VALDOSTA —
It is a busy time in Valdosta State athletics, and today it gets even busier with the Blazer baseball team opening regular season play.
The unranked Blazers welcome Lindenwood to Billy Grant Field for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch. The game is a part of the Comfort Suites Classic, a tournament being hosted by Valdosta State.
This weekend’s tournament is one of two the Blazers will host this month, as the top three Sunshine Conference schools, Barry, Tampa and Florida Southern, will meet the Blazers, West Florida, who won the 2011 National Championship, and Delta State in the Holiday Inn Classic, which begins on Feb. 26.
For head coach Greg Guilliams, the early season home schedule is important, with the Blazers looking to start strong in 2012, after what was widely regarded as a disappointing 2011 season.
“At the end of the day, I still think it is advantageous to play at home and play in front of your hometown fans and to play on your home field,” Guilliams said. “I think there is a certain comfort there, especially early in the season. Of course, everyone hopes to get off to a good start, so that is the plan.”
All together, the Blazers will travel just two times in the month of February, visiting Florida Tech and Albany State.
Despite optimism around the program, Guilliams said he believes his team has a lot of work ahead of it, saying the Blazers aren’t the most talented team in the region.
“I don’t think we are going to be the most talented team. We might not even be one of the top five or six most talented teams in the region, but we do have to be the toughest team,” Guilliams said. “And what I mean by toughest is that we are going to have to be mentally tough and really execute what we believe our system is, to beat some teams, that quite frankly, are probably going to be more talented than us.”
If last season didn’t prove that hitting home runs on a consistent basis is a much harder task to accomplish in college baseball, maybe this season will. According to Guilliams, the Blazers are beyond the days of attempting to hit multiple home runs a game. The coaching staff has changed game plans to feature more “small ball”, meaning more placement hitting, running the bases and playing quality defense in the field.
“I think last year was a good example when u look at the decline across the board in college baseball. You had teams hitting 50 percent less home runs and it has dramatically changed the game,” Guilliams said. “Playing better defense and pitching a little better and small ball is going to become, and it has become, a lot more important part of the game.”
As for pitching this season, the Blazers will rely on several returners while mixing in several new additions to the staff. Two newcomers, Jared Carolton and Pete Whittingslow, will start games this weekend, with returner Kevin Rogers starting on Sunday. Rogers is the top returning pitcher for the Blazers after the California native posted a 5.89 earned run average in 65.1 innings pitched last season. While struggling at times, Rogers shined at times too, posting three complete games and one shutout.
Along with Rogers, Spencer Butler (3-3, 6.08 ERA in 2011) will be a candidate to lock down a spot in the Blazers’ rotation, although Butler will begin the season in the bullpen as he recovers from surgery. Stephen Groves (4.09 ERA in 2011) is VSU’s top returning relief pitcher. Groves made 25 appearances last season.
“I think it starts with Kevin (Rogers) and Spencer (Butler). You know, they have experience returning for us,” Guilliams said. “They both pitched a lot in conference games, so they will both be relied on again. And then, we did bring in a lot of new pitchers.”
No matter who is on the hill for Valdosta State, former Lowndes Viking Christian Glisson will be a permanent fixture behind the plate. Glisson has impressed the coaching staff during fall and spring training, leading Guilliams to believe the senior, who started his career at the University of Georgia, could be drafted this June.
“Christian is going to hit, he showed that last year, but just how much better he got defensively, his throwing, he looks like a new guy” Guilliams said. “His arm looks like it probably was when he committed to go to Georgia before he had to have Tommy John (surgery).”
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Related Photos
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Valdosta State pitcher Kevin Rogers throws off the mound versus Tampa University last season. Rogers will be an essential piece to the Blazer rotation this season. file photo
Discussion
Blazer baseball returns today
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