it needed in the second, third and fourth positions. Durante dropped one to Ekert, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. Trautmann and Bees both fell in two sets. Iannozzi took down Trautmann, 6-2, 6-1, in the third spot while Bees fell to Yanoff in the fourth slot, 6-1, 6-0. Lynn def. Valdosta State, 5-3 %u2013 2:30 p.m. Doubles 1. Katerina Jiskrova/Magdalena Ekert (LUW) def. Hollie Bees/Natali Gumbrecht (VSW) 9-8 (9-7) 2. Raphaelle Durante/Tina Trautmann (VSW) def. Tessie Salame/Jessica Yanoff (LUW) 8-2 3. Eleonora Iannozzi/Christine Johnstone (LUW) def. Dominique Rothlander/Sonya Haggstrom (VSW) 8-3 Singles 1. Natali Gumbrecht (VSW) def. Katerina Jiskrova (LUW) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 2. Magdalena Ekert (LUW) def. Raphaelle Durante (VSW) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 3. Eleonora Iannozzi (LUW) def. Tina Trautmann (VSW) 6-2, 6-1 4. Jessica Yanoff (LUW) def. Hollie Bees (VSW) 6-1, 6-0 5. Tessie Salame (LUW) vs. Dominique Rothlander (VSW) 6-3, 5-7, 2-4, unfinished 6. Sonya Haggstrom (VSW) def. Christine Johnstone (LUW) 6-0, 6-0

Lady Blazers Advance to South Region Finals

2010-05-07

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lady Blazers of Valdosta State matched the Blazers and earned an opportunity to play in the NCAA South Region Finals with a 5-0 victory over No. 13 Florida Southern Friday. After winning all three doubles matches, Dominique Rothlaender and Sonya Haggstrom clinch the match with the only two singles points VSU needed. Haggstrom finished first with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Amanda Carns. Rothlaender beat Nora Baertschi, 6-1, 6-1. Valdosta State was only challenged in the top doubles spot. Senka Softic and Agnese Rozite pushed Natali Gumbrecht and Hollie Bees, but the VSU duo pulled it out, 9-7. Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann beat Andrea Arguello and Veronika Kovacikova, 8-2. Haggstrom and Rothlaender put away Nora Baertschi and Amanda Carns, 8-0. Valdosta State moves on to face Lynn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Valdosta State def. Florida Southern, 5-0 Doubles 1. Natali Gumbrecht/Hollie Bees (VSW) def. Senka Softic/Agnese Rozite (FSW) 9-7 2. Raphaelle Durante/Tina Trautmann (VSW) def. Andrea Arguello/Veronika Kovacikova (FSW) 8-2 3. Sonya Haggstrom/Dominique Rothlander (VSW) def. Nora Baertschi/Amanda Carns (FSW) 8-0 Singles 5. Dominique Rothlander (VSW) def. Nora Baertschi (FSW) 6-1, 6-1 6. Sonya Haggstrom (VSW) def. Amanda Carns (FSW) 6-0, 6-0 Saturday's Schedule 2:30 p.m.: Lynn vs. Valdosta State

Valdosta State Wins GSC Championship

2010-05-07

CLEVELAND, Miss. - Valdosta State rebounded from a 19-2 loss in the first game to win 20-10 in game two to claim the 2010 Gulf South Championship. Southern Arkansas (43-8) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the championship game as it plated a run in the bottom of the first inning. Andrew Whittington doubled to open the inning and moved to third when Nick Paschal. Cannon Lester followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Whittington. Valdosta State (42-15) evened the game at 1-1 in the second as Josh Vining hit a sacrifice fly only to have Chris Harrison hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to put SAU back in front by a run. The Blazers claimed the lead in the third as they plated five runs. Ryan Danbury singled to open the frame and moved to third when Jon Koenigfeld doubled. Brandon Decker followed with a home run to left-center field to score both base runners and Clayton Cain doubled. After a strikeout, Jordan Yost singled to plate Cain and Vining walked. A wild pitch and two passed balls allowed Yost to score to give VSU a 6-2 lead. Whittington hit his fourth homer of the year in the bottom of the third to cut the VSU advantage to three runs, but Valdosta State responded with three more runs in the fourth. Koenigsfeld reached on a fielder's choice and scored with two outs when Cain doubled. Austin Smith drew a walk to put two base runners and a wild pitch moved both base runners into scoring position. Yost proceeded to single to score both base runners for a 9-3 VSU lead. Lester added his second RBI of the game in the fourth when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth, but Cain answered with his 17th home run of year, a roundtripper that plated Danbury and Decker, in the fifth to push the Valdosta State lead to 12-4. Southern Arkansas took advantage of a VSU error in the sixth to score two runs, but Cain answered with a three-run home run in the seventh and sparked a five-run eighth with a grand slam to finish out the Blazer scoring. Patrick Johnson added a home run for SAU in the eighth as the Muleriders plated four runs in the frame. Ross Gusky started for VSU and allowed seven hits and four run in four and two-third innings while Jeremy Forbus earned his ninth victory, against just one loss, after allowing fourth hits and five runs in two and two-thirds innings. Valdosta State struck first in the first game as Decker ended a streak of 49 at-bats without a home run with his 18th roundtripper of the year. Southern Arkansas claimed the lead with nine runs in the second inning, a frame in which it sent 12 men to the plate and hit two home runs, before adding three more in the fourth on Logan Williams' second home run of the day to claim a 12-1 advantage. The Muleriders added two more runs on Patrick Johnson's second homer of the day in the fifth before scoring five more in the sixth. Jake Summers broke up the Mulerider scoring with a solo home run in the fifth to establish a 19-2 SAU lead. Chad Yinger earned the victory in the game as he allowed just six hits and two runs in a complete game effort to improve to 4-0. Brett Kennedy surrendered eight hits and nine runs in two innings to fall to 7-4 for VSU. Cain led VSU offensively on the day as he had six hits, eight RBI and five runs. Yost, Danbury and Decker all tallied four hits in the two games. Valdosta State advances to the NCAA South Regional Tournament next week. The Blazers will await word on their seed and location of the tournament, the announcement of which will be on Monday.

Blazers Win, to Play for GSC Title

2010-05-06

CLEVELAND, Miss. - No. 15 Valdosta State jumped out to a 6-0 lead and withstood comeback bid by No. 30 West Florida to defeat the Argonauts 8-4 and advance to the championship game of the Gulf South Conference Tournament at Ferriss Field Thursday. The Blazers (41-14) jumped out to a 2-0 lead as the plated a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Jordan Yost walked to open the frame and scored two batters later when Chris Jones hit a line drive over the fence in left. VSU added two more runs in the third as Brandon Decker and Clayton Cain were hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Austin Smith before plating two more runs in the fifth. Cain singled to open the frame and moved to third on Smith's second double of the game. A balk plated Cain for the fifth Valdosta State run of the game while Smith came home on an Antonio Clark ground out to establish a 6-0 Blazer lead. West Florida (36-18) got a run back in the bottom of the sixth inning when Zach Cates reached on a two-out double and scored when Greg Pron followed with a single, only to have Valdosta State add two more runs in the seventh. Yost doubled to open the VSU half of the seventh and scored as Josh Vining followed with a base hit. A Jones base hit moved Vining to second while Clark moved both base runners up a base with a ground out, allowing Vining to score on a wild pitch to establish an 8-1 Valdosta State advantage. The Argonauts responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning as they took advantage of a Valdosta State error. Jack Materne hit a pop-up to open the inning, but Jones lost the ball in the sun to allow Materne to reach safely. After a fly out, Kyle Brown doubled to plate Materne and came around to score when Dustin Lawley singled. Brandon Brewer, who had walked before the Lawley base hit, later scored in the inning as Pron again collected a two-out, run scoring single. Chris Wrobel picked up the victory for Valdosta State as he allowed seven hits and three runs, only two of which were earned, in six and a third innings of work. The junior did not walk a batter in the game while striking out two to up his record to 1-2. Ty Sullivan fell to 6-3 as he surrendered six hits and six runs in four innings of work. Cain and Smith each tallied three hits on the day to lead Valdosta State offensively while Jones finished with two hits. Valdosta State will face Southern Arkansas on Friday for the conference championship. The Blazers and Muleriders will play at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. If VSU wins that game, the Blazers will win the conference championship. However, if Southern Arkansas wins the game, the two teams will play again at 2:00 p.m. Eastern with the winner of that game winning the GSC title.

South Regional Men's Tennis Tournament Central

2010-05-06

Saturday, May 8

Valdosta State Advances to Nationals

Blazers Beat Lynn for South Regional Championship VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State Blazers beat the Fighting Knights of Lynn, 5-1, to clinch the NCAA Division II South Regional Championship and an opportunity to compete in nationals at Altamonte Springs, Fla. May 12-15. After capturing a 2-1 lead in doubles action, the Blazers needed three points in singles play. Michael Kuech, playing in the sixth spot earned the first point, shortly followed by Daniel Dueren in the second slot. Philip Pakebusch, playing in the top spot, clinched the match for VSU on an ace. Pakebusch beat Alessandro Sarra, 6-3, 6-4, while Dueren put away Tomas Racak, 6-4, 6-1. Kuech nearly swept Victor Teboul, 6-0, 6-1. In doubles play, VSU earned both points in the first and second positions. Pakebusch and Kuech beat Sarra and Willi Wolfer, 8-2. Dueren and Christian Hansen were pushed by Alex Voirin and Luca Pavanelli, but pulled out the second Blazer point of the match, 9-7. Valdosta State def. Lynn, 5-1 - 10 a.m. Doubles Philip Pakebusch/Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Alessandro Sarra/Willi Wolfer (LU), 8-2 Daniel Dueren/Christian Hansen (VSU) def. Alex Voirin/Luca Pavanelli (LU), 9-7 Tomas Racak/George Laffey (LU) def. Otto Lenhart/Frank Sickman (VSU), 9-7 Singles Philip Pakebusch (VSU) def. Alessandro Sarra (LU), 6-3, 6-4 Daniel Dueren (VSU) def. Tomas Racak (LU), 6-4, 6-1 Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Victor Teboul (LU), 6-0, 6-1

Friday, May 7

Valdosta State to Face Lynn in Final

Blazers Beat West Alabama, 5-0 VALDOSTA, Ga. - In Valdosta State's first action of the NCAA South Regional, the Blazers showed why they are the top seed of the tournament with a 5-0 victory over West Alabama. The Blazers will face second seed Lynn at 10 a.m. Saturday for the right to compete at nationals. In doubles play, Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen along with Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman took the second and third spots with matching 8-1 victories. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech beat Wade Covington and Lucas Nunes in the top doubles spot, 8-4. With a 3-0 lead, Dueren and Konstantin Kutschenko earned the singles points VSU needed to clinch the win. Dueren finished first with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Juan Felipe Tellez. Kutschenko followed it just minutes later with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Covington. Valdosta State def. West Alabama, 5-0 - 2 p.m. Doubles Philip Pakebusch/Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Wade Covington/Lucas Nunes (UWA), 8-4 Daniel Dueren/Christian Hansen (VSU) def. Benny Delgado Rochas/Lucas Cruz (UWA), 8-1 Otto Lenhart/Frank Sickman (VSU) def. James Gardner/Juan Felipe Tellez (UWA), 8-1 Singles Daniel Dueren (VSU) def. Juan Felipe Tellez (UWA), 6-0, 6-2 Konstantin Kutschenko (VSU) def. Wade Covington (UWA), 6-2, 6-0 Saturay's Schedule 10 a.m.: Lynn vs. Valdosta State

Lynn Sends Rollins Home

Fighting Knights Beat Tars, 5-4 VALDOSTA, Ga. - Lynn squeaked by Rollins, 5-4, on day two of the NCAA Division II South Regionals to move on to play Valdosta State at 10 a.m. Saturday. Rollins claimed a 2-1 lead after doubles with Jeff Morris and Neil Clausen taking the top point over Alessandro Sarra and Willi Wolfer, 8-6. Pablo Seijo and Arturo Baravalle earned the second point for Rollins with an 8-4 win over Tomas Racak and George Laffey of Lynn. Luca Pavanelli and Alex Voirin beat Nick Rowlands and Chris Herbert, 8-4, for Lynn's only point in doubles. The Fighting Knights rallied in singles play, winning in all spots except for third and sixth. Rollins' Baravalle beat Wolfer, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, in the third spot while Herbert beat Laffey, 6-1, 6-4 in the sixth spot. Lynn's Sarra, Racak, Pavanelli and Voiren won to clinch the match for the Knights. Sarra beat Morris, 7-5, 6-4, while Racak followed with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Clausen. Pavanelli beat Girts Dzelde, 6-3, 6-2 and Voirin swept Seijo, 6-2, 6-3. Lynn def. Rollins, 5-4 - 10 a.m. Doubles Jeff Morris/Neil Clausen (RC) def. Alessandro Sarra/Willi Wolfer (LU), 8-6 Luca Pavanelli/Alex Voirin (LU) def. Nick Rowlands/Chris Herber (RC), 8-4 Pablo Seijo/Arturo Baravalle (RC) def. Tomas Racak/George Laffey (LU), 8-4 Singles Alessandro Sarra (LU) def. Jeff Morris (RC), 7-5, 6-4 Tomas Racak (LU) def. Neil Clausen (RC), 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 Arturo Barvalle def. Willi Wolfer (LU), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Luca Pavanelli (LU) def. Girts Dzelde (RC), 6-3, 6-2 Alex Voirin (LU) def. Pablo Seijo (RC), 6-2, 6-3 Chris Herbert (RC) def. George Laffey (LU), 6-1, 6-4 Saturay's Schedule 10 a.m.: Lynn vs. Valdosta State

Thursday, May 6

Two Fall in Tennis Regionals

West Alabama, Rollins Advance in South Regional Tournament VALDOSTA, Ga. - The NCAA men's tennis regional tournament started Thursday with matches between West Alabama and Alabama-Huntsville as well as Rollins and Fort Valley State. West Alabama was the first team to advance with a 5-4 victory over the Chargers. Rollins put away the Wildcats, 5-0, in the second match of the day. The Tigers fell behind early after UAH claimed a 2-1 lead in doubles, but stormed back with four wins in singles action to clinch the match. James Gardner and Juan Felipe Tellez won for UWA in the third singles spot while Andres Buse and Daniel Canellas teamed with Davyd Fowler and Andre Ipince to claim two points with wins for Huntsville in doubles play. Canellas and Fowler each picked up wins for the Chargers in singles from the third and fourth positions respectively, but West Alabama's singles play proved to stellar for UAH to top. In the top spot, Danish Ahmad went to three sets before defeating Andres Buse, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Tellez beat Ipince, 6-4, 6-1. In the fifth and sixth slots, Wade Covington and James Gardner each claimed points for UWA. Covington beat Kyle Smith, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0, and Gardner put away Andrew Alfonso, 6-0, 6-2. Rollins started the tournament strong with a sweep of Fort Valley State. Jeff Morris and Neil Clausen beat Tommy Williams and Kenneth Thornton, 8-2. Drew Belk and Brandon Pringle fell, 8-4, to Nick Rowlands and Chris Herbert while Pablo Seijo and Arturo Baravalle swept Kelvin Oliver and Dwayne White, 8-0. Morris and Seijo picked up the only wins Rollins needed in singles. Morris beat Williams, 6-0, 6-0, while Seijo beat Belk, 6-0, 6-0. Rollins advances on to play Lynn at 10 a.m. Friday. Valdosta State will face West Alabama at 2 p.m. West Alabama def. Alabama-Huntsville, 5-4 - 10 a.m. Doubles Andres Buse/Daniel Canellas (UAH) def. Wade Covington/Lucas Nunes (UWA), 8-4 Davyd Fowler/Andre Ipince (UAH) def. Benny Delgado Rochas/Lucas Cruz (UWA), 8-6 James Gardner/Juan Felipe Tellez (UWA) def. Andrew Alfonso/Kyle Smith (UAH), 8-5 Singles Danish Ahmad (UWA) def. Andres Buse (UAH), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 Juan Felipe Tellez (UWA) def. Andre Ipince (UAH), 6-4, 6-1 Daniel Canellas (UAH) def. Lucas Cruz (UWA), 6-4, 6-2 Davyd Fowler (UAH) def. Benny Delgado Rochas (UWA), 6-3, 6-0 Wade Covington (UWA) def. Kyle Smith (UAH), 6-0, 4-6, 6-0 James Gardner (UWA) def. Andrew Alfonso (UAH), 6-0, 6-2 Rollins def. Fort Valley State, 5-0 - 2 p.m. Doubles Jeff Morris/Neil Clausen (RC) def. Tommy Williams/Kenneth Thornton (FVSU), 8-2 Nick Rowlands/Chris Herbert (RC) def. Drew Belk/Brandon Pringle (FVSU), 8-4 Pablo Seijo/Arturo Baravalle (RC) def. Kelvin Oliver/Dwayne White (FVSU), 8-0 Singles Jeff Morris (RC) def. Tommy Williams (FVSU), 6-0, 6-0 Pablo Seijo (RC) def. Drew Belk (FVSU), 6-0, 6-0 Friday's Schedule 10 a.m.: Lynn vs. Rollins 2 p.m.: Valdosta State vs. West Alabama

Blazers Finish 19th at NCAA Regional

2010-05-05

WILSON, N.C. - Valdosta State shot a final round 306 to finish 19th at the NCAA South/Southeast Super Regional Tournament at the Wilson Country Club Wednesday. The Blazers never got on track on the day as three players carded a score of eight-over or higher on the day. Chelsey Gunn just missed qualifying as an individual for the NCAA Championship as his three round total of 211 fell three strokes shy of the needed score. Gunn was in a tie with Saint Leo's J.P. Albuquerque for the transfer spot to the national tournament, but saw Albuquerque close the tournament with an eagle, birdie and par on his last three holes to break the tie. Valdosta State finished the three-round tournament with a 42-over 894. Gunn finished tied for the eighth in the event, but was the only Blazer to finish in the top 75. Wade Holland carded a 13-over 226 to finish tied for 78th while Clarke Henderick tied for 91st with a 230. Will Repko, who shot a 76 on Wednesday, was a stroke behind and tied for 96th while Chad Smith tied for 102nd with a 233.

Blazers Roll to 18-1 Win Over UNA

2010-05-05

CLEVELAND, Miss. - The bottom half of the Valdosta State order tallied 13 hits and 17 runs batted in to lead the 15th-ranked Blazers to an 18-1 victory over North Alabama to keep VSU perfect in the Gulf South Conference Tournament at Ferriss Field Wednesday afternoon. Four of the last five Valdosta State batters were perfect at the plate on the day as Chris Jones led the way with a four-for-four showing while also driving in a career-high seven runs. Jake Summers added three hits, four runs scored and six RBI in three at-bats while Austin Smith (three runs scored) and Josh Vining (two runs scored, two RBI) were also three-for-three on the day. The only player out of the five through nine hitters for the Blazers not to tally a hit was Jon Koenigsfeld, who finished the game 0-of-3, but still managed to score on run and drive in two more. Valdosta State (40-14) jumped on top of the Lions (29-23) in the first inning as it took advantage of a pair of UNA errors to score five runs. Ryan Danbury reached on an error to open the frame and Antonio Clark was hit by a pitch before Lion starter Drew Clark struck out Brandon Decker and Clayton Cain. Smith drew a walk to load the bases before Summers hit a foul ball that was dropped by second baseman Blake Stroth for the second error of the frame. Summers made North Alabama pay for the mistake as he proceeded to single to right to score Danbury and Clark. Vining was promptly hit by a pitch and Koenigsfeld walked to force home Smith before Jones delivered a two-out hit to right that scored Summers and Vining for a 5-0 VSU lead. After sending all nine men to the plate in the first, the Blazers sent 10 men up in the second while scoring six more runs. Cain drove home the first run of the frame with a base hit while Summers added two more on a single. Vining, Koenigsfeld and Jones also added RBI in the frame that ended with Valdosta State leading 11-0. The trouble continued for North Alabama in the third inning as all nine VSU batters once again batted in the frame. Jones provided the big blow in the inning as he hit a three-run home run, his second of the season, while Summers added his third two-run single of the game and Vining also drove home a run. Summers walked and scored on a Jones base hit in the fifth to close out the VSU scoring in the game while the Lions got an unearned run in the sixth for their only score of the game. The strong hitting performance, which featured 17 total hits for Valdosta State, was matched on the mound by Tyler Wooten, who improved to 4-0 on the season. Wooten, who started just the third game of his career, pitched a career-high five and two-thirds innings while allowing just four hits and the one unearned run. The freshman walked just one batter in the game while striking out a personal-best five hitters. The victory also gave Valdosta State 40 victories for the second straight season, the first time the Blazers have accomplished that feat since the 1985 (47 wins) and 1986 (43) seasons. The Blazers won 43 games a year ago. Valdosta State, the only undefeated team remaining in the game, advances in the tournament and will play West Florida at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. The day's other game will feature Southern Arkansas against North Alabama at 10:30 a.m.

Blazers Fall Into Tie for 16th

2010-05-04

WILSON, N.C. - Valdosta State stumbled to a 13-over 297 in the second round of the NCAA South/Southeast Super Region Tournament to fall into a tie for 16th at the par-71, 6,839-yard Wilson Country Club Tuesday. The Blazers finished the day tied with Newberry and Armstrong Atlantic at 20-over-par with a 588. Lynn shot a nine-under 275 on the day to tie Barry for the two-round lead with a 564 while Nova Southeastern was a stroke behind and in third. Florida Southern claimed fourth after the round with a 567 and Barton, the round one leader, was fifth with a 572. Saint Leo stood sixth after the day with a 574 and Columbus State tallied a two-round 577 while West Florida and Barton were a stroke behind and tied for eighth. North Alabama and Queens tied for 10th with a 579 followed by Belmont Abbey (580), Rollins (581), Flagler (585) and Georgia College (586) to round out the top 15. Lincoln Memorial (591) and Arkansas Tech (604) rounded out the field. Three Blazers shot a three-over 74 to pace VSU on the day, led by Chesley Gunn, who dropped from first to 15th with a one-under 141 on the tournament. Wade Holland, who was four-over on the day, stood tied for 57th with a five-over 147 while Clarke Hendrick was tied for 72nd with a 149. Chad Smith stood tied for 86th with a 152 while Will Repko rounded out the VSU team with a 155 to tie for 99th. The tournament concludes with a single round of play on Wednesday.

Blazers Top Southern Arkansas 8-4

2010-05-04

CLEVELAND, Miss. - No. 15 Valdosta State used strong pitching performances by Ross Gusky and Jeremy Forbus to defeat No. 4 Southern Arkansas 8-4 in the second round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament at Ferriss Field Tuesday. The game featured a 9:53 p.m. first pitch and stretched into the early morning hours of Wednesday as the final out was recorded at 1:17 a.m. Southern Arkansas (40-7) struck first in the game as it took advantage of two errors to score an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. Nick Paschal singled with one out in the inning and safely reached second on a throwing error on a Cannon Lester fielder's choice. Jake Astor also hit a fielder's choice that erased Lester, but the throw to first on the attempted double play eluded VSU first baseman Jake Summers to allow Paschal to score. Valdosta State (39-14) responded with a run on a bases loaded ground out by Jordan Hollis in the second inning before taking a 2-1 in the third. Ryan Danbury opened the third with walk and stole second before moving to third on a ground out by Antonio Clark. Two batters later, Clayton Cain singled through the right-side of the infield to score Danbury for a one-run Blazer lead. VSU added four more runs to its lead in the fourth. With one out in the frame, Jon Koenigsfeld singled and advanced to second as Hollis drew a walk. A Chris Jones single loaded the bases before Danbury delivered a double into the left-center gap to score Koenigsfeld and Hollis. Clark also doubled to left-center to score Jones and Danbury, giving the Blazers a 6-1 lead. Danbury singled and later scored on a Cain sacrifice fly in the sixth to push the Valdosta State advantage to six runs before the Muleriders struck for a run in the bottom of the frame. Jason Dahl doubled to open the SAU half of the sixth and scored when Andrew Whittington doubled just inside the left field line to cut the VSU lead to 7-2. A throwing error by Whittington on a Cain ground ball in the eighth allowed the VSU designated hitter to reach safely. A Smith single moved Cain to second, allowing him to score on a Koenigsfeld single to right for an 8-2 Valdosta State lead. Southern Arkansas added two final runs in the ninth. Gusky allowed just four hits and two runs, only one of which was earned, in five innings of work. The senior righthander, who improved to 8-3, walked three batters and struck out seven before being lifted after surrendering a leadoff double in the sixth. Forbus came on in relief and gave up five hits and two runs while striking out two to earn his second save of the year Matt Speake went seven innings for Southern Arkansas and allowed 11 hits and seven earned runs. He walked four batters in the game and struck out seven as he fell to 7-1 on the season. The loss was the first of the career for Speake, who was 16-0 over the course of the last two seasons. Smith and Koenigsfeld tallied three hits each to lead VSU while Danbury and Clark finished with two hits each. Danbury also tallied two RBI, as did Cain, while Clark finished with three. With the win, Valdosta State advances to Wednesday's winner's bracket game against North Alabama. The Lions defeated West Florida 12-6 in the first winner's bracket game on Tuesday and will face VSU at 4:30 p.m. Wendesday.

Blazers Rally for 5-4 Win

2010-05-03

CLEVELAND, Miss. - A Jon Koenigsfeld single up the middle capped off a Valdosta State rally as the 16th-ranked Blazers defeated No. 18 Delta State 5-4 in the first round of the Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Tournament at Ferriss Field Monday evening. Antonio Clark led off the bottom of the ninth with a base hit before Clayton Cain hit a deep fly ball to center that was hauled in by DSU outfielder Michael Niemann. Austin Smith proceeded to hit a ground ball over the pitchers mounded that was fielded by Chase Blanchard, but the second baseman's throw to first on the play was over the head of Cade Hoggard, putting runners on the corners for Valdosta State (38-14). Josh Higginbotham pinch ran for Smith and advanced to third while Clark scored when Jake Summers hit his second double of the game. After Jordan Yost was intentionally walked to load the bases, Tyler Wooten pinch ran for Summers and advanced to third when Josh Vining grounded into a fielder's choice that erased Higginbotham at home. Koenigsfeld stepped to the plate and looked at a strike on the first pitch before a wild pitch allowed Wooten to score the tying run. After a swinging strike, Koenigsfeld took another ball before lining a ball just beyond the reach of a diving Blanchard to plate Yost for the winning run. Valdosta State took advantage of a pair of walks and an error to score the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning . Yost drew a free pass to open the frame and moved to third as a ground ball by Vining was booted by Hoggard at first base. Koenigsfeld drew a walk to load the bases, allowing Yost to score when Chris Jones grounded into a double play, giving VSU a 1-0 lead. Delta State (34-15-1) threatened in the fourth inning as it got runners on second and third with one out, but failed to score a run. Josh Gordon drew a walk with one out in the frame and used a wild pitch to move to second. Michael Vinson followed with a base on balls and got all the way to second on a passed ball on the play. VSU starter Brett Kennedy proceeded to strike out Hoggard and Smith made a diving stop on a ground ball by Will McGinnis to close out the inning. The Blazers upped their lead to 2-0 in the fifth. Jones reached on a fielder's choice and moved to third when Ryan Danbury doubled off the leg of DSU starting pitcher Cody Kelley. Two batters later Cain hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Jones. The Statesmen gained the lead with three runs in the seventh. Vinson singled to open the DSU half of the inning while two batter later McGinnis reached on a hit to right. A Patrick Taylor base hit loaded the bases, allowing Vinson to score on a Chris Escobar fielder's choice. Blanchard followed with a double to left that plated McGinnis and Escobar, putting Delta State up 3-2. Valdosta State loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning, but came away with no runs while Delta State used a couple of passed balls to add its final run in the top of the ninth. Kelley allowed two runs, only one of which was earned, on seven hits in seven innings of work and Kennedy surrendered six hits and three runs while walking two and striking out five in six and two-thirds innings. Kyle Rowe improved to 4-1 as he surrendered a hit and an unearned run in two and a third innings while Jason Coats gave up four hits and three runs, only one of which was earned, in two and a third innings to fall to 7-1. Summers tallied three hits to lead the Blazers offensively while Koenigsfeld and Danbury finished with two each. Valdosta State advances to Tuesday's winner's bracket game against No. 4 Southern Arkansas. The Blazers and Muleriders will play at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Blazers Sixth at NCAA Regional

2010-05-03

WILSON, N.C. - Valdosta State shot a seven-over 291 to tie for sixth after the first round of play at the NCAA South/Southeast Super-Region Tournament at the par-71, 6,839 yard Wilson Country Club Monday. Lander jumped out to the day one lead as it shot a two-under 282 while Barry was second at 283. Nova Southeastern shot a one-over 285 to finish the day third while Saint Leo was fourth at 288 and Lynn fifth at 289. Queens also shot a 291 to match the Blazers. VSU's Chesley Gunn raced out to the first day individual lead as he tallied a four-under 67 on the day. Wade Holland tied for 22nd on the round with a 72 while Clarke Hendrick tied for 62nd with a four-over 75. Will Repko was two shots back and tied for 85th while Chad Smith rounded out the Valdosta State squad with a 78, tied for 89th. The tournament continues with a single round of play on Tuesday.

Valdosta State Earns GSC Championship

2010-05-02

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - Valdosta State went 3-0 against Ouachita Baptist, No. 18 Arkansas-Monticello and West Florida on day one of the Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Championship. As the only undefeated team at the tournament, VSU lays claim to a second consecutive GSC Championship. Tornados and rain pelted the entire Memphis area from Friday night throughout the weekend. After a weather delay Saturday and faced with the possibility of another one Sunday, the tournament was changed from a double elimination to a single elimination tournament. Three victories was all VSU needed to win. For a wrap-up on Valdosta State's championship Friday, click here.

Baseball to play Monday at 9 pm

2010-04-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Due to severe weather that is supposed to hit the Millington, Tenn. area over the course of the next 36-48 hours, the start of the Gulf South Conference Baseball Tournament has been delayed until Monday. The forecast for the next two days in Millington includes 8-10 inches of rain, golf-ball sized hail, 40-60 mile per hour winds and possible tornadoes. Additionally, the area is under a flash flood watch beginning early Friday evening. With the delay, Valdosta State will now play its first game of the tournament on Monday, May 3 at 8:30 p.m., which is 48 hours after the regularly scheduled start for the Blazers. The Blazer squad, which departed the VSU campus Friday morning, has returned to Valdosta to avoid the weather and will now travel to Millington on Sunday.

Saturday's Tennis Matches Cancelled

2010-04-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Due to rain forecasted for the Valdosta area on Saturday, the Valdosta State versus Columbus State tennis matches scheduled to be played at the VSU Tennis Complex has been cancelled. The matches will not be made up and Valdosta State will turn its attention to next weekend's NCAA National Tournament. The Blazers will play Friday at the VSU Tennis Courts against the winner of the West Alabama versus Alabama-Huntsville match while the Lady Blazers will travel to Boca Raton, Fla. and will face Florida Southern on Friday.

Undefeated Start for VSU at GSC Tourney

2010-04-30

Game 1 BOX SCORE Game 2 BOX SCORE Game 3 BOX SCORE SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - Valdosta State went 3-0 to start the Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Championship Tournament Friday. The Lady Blazers put away Ouachita Baptist (2-1), No. 18 Arkansas-Monticello (7-1) and West Florida (9-6) to move to 42-6 on the season. Depending on the weekend's weather, Valdosta State could have already clinched the GSC Championship. If the rain wreaks havoc on the tournament schedule and the Gulf South Conference moves the tournament to a single game elimination, the Lady Blazers 3-0 performance would make them GSC Champs. If the weather holds off, the tournament will stay a double elimination tournament and Valdosta State will face Alabama-Huntsville at noon Saturday. Colette Rollins and Stephanie Carlson led the way for VSU Friday, both hitting .700 on seven of 10 on the day. Rollins enjoyed a stellar day at the plate and in the field. Rollins put up two home runs and four doubles with seven runs batted in to lead the team in all three categories. She was also the team leader in on-base percentage (.727) and slugging percentage (1.700). One of her seven RBIs was the game winner in the 2-1 victory over OBU. Carlson had six RBIs and three doubles on the day. She slugged 1.000 and finished with a .636 on-base percentage. Like Rollins, Carlson had a stellar day in the field as well as at the plate. In the first inning of VSU's game against UAM, Carlson notched three RBIs on a three for four performance. She helped complete a three-run inning in the first with a two-RBI double to right center and then scored the third run of a Rollins double. Carlson singled in the fifth to bring in Marti Littlefield, who had a great day herself (.600 batting average, six hits, five runs, two walks and a .667 on-base percentage). . She also put up three RBIs against West Florida, one in another 3-run first inning off a sacrifice fly. In the four-run fifth inning Carlson hit in Sarah Vaughn and Littlefield then scored on a Rollins double. Valdosta State started against Ouachita Baptist and played the tightest game of the day. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the second, but Rollins tied it with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Then, in the eighth inning, Ouachita Baptist fell asleep on a bizarre play. In an attempt to intentionally walk Rollins, the pitcher could not get the ball far enough over, and Rollins took a swing. The ball popped up to shallow left field, but the defense was asleep, expecting an intentional walk. The ball dropped safely and Alyssa Shirey (four hits, three RBIs, one homer) walked in for the winning run. Everyone thought Arkansas-Monticello would be a tight game since the Cotton Blossoms were the top seed from the GSC West and entered the game off a win against North Alabama. VSU, instead, opened eyes with a three-run first inning. Vaughn started the Lady Blazers with a walk and went to second on a single up the middle from Littlefield. Carlson drove them both home with a double. The Cotton Blossoms answered with one run in the top of the second inning, but VSU blew the doors off the game with two more runs in the bottom of the third before Arkansas-Monticello changed pitchers. Littlefield reached first on a single, one of her perfect four for four game against UAM. Shirey brought them both in with a home run over the left field fence. Littlefield scored again off a Carlson single in the fifth, and Amber Shaw scored in the sixth when Shirey put the ball in play to finish the second game of the day, 7-1. VSU's win over UAM might be the most impressive victory of the day as Monticello was the only ranked team the Lady Blazers saw Friday. Arkansas-Monticello, the top seed from the GSC West, is ranked 18th nationally and fourth in the South Region. After UAM, VSU faced off against the only other 2-0 team at the tournament, West Florida, ranked fifth in the South Region. Valdosta State quickly proved its worth with three first inning runs. Vaughn started the scoring with a solo home run. After Littlefield and Shirey reached base on singles, Carlson and Rollins hit in both of them. West Florida answered with just one run in the first then put up a run in the third to pull within one, 3-2. The Lady Blazers put together a four-run inning in the fifth. Vaughn and Littlefield scored on a hit from Carlson. Shirey and Carlson scored on a double from Rollins. The Argonauts answered with two runs in the fifth, then they could only trade runs with VSU down the stretch. Each team scored a run in the sixth and seventh inning, but VSU kept the lead to win, 9-6. Valdosta State is currently scheduled to play UAH at noon Saturday, but continue to check out vstateblazers.com for updates on any rain delays or cancellations. If VSU does play, tune in to Talk 92.1 online or on your radio dials for radio coverage. VSU fans will get a special treat as left fielder Clare Wamsley will provide color commentary for the broadcast.

Eight Blazers Named All-GSC

2010-04-29

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Eight Valdosta State Blazers were named to the All-Gulf South Conference East Division team according to a vote of the GSC coaches as announced by the league office Thursday. Outfielder Brandon Decker led the way as he was voted unanimously as the GSC's East Division Player of the Year, becoming the fourth Blazer and second in as many years to earn that honor. Decker, who also a unanimous choice first team All-GSC performer in 2009, currently leads the conference in batting average (.456), home runs (17), runs batted in (72), runs scored (69), walks (41), hit by pitches (20), slugging percentage (.893) and on-base percentage (.592) while standing second in hits (77) and doubles (19). He is on pace to become just the second player in GSC history to win the conference's triple crown by leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. Tennessee-Martin's Don Jackson is the only other player to accomplish the feat, doing so in the Gulf South Conference's inaugural season of 1972. Designated hitter Clayton Cain and starting pitcher Jeremy Forbus were also unanimous choices to the first team. Cain is second on the VSU squad in batting average (.409), runs scored (53), home runs (16), runs batted in (60), slugging percentage (.733) and on-base percentage (.505). Meanwhile, Forbus won a team high eight games in 2010 while losing just once and owns a 3.76 earned run average. He has allowed just 29 earned runs in 69.1 innings this year and has struck out 67 batters while walking 16. Shortstop Jon Koenigsfeld and starting pitcher Brett Kennedy also received first team honors. Koenigsfeld, who was a second team All-GSC honoree in 2008, batted .385 on the season and scored 52 runs while driving in 40. He tallied 18 doubles on the year and was successful on nine of his 12 stole base attempts. Kennedy registered a 7-3 record during his initial season with the Blazers and had a team-low 3.54 earned run average. He threw a team-high 84.0 innings and struck out a VSU-best 75 batters while walking 31. Three position players were voted to the All-GSC second team, including third baseman Austin Smith as well as outfielders Ryan Danbury and Antonio Clark. Smith, who also earned second team All-GSC in 2009, hit .316 during the regular season and drove in 44 runs. He tallied 12 doubles and seven home runs among his 55 hits. Danbury batted .354 on the season and scored 50 runs while leading VSU with 18 stolen bases while Clark hit .357, scored 43 runs, drove in 38 and was second n the squad with 14 steals. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, May 1 when it plays Delta State at 8:30 p.m. in the first round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Millington, Tenn.

Spring Sports Heading to Postseason Play

2010-04-29

VALDOSTA, Ga. - All five Valdosta State spring sports are heading to postseason play, with three learning of their advancement to NCAA postseason action while two are preparing for Gulf South Conference Tournaments this weekend. The Blazer baseball and softball programs will compete in their respective GSC Tournaments. The softball team, which enters the GSC Tournament in Southaven, Miss. as the East Division's No. 2 seed, will play the West's No. 3 seed Ouachita Baptist at Noon on Friday. The softball tournament runs through Sunday, May 2. Meanwhile the baseball team also enters the Gulf South Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed out of the East and will play the West's No. 3 Delta State at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1. The baseball tournament, which is being held in Millington, Tenn. runs through Wednesday, May 5. Both Blazer tennis teams learned they will compete in the NCAA South Region Wednesday evening, with the Blazers, which is the No. 1 team in the South Region, will host its competition at the VSU Tennis Courts while the women will travel to Boca Raton, Fla. and the campus of Lynn University. The women's team, which enters NCAA postseason play as the No. 3 team in the South Region, will play Florida Southern out of the Sunshine State Conference on Friday, May 7. The remainder of the women's bracket in Boca Raton includes SSC schools Florida Tech and Lynn, the South Region's No. 2 team, and Albany State out of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Meanwhile, the men will play the winner of a match between fellow GSC schools West Alabama and Alabama-Huntsville on Friday, May 7. Joining the three GSC schools in Valdosta will be the SIAC's Fort Valley State as well as Rollins and Lynn, the South's No. 3 seed, out of the SSC. The Blazer golf team also advanced to NCAA South Region play and will compete in the South/Southeast Super Regional at the Wilson Country Club in Wilson, N.C. Joining VSU out of the South Region are Barry, Florida Southern, the SSC champion, GSC champion North Alabama, West Florida, Nova Southeastern, Lynn, Rollins, Saint Leo and Arkansas Tech. Also competing at the site will be Southeast squads Georgia College, Barton, Lander, Belmont Abbey, Flagler, Queens, Armstrong Atlantic, Newberry, Columbus State and Lincoln Memorial.

VSU Sweeps GSC Player Awards

2010-04-28

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Gulf South Conference released the GSC season awards and the nation's No. 2 team, Valdosta State, swept this season's player awards in the East Division. Alyssa Shirey, the conference leader in home runs (17) and top five in slugging percentage (.847, second), on-base percentage (.500, fourth), batting average (.423, fifth) and runs batted in (48, fifth), was named the GSC East Player of the Year. Holly Satterfield joined Shirey on the list as this season's Pitcher of the Year. The three-time GSC Player of the Week winner is 22-2 on the season with a 1.25 earned run average. She has allowed just a .167 batting average to opponents. Her ERA and opponents' batting average lead the conference. Morgan Johnson, who has come on strong recently, won Freshman of the Year in the GSC East. She follows Marti Littlefield as VSU's second consecutive Freshman of the Year winner. The Macon, Ga., native hit .419 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. Johnson ends the regular season second on the team in batting average and fourth in slugging percentage (.649). In addition to those three players, five others earned conference honors. Making the All-GSC first team in the East was Shirey, Satterfield, Littlefield, April Hutchens and Amber Shaw. Margaret Carter and Stephanie Carlson were named to the second team. Only Arkansas-Monticello could match VSU with eight players on the All-GSC West Team. For the complete list of All-GSC awards, click here.

Blazers Top SCAD 10-5

2010-04-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State scored two runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh to defeat SCAD 10-5 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Tuesday afternoon. SCAD (28-23) opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Mark Stewart Jr. singled up the middle to open the game and stole second before scoring when Patrick Braswell also tallied a base hit through the middle of the infield. Valdosta State (36-14) responded with a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the inning. After the first two Blazers were retired in the frame, Austin Smith drew a walk and Clayton Cain was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch moved both base runners up a base, allowing both to score when Jake Summers singled through the right-side of the infield for a 2-1 VSU lead. Kelvin Goodson led off the second with a home run to right field to tie the game only to have Ryan Danbury hit his second roundtripper of the year for the Blazers in the bottom of the inning to put Valdosta State back in front 4-2. A two-out throwing error by Smith allowed Mike Hines to reach and score on a Matt Zajac double in the third for the Bees to close SCAD to within a run only to have VSU double up the Bees with a pair of runs in the sixth. Cain walked to open the inning for the Blazers and scored two batters later when Jordan Yost homered over the wall in left field to put Valdosta State on top 6-3. VSU added four more runs to its lead in the seventh inning while SCAD responded with two in the eighth. Cason Mobley allowed four hits and no runs in three innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. Yost came on with two outs, two on and the Blazers clinging to a 6-3 lead in the seventh and recorded the final seven outs to earn his second save. Bennie Sanchez surrendered three hits and two runs in four innings to fall to fall to 3-3. Jon Koenigsfeld tallied three hits in the game to lead VSU while Cain, Summers, Yost and Chris Jones tallied two hits each. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, May 1 when it opens play in the GSC Tournament against West Division No. 3 seed Delta State at the USA Baseball Stadium in Millington, Tenn. Game time for the contest is 8:30 p.m.

Satterfield Garners Third GSC Pitcher of the Week

2010-04-27

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Gulf South Conference named Valdosta State's Holly Satterfield the GSC's East Division Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season. Satterfield pitched in just one game last week, but made it an excellent performance. She only allowed one hit and no runs against the Argonauts of West Florida in seven innings of play. She struck out two and walked two. Satterfield completed the game with a perfect 0.00 earned run average. Satterfield and the Lady Blazers will look to continue their success in the Gulf South Conference Tournament to take place this weekend. Valdosta State starts off against Ouachita Baptist at 12 p.m. Friday.

Valdosta State Splits with West Florida

2010-04-25

Game 1 BOX SCORE Game 2 BOX SCORE PENSACOLA, Fla. - Valdosta State moved to 39-6 overall and 22-5 in Gulf South Conference play with a split against West Florida Sunday. The Lady Blazers won easily in the first game, 5-0, but fell in game two, 4-2. Four players tallied two hits in game one with Morgan Johnson leading the way, going two for three with a run and an RBI. Stephanie Carlson knocked in three RBIs on a third inning double. In game two, three Lady Blazers had two hits with Alyssa Shirey and Sarah Vaughn both going two for three. Ashley Steinhilber and Johnson notched the RBIs while Vaughn and Melessa Jackson scored the runs. Carlson's double in the third inning scored Johnson, Marti Littlefield and Amy Brightwell, pinch running for Shirey, to claim a 3-0 lead halfway through the game. Shirey scored in the fifth inning after singling up the middle. Vaughn hit a single to right center to score Shirey. In the sixth inning, Jackson scored after reaching on a double to center. Johnson knocked her in on a hit up the middle. Holly Satterfield moved to 22-2 with the win. She struck two out, walked two and only allowed one hit. In game two, Margaret Carter fell to 17-4. She gave up seven hits and three earned runs, but struck out two and walked none. Valdosta State's only runs came in the seventh inning. Steinhilber singled to right center to score Vaughn. Jackson reached on a double again and scored on Johnson's single down the left side. The rally would not prove to be enough as VSU fell. The Lady Blazers will look to rebound this weekend at the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

Valdosta State Splits with West Florida

2010-04-25

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Valdosta State rolled to an 18-6 victory in game one before falling 14-5 in game two as the Blazers split a Gulf South Conference doubleheader at West Florida Sunday. With the split, West Florida claims the GSC East Division title while Valdosta State finishes second in the East. Both teams advance to next week%u2019s Gulf South Conference Tournament in Millington, Tenn. West Florida (34-16, 11-3) claimed the early lead in the first game as the Argonauts scored five of their six runs in the first four innings of the contest. Dustin Lawley hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning to open the scoring while Josh Vining hit a two-run homer and Antonio Clark added an RBI single for Valdosta State (36-14, 10-4) in the top of the second. UWF evened the game with two runs, on a run-scoring double by Brandon Brewer and a throwing error by VSU's Jon Koenigsfeld in the second innings before adding two more runs in the fourth. A Brewer suicide squeeze scored the fourth West Florida run of the game while Kyle Brown gave the Argonauts a 5-3 lead with a RBI single. The Blazers scored four runs in the fifth to regain the lead for good. Clark singled to open the inning and moved to third when Brandon Decker doubled before Clayton Cain was intentionally walked to load the bases. Austin Smith followed with a base hit to plate Clark while Decker scored on a Jake Summers sacrifice fly. Two batters later, Vining singled to score both Cain and Smith to give VSU a 7-5 lead. Valdosta State added two more runs to its lead in the seventh, as Vining drove home Smith and later scored on a wild pitch, before scoring a single run in the eighth on a Summers double that plated Cain. West Florida scored its final run in the bottom of the frame, only to have VSU explode for eight runs in the ninth. Cain and Smith each collected an RBI in the ninth inning while Summers hit a three-run home run while Jordan Hollis and Ryan Danbury also added run-scoring doubles. Brett Kennedy started and surrendered seven hits and five runs in four innings in a no decision for Valdosta State while Jeremy Forbus closed out the game by allowing just five hits and a run in five innings to improve to 8-1 on the season. West Florida's Jason Postill surrendered eight hits and seven runs in four innings to fall to 5-5. West Florida again jumped out to an early lead in game two as it took advantage of two VSU errors to plate two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After the Blazers responded with a run on a passed ball in the second, UWF pushed its advantage to 5-1 with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Brown and Ryan Day collected RBI singles for the Argonauts in the second while the third run scored on a wild pitch. Decker scored an unearned run for VSU in the third inning, but Jack Materne hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the frame to push the West Florida advantage to 7-2. The Argonauts added three more runs in the fifth while Josh Higginbotham and Danbury added tallied RBI for Valdosta State in the top of the sixth. UWF also scored four runs in the sixth and the Blazers closed out the scoring with a run in the seventh. Kevin Johnson allowed 10 hits and five runs, only three of which were earned, in six innings to improve to 7-3. Ross Gusky surrendered six hits and five runs in an inning and a third to fall to 7-3. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, May 1 when it will open play in the GSC Tournament against West Division No. 3 seed Delta State. Game time is yet to be determined for the contest.

Blazers Fall 8-4 to Georgia College

2010-04-21

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Shawn Ward hit a pair of home runs to lead No. 10 Georgia College to an 8-4 victory over No. 14 Valdosta State in non-conference baseball action at John Kurtz Field Wednesday afternoon. The Bobcats (30-12) opened the scoring with a single run in the second innings only to have Valdosta State (35-13) respond with two runs in the top of the third inning. A pair of walks and a bunt single by Brandon Decker loaded the bases to open the inning before Clayton Cain drove home the first VSU run with a single through the right-side of the infield. Two batters later, Josh Vining hit into fielder%u2019s choice that scored Jon Koenigsfeld to give the Blazers a 2-1 lead. Ward put GCSU back in front for good with his 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the third. After Sean Harrell walked and Steve Muoio reached on an error to open the Bobcat half of the third, Ward sent a 1-1 pitch from Valdosta State Chris Wrobel (0-2) out to left field to give Georgia College a 4-2 lead. Matt Pitts followed with a double and two batters later scored on a Richard Pirkle sacrifice fly to put the Bobcats in front by three runs. Ward added his second home run of the game in the bottom of the fifth before VSU got a run back in the sixth when Clayton Cain hit his 16th roundtripper of the season. Benton Yaun added a two-run single for Georgia College in the seventh while a wild pitch allowed Josh Higginbotham score the game's final run in the eighth. Wrobel allowed two hits and four runs, only two of which were earned, in an inning and two-thirds. Bobcat starter Jason Nicholas surrendered five hits and three runs while striking out nine to improve to 4-2. Decker, Cain and Jordan Yost all collected two hits each for the Blazers while Ward finished the day with three hits and four RBI for GCSU. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m. when it opens a three-game Gulf South Conference series with West Florida in Pensacola, Fla.

Johnson Earns National Honor

2010-04-21

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Freshman Morgan Johnson earned Valdosta State softball's first National Player of the Week award of the season and just the second of Head Coach Thomas Macera's VSU career. The other was Stephanie Carlson for a stellar week at the Gulf South Conference tournament last season. Johnson garnered the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches' Association's Division II National Player of the Week award for her exploits in a 6-0 week including two wins against No. 13 Alabama-Huntsville. Johnson blew up this past week with a .733 batting average, .778 on-base percentage and a 1.467 slugging percentage. She notched three home runs, 11 hits, eight RBIs and four runs with three walks on the week. Of her 11 hits, five were for extra bases as Johnson tallied five multi-hit games. Johnson's hits were timely as well. She hit the winning two RBIs to close out West Georgia by run rule. She blasted a two-run shot against West Georgia in game two to complete a five-run inning for the Lady Blazers. Then Johnson hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning of game one against Alabama-Huntsville to help secure a 7-4 victory over the Chargers. She was a perfect two for two with a walk in game two. She helped Valdosta State move to 38-5 on the season and 21-4 in GSC play. With wins over Albany State, West Georgia and Alabama-Huntsville, VSU moved from third to second in the NFCA's national rankings and will face GSC rival West Florida this weekend.

Pair of Blazers Named All-GSC

2010-04-21

VALDOSTA, Ga. - A pair of Valdosta State golfers earned All-Gulf South Conference recognition Wednesday in a vote of the league%u2019s coaches according to an announcement made by the GSC Office. Senior Chesley Gunn was voted to the first team All-Gulf South Conference after leading VSU with a 72.8 strokes per round average this season. Gunn tallied four top five, seven top 10 and eight top 20 finishes this season, including victory at the season-opening Flagler Invitational. Gunn's score counted in 26.5 of the 28 rounds that VSU played on the season. Meanwhile, junior Chad Smith was named to the All-GSC second team. Smith won the prestigious First Federal Southeastern Collegiate at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in March and was fourth on the VSU squad with a 75.5 strokes per round average. In addition to his victory, Smith tallied one additional top 10 finish and three more top 20 showings on the year while having his score count in 21 of 28 rounds on the season. Gunn, Smith and the rest of the Blazers, who finished tied for second at the Gulf South Conference championship this past Monday and Tuesday, await word from the NCAA on if they will advance to the NCAA South/Southeast Super-Regional in Wilson, N.C.

VSU Tennis Cleans Up

2010-04-21

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valdosta State's Gulf South Conference Championship tennis teams cleaned up this season with 11 Gulf South Conference awards, led by Head Coach John Hansen, winner of GSC Coach of the Year honors for both men's and women's tennis. In addition to Hansen, Philip Pakebusch and Natali Gumbrecht won GSC Player of the Year awards. Gumbrecht is just the third player in history to claim back-to-back GSC East Division Player of the Year honors and just the fourth to earn the award twice in a career. Gumbrecht claims VSU's 10th Player of the Year award on the women's side. Pakebusch earns the 11th such award on the men's side as he led VSU to back-to-back GSC Championships. Gumbrecht earns GSC honors for the fourth consecutive season, all first-team but one. In 2008 she made the second team. She is joined on the All-GSC first squad by Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann. Durante is the 11th player all-time to make the first team in all four seasons. Trautmann earns her third All-GSC honor, first team in 2009 and second team in 2008. Hollie Bees represented VSU on the All-GSC second team for her first such honor. The men nearly matched the women with three players earning GSC honors. Along with Pakebusch was Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen. Dueren makes his second consecutive All-GSC team while 2010 marks Pakebusch and Hansen's first time on the squad.

VSU Tennis Cleans Up

2010-04-21

Black Earns Jerome Jackson Award

2010-04-20

The Jerome Jackson award is presented annually to a member of the football team that exemplifies the spirit and commitment of a student-athlete and is most represented by the person to whom the award is named. Jerome Jackson competed on the first Valdosta State College football team. In that inaugural season, Jerome had the honor of scoring the first touchdown in Valdosta State Blazer football history. The Blazer family unfortunately lost Jerome at an early age to a battle with cancer. His teammates proposed to award the football team's highest honor each year in the memory of Jerome Jackson. This award does not recognize a player as a Most Valuable Player, or best at his position. The award does not require the player to be an All-American, All Conference or even a starter. The award is presented to the player who most exemplifies the struggles and hardships of being a student-athlete and football player. He is an unsung hero among his teammates; one that may not always receive the most praise or recognition for his efforts, but is the individual that overcomes tremendous adversity, is a dependable and committed teammate, and most importantly is a leader. All of these characteristics exemplify the spirit of Jerome Jackson The award is voted on by the members of the coaching staff. The award for the 2009 season was presented to a Defensive Lineman from Apopka, FL. He was a three year starter, probably most recognized for his relentless pass rush on the Northwest Missouri Quarterback in the final seconds of the 2007 National Championship game, causing the pass to flutter down the field into the arms of Linebacker William Montford to secure the win and the National Championship. This player was a solid performer his entire career and saved his best year for his senior season. The Jerome Jackson award for 2009 was presented to Melvin Black. Past winners: 2000: Tully Payne - Center 2001: Tully Payne - Center 2002: Fatari Lyons - Defensive End 2003: Lee Tarpley - Running Back 2004: Leighton Cooley - Center / Terrell Toomer - Defensive Tackle 2005: Dedrick Morrison - Defensive End 2006: Travis Harrison - Defensive End 2007: Jeffery Felton - Wide Receiver / Shawn Harris - Defensive / Bo May - Defensive Tackle 2008: Sherard Reynolds - Defensive Back

Carter, Johnson Sweep GSC Players of the Week

2010-04-20

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After sweeping Albany State, conference rival West Georgia and No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville, Valdosta State swept the Gulf South Conference Player of the Week awards. Morgan Johnson claimed the Player of the Week award for her first one of the season while Margaret Carter earned her second consecutive Pitcher of the Week award. Johnson blew up this past week with a .733 batting average, .778 on-base percentage and a 1.467 slugging percentage to earn her first Player of the Week award of the season. Johnson notched three home runs, 11 hits, eight RBIs and four runs with three walks on the week. Of her 11 hits, five were for extra bases as Johnson tallied five multi-hit games. Johnson%u2019s hits were timely as well. She hit the winning two RBIs to close out West Georgia by run rule. She blasted a two-run shot against West Georgia in game two to complete a five-run inning for the Lady Blazers. Then Johnson hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning of game one against Alabama-Huntsville to help secure a 7-4 victory over the Chargers. She was a perfect two for two with a walk in game two. Carter completed a three-game shutout streak this past week when she completed her second no-hitter against Albany State and kept West Georgia from scoring. She was 3-0 on the week with a 0.78 earned run average. In three games, teams notched only 11 hits while Carter struck out 21 batters, walked two and only allowed two runs. Carter and Johnson combine for VSU's seventh and eighth GSC Player of the Week awards. Carter has one more in addition to this week's while her pitching companion, Holly Satterfield, has two awards this season. Heavy hitters Marti Littlefield (two) and Alyssa Shirey have combined to garner the honor three times so far this season.

Golf Ties For Second at GSC

2010-04-20

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Valdosta State shot a final round 291 to finish tied for second with a 17-over 881 at Gulf South Conference Championship which was held at the par 72, 6,690 yard Hot Springs Country Club Monday and Tuesday. North Alabama claimed the team championship as it finished the event with a nine-under 855 while West Florida matched VSU with an 881. Arkansas Tech was a stroke behind in fourth while West Georgia rounded out the top five with an 892. Delta State was sixth with an 897 and Henderson State finished with sixth with a 902 while Harding tallied a 909 to claim eighth. Ouachita Baptist (928), Arkansas-Monticello (934), Southern Arkansas (951) and Christian Brothers (960) rounded out the field. Wade Holland earned All-Tournament team honors as he shot a two-under 214 to finish fourth in the event. Chesley Gunn was five strokes behind and tied for eighth while Clarke Hendrick shot a 225 to tie for 21st. Will Repko was two shots behind and tied for 25th while Chad Smith shot a 15-over 231 to tie for 32nd. Lion Brett Munson claimed the individual title as he shot a 12-under 204 over the course of the three rounds of play. Valdosta State awaits word to see if it will advance to the NCAA South/Southeast Super-Regional, which will be held at the Wilson Country Club in Wilson, N.C. May 3-5.

Golf Third at GSC Championship

2010-04-19

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Valdosta State followed a first round 297 with a second round 293 to shoot a 14-over 590 to stand third after the first day of play of the Gulf South Conference Championship at the par 72, 6,690 yard Hot Springs Country Club Monday. North Alabama claimed the first day lead as it finished the two rounds with a five-under 571. Arkansas Tech was 10 strokes behind and in second while West Florida matched VSU with a 590. West Georgia rounded out the top five with a 597 while Henderson State was sixth at 599. Delta State was six strokes behind followed by Harding with a 611 and Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello at 625. Southern Arkansas was 11th with a 639 while Christian Brothers rounded out the field with a 654. A pair of Blazers finished the day in the top 10 as Wade Holland is tied for fourth with a one-under 143 while Chesley Gunn shot a 146 to tie for eighth. Clarke Hendrick fired a four-over 150 to tie for 21st and Will Repko was a stroke behind and tied for 25th while Chad Smith shot a 159 to tie for 45th on the day. Lion Brett Munson shot an eight-under 136 to claim the first day individual lead. The tournament concludes with a single round of play Tuesday beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Blazers Rally for 12-10 Win

2010-04-18

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State scored four runs in the sixth inning and five more in the seventh to stage a come-from-behind victory as the Blazers defeated Lambuth 12-10 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon. Lambuth (32-15) used wildness by Blazer starter Jordan Yost to jump out to a first inning lead. After Mitch Thomson opened the game with a single, Yost walked Mitch McClay on four straight pitches and Mike Davis on five pitches to load the bases. Bart White singled to drive home Thomson and Brent Young plated McClay and Davis with a single through the right-side of the infield. Tyler Wooten relieved Yost and induced a double play, but White scored on the play to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead. Valdosta State (35-12) got three runs back in the bottom of the first. Ryan Danbury walked to open the inning and moved to second as Antonio Clark singled through the right-side of the infield. A wild pitch allowed Danbury to score and moved Clark to second before Clayton Cain hit a one-out home run to left, his 15th of the season, to close VSU to within 4-3. LU staged a two-out rally in the fifth to push its lead to 7-3. Davis drove in the first run with a single before a dropped pop up scored a second run. Young followed with a base hit through the left-side of the infield for the third run of the frame to give Lambuth a four run lead. The Blazers evened the game at 7-7 in the sixth with four runs. Austin Smith singled to open the inning and moved to second on a Jon Koenigsfeld base hit. Josh Vining drove in Smith with a single that advanced Koenigsfeld to third. The Blazer shortstop was thrown out at home on a double steal attempt, but Josh Higginbotham singled to right-center to score Vining. Danbury followed with a single and moved to second on the throw to third on the play while Clark collected his fourth hit of the day with a single up the middle to score both base runners. A bases loaded wild pitch by Matt Fike in the bottom of the seventh gave VSU its first lead of the game as Smith scored VSU's eighth run of the day while Higginbotham was hit by a pitch to force in Jake Summers. Clark added a two-run single in the frame and Danbury stole home to push the Blazer lead to 12-7. Three walks and two hits allowed Lambuth to get three runs back in the eighth inning to close out the scoring. Luke Connell gave up one run in an inning of relief to improve to 3-1 on the season for Valdosta State. Cason Mobley came on with the bases loaded in the eighth and recorded the final five outs to record his first save while Tyler Burke surrendered two runs in a third of an inning to fall to 0-2 for Lambuth. Clark finished the day with five hits in as many at-bats while driving in four runs. Cain tallied two hits in the game. Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, April 21 when it travels to Milledgeville, Ga. to face No. 12 Georgia College.

Lady Blazers Sweep No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville

2010-04-18

Game 1 BOX SCORE Game 2 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State lived up to its third place national ranking this weekend with a sweep of No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville. In games with regional implications, VSU stepped up to put the Chargers away, 7-4 and 4-2, to please the record breaking crowd at the softball complex for Pack the Park. The Lady Blazer bats showed up big, notching five home runs on the day, two back-to-back. Stephanie Carlson started the first inning with a three-run shot to claim an early 3-0 lead for VSU. Freshmen players did damage too. Sarah Vaughn hit a solo homer in the third, and Morgan Johnson knocked a line drive to the parking lot for two more runs in the sixth inning. Later, Marti Littlefield and Alyssa Shirey went back-to-back for the first three runs of game two. The offensive firepower helped the VSU pitchers against a powerful UAH team. Holly Satterfield moved to 21-2 on her 21st birthday. She allowed six hits and three earned runs. She walked two and struck out one. Margaret Carter followed up with a win of her own to move to 17-3. She struck out five and walked one, gave up five hits and two runs. There were also great plays defensively on the day. Amber Shaw rifled a run-saving throw from right field to home. Carlson made a diving stop at first. Littlefield notched six putouts and four assists at shortstop while April Hutchens finished with a putout and four assists. Melessa Jackson tallied four putouts in center field. Johnson was four for five with a run and two RBIs. Jackson was four for six with a run scored. Shirey was two for four on the day with two runs scored and an RBI. Carlson went one for two in game one with three RBIs and a run scored. Valdosta State plays West Florida next in Pensacola, Fla. at 1 p.m. Saturday. Then it's on to Southaven, Miss. for the Gulf South Conference Tournament on April 30.

Valdosta State Tennis Sweeps GSC Championships

2010-04-18

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Valdosta State tennis put forth a record breaking performance to win the Gulf South Conference Championship in both men's and women's tennis with matching 5-1 victories. The men's team became the first team in 17 years to win four consecutive GSC Championships in tennis with a win over Ouachita Baptist Sunday. The Lady Blazers won their fourth GSC Championship and second in the past three seasons with the win over West Florida. The Blazers faced off against Ouachita Baptist and only lost one singles point. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech teamed up for an 8-4 win in top doubles while Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen took second doubles, 8-3. Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman cleaned up in the third spot with an 8-6 victory. Pakebusch and Lenhart earned the winning points in singles play for VSU. Pakebusch took down Jan Plewinski of OBU in the top singles spot, 6-0, 6-1. Lenhart beat Pierre Tafelski, 7-5, 6-4. The women had a matching performance. They came out of doubles with a 2-1 lead over West Florida, needing three singles points. Dominique Rothlaender at the fourth spot, Hollie Bees at the fifth spot and Sonya Haggstrom in the sixth position supplied the points they needed. Rothlaender came from behind to beat UWF's Caitlyn Baines in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Bees beat Luiza Sonnervig, 6-2, 6-3, and Haggstrom took down Mariana Sonnervig, 6-3, 6-2. Natali Gumbrecht and Bees teamed up for an 8-3 win in the top doubles spot while Rothlaender and Haggstrom took care of the third position, 8-3. Valdosta State 5, Ouachita Baptist 1 Doubles 1. Pakebusch/Kuech (VSU) def. Plewinski/Diame (OBU), 8-4 2. Dueren/Hansen (VSU) def. Heilshorn/Kuhlmann (OBU), 8-3 3. Lenhart/Sickman (VSU) def. Moser/Tafelski (OBU), 8-6 Singles 1. Philip Pakebusch (VSU) def. Jan Plewinski (OBU), 6-0, 6-1 2. Jean Charles Diame (OBU) def. Daniel Dueren (VSU), 6-2, 6-1 4. Otto Lenhart (VSU) def. Pierre Tafelski (OBU), 7-5, 6-4 Valdosta State 5, West Florida 1 Doubles 1. Gumbrecht/Bees (VSU) def. Brewster/Baines (UWF), 8-3 2. Ojeda/L. Sonnervig (UWF) def. Durante/Trautmann (VSU), 8-4 3. Rothlaender/Haggstrom (VSU) def. Oliveira/M. Sonnervig (UWF), 8-3 Singles 4. Dominique Rothlaender (VSU) def. Caitlyn Baines (UWF), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 5. Hollie Bees (VSU) def. Luiza Sonnervig (UWF), 6-2, 6-3 6. Sonya Haggstrom (VSU) def. Mariana Sonnervig (UWF), 6-3, 6-2

Valdosta State Tennis Sweeps GSC Championships

2010-04-18

Blazers Sweep Lambuth 13-3, 2-1

2010-04-17

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State rolled to a 13-3 game one victory before edging Lambuth 2-1 in the second game to sweep a non-conference baseball doubleheader at Billy Grant Field Saturday. Lambuth (32-14) opened the scoring for the day in the top of the first inning with a two-out double by Brent Young. Mitch Thomson reached on an infield single to open the game, but was erased on a Mitch McClay fielder's choice. Mike Davis drew a walk to put two men on and two batters later Young doubled just inside the third base bag to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Valdosta State (34-12) struck back for four runs in the bottom of the inning it sent nine men to the plate. Ryan Danbury tripled to open the VSU half of the frame while Brandon Decker drew a one-out walk. Clayton Cain followed with his 14th home run of the year, an opposite field shot over the wall in right-center. Two batters later, Jake Summers doubled down the left field line and scored as Jon Koenigsfeld tallied a two-bagger down the right field line to give VSU a 4-2 lead. Danbury walked and stole second before scoring on a Decker double in the second while Austin Smith hit his seventh home run with two outs in the frame to give VSU a 7-2 lead only to have LU get a run back in the top of the third on a Davis. Valdosta State added two more runs in the third innings, with both runs being driven home with the batter being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, before pushing its lead to 10-3 on a ground-rule double by Jordan Hollis in the fourth. Don DiPetta hit his first home run of the year for VSU in the sixth inning while Koenigsfeld hit a two-run single in the seventh to end the game. Ross Gusky improved to 7-2 as he allowed seven hits and three runs while striking out six in six innings of work. Jordan Smith fell to 7-3 after surrendering seven hits and nine runs in two and a third innings. Koenigsfeld and Decker hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the first inning to give Valdosta State a 1-0 lead while Decker drove in DiPetta with an infield single in the second to push the Blazer lead to two runs. McClay hit his third home run of the year with one out in sixth inning to cut the VSU advantage to 2-1. The Eagles threatened in the seventh with a lead-off double, but a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball ended the threat and the game. Brett Kennedy allowed five hits and just one run while tying a career high with 10 strikeouts in six innings to improve to 7-3. Brent Ebinger also gave up five hits and two runs, to go along with nine strikeouts, while falling to 8-2. Decker finished the day with three hits, three runs scored and three driven in to lead Valdosta State offensively. Koenigsfeld tallied four hits on the day and scored two runs. Thomson, Davis and Matthew Bird all recorded two hits for Lambuth while McClay scored three of the four Eagle runs in the two games. The two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday, April 17 at 1:00 p.m.

Shirey's Three Homers Lead VSU Past Wolves

2010-04-17

Game 1 BOX SCORE Game 2 BOX SCORE VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State moved to 36-5 overall and 19-4 in the Gulf South Conference with matching 8-0 wins over West Georgia Saturday. The Lady Blazers run ruled the Wolves in the fifth inning of the first game and sixth of game two. Senior Alyssa Shirey showed up big for senior day with three home runs on the day. Shirey was four for five on the day with six RBIs and three runs scored. Stephanie Carlson, also a senior, went one for three in both games with an RBI in game one. Freshman Morgan Johnson continues to make strides in her first season at VSU. She was three for four on the day with four RBIs and two runs scored. Johnson notched the winning RBIs to end the first game and blasted a home run in game two. Amber Shaw was four for eight on the day with two runs scored and an RBI. Melessa Jackson was three for four with two runs and an RBI. Colette Rollins was three for six with a run and an RBI, and Marti Littlefield was a perfect three for three in game two with one RBI and two runs for the day. Holly Satterfield moved to 20-2 on the season while Margaret Carter notched her third consecutive shutout to move to 16-3. Satterfield struck out two, walked one and allowed three hits in five scoreless innings. Carter struck out six, walked none and gave up six hits in six scoreless innings. In game one, the Lady Blazers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with Shirey's first home run of the day, a three-run shot, in the first inning. Carlson brought Shirey home in the third inning, and Shirey launched her second home to score her and Littlefield in the fourth to make it 6-0. Johnson singled to right field to score Shaw and Jackson to win game one. Sarah Vaughn walked in the first inning of game two. Littlefield moved her to second with a walk. Shirey singled to right field to move Vaughn to third, and Rollins singled to center to score Vaughn and make it 1-0 in the first inning. In the fourth inning Carlson singled to left field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by April Hutchens. Ariel Shaw, pinch running for Carlson, scored on a single from her sister, Amber. Then VSU blew up in the fifth inning, notching five runs. Littlefield started the onslaught with a homer, followed by Shirey's third of the day. Rollins laid down a single to left, and Johnson brought her home with her third home run of the season. Then Jackson launched her seventh homer of the year to make it 7-0. Littlefield doubled in the sixth inning and West Georgia's Crissy Rainwater committed an error to score Vaughn and complete the sweep. Valdosta State will be back in action Sunday against No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville, currently ranked number one in the south region. It is VSU Softball's Pack the Park day. The first 50 students in will receive free t-shirts and there will be prizes given throughout the day. Don't miss Pack the Park.

VSU Tennis Advances to GSC Finals

2010-04-17

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Both Valdosta State tennis teams were perfect on the day to advance to the Gulf South Conference finals. The Blazers put away Christian Brothers in the first round and flew by North Alabama in the semifinals round by matching scores of 5-0. Against the Bucs of Christian Bros. VSU quickly jumped on top with a 3-0 performance in doubles. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech teamed up for a win in the top spot. Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen earned the win in the second spot while Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman took the point in the third position. After being up 3-0, VSU only needed two wins in singles. The Blazers received it from the fifth and sixth spots. Konstantin Kutschenko swept Gallagher of Christian Brothers, 6-0, 6-0. Kuech did the same over Spotanski by the same score. The Blazers did the same to North Alabama. Kutschenko earned a singles point at the fifth spot and Daniel Dueren earned the other singles point for VSU at the second position. The scores were a little tighter though. Pakebusch and Kuech won, 9-8 (4) in the closest match of the day for VSU. Dueren and Hansen won, 8-1, while Lenhart and Sickman scored the familiar 8-0 win. Dueren's point came from a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Kutschenko won, 6-0, 6-1. The men will face Ouachita Baptist at 1 p.m. Sunday. Lady Blazer tennis looked just as good with 5-0 victories over Henderson State in the first round and Harding in the semifinals. In the first round against Henderson State, Valdosta State only lost one set. In doubles, VSU came out with three 8-0 sweeps. At the fourth spot, Sonya Haggstrom swept Theresa Nguyen, 6-0, 6-0, and Tina Trautmann beat Natalie Foster, 6-0, 6-1. In doubles play against Harding, VSU again had a 3-0 lead after doubles play. Natali Gumbrecht and Hollie Bees won, 8-0, while Raphaelle Durante and Trautmann won, 8-3. Nicole Hernandez and Haggstrom won, 8-2. Durante and Trautmann both won, 6-0, 6-0, in the second and third positions respectively. Durante defeated Lola Pardo, 6-0, 6-0, and Trautmann defeated Katherine Golik, 6-0, 6-0. The women will face the winner West Florida at 10 a.m. Sunday.

VSU Tennis Advances to GSC Finals

2010-04-17

Pack the Park for VSU Softball

2010-04-16

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State softball plans to Pack the Park against Alabama-Huntsville at 1 p.m. this Sunday, and you can be a part of it. The goal is to break the softball attendance record so come one, come all to support the Lady Blazers against the Chargers of UAH. There will be prizes given throughout the day and free t-shirts at the gate to the first fans that arrive. Valdosta State is ranked third in the country and face No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville. The doubleheader has postseason ramifications with Alabama-Huntsville currently ranked first in the south region and VSU in second. Make sure you make it out to the softball complex at 1 p.m. Sunday for Valdosta State's Pack the Park. Also, don't forget, Lady Blazer softball recognizes its seniors before Saturday's 3 p.m. doubleheader against West Georgia.

Valdosta State Announces 2010 Football Schedule

2010-04-16

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Non-conference games against Wingate and Newberry as well as a home contest versus Delta State highlight the 2010 Valdosta State football schedule, as announced by Blazer Head Coach David Dean Friday. The Blazers open the season at home against the Bulldogs of Wingate on September 4, a game that will feature the first ever meeting between the two NCAA Division II Super Region 2 squads. Wingate tallied a 7-3 record in 2009 and will be led by All-South Atlantic rising junior running back Vince Jordan, who rushed for 967 yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago. The following week, VSU will hit the road for the first time in 2010 as it travels to Newberry, S.C. to face Newbery College on September 11. The Blazers and NC have split a pair of games over the course of the last two seasons, with each school winning on its opponent's home field. Newberry finished the 2009 season with a 6-4 record, including a 31-24 victory in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in the 2009 Valdosta State opener. "We have a very difficult non-conference schedule this season," said Dean in making the announcement. "Both Newberry and Wingate were in the mix for an NCAA Regional bid right up until the final week of the year last year. This will be the third straight season we have played Newberry and each team has one once so that has obviously been a very competitive series and I think will remain so this year." Valdosta State returns home to Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and opens Gulf South Conference play against Delta State on September 18. The Statesmen, who were 5-5 in 2009, have won the last four match-ups between the two schools, including a 31-23 victory in Cleveland, Miss. last season. Following a GSC contest on the road at Southern Arkansas on September 25, Ouachita Baptist will make a Homecoming visit to Valdosta on October 2. VSU has won 11 of 14 previous meetings against the Muleriders, including a 32-7 win in Magnolia in 2009, and has gone 9-1 all time against OBU, although the Tigers claimed their first-ever victory in the series with a 24-14 defeat of VSU in Arkadelphia, Ark. last season. The final five games of the 2010 season will feature three road games against teams that played in the 2009 NCAA Super Regional, kicked off by a Thursday night visit to 2009 GSC champion North Alabama. The game, which will be featured as a part of the GSC Television package, will feature the 32nd time that the two schools have met, including the sixth in the last four seasons. UNA has won each of the last three outings and owns an 18-13-1 edge all-time in the series. The Blazers host Arkansas-Monticello, who is led by record-setting rising senior Scott Buisson at quarterback, on October 23. Buisson has thrown for more than 7,500 yards in his first three seasons at with Arkansas-Monticello while rushing for another 2,300. After a two-year lull in the series, Valdosta State and Arkansas Tech re-new their rivalry on October 30 when the Blazers visit Russellville, Ark. VSU has won eight of the nine previous meetings between the two schools, including a 28-27 come-from-behind thriller in Russellville in 2007, while ATU is coming off of a 9-3 season that saw the school advance its third NCAA postseason appearance. Valdosta State closes its home schedule with in-state rival West Georgia in the annual "Battle for the Peach Basket" on November 6 before finishing off its 2010 regular season with a Thursday night game against West Alabama, its second GSCTV Game of the Week appearance, on November 11. "We face a very strong test with our road schedule this season," Dean added. "Three of our road games are against teams that went to the NCAA postseason last year. Arkansas Tech is a very solid team and North Alabama is always tough. West Alabama also returns a good nucleus and we know that will be a tough game on a Thursday night in Livingston. "Delta State and Arkansas-Monticello will be great games as well," he concluded. "Our games against DSU are always close and fun to watch while UAM is returning the most experience quarterback in the GSC." Valdosta State returns 51 letterwinners, including seven starters on both offense and defense, off of a team that went 6-4 in 2009.

Blazers Win 8-7 in 13 Innings

2010-04-14

VALDOSTA, Ga. - A Ryan Danbury single in the bottom of the 13th inning completed a Valdosta State come-from-behind win as the 17th-ranked Blazers defeated No. 12 Georgia College 8-7 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Wednesday afternoon. After Georgia College (26-12) took the lead on a Shawn Ward run-scoring double in the top of the 13th, Chris Jones singled and took second on an error for Valdosta State (32-12) with one out in the bottom of the frame. Don DiPetta proceeded to double into the left-field corner to plate Jones before Jordan Hollis drew a walk. Danbury proceeded to hit a 2-2 pitch through the right-side of the infield to plate DiPetta for the Blazer victory. VSU forced the extra innings on a grand slam by Jordan Yost in the bottom of the ninth inning. GCSU starter Matt Kaplan, who allowed just three hits in eight and a third innings of work, hit Brandon Decker to open the ninth inning and gave up a single to Clayton Cain before being lifted for reliever Ryan Tabor. Tabor surrendered a single to Austin Smith to load the bases before Yost sent the first pitch he saw from the left-hander over the wall in left field to tie the game at 6-6. VSU took advantage of three Bobcat errors in the first inning to score a run. Danbury reached on an error to open the inning, but was ruled out when the base umpire ruled that a Jon Koenigsfeld ground ball hit his foot. Koenigsfeld reached first on the fielder's choice and with two outs broke from first second base. The throw to second from first baseman Matt Pitts on the play skipped into left field, allowing Koenigsfeld to move to third while leftfielder Kyle Allen bobbled the ball and Koenigsfeld beat the throw home to give VSU a 1-0 lead. Georgia College got the run back in the top of the second as Ward led off with a single to left and scored on a Benton Yaun triple down the right field line before taking a 3-1 lead in the fourth. With two outs in the frame, Yaun was hit by a pitch and scored as Richard Pirkle hit a 1-2 pitch down the left field line for a double. Pirkle took third on the throw home on the play and scored as Jason Venya hit a chopper over the head of Smith at third base. Two singles and a pair of walks pushed the GCSU lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning before a Brett George suicide squeeze and a sacrifice fly by Sean Harrell in the eighth gave the Bobcats their final two runs of the day. Smith doubled and scored the second VSU run in the eighth as he moved to third on a Yost single in the eighth and scored when Jones grounded into a fielder's choice to cut the Bobcat lead to 6-2. Tyler Wooten improved to 3-0 for Valdosta State after allowing a hit and a run in the 13th inning. Kaplan retired 21 straight batters in a stretch that covered the first through seventh innings in the game while walking no batters, hitting one and striking out four. Dillon Waters (0-2) took the loss after surrendering two hits and two runs in an inning and a third. Yost finished with two hits and four RBI to lead Valdosta State offensively while also striking out five batters in four innings on the mound. Danbury, Smith and Jones also finished the day with two hits each for the Blazers. Ward tallied four hits to lead GCSU while Yaun had three. Pirkle and Venya finished with two hits each. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 17 when it opens a three-game series against Lambuth in Billy Grant Field. Saturday%u2019s first game is slated for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.

Carter Named GSC Co-Pitcher of the Week

2010-04-14

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Gulf South Conference named Valdosta State's Margaret Carter a GSC Co-Pitcher of the Week in the East Division along with Alabama-Huntsville's Whitney Hawkins. This week marks Carter's first Pitcher of the Week award of the season and her career at Valdosta State. She notched a perfect game in a 12-0 win against Southern Arkansas. She finished the week with a 0.98 earned run average and 32 strikeouts. Carter is the second VSU pitcher to earn the award this season. Holly Satterfield has won the award twice this season while Marti Littlefield has won the Player of the Week award twice. Alyssa Shirey has also won the Player of the Week award once.

Six Homers, One No-hitter Wins it for VSU

2010-04-14

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State tore apart Albany State Wednesday night with 8-0 and 11-0 wins in a doubleheader. Margaret Carter pitched her third no-hitter of the year, striking out 10 and walking just one. Carter moved to 15-3 while Holly Satterfield moved to 19-2 with nine strikeouts and giving up just three hits in game one. Melessa Jackson continued her excellent hitting she started at the GSC Crossover. She pounded two home runs, one of which was a grand slam to put game two out of reach. She wasn't the only one though. Stephanie Carlson, making her second start in eight games, put on a hitting clinic in game one. She was a perfect four for four with a home run, four RBIs and two hits. Then, in game two, she homered again for three more RBIs and a run scored. Marti Littlefield and Morgan Johnson both notched homers on the day as well. Littlefield was one for two with an RBI and two runs in game one. Johnson was two for three in the day's opener with an RBI. In game two she was two for three with one run scored and an RBI. Amber Shaw was three for four in game one with two runs scored and one for two with three runs scored in game two. Alyssa Shirey scored two runs while April Hutchens scored one and hit in an RBI in game two. Valdosta State looks to be running on all cylinders and will need it this weekend. The Lady Blazers will face West Georgia in a doubleheader Saturday at 3 p.m. and then go against No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville for tops in the south region at 1 p.m. Sunday. Make sure you make it out for senior day Saturday and Pack the Park against Alabama-Huntsville Sunday.

VSU Softball Returns Home

2010-04-14

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State returns home after going 6-1 at the Gulf South Conference Crossover Tournament this past weekend. You can catch a live webcast here and live stats here.

Player Spotlight: Kristen Lanier

2010-04-12

Throughout the spring 2010 semester, Valdosta State Sports Information intern Lacey Bearden will present a player spotlight profile on various Blazer athletes. Check back each week to learn more about your favorite Blazer players. There's more to Kristen Lanier than the big hair-bow and short skirt seen at the football games. Lanier, sophomore, currently has a 3.8 GPA and she is a member of the Alpha Lambda Beta honors society. She was a competitive gymnast for eight years and began cheerleading when she was five-years-old. Lanier graduated from Kell High School in Kennesaw, Ga. where she was a four-year varsity cheerleader and a classically trained Chamber Choir member. She sang at her graduation ceremony and baccalaureate service. She also found time to run hurdles and long jump for Kell's track team. Lanier came to VSU as a freshman in 2008. She knew the transition from high school to college cheerleading would be tough. Lanier had always been in flyer in high school, but she decided she didn't want to deal with all the stress and pressure placed on college flyers. On her first day of practice she realized just how tough VSU cheerleading was going to be and described Head Coach, Dante Tennant as more like a football coach. Lanier had her mind made up; she definitely did not want to fly anymore so she told Tennant she was a base. "I just jumped in there and pretended like I knew what I was doing," Lanier said. "I watched everyone else and eventually caught on, and I kind of taught myself how to base." The first time Lanier competed on the collegiate level she won a national championship, an accomplishment the VSU cheerleading program had been working toward for over 10 years. Her goal for this competition season was to increase her stamina to help her get through their jam-packed, high-energy routine. "I just want us to hit a perfect routine at nationals," Lanier said. "If we can walk off that mat with no regrets, knowing we did our best then that is enough for me." Their hard work paid off at the NCA Collegiate National Cheerleading Championship in Daytona, Fla. VSU took home another national championship. Lanier now has two national championship rings, one for each hand. Lanier also enjoys coaching cheerleading. She is a member of the NCA Staff and spent last summer traveling around the country instructing cheerleading camps. Lanier, Spanish major, does not plan to cheer next year, because she wants to take some time off and study abroad in Spain. After graduation she plans to utilize her Spanish degree and French minor by traveling around Europe teaching English to children. Eventually she would like to move back home and settle down teaching high school Spanish and French while coaching cheerleading. Favorites: Tumbling Pass: Standing Tuck Stunt: Toss Awesome Vacation Spot: Europe Sport to Cheer for: Football Place in Valdosta: The Front Lawn

Blazers Blank North Alabama 14-0

2010-04-11

FLORENCE, Ala. - Brett Kennedy scattered four hits while Valdosta State collected 15 on the day as the Blazers blanked North Alabama 14-0 in seven innings in Gulf South Conference baseball action at Cole Field Sunday afternoon. Kennedy gave up just two hits through the first six innings, during which he allowed just five batters to reach base. The junior picked walked one batter and hit two while striking out nine hitters as he recorded is fifth complete game of the year while improving to 6-3. Valdosta State (31-12, 9-3) opened the scoring in the second inning as it plated six runs as it batted around in the frame. With one out, Jon Koenigsfeld was hit by a pitch and moved to third when Josh Vining followed with a base hit. A wild pitch allowed Vining to move up a base before Chris Jones delivered a single to plate Koenigsfeld. Ryan Danbury also singled to drive home Vining while an Antonio Clark base hit scored Jones. After a strike out, Clayton Cain drove home Danbury with a single and Austin Smith plated Clark with a base hit. Smith got caught in a run down while trying to steal second, but Cain was able to score on the play to give VSU a 6-0 lead. Three North Alabama errors in the fourth inning allowed the Blazers to add three more runs to their lead while Brandon Decker doubled and scored on a Jake Summers sacrifice fly in the sixth to push the advantage to 10-0. Clark closed out the scoring in the seventh inning as he hit a grand slam for his first career home run. Clark finished the day with three hits and five RBI to lead VSU offensively while Vining also tallied three hits. Decker, Cain and Jones all finished with two hits each. Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, April 14 when it hosts Georgia College at Billy Grant Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Valdosta State Sweeps Last Day

2010-04-11

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score DECATUR, Ala. - Valdosta State swept the last day of the Gulf South Conference Crossover to end the weekend 6-1 and move to 32-5 on the season and 17-4 in the GSC. The Lady Blazers finished Southern Arkansas, 12-0, and put away Ouachita Baptist, 3-1. Valdosta State pitchers have flirted with it all season, but Margaret Carter was the one to notch VSU's first perfect game of the year. She moved to 14-3 with the win against Southern Arkansas in game one. She struck out five in five innings of play and her defense did the rest. The Muleriders couldn't even get through the lineup twice in the game. The Lady Blazers didn't waste time scoring either against Southern Arkansas. Marti Littlefield found her bat and knocked a two-run homer, her 12th of the season, for an early VSU lead. Then, in the second inning, Alyssa Shirey notched a couple RBIs with a solid hit through the hole between third base and shortstop. The run Southern Arkansas walked in before that along with Shirey's two RBIs made it 5-0. After a series of wild pitches and passed balls, Littlefield scored and Shirey came in on a single to left field from Ashley Steinhilber to push the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the second. In the third inning, aiming for a run ruled win, Melessa Jackson popped the second home run of the game, her third of the season, to make it 8-0 in favor of VSU. She wasn't finished there. In the top of the fifth, Jackson did it again. After an April Hutchens walk, Jackson hit her fourth homer of the season to make it 10-0 and give VSU a little insurance headed to the bottom of the fifth. Before Southern Arkansas could get out of the inning though, Shirey wanted in on the action. She hit her team leading 13th home run of the season to bring in Littlefield and push the lead to 12-0. With Carter's pitching, the Muleriders could not do anything in the seventh. Jackson kept hitting well into the second game of the day against Ouachita Baptist. In the third inning she started a run for VSU with a single. Amber Shaw and Sarah Vaughn followed it with a single each. A batter later, Shirey hit a double to deep left center to clear the bases and claim a 3-0 lead. Ouachita Baptist could only score one run throughout the rest of the game to end it at 3-1. Holly Satterfield moved to 18-2 on the season with five strikeouts and three walks. She gave up seven hits, but just one run in the game. Valdosta State returns to action against Albany State at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the VSU Softball Complex.

Blazers Top No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic

2010-04-10

VALDOSTA, Ga. - No. 2 Valdosta State claimed five of the first six points as the Blazers defeated No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic 5-4 in men's tennis action at the VSU Tennis Courts Saturday. The Blazers claimed all three points in doubles play, beginning with an 8-6 victory at No. 1 where eighth-ranked Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech defeated top-ranked Rafael Array and Mikk Irdoja. Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman also claimed an 8-6 win over Eudaldo Bonet and Paul Fitzgerald at No. 3 while the match of the day was played at No. 2. Pirates Matus Mydla and Daniel Regan raced out to a 4-1 lead before No. 19 Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen fought back to take an 8-7 lead. The AASU duo regrouped to win the next game and grabbed a 6-4 lead in the tiebreak, but Dueren and Hansen claimed the final four points of the match for a 9-8 (6) victory to close out the VSU sweep in doubles. Armstrong Atlantic got on the board as No. 37 Mydla defeated Lenhart 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles before No. 3 Packebusch closed the Blazers t within a point of victory with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 11 Bonet at No. 1. No. 25 Hansen posted the match winning point as he topped No. 7 Array 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 3. AASU claimed the final three points of the day, two of which came in third set tie-breaker situations. Sixth-ranked Irdoja won at No. 2 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 over No. 2 Dueren while Regan topped Konstantin Kutschenko 1-6, 6-3, (13-11) at No. 5. Fitgerald closed out the match with a 7-6 (5), 4-6, (12-11) win over Kuech at No. 6. With the victory, Valdosta State improved to 15-1 on the season while Armstrong Atlantic saw its 46 match winning streak snapped as it fell to 23-1. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 17 when it opens play in the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Ala.

Lady Blazers fall 7-2 to AASU

2010-04-10

VALDOSTA, Ga. - No. 1 Armstrong Atlantic claimed all six singles points as the Lady Pirates defeated No. 6 Valdosta State 7-2 in women's tennis action at the VSU tennis courts Saturday. The Lady Blazers raced out to a 2-1 lead after doubles plays as they claimed victory at No. 1 and No. 3. At the first position, No. 7 Natali Gumbrecht and Hollie Bees topped No. 3 Martina Beckman and Alida Muller-Wehlau 8-4 while Dominique Rothlaender and Sonya Haggstrom also claimed an 8-4 win over No. 21 Tina Ronel and Kathleen Henry at No. 3. Fourth-ranked Sona Novakova and Gabriella Kovacs earned the only AASU point in doubles play as they defeated Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann 8-4 at No. 2. No. 2 Novakova defeated No. 6 Gumbrecht 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles while fourth-ranked Muller-Wehlau topped No. 17 Durante 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2. No. 21 Kovacs claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Rothlaender at No. 4 and No. 41 Kathleen Henry defeated Haggstrom 7-6, 6-0 at No. 6 while No. 27 Beckman claimed a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Bees at No. 5. No. 19 Ronel closed out the match with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Trautmann at No. 3. Valdosta State falls to 10-4 while Armstrong Atlantic improves to 24-0. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 17 when it opens play in the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Ala.

Valdosta State Splits at Crossover

2010-04-10

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score DECATUR, Ala. - Valdosta State beat Arkansas-Monticello, 5-1, but fell to Arkansas Tech, 5-2, at the Gulf South Conference Crossover Saturday. In game one, the Lady Blazers found themselves down to the Cotton Blossoms. After four scoreless innings, UAM's Faith Lund knocked a solo home run for the 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Valdosta State answered in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Blazers loaded the bases with a walk, a single and a hit by pitch. With the bases loaded, VSU just worked runners around the bases. First Sarah Vaughn tied the game on a single from Colette Rollins. Ariel Shaw, pinch running for Marti Littlefield, scored next on a wild pitch from Arkansas-Monticello's top pitcher, Kayla Jackson. Morgan Johnson hit a hot grounder to the shortstop that Ashley Steinhilber, pinch running for Alyssa Shirey, scored on to make it 3-0. April Hutchens followed that with a double to deep right field to bring in the last two runs of the game, clinch a 5-1 win and help Holly Satterfield move to 17-2 on the season. Margaret Carter fell to 13-3 despite striking out nine on the day. She gave up 10 hits and two earned runs against Tech. In game two against the Golden Suns, Valdosta State fell behind again. Arkansas Tech scored two runs in the first inning, but VSU answered with a run in the bottom of the opening inning. Amber Shaw scored on a double down the left field line from Littlefield. Arkansas Tech scored again in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 3-1. In the sixth, ATU put up two more runs for a 5-1 lead. Valdosta State tried to answer and loaded the bases twice in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Lady Blazers could only pull one run out of it though to make it 5-2 headed into the final inning. In the seventh, VSU was able to hold the Golden Suns, but the Lady Blazers could not score a run to end the game in favor of Arkansas Tech, 5-2. Valdosta State will look to rebound against Southern Arkansas at 11 a.m. and Ouachita Baptist and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Valdosta State Splits with North Alabama

2010-04-10

FLORENCE, Ala. - Valdosta State fell 8-7 in the first game, but rebounded for a 11-5 win in game two as the Blazers split a Gulf South Conference doubleheader at Cole Field Saturday. The Blazers (30-12, 8-3) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game as they scored four runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, Antonio Clark singled and moved to third as Brandon Decker followed with a base hit. Clayton Cain reached on an error to drive home Clark while Austin Smith drove home Decker with a single. Cain and Smith also both scored in the game when Jake Summers singled to give VSU its four run lead. North Alabama (20-18, 4-4) responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning as Chase Porch, Kevin Williams and Jacob Lamar tallied run-scoring singles before taking the lead with three more runs in the second. A Kevin Williams fielder%u2019s choice in the third helped the Lions double up the Blazers, giving UNA an 8-4 lead. Decker, Cain and Smith all collected run scoring singles in the sixth to cut the VSU deficit to 8-7. Ross Gusky took the loss and fell to 6-2 as he allowed six hits and seven runs in two innings of work. Mitch Handley improved to 4-4 after surrendering 12 hits and seven runs in six innings. In the second game, VSU scored the first nine runs of the game to build a lead it would not relinquish. The Blazers scored four runs in the top of the first inning including three on Cain's 13th home run of the year. Clark, who had doubled with one out, and Decker, who had followed with a walk, scored on the play while three UNA errors allowed Jon Koenigsfeld to score the final run. A Ryan Danbury sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single by Smith in the second pushed the Blazer lead to 6-0 in the second before Valdosta State added three more runs in the third. Jordan Yost doubled with one out in the third and scored as Danbury followed with a triple. Clark singled to plate Danbury and came around to score two batters later when Cain reached on a base hit. North Alabama struck back for two runs in the fourth as Lamar and Nick McGregor singled to open the inning while each moved up a base on a wild pitch. A pair of fielder's choices allowed both base runners to score as the Lions cut the Blazer lead to 9-2. The Blazers added two more runs in the seventh on run-scoring singles by Jordan Yost and Josh Higginbotham while the Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to close out the scoring. Jeremy Forbus picked up his team-leading seventh win, against just one loss, as he allowed five hits and five runs while striking out seven in seven innings of work. Trey Mitchell fell to 3-4 as he surrendered eight hits and nine runs, only five of which were earned, in two and two-thirds innings. Cain finished the day with four hits and six RBI to lead VSU offensively while Yost also finished the day with four hits. The two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon at Cole Field.

Pitching Shows Up Big for VSU

2010-04-09

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score DECATUR, Ala. - Valdosta State notched two wins Friday over Henderson State and Delta State to stay undefeated at the Gulf South Conference Crossover. The Lady Blazers moved to 29-4 and 14-3 in GSC play. Valdosta State beat Henderson State, 4-2, and Delta State, 6-2. Margaret Carter and Holly Satterfield led VSU to both wins Friday. Carter and Satterfield both notched season highs of 10 strikeouts each. Satterfield moved to 16-2 on the season while Carter is 13-2. Carter gave up one walk, six hits and just one earned run in game one while Satterfield walked one and gave up two runs and six hits. In Friday's first game against Henderson State, the Lady Blazers scored first with two runs in the top of the third inning. Courtney Merritt singled with a hit to left field while Melessa Jackson laid down a bunt that just went dead in front of the pitcher. She used her speed to reach first and move Merritt to second. Then both players advanced on a wild pitch and came home on a single to left center from Sarah Vaughn to jump ahead 2-0. Henderson State answered in the bottom of the third with two runs of its own. HSU's Heather Ivey and Ashley Ray both scored on a single up the middle from Amber Klug. Valdosta State regained the lead with two more runs in the fifth. Jackson walked and Amber Shaw singled. Marti Littlefield singled to right to score Jackson, and Colette Rollins singled to left to bring in Shaw. In the bottom of the fifth, Henderson State threatened, but Jackson put an end to the threat. With a runner at second, HSU's Katey Gorsage singled up the middle. Jackson scooped it up and made the spot on throw from center to home to end the inning. Against Delta State, runs didn't come until the third inning again, this time only one for VSU. Shaw put the ball in play to the DSU shortstop, but beat out the throw. On a wild pitch Shaw went to second, then Littlefield hit a double to deep centerfield to bring in Shaw and make it a 1-0 game. Delta State used two hits in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead. The nine hole hitter walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from the leadoff. The number two hitter brought in the runner with a single up the middle. She came in on a single from the third hitter to get the lead. Valdosta State did not take long to answer. Alyssa Shirey has nearly spoiled VSU fans with her coolness in the clutch, and Friday was no different. She knocked a home run past the temporary fence and almost over the 300-foot fence at the Wilson Morgan Park to tie it at 2-2 in the top of the sixth. Rollins knocked a single to right field next. Stephanie Carlson came in after that to pinch hit and hit a speedy grounder to shortstop. The Lady Statesman could not corral the ball in time and Carlson legged it out. Meanwhile, Rollins scored to pull VSU ahead. Merritt reached on an error by the Delta State third baseman. Then Jackson hit a high fly ball to left center. The DSU outfielders collided in an effort to bring it down and the ball fell to the ground. Merritt and Ariel Shaw, re-entered for Carlson to run, came home on the play to give VSU the 5-2 lead with 1.5 innings to play. After nothing from Delta State, Valdosta State went to scoring again. Shirey reached first on an error by the third baseman and Amy Brightwell came in as a pinch runner. She scored on a deep hit from Rollins that went all the way to the left center fence. 6-2, VSU. Delta State could not do anything in the end, so VSU stays undefeated at the GSC Crossover. The Lady Blazers will be back in action against No. 24 Arkansas-Monticello at 1 p.m. and Arkansas Tech at 3 p.m. Saturday.

VSU Cheer and Dance Win National Championship Again

2010-04-09

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Valdosta State earned two more national championship titles Friday at the NCA National Collegiate Cheerleading Championship. The dance team won its third consecutive national championship while the small co-ed team won the national championship for the second year in a row. The all-girl team placed second in its division. The dance team placed first in the Open Dance Division II. Central Oklahoma finished second, followed by Fullerton in third place. The Red Hots also won second place in the Hip Hop Division II for the first time. In Small Co-ed Division II, Valdosta State kept its top spot. Central Oklahoma finished second and Hawaii Pacific placed third. In All-Girl Division II, Valdosta State fell to second place after finals, overtaken by Fairmont State. HPU remained in third place. All three teams will participate in Stunt Fest on Saturday and return to Valdosta on Sunday.

Satterfield Leads VSU Past Christian Bros.

2010-04-08

DECATUR, Ala. - Valdosta State moved to 27-4 overall and 12-3 in the Gulf South Conference with a 4-0 win over Christian Brothers at the Gulf South Conference Crossover Thursday. Holly Satterfield moved to 15-2 on the season with a one-hitter. Satterfield struck out nine on the day. She teamed with her defense to not even let a Buccaneer touch a base until CBU's Alyse Brewer finally notched a hit in the seventh inning. The first two innings were quiet, but April Hutchens started a big third inning for the Lady Blazers. She singled to left field and Melessa Jackson walked. Amber Shaw laid down a bunt and reached first on an error to load the bases. All the runners advanced on a passed ball, so Hutchens scored the first run of the game. Sarah Vaughn singled to right field on the next play to bring in Jackson. Then Vaughn stole VSU's second base of the inning. Marti Littlefield notched the third single of the inning for the Lady Blazers to score Shaw. Vaughn made it a four-run inning when she scored on a sacrifice bunt from Colette Rollins. After that, Christian Brothers finally made it out of the inning, but upon returning to the field in the fourth, the Buccaneers replaced pitcher Leigh Ann Henry with Michelle McEachron. Valdosta State was able to put up two hits on McEachron, but no runs. Christian Brothers could not mount a comeback because the Bucs simply couldn't touch Satterfield until the single hit in the seventh inning. Vaughn led the team in hits with a two for three performance. Other players with hits were Shaw, Littlefield, Rollins, Morgan Johnson and Hutchens. The Lady Blazers will continue play at the GSC Crossover Friday against Henderson State at 3 p.m. and Delta State at 5 p.m.

VSU Cheer and Dance Blaze Through Prelims

2010-04-08

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - After preliminary competition Thursday, all three teams from Valdosta State are first place in their divisions. Each team will advance to finals Friday and fight to stay on top at the National Cheer and Dance Championships. In All-Girl Division II, VSU leads with a total score of 8.845, followed closely by Fairmont State with an 8.661, and in third place, defending champions Hawaii Pacific with an 8.182. Fairmont State received a raw score of 9.011 but after tumbling busts and a dropped stunt received a 0.35 deduction. VSU earned a raw score of 8.945 but suffered a 0.10 deduction for a stunt drop. HPU had a raw score of 8.482 then received a 0.30 deduction after tumbling errors and a collapse of the entire right side of the pyramid. The girls will battle on the Ocean Walk Band-Shell stage Friday evening. VSU all-girl will perform at 5:25 p.m. In the Dance Open Division II, VSU leads with a preliminary score of 8.831, followed by Central Oklahoma with an 8.519. Fullerton took third place with an 8.459. In the Small Co-ed Division II, VSU leads with a total score of 9.036, trailed by HPU with an 8.968, then Central Oklahoma with an 8.816. Valdosta State's small co-ed team took the mat ready to defend last year's national title, while Hawaii Pacific came to get it back after losing for the first time in seven years last year. The preliminary competition was close, and deductions were the difference. UCO received a raw score of 9.166 then suffered a 0.35 deduction. HPU earned a raw score of 9.118 and a 0.15 deduction. VSU received a raw score of 9.086 and received a 0.05 deduction for a minor tumbling error. The finalists will compete Friday for the national championship. VSU small co-ed will perform at the Ocean Walk Band-Shell stage at 4:25 p.m.

Koenigsfeld Leads VSU to 8-5 Win

2010-04-07

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Jon Koenigsfeld was four-for-four at the plate and drove in four runs to lead Valdosta State to an 8-5 victory over Georgia Southwestern in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Wednesday evening. Georgia Southwestern (19-12) opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Bud Long tripled off the wall in centerfield to open the game and scored as Zack Stanton followed with a single up the middle. Trent Dooley followed with a double to right-center and scored along with Stanton on a Byron Haynes single up the middle. After Paschel Poston was hit by a pitch, Kevin Carroll doubled down the left field line to score Haynes, chasing VSU starter Luke Connell and giving the Hurricanes a 4-0 lead. Jared Allen greeted Blazer reliever Kyle Rowe with a single through the left-side of the infield to plate Poston and give GSW a five run lead while Rowe struck out the next three batters to end the inning. Valdosta State (29-11) got two runs back in the second inning on a pair of back-to-back doubles. Austin Smith walked to open the inning and advanced to third as Jake Summers followed with a double to right-center. Koenigsfeld proceeded to double to right to score both base runners and cut the Blazer deficit to 5-2. The Blazers cut the Georgia Southwestern lead to two runs in the fourth as Koenigsfeld singled and scored on a Jordan Hollis base hit to right before scoring four runs in the fifth to take the lead. Ryan Danbury walked to open the fifth inning and used a ground out and wild pitch to move to third base before scoring on a Summers single up the middle. A wild pitch moved both Summers, and Smith, who had a previously drawn a walk, into scoring position and Koenigsfeld drove both base runners home with a single up the middle to put the Blazers in front. The VSU short stop promptly stole second and scored on a Josh Vining single to give VSU a 7-5 advantage. VSU took advantage of an error by Jared Allen at first base to add an eighth run in the seventh inning Jeremy Coram earned his first career victory as he did not surrender a hit in an inning and two-thirds. Brett Kennedy recorded the final nine outs to pick up his first save. Summers finished with a pair of hits while Danbury extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a single in the sixth inning. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 10 when it opens a three-game Gulf South Conference series against North Alabama with a doubleheader in Florence, Ala. First pitch of game one of the doubleheader is slated for 2:00 p.m.

Satterfield, Shirey Named GSC Players of the Week

2010-04-07

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valdosta State swept the Gulf South Conference's East Division Player of the Week awards with Holly Satterfield taking home Pitcher of the Week honors and Alyssa Shirey notching her first Player of the Week award of the season and her career. It is Satterfield's second such award. Shirey hit .417 last week with a .500 on-base percentage. She scored four times and tallied five RBIs in four wins against North Alabama and West Alabama. She went three for four with two runs and five RBIs in a single game against West Alabama. Satterfield takes home the honor for the second time in three weeks. She went 2-0 and added a save on the week. In 13 innings pitches, Satterfield allowed two earned runs for just a 1.08 earned run average. She walked two and struck out 10. In a 2-0 victory against North Alabama, Satterfield struck out six, walked one and gave up just two hits. The duo will look to lead Valdosta State past the GSC West at this weekend GSC Crossover Tournament.

Blazers Finish 11th at Buc Invite

2010-04-06

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - Valdosta State shot a final round 293 to finish 11th out of 14 teams at Carraba's Italian Grill Invitational at the par 71, 6,805-yard Normandy Shores Golf Club Tuesday. The Blazers finished the tournament with a 38-over-par 890 to finish 36 strokes behind tournament winner and host Barry, which finished at 854. Lynn was second with a 16-over 868 followed by Brevard Community College with an 872. Tampa and Central Missouri each shot a 26-over 878 to come home tied for fourth. Chesley Gunn shot a three-under 68 on Tuesday and finished the tournament one-under-par with a 212 to finish fourth in the tournament. Chad Smith tied for eighth with a two-over 215 while Fredrick Hildebrand tied for 61st with a 228. Will Repko finished with a 23-over 236 to tie for 76th while Wade Holland finished 81st with a 240. Clarke Hendrick participated as an individual and finished 73rd with a 21-over 234. Valdosta State returns to action Monday, April 19 when it begins play in the Gulf South Conference Championship at the Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Ark.

Blazers Top Saint Leo 18-7

2010-04-06

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State scored 11 first inning runs to defeat Saint Leo 18-7 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Valdosta State (28-11) sent 15 batters to the plate in the first during which seven of its starters collected a hit. Ryan Danbury opened the inning with a triple to center and scored as Antonio Clark followed with a single through the right-side of the infield. Brandon Decker proceeded to hit his 17th home run of the year, a shot over the wall in right. Clayton Cain was hit by a pitch and Austin Smith drew a walk before a Jon Koenigsfeld fly ball was dropped by SLU rightfielder Dustin Brown to load the bases. Josh Vining followed with a single to plate Cain and Smith while Koenigsfeld scored on a Jake Summers double before Chris Jones hit a sacrifice fly to score Vining. Two batters later, Clark doubled to score Summers and scored on a Decker single, a play in which Brown committed his second error of the inning, while a Cain ground ball was thrown away by Lion third baseman Kory Wan to score Decker. Smith drove in the final run of the frame with a single that scored Cain to post the Blazers to an 11-0 lead. Saint Leo (15-24) got two runs back in the top of the third as J.C. Suarez singled with two outs before scoring on a Brown home run to right-center before adding two more runs in the fourth. With one out in the fourth, Blake Turner singled and advanced to second two batters when Ryan Brnovich also singled. With two outs in the frame, Suarez tripled to right to score both base runners and cut the VSU advantage to 11-4. Brown added his second home run of the game off the foul pole down the left field line in the fifth while Clark stole home in the bottom of the frame to keep the Blazer lead at seven runs. The Blazers added two more runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth while SLU got two in the ninth to close out the scoring. Tyler Wooten improved to 2-0 on the season as he allowed three hits and two runs while striking out three over the course of the last four and a third innings. Austin Buck fell to 1-5 after surrendering six runs, five of which were earned. Decker was a perfect three-for-three with three runs scored and three RBI in the game while Clark collected three hits and scored four runs. Smith also tallied three hits as VSU pounded out 17 in the game. Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, April 7 at 5:00 p.m. when it hosts Georgia Southwestern in Billy Grant Field.

Player Spotlight: Fredrik Hildebrand

2010-04-06

Throughout the spring 2010 semester, Valdosta State Sports Information intern Lacey Bearden will present a player spotlight profile on various Blazer athletes. Check back each week to learn more about your favorite Blazer players. Fredrik Hildebrand grew up in Linkoeping, Sweden, where he and his identical twin brother learned to play golf in their back yard using a set of plastic golf clubs. Eventually he got a real set of Mizuno clubs and competed on the Swedish Junior National Tour, ranking 80th out of 5,000 athletes. In 2004, he defeated his brother by 17 strokes to win the Linkoeping Club Championship. Hildebrand came to VSU in August 2009 for the chance to improve his game, get an education and experience American culture. When he first arrived in Valdosta, he said it felt like he was playing golf in a sauna. He was used to playing in 20 or 30-degree weather back home; sometimes he even played when it was snowing. After adjusting to the heat and the different type of grass on the putting greens, Hildebrand was ready to help VSU win a national title. The freshman finance major finished second in the first golf tournament he played in America. He also helped VSU win the home tournament at Kinderlou Country Club for the first time since 1995. "I enjoy playing golf at VSU because it is more of a team sport, and back home in Sweden it is an individual sport," Hildebrand said. "I love the feeling I get when I hit a good shot and knowing it helped the team." In high school, Hildebrand also played tennis and squash (a sport similar to racquetball). In his free time he enjoys working out at campus REC and reading sci-fi books. Hildebrand likes living in Valdosta, however he admits it is frustrating not being able to fully express himself due to his limited English vocabulary. His limits might stop him from expressing his feelings to others but they have not hindered his education. He currently has a 3.0 GPA and received an invitation to be a member of the Freshman Honors Program. Hildebrand plans to spend the next three years playing golf for VSU and becoming more fluent in English. After graduation and a lot of practice, he dreams of possibly joining the European or PGA tour. Favorites: Golf Clubs: Mizuno driver Candy: Swedish Fish Movie: Avatar Drink: Mountain Dew T.V. Show: V

Strong Defense Leads to Split with Jags

2010-04-06

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - Second-ranked Valdosta State and No. 16 Augusta State displayed strong defensive efforts in Tuesday's doubleheader with just four runs scored in two games. It even took three extra innings and an extra runner on base to score the lone winning run in the second game. The only runs scored for VSU were off a solo home run from reigning Gulf South Conference Player of the Week Alyssa Shirey, her 11th, and a squeeze play. April Hutchens laid down the bunt while Ariel Shaw slid in from third to win game two and move to 26-3 on the season. Augusta State finished the day at 35-13 for the season. In the first inning, Kacey Sims reached first on an error from Amy Brightwell. She moved from first to third on a single up the middle from Kristen Jones and scored on a passed ball. Valdosta State answered in the second inning with Shirey's homer, but then the bats went quiet until the seventh. Alysha Krier hit a solo homer to claim a 2-1 lead and VSU could not answer in the bottom of the seventh. Reigning GSC Pitcher of the Week Holly Satterfield struck out seven, allowed two hits and gave up one earned run in seven innings of play. In game two Margaret Carter pitched great, striking out eight, walking one and allowing two hits. The lack of scoring in game two was broken up by a few outstanding defensive plays by Valdosta State. Marti Littlefield notched two putouts on two diving catches. April Hutchens played excellent defense all day while Colette Rollins was spot on at first. In the 10th inning, each team started with a runner at second base. Augusta State could only move its runner to third, but Shaw scored for VSU. After advancing to third on a bunt form Brightwell, Shaw scored off Hutchens' bunt. The Lady Blazers tallied nine hits on the day. They came from Shirey (1), Rollins (3), Hutchens (1), Melessa Jackson (1), Amber Shaw (1), Littlefield (1), and Stephanie Carlson (1). Valdosta State will see its next action Thursday at the Gulf South Conference Crossover Tournament.

Volleyfest is Back!

2010-04-06

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State volleyball's Volleyfest is back and will take place Saturday May 1. Volleyfest is a 3-on-3 coed grass volleyball tournament on the front lawn of the university. It takes place from 9 a.m. until one team is left standing. There are prizes to the first and second place teams and there are two divisions: open for serious players and rec if you're working on your tan. The entry deadline is April 30, 2 p.m. To enter a team, stop by the volleyball office at the Complex, call (229) 333-5894 or email Head Coach Sia Poyer at impoyer@valdosta.edu. The entry fee is $15 per player. Volleyfest is VSU volleyball's major fundraiser and helps the team throughout its season. Don't miss out on a day full of fun. For more information, check out this flyer.

Golf Stumbles During First Day of Buccaneer Invite

2010-04-05

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - Valdosta State fired a four-over 288 in the first round, but stumbled to a 25-over 309 in the second round to stand 11 after the first day of play at the Carraba's Italian Grill Classic at the par-71, 6,805-yard Normandy Shores Golf Club Monday. The Blazers stood tied for fourth after the first round of play, but fell to 11th following the second round. Host Barry claimed the first day lead as it shot a two-over 570 on the day. Chesley Gunn tied for 15th after the first two rounds as he shot a two-over 144. Chad Smith was two strokes behind and tied for 25th while Fredrick Hildebrand tied for 53rd with a nine-over 151. Will Repko shot a 156 to tie for 72nd and Wade Holland rounded out the VSU squad with a 161 to tie for 82nd. Blazer Clarke Hendrick, who is playing as an individual in the event, shot a 153 to tie for 64th. Brevard Community College%u2019s Spencer Baldwin claimed the first day individual lead as he shot a five-under 137. The tournament concludes with a single round of play beginning at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Blazers Claim Championship

2010-04-03

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Valdosta State won the Small College Blue & Gray Invitational in Montgomery, Ala., Saturday. To claim the championship, VSU had to beat the hometown Auburn-Montgomery. The Blazers pulled it out, 6-1. Valdosta State jumped out early with three wins in doubles action. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech won, 8-5, in the top spot while Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman won, 8-6 in the third position. The most lopsided win in doubles came at the second position where Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen won, 8-2. Valdosta State only needed to win two singles matches to secure the win, but tallied three. In the second and third spots, Dueren and Hansen won 4-6, 6-2 (5) and 6-1, 6-2 respectively. Konstantin Kutschenko then took the win in the fifth position with a 6-3, 6-3 victory. The only point Auburn-Montgomery could muster came in top singles where Pakebusch fell, 6-1, 6-2.

Blazers Pound West Georgia 18-2

2010-04-03

CARROLLTON, Ga. - Valdosta State hit five home runs, including two by Jordan Yost, as the Blazers defeated West Georgia 18-2 in seven innings in a Gulf South Conference showdown at Cole Field Saturday afternoon. The Blazers (27-11, 7-2) scored in each of the first four innings to jump out to a 13-2 advantage. Brandon Decker opened the scoring with his team-leading 16th home run, a solo shot, in the first inning while Jake Summers added his second of the year, a two-run homer to right, in the second to put the Blazers in front 3-0. VSU added five more runs in the third inning as Decker, who finished the day a perfect four-for-four with four runs scored and three RBI, and Josh Vining tallied run-scoring singles while Yost connected on his first round-tripper of the game, a three-run blast to left to posted Valdosta State to a 8-0 lead. After West Georgia (11-28, 2-7) got two runs in the bottom of the third, the Blazers added five more runs in the fourth. Clayton Cain opened the scoring in the inning with a RBI single before Austin Smith plated three runs as he collected the fourth VSU home run of the day. Yost, who finished the game with six RBI, added a run scoring single later in the frame to push the Blazer lead to 13-2. Valdosta State added two more runs in the sixth on Yost's second homer of the game and closed out the game with three more runs in the seventh. Brett Kennedy picked up the victory for Valdosta State, improving to 5-3 on the year, as he allowed just eight hits and two runs while striking out four batters in a complete game effort. John Lees fell to 1-7 after surrendering six runs on six hits in two and a third innings. Yost and Vining each finished with three hits in the contest while Smith was two-of-three with three runs scored and three RBI. Valdosta State returns to action Tuesday, April 6 when it hosts Saint Leo in Billy Grant Field at 6:30 p.m. The contest is a make-up game for a contest rained out on February 5.

Lady Blazers Sweep Tigers

2010-04-03

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score LIVINGSTON, Ala. - Valdosta State brought out the big bats again for the match up against West Alabama, scoring 13 runs on the day and 10 in game one. The Lady Blazers put away the Tigers, 10-2 and 3-2 to move to 25-3 overall and 11-3 in the Gulf South Conference. In the first inning of game one, six VSU runners touched base, but only Amber Shaw and Alyssa Shirey scored. Then, in the second inning, Shirey homered to bring in Shaw and Morgan Johnson for an early 5-0 lead. West Alabama answered with two runs in the third inning, but had to be dejected in the fourth inning when the middle of VSU's lineup hit three consecutive home runs. Shirey hit her second one of the game to left center. Stephanie Carlson hit one over center field, and Colette Rollins took hers to right field. Two more runs in the fifth inning ended the game. Holly Satterfield earned the win with five innings pitched, five hits and two runs allowed and four strikeouts. Margaret Carter picked up the second win on the day with six innings pitched. She struck out four. Satterfield pitched the final inning to close it out. The second game was played much tighter with the Lady Blazers trailing, 1-0, most of the game. Then, in the seventh inning, Sarah Vaughn singled to right field and Courtney Merritt walked. They both scored on a single up the middle from Carlson. Then Shaw scored using her speed to take advantage of an error on a West Alabama outfielder. The Tigers could only score one run in the final inning, but it would not be enough. Valdosta State's next action comes against Augusta State at home at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Blazers Split with West Georgia

2010-04-02

CARROLLTON, Ga. - Valdosta State dropped the first game 10-9 before rebounding for a 19-9 victory in game two as the Blazers split a Gulf South Conference doubleheader with West Georgia at Cole Field Friday afternoon. The Wolves (11-27, 2-6) grabbed control of the first game as it broke a 1-1 tie with six runs in the third inning. Mike Markakis drove in the first run in the inning with a bases loaded single before Brandon Mainor was hit by a pitch for the second run. Ben Lillis followed with a grand slam over the fence in centerfield to give UWG a 7-1 advantage. The Blazers (26-11, 6-2) got one run back in the fourth, on a Jon Koenigsfeld single, and three more in the seventh, where Brandon Decker, Jake Summers and Jordan Yost collected run scoring hits, to close to within 7-5 before taking the lead in the eighth. With Koenigsfeld and Chris Jones on base, Decker hit his 14th home run of the year to put Valdosta State in front while Cain followed with his 12th round tripper of the year, the third time this season the duo has hit back-to-back home runs. West Georgia claimed the game victory with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the eighth. David Buchanan led off the frame with his first home run of the year while three batters later Justin Smith tallied his second of the year, scoring Blake Parrott who had been hit by a pitch. Jordan Yost fell to 2-2 on the year as he allowed three runs on the two hits in the eighth inning. Preston Lowther picked up his first win, against two losses, as he surrendered just two hits and no runs in an inning and a third. Valdosta State jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the second game, beginning with two unearned runs in the second inning, before adding eight more runs in the third. Decker started off the scoring in the third with his second home run of the day, a two-run shot, while Yost added a two-run single that scored Cain and Austin Smith. Koenigsfeld also added a two-run single and a Decker walk forced in a seventh run while Cain was hit by a pitch to score Koenigsfeld to put VSU up 10-0. The Blazers added five more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run double by Decker, who tallied six RBI in the game. The Wolves responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth, including a three-run homer by Markakis, to close to within 15-7 before closing its deficit to seven runs with a run in the sixth. VSU answered with four runs in the top of the seventh, including two via bases loaded walks, as well as two more on singles by Summers and Smith, while West Georgia closed out the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Jeremy Forbus improved to 6-1 as he allowed 13 hits and six runs in five innings on the mound. Toby Jordan fell to 0-1 after allowing six hit and six runs in two and a third innings. Decker finished with five hits, including a double and a triple to go along with his two home runs, and 11 RBI in seven at-bats on the day. Jones tallied six hits and six runs scored while Koenigsfeld finished with five hits and four runs batted in. The two teams conclude the three-game series with a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Valdosta State Tennis Sweeps Second Day

2010-04-02

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - After splitting Thursday, both teams garnered victories Friday. The men continued their strong play with a 9-0 win over Abilene Christian that didn't need a third set all day. The Lady Blazers squeaked by Clayton State with a 5-4 win. The Blazers grabbed an early lead after doubles. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech won in the top doubles spot, 8-3, while Daniel Dueren and Christian Hansen won in the second spot, 8-2. The closest match of the day for the men came in the third doubles position. Otto Lenhart and Frank Sickman went to a tiebreaker, but pulled it out, 9-8 (6). After that, singles play wasn't even close. Konstantin Kutschenko and Kuech won in the fifth and sixth spots respectively with matching scores of 6-0, 6-1. In the top two spots, Pakebusch and Dueren matched each other with 6-2, 6-2 wins. Hansen and Lenhart each took care of business with a 6-3, 6-3 win and a 6-1, 6-3 win respectively. The Lady Blazers were able to win a tight one against Clayton State. In a match where every point was important, VSU won doubles, 2-1. Natali Gumbrecht and Hollie Bees won in the top spot for VSU, 9-8 (2). Then Sonya Haggstrom and Nicole Hernandez teamed up to win in the third position, 8-3. Both teams split in singles action with VSU's Gumbrecht, Haggstrom and Hernandez picking up wins in the top, fifth and sixth slots. Gumbrecht defeated Katie White easily, 6-3, 6-1, while Haggstrom put away Evelin Csizi, 6-1, 6-0. Hernandez went to three sets and pulled it out, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Valdosta State Tennis Sweeps Second Day

2010-04-02

VSU Claws the Lions

2010-04-02

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score FLORENCE, Ala. - Valdosta State took down North Alabama, 2-0, 8-0, Friday to move to 23-3 overall and 9-3 in the Gulf South Conference. The first game was uncharacteristic of the Lady Blazers, which is to say no home runs were hit, but Valdosta State proved it can manufacture runs that matter in the close games. North Alabama's Jennifer Sexton had a no-hitter going until the sixth inning when Melessa Jackson hit a single up the right side to break it. She moved to second when Amber Shaw notched the second hit for VSU with a single to the pitcher on a bunt. Then April Hutchens put the ball in play to move runners to second third. Marti Littlefield singled up the middle next to score Jackson. Shaw scored after that when Alyssa Shirey put the ball into play next. With that, the scoring was over. Holly Satterfield only allowed two hits to the Lions and struck out six to notch the win. Margaret Carter struck out five and allowed four hits in seven innings for game two. There were still no home runs in game two, but the Lady Blazers racked up eight runs and allowed none for the win. Amy Brightwell and Sarah Vaughn scored VSU's first two runs in the second inning. Jackson and Shaw notched the RBIs. Then the Lady Blazers put up a big inning in the third. Littlefield and Shirey both scored on a Brightwell double, then Brightwell and Vaughn scored again to go up 6-0 early. Vaughn and Ashley Steinhilber, pinch running for Colette Rollins, scored in the fifth and sixth innings to complete the 8-0 win. Valdosta State plays again Saturday against West Alabama.

Valdosta State Tennis Splits at Tournament

2010-04-01

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Valdosta State started the tournament at Auburn University at Montgomery Thursday. The Blazers beat Emory, 8-1, while the Lady Blazers fell, 7-2, to Auburn-Montgomery. The only match the men dropped was the third doubles spot. Philip Pakebush and Michael Kuech won, 8-5, in the top spot while Christian Hansen and Daniel Dueren also won, 8-5. In singles action, the Blazers were perfect. Pakebusch, Hansen, Otto Lenhart and Keuch all won in two sets. Dueren and Konstantin Kutschenko went to tiebreakers in the second and fifth positions. Dueren won, 6-2, 6-7 (5), while Kutschenko won, 6-4, 6-7 (8). The Lady Blazers had a tougher time Thursday. Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann won in the second doubles position, but Valdosta State would only win one more match. That came in the fifth singles spot. Sonya Haggstrom won, 6-1, 4-6, 3-4 default. Both Natali Gumbrecht and Trautmann pushed matches to the tiebreaker while all other fell in two sets. Friday the men will face Abilene Christian while the women draw Clayton State.

Valdosta State Tennis Splits at Tournament

2010-04-01

Lady Blazer Basketball Tryouts

2010-03-31

We are extremely interested in those student-athletes who want to be a part of our "family" at VSU and who are dedicated 100% both in the classroom and on the basketball court. If you're interested in our open tryout, it will take place Sunday, April 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Complex located on the VSU campus. Registration will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. Below you will find forms that need to be filled out and returned as soon as possible. Please follow directions below: High School Seniors/Community College Transfers: 1. Fill out and return the Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement (The form MUST be notarized and insurance information MUST be up-to-date and accurate. If you are under 18 years of age, a parent/guardian must sign the Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement form. 2. Fill out and return the Student-Athlete Questionnaire 3. Physical Form (All tryout participants MUST have had an athletic physical administered within 6 months prior to the tryout and MUST bring a copy of their completed physical form to the tryout. Physical forms for high school seniors/community college transfers are NOT provided by VSU's athletic department. Current VSU Students: 1. Fill out and return the Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement (The form MUST be notarized and insurance information MUST be up-to-date and accurate. If you are under 18 years of age, a parent/guardian must sign the Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement form. 2. Fill out and return the Student-Athlete Questionnaire 3. Orthopedic Screening Form (screening is available ONLY from 1:30-5 p.m. on March 25, March 30, April 1, and April 6 and will be conducted in the Complex athletic training room by Mr. Brian Struck) Screenings can only take place on the above dates and a student will not be allowed to tryout if the screening is incomplete. Forms will be filled out and given to the student upon completion of the screening. 4. Physical Form (will be given to the VSU student once she has completed the Orthopedic Screening with Mr. Struck and then it's up to the student to set up an appointment with VSU's Student Health Center.) All tryout participants MUST have had an athletic physical administered within 6 months prior to the tryout and MUST bring a copy of their completed physical form to the tryout. For any questions concerning the tryout date, the Lady Blazer program or Valdosta State University, please do not hesitate to call the women's basketball office at (229) 333-5901. Also, feel free to e-mail Associate Head Coach Jennifer Head at jshead@valdosta.edu or Head Coach Kiley Hill at khill@valdosta.edu.

Gusky Named GSC Pitcher of the Week

2010-03-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - For the second time this season, Ross Gusky has been named the Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Week, according to an announcement made by the league office on Tuesday. Gusky earned the honor after leading Valdosta State to a 6-1 victory over West Alabama in the first game of a three-game Blazer sweep over the weekend. The senior allowed just five hits and one run in a career-high seven and two-thirds innings on the mound to run his record to 6-1 on the season. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native struck out seven batters while walking just one and did not allow more than one hit in a single inning. Gusky's honor marks the fourth time this season a Blazer hurler has earned the Conference%u2019s weekly honor.

Littlefield Named Player of the Week

2010-03-30

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Marti Littlefield picked up her second Player of the Week award and the team's third award this season for her performances against Albany State and West Florida last week. Holly Satterfield was named Pitcher of the Week last week. Against Albany State Littlefield was just getting warmed up. She notched a double and a home run, two runs and two RBIs in a sweep of the Golden Rams. Saturday, Littlefield led VSU past West Florida to claim sole possession of second place in the Gulf South Conference's East Division. She was five for seven in two games against the Argonauts for a .714 batting average. Littlefield blasted three home runs on her way to eight RBIs. Two of her three homers gave VSU the lead for good in each game. For the week, Littlefield tallied seven hits, 10 RBIs, eight runs scored and four home runs with three walks. She hit .538 with a 1.538 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage. Littlefield and the Lady Blazers will travel for doubleheaders against North Alabama and West Alabama Saturday and Sunday.

Nine Earn GSC Academic Honors

2010-03-29

VALDOSTA, Ga. - After a stellar season by the Valdosta State Lady Blazers that saw the team finish atop the Gulf South Conference East the honors continue to roll in. A conference high nine Lady Blazers earned GSC winter academic honors. Senior Michelle Thompson, second team All-GSC, was named to the GSC Winter All-Academic team. Not only did she make the team, but she carried a 3.88 grade point average, highest on the women's team. In fact, Thompson's GPA was the second highest of all 21 student-athletes named to the GSC All-Academic team. She will earn her degree in business finance. In addition to Thompson's honor, eight other Lady Blazers were named to the GSC Winter Academic Honor Roll. Amanda Haven, Alli Jones, Leschelle Matthews, Logan Petrey, Courtney Mitchell, Lauren Maples, Maegan Czerepinski and Jocelyn Danley all finished with GPAs higher than 3.0 with the highest at 3.86 and an average GPA of 3.44. Jones, Petrey and Danley are all freshman while Haven, Mitchell, Czerepinski and Maples are sophomores. Mathews joins Thompson as representatives of the senior class.

VSU Soccer Looking for Players

2010-03-29

Head Coach Melissa Heinz is looking for talent to field Valdosta State's first soccer team. If you're interested, be sure to complete this questionnaire and return it to Heinz. She can be reached through email at mlheinz@valdosta.edu or by phone at (229) 219-3290. Forms can also be faxed to (229) 245-2494.

VSU Soccer to Host Women's Soccer Clinic

2010-03-29

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Head Coach Melissa Heinz is wasting no time getting acclimated to the Valdosta community. Heinz will host a women's soccer clinic for girls ages 14-18. The clinic will take place April 24 and May 15 and will last from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The clinic will focus on techniques and tactics for players who want to take their game to the next level and will also provide an introduction to female athletes with aspirations for collegiate soccer. Specialized goalkeeper training will also be provided, and high school coaches are welcome to attend. For complete information and a registration form, please click here.

Blazers Top West Alabama 11-5

2010-03-28

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State overcame three errors in the field to defeat West Alabama 11-5 in Gulf South Conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon. West Alabama (16-13, 1-5) got on the board first without the benefit of a hit as it took advantage of two first inning errors by Valdosta State to score a run on a sacrifice fly by Deon Williams. The Blazers (25-10, 5-1) evened the game in the bottom of the second as it jumped on an error by West Alabama. Jon Koenigsfeld singled with one out in the frame and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jordan Hollis proceeded to hit a single to center that was misplayed by Dallas Rodgers, allowing the ball to bounce to the wall. Koenigsfeld scored on the play and Hollis moved all the way to third, allowing him to score as Ryan Danbury followed with a single off the glove of Douglas Frazier at short to give VSU a 2-1 lead. The Tigers evened the game in the third on another error by the Blazers. With one out, Brian Simone singled and moved to third on a two-out hit by Colin McKeen. Koenigsfeld followed with a fielding error on a Deon Williams ground ball, allowing Simone to tie the score at 2-2. Jake Summers put Valdosta State back in front with his first home run of the year in the fourth inning. Three batters later Chris Jones reached on a fielding error and Danbury was hit by a pitch before both base runners scored on a double by Antonio Clark to give the Blazers a 5-2 advantage. UWA cut its deficit to two runs in the sixth inning as Brian Simone drew a one out walk and stole second before scoring on a two-out single by Colin McKeen only to have VSU get the run back in the bottom of the frame when Koenigsfeld scored on a wild pitch. Clark followed with a single on a hit-and-run play that moved Danbury, who had walked on the wild pitch, to third. Brandon Decker proceeded to single to center and the ball was again misplayed by Rogers to allow both Danbury and Clark to score to give Valdosta State an 8-3 lead. After a 50 minute delay for lightning, the Tigers took advantage of a pair of walks and a sacrifice fly to score their fourth run while VSU added two more runs, including the first home run of the year by Hollis, in the bottom of the seventh. Decker added his 13th home run of the year in the eighth while Douglas Fraser hit an RBI single in the ninth for UWA to close out the scoring. Luke Connell improved to 2-1 on the season as he allowed one hit and one run in two innings of relief. Kasey Nafzger fell to 3-4 after surrendering six hits and five runs, only two of which were earned, in three and two-thirds innings. Decker finished with three hits and two RBI to lead VSU offensively while Clark and Hollis tallied two hits each. Valdosta State returns to action Friday, April 2 when it travels to Carrollton, Ga. for a three-game Gulf South Conference series against West Georgia. The two teams play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 2:00 p.m. followed by a single game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Baseball Sweeps West Alabama

2010-03-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State swept a Gulf South Conference doubleheader from West Alabama Saturday afternoon at Billy Grant Field as the Blazers claimed game one 6-1 before winning game two 10-4. Colin McKeen led off the top of the second inning of game one with a home run to left to put West Alabama (16-12, 1-4) in front 1-0 before Valdosta State (24-10, 4-1) responded with Austin Smith's fifth home run of the year in the bottom of the inning. Clayton Cain, who had singled to open the Blazer half of the frame, also scored on the play while Ryan Danbury added a bases loaded sacrifice fly to score Bobby Triglia to put VSU in front 3-1. The Blazers pushed their lead to 4-1 in the third as Cain drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a passed ball before scoring on a two out base hit by Triglia. Jon Koenigsfeld singled to drive home Jordan Hollis for the fifth VSU run of the game in the fourth and scored on a Cain ground out in the seventh to post Valdosta State to a 6-1 lead. Ross Gusky improved to 6-1 for Valdosta State as he allowed five hits and one run in seven and two-thirds innings. The senior struck out seven batters in the game while walking just one. Meanwhile, Colter Millican felt to 4-2 as he surrendered 10 hits and six runs in six innings on the mound. Valdosta State jumped out to an early lead in game two as it plated four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Danbury drew a walk to open the frame and moved to third as a Koenigsfeld single to left-center was bobbled by UWA left fielder Brian Simone. Brandon Decker proceeded to reach on an infield single to plate Danbury while Koenigsfeld scored on a Cain base hit through the right-side of the infield. Smith reached on a fielding error by Tiger pitcher Dom Sapp to load the bases, allowing Triglia to drive home Decker with a sacrifice fly. A wild pitch by Sapp moved both base runners up a base, allowing Cain to score on a sacrifice fly by Chris Jones to give VSU a 4-0 lead. The Tigers got a run back in the second inning as Deon Williams hit his first home run of the year only to have VSU respond with a Koenigsfeld run off a double by Decker and Cain's 11th home run of the year to push the Blazer advantage to 7-1. Valdosta State added single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings while West Alabama got a two-run home run from Kevin Deese in the sixth. Decker hit his 12th home run of the year for the Blazers in the sixth and West Alabama closed out the scoring with a single run in the seventh. Jeremy Forbus picked up his fifth win of the year, against just one loss, as he gave up five hits and three run while striking out six batters in five and two-thirds innings of work. Sapp (3-1) took the loss after surrendering six hits and seven runs in just two innings. Cain led the Blazers with three hits and four runs driven in on the day while Decker finished with four hits and three runs driven in. Koenigsfeld also tallied four hits while scoring three runs. The two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field.

Blazers, Lady Blazers Take Down West Florida

2010-03-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - After being delayed due to darkness, Valdosta State's matches with Delta State were cancelled, but the Blazer and Lady Blazers were able to complete their matches with West Florida. After falling behind in doubles, the Blazers came back to sneak past West Florida, 5-4. After only winning the second spot in doubles, the Blazers had to take four of the six singles matches to win. Daniel Dueren took the top spot in singles with a win over No. 12 Kevin Ducros. Dueren, No. 4, took Ducros with matching 6-4 sets. In the fourth position, Otto Lenhart beat Patrick Bateman, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. Konstantin Kutschenko and Michael Kuech fell in line in the fifth and sixth spots with match clinching wins. Kutschenko beat Sean Gunnels, 6-3, 6-3, while Kuech defeated Mike Lue, 6-3, 6-0. The women entered Saturday needing just one more point to beat West Florida. They got it and one more for good measure. The Lady Blazers jumped out to an early 2-1 lead after doubles, then took two more in singles Friday. By the time Saturday was done, VSU had beaten the Argonauts, 6-3. The Lady Blazers were able to pull off two more singles wins before Saturday was over to put the Argos away. In the second and third spots respectively, Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann were able to retire No. 33 Paulina Ojeda, 6-1, 6-4, and Taylor Brewster, 4-6, 7-6, 10-4. In the fifth and sixth positions Hollie Bees and Sonya Haggstrom each took care of business. Bees beat Mariana Sonnervig, 6-4, 6-2, while Haggstrom took down Luiza Sonnervig in matching 6-2 sets. Bees and Natali Gumbrecht won again, 8-6, in the top double spot while Durante and Trautmann took the second position, 8-4.

Blazers, Lady Blazers Take Down West Florida

2010-03-27

VALDOSTA, Ga. - After being delayed due to darkness, Valdosta State's matches with Delta State were cancelled, but the Blazer and Lady Blazers were able to complete their matches with West Florida. After falling behind in doubles, the Blazers came back to sneak past West Florida, 5-4. After only winning the second spot in doubles, the Blazers had to take four of the six singles matches to win. Daniel Dueren took the top spot in singles with a win over No. 12 Kevin Ducros. Dueren, No. 4, took Ducros with matching 6-4 sets. In the fourth position, Otto Lenhart beat Patrick Bateman, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. Konstantin Kutschenko and Michael Kuech fell in line in the fifth and sixth spots with match clinching wins. Kutschenko beat Sean Gunnels, 6-3, 6-3, while Kuech defeated Mike Lue, 6-3, 6-0. The women entered Saturday needing just one more point to beat West Florida, and they got it. The Lady Blazers jumped out to an early 2-1 lead after doubles and then took two more in singles Friday. By the time Saturday was done, VSU had beaten the Argonauts, 6-3. The Lady Blazers were able to pull off two more singles wins before Saturday was over to put the Argos away. In the second and third spots respectively, Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann were able to retire No. 33 Paulina Ojeda, 6-1, 6-4, and Taylor Brewster, 4-6, 7-6, 10-4. In the fifth and sixth positions Hollie Bees and Sonya Haggstrom each took care of business. Bees beat Mariana Sonnervig, 6-4, 6-2, while Haggstrom took down Luiza Sonnervig in matching 6-2 sets. Bees and Natali Gumbrecht won again, 8-6, in the top double spot while Durante and Trautmann took the second position, 8-4.

VSU Makes it Six Wins in a Row

2010-03-27

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State moved to 21-3 overall and 7-3 in Gulf South Conference action with two wins over No. 15 West Florida Saturday. The Lady Blazers won, 14-6 and 8-4. West Florida drops to 27-6 and 6-4 in the GSC. The Argonauts came to Valdosta in second place in the GSC East, but with VSU's two wins, the Lady Blazers overcame West Florida to take sole possession of second in the East. After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning of game one, the Lady Blazers closed out strong to secure the first win of the day. Valdosta State answered with two runs in the first inning. Alyssa Shirey hit her eighth home run of the season to bring in Amber Shaw. Then VSU went big in the second inning with five runs highlighted by a three-run homer from Marti Littlefield, her ninth of the season. West Florida would only score two more runs, but Valdosta State tasted victory in the sixth and would not give the Argos a chance. The Lady Blazers scored six runs in the inning to win the game by run rule. Valdosta State's scoring in game two wasn't quite as bunched together as runs came in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. Littlefield hit another homer, then Shirey hit Littlefield home in the second. After that, Littlefield and April Hutchens both scored in the fifth inning. Littlefield continued her all-star day with her third home run, this one a three-run shot, to make it 11 on the season. Both Margaret Carter and Holly Satterfield picked up wins in the sweep. Satterfield struck out eight, while Carter took down four. Top offensive performers of the day included Littlefield (three homers, eight RBIs, five for seven, six runs scored), Hutchens (four for eight, three runs scored, three RBIs), Shirey (three for seven, three RBIs, one run scored), Amy Brightwell (two for four, one run, one RBI) and Stephanie Carlson (one for four, two RBIs, one run). Valdosta State returns to action April 2 at 1 p.m. at North Alabama.

Watch VSU Softball on Live Webcast

2010-03-27

Valdosta State is hosting a live webcast of VSU softball today. Catch the Lady Blazers' doubleheader against West Florida here, starting at 3 p.m. The two teams should make for good games as Valdosta State is ranked fourth in the nation and West Florida sits at 15th. The Argonauts, however, are second in the Gulf South Conference's East Division, while VSU is third. Last season, Valdosta State swept West Florida in five games, four in the regular season and one in the GSC Tournament.

VSU Tennis Rolls with Punches

2010-03-26

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Due to a rain delay Thursday, Valdosta State's tennis matches with North Alabama were moved to early morning Friday, forcing a doubleheader that caps off with West Florida. The second matches of the day against West Florida were called due to darkness, so VSU will continue to play UWF Saturday morning. In essence, Valdosta State went through one and a half doubleheaders Friday and will do the same on Saturday. Both teams were able to sweep North Alabama in the early going Friday. The men and the women each beat North Alabama, 5-0, before officials ended the match. The Blazers fell behind in doubles against West Florida, 2-1, before the match was called due to darkness. The Lady Blazers, however, were up, 4-1, on the Argonauts Friday night, needing just one more match to clinch victory. Saturday, both the Blazers and Lady Blazers will finish against West Florida and play Delta State so check back at vstateblazers.com for results.

VSU Tennis Rolls with Punches

2010-03-26

Blazers Fall 80-64 to IUP

2010-03-24

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Indiana (Pa.) used a 21-0 second half run to defeat Valdosta State 80-64 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Elite Eight Tournament at the MassMutual Center Wednesday afternoon. The game deciding run came over a five minute span early in the second half and turned a 46-34 VSU lead into a 55-46 advantage for IUP. The Crimson Hawks (31-2) connected on eight of 13 shots during the run and were dominant on the boards as they out-rebounded the undersized Blazer squad 11-0, including five offensive rebounds, during the span. Julian Sanders opened the spurt with back-to-back three-pointers while Darryl Webb scored the final nine points. Valdosta State (28-5) broke the run with a pair of Christian Hunter free throws, but went almost nine minutes without hitting a bucket. Marquis Robinson ended the drought with a lay-up off a feed from Hunter with 7:56 remaining, by which time VSU had fallen behind 61-48. Robinson had also connected on the previous basket by a Blazer, which had come with 16:49 remaining in the game. VSU got no closer than 10 the remainder of the contest as IUP connected on nine of 11 free throws over the final four minutes of the contest. The first six minutes of the game were closely contested as neither team led by more than three points. Trailing 10-9, Valdosta State grabbed control of the scoreboard with an 17-5 run over the next seven minutes of play. Kevin Harris opened the run with a jumper before Hunter hit a pair of free throws. Ryan Nelson added a field goal and Ricardo Lewis contributed a three before the Crimson Hawks scored on an Ashton Smith jumper. Hunter added two more free throws and, after a three-point play by IUP, Robinson hit one of two charity shots. Nelson tallied a three-point play of his own and Hunter closed out the run with two more free throws to put Valdosta State in front 26-15 with 7:04 remaining in the half. Indiana (Pa.) closed to within six points over the ensuing three minutes of play, only to have the Blazers close the half on an 8-2 spurt to grab a 36-24 halftime advantage. IUP had three players finish with double figure rebounds as it out-rebounded Valdosta State 51-30 in the contest. Tristan Crawford led Valdosta State with 14 points while Robinson and Hunter, who hit all 10 of his free throws, added 12 each and Lewis finished with 10. The Blazers shot 44.0 percent from the floor in the game, but managed to make just three of 17 three-point attempts. Sanders and Webb led the Crimson Hawks with 17 points each.

Lady Blazers Sweep Golden Rams

2010-03-24

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score ALBANY, Ga. - Valdosta State picked up two wins out of conference Wednesday when the team put away Albany State, 11-0 and 7-3. The wins push VSU's record to 19-3 overall with conference rival West Florida coming to Valdosta Saturday. Reigning GSC Pitcher of the Week Holly Satterfield pitched her second near perfect game of the season. In five innings she struck out eight and gave up no hits or walks. Only one runner touched a base. She moves to 11-1. Amy Brightwell led the team from the plate with a perfect four for four outing in game one. She scored two runs. Alyssa Shirey was three for four with two runs while Amber Shaw went two for three with one run. Marti Littlefield notched her eighth home run of the year as she jockeys back and forth with Shirey for the team lead in homers. Colette Rollins, seeing more time as the season progresses, was three for four with one run scored while freshman Morgan Johnson was two for four with two runs. Rounding out the impressive performances in game one was Melessa Jackson who went two for three. Julia Fink started game two, but Margaret Carter notched eight strikeouts and gave up no runs and just one walk in 4 and 2/3 innings of relief. Shaw was two for four with two runs while Shirey went two for three. Freshman Courtney Merritt was two for four while Jonson went one for one with two walks. Valdosta State will next be in action against West Florida at 3 p.m. Saturday.

VSU Takes Down Drury

2010-03-24

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State made short work of visiting Drury, beating the team, 7-2, Wednesday. The Blazers jumped out to an early 2-1 lead with wins at the top and second doubles. Philip Pakebusch and Michael Kuech won, 8-1, while Daniel Dueren and Frank Sickman won a tighter match, 8-6. With the advantage in doubles, VSU only needed three wins in singles to take the match, but the Blazers won all but one singles match. Pakebusch and Dueren both won at the top and second spots respectively. Pakebusch won, 6-3, 6-1, and Dueren won, 6-0, 6-4. Otto Lenhart, Konstantin Kutschenko and Sickman all won in the fourth through sixth positions respectively. Lenhart won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Kutschenko and Sickman both needed tie breakers, but still earned victories. Kutschenko won, 7-6 (6), 6-4, and Sickman won, 6-2, 4-6 (8). Valdosta State will face North Alabama, Delta State and West Florida Thursday through Saturday.

Blazers Finish Seventh at Bobcat Invitational

2010-03-23

EATONTON, Ga. - Valdosta State shot a final round 299 to finish seventh at the Bobcat Invitational Tuesday at the par-70 Cuscowilla Golf Club on Lake OConee. The Blazers fired a 299 in the first round before shooting 296 in the Monday%u2019s second round to finish with a 54-over 894. Lynn claimed the team championship as it was 41-over with an 881 while Belmont Abbey was two strokes back in and in second. Florida Southern followed BAC with an 886 and West Florida shot an 888 while Lander rounded out the top five with an 49 over 889. Host Georgia College bested VSU by a stroke to finish sixth. Four Blazers shot a 15-over 225 to finish tied for 29th in the event as Will Repko, Wade Holland, Fredrick Hildebrand and Chesley Gunn all accomplished the feat. Chad Smith rounded out the Valdosta State squad with a 28-over 238 to finish 76th. Belmont Abbey's Peter Tarver Jones claimed individual medalist honors with a four-over 214. The Blazers return to action Monday, April 5 when it opens play at the Buccaneer Invitational in Miami Beach, Fla.

Catch the Blazers at Buffalo Wild Wings

2010-03-23

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State and Buffalo Wild Wings are teaming up to bring Blazer basketball from Massachusetts back to Valdosta. Buffalo Wild Wings will webcast Valdosta State's Elite Eight matchup against Indiana, Pa. at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and will continue playing Valdosta State games throughout the NCAA Division II Championship. In addition to the game, there will also be drawings for VSU and Wild Wings t-shirts as well as other prizes. Get there early to grab the best seats, and make sure you're part of the party.

Satterfield Named GSC Pitcher of the Week

2010-03-23

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Gulf South Conference named Valdosta State's Holly Satterfield the GSC Pitcher of the Week in the East Division. Satterfield notched four wins against Rollins, West Alabama and North Alabama. She tossed three complete games, including an eight-inning, 10-strikeout performance in a 5-4 come-from-behind win over 20th-ranked Rollins. She also tossed a three-hit, five-inning shutout against West Alabama en route to an 8-0 win. Then Satterfield led VSU past North Alabama, 9-1. Her most impressive pitching performance of the week, though, might have come in just 2 1/3 innings of play. Satterfield came out of the bullpen to pitch no-hit innings for another come-from-behind victory, this one a 6-5 win over North Alabama. For the week, she struck out 23 batters in 21 1/3 innings, allowing only 12 hits and two earned runs for a 0.66 earned run average. This marks Satterfield's first GSC Pitcher of the Week award of the season and her career.

Blazers Top UAH 11-7

2010-03-21

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State scored six runs in the second inning and four more in the fifth to defeat Alabama-Huntsville 11-7 in Gulf South Conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon. Alabama-Huntsville (16-8, 3-3) wasted little time in opening the scoring as it took advantage of wildness by Blazer starter Luke Connell. After retiring the first two batters, Connell walked Ryan McCrory on five pitches and then hit Nick Huckaby with a pitch before loading the bases with four straight balls to Jeremy Dorrance. Jerome Dunning proceeded to double to left center to clear the bases and also scored when Christopher Parkman singled up the middle to give the Chargers a 4-0 lead. Valdosta State (22-10, 2-1) took the lead in the second inning as it opened the inning as it sent 10 men to the plate in the frame. Clayton Cain opened the frame with a single and moved to second on a single up the middle by Austin Smith. Jake Summers loaded the bases with a base hit while a Bobby Triglia single to left plated Cain and Smith. Jordan Hollis laid down a sacrifice bunt and the throw to first on the play was wide of the bag, allowing Summers to come home and Triglia to move to third while a wild pitch plated Triglia to tie the game. After a fly out, Ryan Danbury was hit by a pitch and Antonio Clark doubled down the right field line to score Hollis while Brandon Decker drove in Danbury with a sacrifice fly to give VSU a 6-4 lead. Valdosta State pushed its lead to 10-4 in the fifth with a pair of two out home runs. Cain started the barrage with his 10th home run of the season over the wall in left before Cain doubled to right-center. Summers reached on a throwing error by UAH shortstop Cory Trapp before Triglia tallied his first home run of the year with a ball hit over the Chili%u2019s sign in left-center. The Blazers added their final run on a passed ball in the seventh while Alabama-Huntsville got three in the eighth. Jeremy Forbus came on in relief of Connell to start the second inning and surrendered six hits and two runs while striking out eight in six innings to improve to 4-1 on the season. UAH starter Dustin Bryant gave up five hits and six runs, four of which were earned, in two innings to fall to 3-2. Triglia led Valdosta State offensively as he tallied two hits and five runs driven in in the contest. Cain and Smith also tallied two hits each. Dunning finished with two hits in four at-bats while also driving in three runs to lead the Chargers offensively. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, March 27 when it continues GSC play by opening a three-game series against West Alabama. Saturday%u2019s doubleheader is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.

Shirey, Rollins Lead VSU Past UNA

2010-03-21

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - Both Alyssa Shirey and Colette Rollins hit a home run in each game to lead Valdosta State past North Alabama, 9-1, 6-5 Sunday. Rollins smacked the first two home runs of her career while Shirey came through in the clutch to bring Valdosta State from behind to get the second win of the day. April Hutchens started the scoring for VSU with a solo homer in the first inning of game one. Then Sarah Vaughn reached on a walk to set up Rollins' first homer to give VSU an early 3-0 lead. In the third inning, Hutchens reached on a walk and made her way around the bases on three consecutive wild pitches. After a quiet fourth inning, Valdosta State went for two more runs in the fifth on Shirey's first homer of the day. Rollins hit a double to left center in the sixth inning. Ariel Shaw, pinch running for Rollins, scored when UNA's Jennifer Sexton walked in a run. Then, in a failed pick off attempt, Melessa Jackson came home for the final run of the game. Holly Satterfield picked up both wins on the day. In the first game, she allowed three hits, but struck out five in six innings of play. The second game, she registered two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of play to claim the win. Margaret Carter gave up 10 hits and five runs, but struck out five, in 4.2 innings. After falling behind 5-0 in game two, the Lady Blazers started to fight back. In the bottom of the fifth Shirey singled and Rollins hit her home with her second homer of the day. With the scorer 5-2, VSU did not allow a run in the sixth inning to set the stage for the team's sixth inning come back. Laurin Watts of UNA walked Jackson then gave up a single to Amber Shaw. Hutchens singled after that to load the bases. Marti Littlefield put the ball in play to bring Jackson home, but was thrown out at first. Shirey came to the plate with two outs and two runners on base. After hitting a long foul, Shirey asked the crowd for cheers, and then hit a three-run bomb to claim the lead. In the top of the seventh, Satterfield retired three straight batters to complete the sweep. Valdosta State will next be in action at 1 p.m. against Albany State Wednesday.

Softball Delayed until 2 p.m.

2010-03-21

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State softball, originally scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, has been pushed back to 2 p.m. Morning rains forced the delay, but, as of right now, VSU's doubleheader against North Alabama will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Blazers Split with Alabama-Huntsville

2010-03-20

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State claimed a 17-5 in seven innings of the first game before falling 10-8 in eight innings in game two as the Blazers split a Gulf South Conference doubleheader with Alabama-Huntsville at Billy Grant Field Saturday afternoon. Valdosta State (21-10, 1-1) jumped out to an early lead in the first game as it plated a run in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan Danbury drew a walk to open the frame and moved to third on a hit-and-run base hit by Jon Koenigsfeld. Two batters later, Clayton Cain hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Danbury and give VSU a 1-0 lead. The Blazers pushed their lead to 4-0 in the second. Antonio Clark was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on Chris Jones' double just inside the third base bag. Jones moved to third on a Jordan Hollis bunt single and scored on the second wild pitch of the inning by UAH starter Ryan Frevert (4-1). A sacrifice bunt moved Hollis to third before Koenigsfeld hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Hollis for the third run of the inning. Brandon Decker and Austin Smith hit home runs in the third as Valdosta State sent 11 men to the plate and scored eight runs to push its lead to 12-0. The Chargers (16-7, 3-2) got three runs back in the fourth inning. Corey Whittle doubled down the right field line to open the inning and Jordan Parker was hit by a pitch before Ryan McCrory hit a long home run to right-center that cut the Blazer advantage to 12-3. The Blazers responded with four more runs in the fourth, on a bases clearing double by Koenigsfeld and a sacrifice fly by Smith, and one in the fifth to push their lead to 14 runs while Christopher Parkman got a run back for UAH with a home run in the sixth and the Chargers scored the game%u2019s final run in the seventh. Ross Gusky picked up the victory for Valdosta State as he surrendered five hits and five runs in six and two-thirds innings on the mound. Alabama-Huntsville got on the scoreboard first in the second game as Jordan Parker hit his first home run of the year with one out in the first inning. McCrory proceeded to draw a walk and moved to second on a hit by Nick Huckaby before scoring on an infield base hit by Josh Bolan to give UAH a 2-0 lead. Cain put VSU in front in the bottom of the inning as he tallied his ninth home run on the season. Danbury reached via an error to open the frame and two batters later Decker was hit by a pitch. Cain proceeded to hit a 1-1 pitch from UAH starter Jacob Wray over the fence in left-center to give the Blazers a 3-2 lead. The Chargers regained the lead in the top of the second as Parker hit a sacrifice fly and McCrory connected on his second round tripper of the day, a three run shot that gave UAH a 6-3 advantage. Alabama-Huntsville added two more runs to its lead in the third inning while Smith closed Valdosta State to within 8-6 in the bottom of the inning with his second homer of the day, a shot over the batters eye in straight away center field that plated Decker and Jake Summers. The Blazers scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game. Hollis and Bobby Triglia opened the inning with a pair of base hits before a sacrifice bunt moved both base runners into scoring position. Koenigsfeld proceeded to ground out to second, scoring Hollis. Decker was walked to put runners at the corners before Cain singled up the middle, plating pinch runner Josh Higginbotham to even the game at 8-8. Parker singled with two outs in the eighth inning and scored as McCrory hit his third home run of the day, this one down the rightfield line to put Alabama-Huntsville back in front 10-8. Valdosta State threatened in the bottom of the inning as Danbury singled to open the inning and Koenigsfeld drew a walk. However, Dan Lazzaroni (2-0) got Decker to line out and struck out Cain before also striking out Conrad Boron to end the game. Jordan Yost gave up five hits and two runs in five and two-thirds innings of relief as he fell to 2-1 on the season. Cain led VSU offensively on the day as he was five-of-seven with five RBI in the two games. Hollis also tallied five hits while Smith drove in six runs on the day. McCrory tallied three hits and eight runs batted in to lead UAH in the two games while Corey Whittle, Parker and Huckaby also had two hits each. The two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Billy Grant Field.

Lady Blazers Split with Tigers

2010-03-20

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State opened up back-to-back doubleheaders this weekend with an 8-0 win over West Alabama. In the second game, VSU fell, 4-0, to the Tigers. Valdosta State moves to 15-3 on the season and 3-3 in Gulf South Conference play while West Alabama goes to 21-9 and 2-2 in the GSC. Valdosta State put the first game out of reach early. The Lady Blazers scored four runs in each of the first two innings to gain an early 8-0 lead. Amber Shaw reached base on a walk, then stole second. On a bunt from April Hutchens, Shaw made it to third. Marti Littlefield also made it on base with a walk. Then Alyssa Shirey hit a single up the middle to score Shaw, and Stephanie Carlson homered after that to bring everyone else home. With that, the score was already 4-0. Melessa Jackson hit a home run to start the second inning. Then Hutchens and Littlefield each walked. Shirey singled up the middle again while Carlson singled to right field. Both hits brought a runner home. Shirey made it around the bases to make it another four-run inning for Valdosta State. After that, it was all quiet throughout the fifth inning. Holly Satterfield picked up the win to move to 8-1 on the season. She gave up three hits but struck out six in five innings. The next game did not go so smoothly. Against West Alabama's Katie Ford, the Lady Blazers only tallied two hits while the Tigers put up eight hits and four runs on Margaret Carter. She did have six strikeouts though as she dropped to 7-2 on the season. There was no scoring for VSU, but West Alabama put up runs in the second and sixth innings. Anna Shartzer put up a two-run homer in the second. In the sixth, Stephanie Beahn scored on a double from Jessica Powell, and then Powell scored off a single from Lauren Mills. Carlson finished the first game with a perfect three for three day with one run scored and four runs batted in. Shirey went two for three with two runs and two RBIs while Jackson was one for one with a run and an RBI. In the second game, the only players with hits were Carlson and Shaw. The Lady Blazers will be back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. against North Alabama.

Elite Eight Basketball Tournament Central

2010-03-19

Valdosta State will face the nation's No. 2 team, Indiana (Pa.), at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Springfield, Mass. For the entire bracket, click here. For a printable version, click here.

The complete schedule of games for the Elite Eight is as follows:

Wednesday, March 24 Noon - Midwestern State vs. St. Cloud State 2:30 p.m. - Valdosta State vs. Indiana (Pa.) 6 p.m. - Cal Poly Pomona vs. St. Joseph's 8:30 p.m. - Augusta State vs. Bentley Thursday, March 25 6 p.m. - Semifinal Contest (MSU/St. Cloud vs. VSU/IUP) 8:30 p.m. - Semifinal Contest (Cal Poly/St. Joseph's vs. ASU/Bentley) Saturday, March 27 1 p.m. - Championship Game * All games can be seen via webcast on ncaa.com here while Thursday and Saturday's games will be broadcast on television. Thursday's game can be seen on CBS College Sports while Saturday's championship will be broadcast on CBS.

For information on each team in the Elite Eight, check below:

* Game notes will be linked as they come available No. 6 Valdosta State - South Champion Statistics Game Notes Media Guide No. 2 Indiana (Pa.) - Atlantic Champion Statistics Game Notes No. 3 Midwestern State - South Central Champion Statistics Game Notes No. 16 St. Cloud State - Central Champion Statistics Game Notes Media Guide St. Joseph's - Midwest Champion Statistics Media Guide Cal Poly Pomona - West Champion Statistics Game Notes Bentley - East Champion Statistics Game Notes Media Guide No. 4 Augusta State - Southeast Champion Statistics Game Notes

Blazers Split with Ouachita Baptist

2010-03-17

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - Valdosta State fell 10-2 in the first game before claiming a 14-6 victory in the second to split a doubleheader with Ouachita Baptist at Rab Rodgers Field Wednesday afternoon. The Blazers (20-9) never led in the first game as Ouachita Baptist (15-10) raced out to a 6-0 lead. The Tigers scored a pair of runs in the second, third and fourth innings. Steve Mirizzi led the OBU charge as he drove in three of the six runs, including a solo home run to open the third and a two-run single in the fourth. Valdosta State got its only two runs of the first game in the fifth, off of a double by Brandon Decker, only to have Ouachita Baptist respond with three runs in the bottom of the frame and one run in the sixth. Chris Wrobel fell to 0-1 on the season as he allowed four hits and four runs in three innings while Sam McGill improved to 3-2 after giving up four hits and a pair of runs in four and a third innings. OBU raced out to a 5-1 lead after the first two innings of the second game, with VSU's run coming off an Austin Smith lead-off home run in the second. The Blazers evened the game in the top of the third inning, as Jon Koenigsfeld tallied a run-scoring double while Clayton Cain hit a three-run home run, before taking the lead with a two-run roundtripper by Cain in the fifth. Valdosta State scored five more runs in the sixth, including a three-run homer by Koenigsfeld and a solo shot by Decker while the Tigers scored one in the bottom of the frame. The Blazers closed out the scoring with a pair of runs in the seventh. Jordan Yost improved to 2-0 after striking out three without allowing a base runner in two innings of relief. Taylor Henry fell to 1-3 after giving up four hits and three runs in three innings. Koenigsfeld led VSU offensively on the day as he tallied five hits and five RBI in seven at-bats while Decker was four-of-seven with three runs driven in. Cain finished with three hits and five RBI. Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, March 20 when it opens Gulf South Conference play with a doubleheader against Alabama-Huntsville in Billy Grant Field. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.

Resilient VSU Sweeps No. 20 Rollins

2010-03-17

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. - No. 3 Valdosta State came back from a 4-0 deficit to beat No. 20 Rollins, 5-4, in game one of a double header Tuesday. Then the Lady Blazers dominated game two with a 5-0 win to move to 14-2 on the season and drop Rollins to 15-3. Valdosta State's slow start against Rollins was understandable as Tuesday's doubleheader was the third doubleheader in as many days that the Lady Blazers played. Two errors in the first three innings helped the Tars score four runs, two unearned. But the Lady Blazers cleaned it up in the clutch. Three solo home runs put VSU back in the game. First, Marti Littlefield hit her seventh homer of the season in the fourth inning to start the scoring. Then Alyssa Shirey knocked one out in the sixth. In the seventh inning, Melessa Jackson made it a trifecta to bring the Lady Blazers within one. Then April Hutchens singled to right field and went to second when the Tars walked Littlefield. Shirey made another big hit, this one up the middle, to score Hutchens and tie the game. The Lady Blazers couldn't finish it in that inning, but took care of business in the eighth. Amy Brightwell singled up the middle to get on base. Freshman Courtney Merritt, pinch hitting, tagged one to right field that fell right in the corner of the field. Brightwell trucked it in all the way from first to end the game, 5-4, and give Rollins pitcher, Kirsten Frame, her first loss of the season. Amber Shaw was two for four while Shirey was two for three. Merritt was one for two, and Jackson was one for three. Hutchens, Littlefield, Shirey, Brightwell and Jackson all scored runs in the first game. The second game was more the type of game VSU fans are used to. Valdosta State used a big inning in the third to gain a 4-0 lead. Three singles and a double along with a wild pitch and an error on the Tars' first baseman led to runs by freshman Sarah Vaughn, Shaw, Hutchens and Littlefield. In the sixth, Brightwell homered to put an exclamation point on the day. Both Holly Satterfield and Margaret Carter earned wins Tuesday to each move to 7-1. Satterfield struck out 10, walked three and gave up two earned runs. Carter struck out nine with no walks to earn the shutout. Vaughn was two for three in the second game. Stephanie Carlson, Hutchens and Brightwell were one for three while Littlefield and Shirey were one for two. Runs were scored by Shaw, Hutchens, Littlefield, Brightwell and Vaughn. The Lady Blazers are next in action at home against West Alabama at 1 p.m. Saturday. They follow that with another doubleheader against North Alabama at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Blazers Double Up Henderson State 10-5

2010-03-16

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - No. 22 Valdosta State raced out to an early lead as the Blazers defeated Henderson State 10-5 in non-conference baseball action at Clyde Berry Field Tuesday. The Blazers (19-8) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Clayton Cain drew a two-out walk in the first inning and scored on Brandon Decker's ninth home run of the year. The Reddies (13-8) responded with a run in the bottom of the first, only to have VSU score two more runs in the second. With one out, Chris Jones singled and moved to second on a Josh Vining base hit. A passed ball moved both base runners up a base, allowing Jones to score on a Josh Higginbotham ground out. Ryan Danbury proceeded to double to center to plate Vining, giving Valdosta State a 4-1 lead. Jordan Yost walked and scored on a Jon Koenigsfeld double in the third to push the Blazer lead to four runs, but Henderson State responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to close to within one. Valdosta State pushed its lead back to 8-4 in the fourth. With one out, Higginbotham tripled and scored as Danbury hit a sacrifice fly. Antonio Clark proceeded to single and scored on a Cain double, who also came home as Decker followed with a triple. A Higginbotham double and a Clark sacrifice fly gave VSU its final two runs while the Reddies got a run off of a sacrifice fly in the ninth to close out the scoring. Luke Connell (1-1) earned the victory for VSU as he allowed four hits and a run while striking seven in five and two-thirds innings of relief. Ben Glenn fell to 2-1 as he surrendered nine hits and eight runs in four innings. Decker finished the game with two hits and three RBI to lead VSU offensively while Clark and Higginbotham, who tallied a pair of RBI, also had two hits each. Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday as it plays at Ouachita Baptist.

Smith, Blazers Win Southeastern Collegiate

2010-03-16

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Chad Smith birdied the first playoff hole to claim individual medalist honors while leading Valdosta State to a nine stroke victory at the First Federal Southeastern Collegiate at the par-72, 7,907 yard Kinderlou Forst Golf Club Tuesday. Smith finished the tournament at two-under-par with a 214 to match the score put up by Florida Southern's Matt Stauch and Georgia College's Niclas Johansson. Stauch and Johannon each parred the playoff hole to give Smith the victory. The Blazers finished the tournament with a nine-over 873 while FSC was second at 882. North Alabama and Georgia College tied for third at 884 while Barry rounded out the top five with an 885. Armstrong Atlantic was six shots back and in sixth place followed by Lander (892), West Florida (894) and Nova Southeastern (900). Lynn claimed 10th with a 905 while the remainder of the field included Columbus State (906), West Georgia (907), Rollins (919), Clayton State (920), Carson-Newman (922), Delta State (926), Florida Tech (929) and Eckerd (982). Smith became the second straight Blazer to win the individual medalist honors as Brent Witcher did so last year. He was joined in the top 10 by Chesley Gunn and Wade Holland, who tied for seventh with a pair of three-over 219's. Fredrick Hildebrand and Will Repko rounded out the VSU squad as both shot a 228 to tie for 37th. The Blazers also had four individuals play in the event, led by Evan Hanna and Clarke Hendrick who matched Hildebrand and Repko at 228. Drew McGuire was 82nd at 240 while Jason Groover was 96th at 260. Valdosta State returns to action Mondy, March 22 at the Bobcat Invitational.

Springfield, Here Comes the Blazers

2010-03-16

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Valdosta State advanced to the school's first NCAA Division II Elite Eight as the Blazers defeated Rollins 71-58 to win the South Region Tournament at Tucker Coliseum Tuesday evening. With the win, Valdosta State claimed its 28th win of the year, against just four losses, to establish a new school mark for wins in a season. Meanwhile, Rollins fell to 27-6. Valdosta State started off hot as it connected on five of its first six shots. Marvin Dibble opened the scoring with a pair of jumpers from the baseline and added a free throw at the end of the second one for three points the old fashioned way. Ricardo Lewis added a three for VSU before Alex Castillo answered with a trifecta for Rollins. Dibble added his third bucket of the game while Nick Wolf scored for RC before Tristan Crawford ended the Blazer run with a three to post VSU to a 13-5 lead. Rollins closed to within four points twice over the ensuing seven minutes, only to have Valdosta State respond with buckets on its next possession, including a 17-7 run after the second occurrence to grab its largest lead of the half at 39-25. Marquis Robinson began the run with a put-back basket before Kevin Harris connected on a three from the left wing. Nick Wolf responded with a bucket for the Tars before Ryan Nelson fed Robinson for a dunk. A three-point play by Nikola Baran cut the VSU lead back to six, but Nelson answered with a three and Dibble, who scored 13 first half points, hit a pair of buckets. Myk Brown briefly stymied the run with a lay-up, but Nelson added the final points with a three pointer to put VSU in front by 14. RC closed the half on a 6-0 run, including a banked in three by Brock Blanchard at the buzzer, to cut the Valdosta State lead to 39-31 at the intermission. Both teams shot well during the first 20 minutes of play as VSU shot 51.7 percent while shooting 15-of-29 from the floor. Rollins responded with 13-of-25 shooting for 52.0 percent. Rollins opened the second half on a 15-7 run to take its first lead of the game, at 47-46, with 12:31 to play in the contest. Wolf spurred the run with five points, including a free throw that put the Tars in front while Baran hit a pair of threes. RC went cold over the rest of the game as it missed its next 18 shots, not hitting another bucket until only 58 seconds remained in the game. Harris put VSU back in front with a trifecta on the next Blazer possession while Robinson added a put-back bucket and a pair of free throws. Harris added a second lay-up and fed Charles Belton for a lay-in to put Valdosta State back in front 57-47 with seven minutes to play. The Blazers closed out the victory by hitting 12 free throws in the final two minutes. Dibble finished with 18 points to lead VSU in scoring while Harris added 12 and Robinson 11. Tyrone Curnell scored just four points, but surpassed the 1,000 point barrier while also grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Wolf led Rollins with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Brown finished with 14. Valdosta State will open the Elite Eight against Indiana (Pa.), the winner of the Atlantic Region at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24.

Blazers Take 11 Stroke Lead at Southeastern

2010-03-15

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State shot a three-under 285 to take an 11 stroke lead after the second round of play of the First Federal Southeastern Collegiate at the par-72, 7,097 yard Kinderlou Forest Golf Club Monday. The Blazers are even par through the first two rounds with a 576 team score. Barry is second at 587 while Armstrong Atlantic is a stroke behind at 588. North Alabama stands fourth after the first day with a 589 and Florida Southern rounds out the top five at 591. Georgia College was a stroke behind in sixth at 592 while Nova Southeastern stood seventh at 600 and Lander was a stroke back at 601. West Florida (605) and Lynn (606) rounded out the top 10 followed by West Georgia at 607. Columbus State (613), Rollins (616), Florida Tech (617), Carson-Newman (621), Clayton State (623), Delta State (624) and Eckerd (663) closed out the field. Blazer Chesley Gunn shot a 69 on Monday to move into a tie, with Armstrong Atlantic's Jacob Tilton, for the overall lead with a two-under 142. VSU's Chad Smith is third, just a stroke behind the top two, while Wade Holland is tied for eighth at 145. Fredrick Hildebrand and Will Repko are tied for 43rd at 152. VSU also has four individuals playing in the event, led by Evan Hanna, who is tied for 14th at a 148. Clarke Hendrick is tied for 49th at 154 and Drew McGuire is tied for 87th at 163 while Jason Groover stands 96th at 178. The tournament concludes with a single round of play beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

VSU Bounces Back Against West Georgia

2010-03-15

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score CARROLLTON, Ga. - West Georgia put up a fight in the first game against Valdosta State Monday, but the Lady Blazers withstood the charge to squeak out an 11-9 win. In the second game of the day, VSU removed all doubt with a dominating 9-0 victory in five innings. Valdosta State jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first two innings. Marti Littlefield hit her fifth home run of the season, one of two on the day, in the first inning. It was a two-run shot. Then in the second inning, Amy Brightwell and Clare Wamsley came home off a single from Amber Shaw. In the top of the fourth, the Lady Blazers put one of their big innings together with five runs, one earned. The big shot came from Stephanie Carlson. She hit a three-run homer in the middle of the inning that also scored Morgan Johnson and April Hutchens. But then West Georgia struck back with four runs in the bottom of the inning, capped by a two-run homer. Littlefield answered in the fifth with her other two-run homer, but West Georgia came back with two runs of their own, both unearned. In the sixth, West Georgia hit another two-run shot and drove in another run to make it 11-9. Both teams went three up, three down in the final inning of play to secure the win for VSU. Hutchens led the team in runs scored with three. She also went two of four with two RBIs. Sarah Vaughn was one for one with two RBIs and Littlefield finished with four RBIs and two runs scored on her two for four performance. Carlson had three RBIs in the game. Both Holly Satterfield and Margaret Carter pitched in the first game with Satterfield picking up the win and Carter earning the save. Satterfield gave up nine hits and nine runs in 5.2 innings but notched six strikeouts. Carter finished the last 1.1 innings with no runs, no hits and two strikeouts. Carter also pitched all five innings of the second game, allowing just three hits, no runs and striking out six. The Lady Blazers claimed the early lead yet again in the second game when Hutchens and Shaw both scored in the first inning. In the third inning, Carlson hit her second homer of the day for two more VSU runs. Then, in the fourth inning, Valdosta State started to pile it on. Wamsley demonstrated her quickness after reaching first on a walk. She stole second and third, then scored when Shaw put the ball in play. With Shaw on base, Hutchens homered to center field for a 7-0 lead. In the fifth inning, VSU smelled blood in the water and tried to finish it. After Johnson hit Valdosta State's sixth home run of the day, Shaw singled. She sped around the bases for a score off a Hutchens double. West Georgia could not close the gap the fifth. Wamsley and Morgan were both one for one while Carlson was one for two with two RBIs. Hutchens was two for three with three RBIs and two runs scored while Shaw was two for four with three runs scored and an RBI. The Lady Blazers will host Rollins at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Blazers Fall 12-0 to Florida Southern

2010-03-14

VALDOSTA, Ga. - No. 1 Florida Southern hit six home runs as the Mocs defeated No. 12 Valdosta State 12-0 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon. Florida Southern (21-2) opened the scoring in the top of the third inning as Trae Gore led off the frame with a home run. Colin Kaline followed with a base hit and scored when Kelvin Clark hit his seventh home run of the year. Wade Kirkland promptly hit the third roundtripper of the inning. After a ground out, Andrew Grutka reached on a two-base error by Jordan Yost in left and moved to third on a second ground out while Tony Mitchell doubled down the leftfield line to plate Grutka. Kyle Gibbs, the ninth man to bat in the inning for Florida Southern followed with a single to center to drive home Mitchell to give FSC a 6-0 advantage. The Mocs pushed their lead to 7-0 in the third as Clark hit his second home run of the game while Valdosta State (18-8) squandered a scoring chance in the sixth. The Blazers loaded the bases with no outs in the frame and had the middle of their order batting, but a pair of strike outs via swinging and a strikeout looking ended the threat. Mitchell added an RBI single for Florida Southern in the seventh while Gore hit his second home run of the game and Clark added his third in the eighth. Drew Morgan closed out the scoring with a RBI single in the ninth. Florida Southern starter Eddie Sipple scattered six hits while striking out 11 batters in seven innings to improve to 5-0. Meanwhile, Jeremy Forbus fell to 3-1 for VSU after allowing nine hits and seven runs in five innings. Valdosta State returns to action Tuesday, March 16 when it plays a doubleheader at Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark. The first game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. Eastern first pitch.

Blazers Lead at Southeastern Collegiate

2010-03-14

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State shot a three-over 291 to tie for first during the first round of the First Federal Southeastern Collegiate at the par-72, 7,097 yard Kinderlou Forest Golf Club Sunday. The Blazers matched Florida Southern for the top spot on the day as the two squads bested Barry by four strokes. Lander was two strokes behind the Bucs in fourth place while Armstrong Atlantic shot an 11-over 299 to finish the day fifth. North Alabama and West Georgia tied for sixth at 300 followed by Georgia College and West Florida at 301. Lynn was 10th with a 306 followed by Nova Southeastern a stroke behind and Florida Tech one more shot behind. Columbus State and Carson-Newman tied for 13th at 309 and Delta State shot a 314 to finish the day 15th while Clayton State (317), Rollins (318) and Eckerd (322) rounded out the field. Four players shot a one-under 71 to finish tied for first on the day, including Blazer Chad Smith. Wade Holland tied for fifth with an even par 72 while Chesley Gunn was a stroke behind and tied for eighth. Will Repko shot a three-over 75 to tie for 24th while Fredrick Hildebrand rounded out the VSU squad with a nine-over 81 to tie for 77th. The Blazers also had four individuals compete on the day, led by Evan Hanna, who shot a 73 to tie for eighth. Clarke Hendrick was four-over-par with a 76 to tie for 36th while Drew McGuire tied for 87th with an 83 and Jason Groover tied for 93rd with an 85. The tournament continues with a single round of play on Monday before finishing up with a single round on Tuesday.