ATLANTA —
The national champion Valdosta State softball team will be featured on a CBS Sports NCAA spring highlight show today at 4 p.m. The special will air locally on WCTV — CBS.
In the special, senior shortstop Marti Littlefield and senior second baseman April Hutchens along with head coach Thomas Macera, discuss the run through the national tournament and the Blazers’ historic season.
The Blazers defeated the University of California-San Diego, 4-1, in the Division II National Championship game last Month. The victory capped off a record-breaking season, which featured the Blazers posting a 58-5 record, which included a conference record 36-game winning streak streak.
The eight seniors on the VSU roster in 2012 were pivotal in the championship run, and the success of the program for the past four years. During the four-year span of the class, the team went 207-33 and won the Gulf South Conference tournament championship all four seasons. The team also made two appearances in the national tournament (2010, 2012).
After blowing through the competition in the regular season, the Blazers blew through the competition in the GSC tournament, going 5-0 en route to a fourth straight conference title.
After securing the No. 1 seed in the South Region, Valdosta State hosted the South Region 1 Tournament. The top-ranked Blazers beat Miles 5-2 before blowing out rival Alabama-Huntsville 9-4. The victory over UAH was the Blazers’ seventh of the season against the rival.
After heavy rain forced the championship Sunday action to Monday, the Blazers fell to Rollins College 3-0, forcing an elimination game later in the day. With their backs against the wall, the Blazers responded like champions and earned a 1-0 win over the Tars.
Less than four days later, Valdosta State welcomed the South Region II Tournament champion Florida Southern Mocs to the VSU Softball Complex.
In front of a record crowd, the two teams played the longest game in Division II softball since 2008, which ended on a Natalia Morozova — one of the 8 seniors — one-run double to left field in the 16th inning that carried the Blazers to a 2-1 win. The following day, it was Morozova again that carried VSU to victory, as she delivered a two-run home run that allowed the Blazers to clinch the South Region title.
In the national tournament, the Blazers quickly found themselves in the losers bracket after falling to UC-San Diego 7-5 on the opening day of the tournament.
After regrouping, the Blazers used a walk-off home run by Samantha Posey in the 12th inning to beat Augustana (S.D.), which was set up by a Sarah Vaughn RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning that forced the game into extra innings.
The following day, the Blazers knocked off South Connecticut 6-3 to face Kutztown later in the day. Prior to the Friday afternoon meeting, the Golden Bears were a perfect 3-0 in the tournament, which included a 1-0 win over UC-San Diego the day before.
Regardless of record, the Blazers secured a 3-1 win and forced an elimination game between the two teams the following morning.
On championship Saturday, VSU dominated the Kutztown 8-2 to earn a second appearance in the national championship game in three seasons. After watching UC-San Diego defeat Central Oklahoma in the other national semifinal game, the Blazers took the field late Saturday afternoon and gained revenge of the Tritons, earning a 4-1 win in the championship game.
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The national champion Valdosta State softball team will be featured on a CBS sports special today at 4 p.m. Senior members of the team will discuss the run through the national tournament and the historic season. The Valdosta Daily Times
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National champion Blazers to be featured on CBS today
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