VALDOSTA –– The Valdosta State baseball team will open the 2019 Gulf South Conference slate Friday and Saturday in a three-game series at Lee. The Blazers enter with a 7-1 record, while Lee is 3-4.

The series gets underway today at 1 p.m. with a single game, followed by a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. Fans can access links to live stats and streaming for the games on vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page.

The Blazers are coming off an 11-4 win over Albany State on Wednesday with the quick turnaround for Friday. The original schedule for the Lee series was Saturday and Sunday, but due to the potential for inclement weather on Sunday, the schools decided to move the schedule up a day.

VSU tallied 11 runs on ten hits and no errors against the Golden Rams on Wednesday, while ASU scored four runs on three hits with one error. VSU jumped out to an 8-0 lead through two innings and 11-0 lead before ASU got on the board. The Blazers batted around in the first inning, plating six runs on two hits with four walks and two hit batsmen for the first frame. Junior Anthony Dahl (1-0) took the win in relief, while senior Mack Hathcock went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and drove in one to lead the team offensively.

This season, the Blazers are hitting .302 with 80 hits in 265 at bats, while scoring 47 runs with 12 doubles, two home runs and driven in 36. The team is slugging .370 and reaching base at a .403 clip with 38 walks and eight hit batsmen. VSU has a .971 fielding percentage with eight miscues leading to four unearned runs. Senior Josh Broughton leads the team with 14 hits and a .424 average as he is 14 of 33 from the dish, while tying for the team-lead in runs scored with seven and leads the team with four doubles. He is slugging a team-best .545 and reaching base at a .487 clip with five walks. Senior Aaron Haughton is second on the team with ten hits and leads the team with eight RBI. Haughton has one home run and four runs scored, along with three doubles for a .417 batting average.

On the bump, the Blazers boast a 3.00 ERA in 69 innings, while allowing 57 hits, with 27 runs – 23 earned, walked 34 and fanned 100 even through eight games, averaging 12.5 strikeouts per game. Teams are hitting just .223 against the Blazers this season and have 16 extra-base hits on 57 hits in 256 at bats.

Individually, seven different Blazers are 1-0 on the year, while junior Zach Blankenship leads the team with 12 innings pitched. He has allowed 10 hits, four runs – three earned, walked three and fanned 15. Junior Cooper Cain leads the team with 19 strikeouts, while senior Trevin Eubanks has a team-high three saves.

Lee is 3-4 on the year and has dropped its last three games after being swept at No. 23 Saint Leo last weekend. Prior to that, the Flames took two of three from Lindenwood in the season-opener.

The Flames are hitting .211 on the year with 44 hits in 209 at bats, while scoring 28 runs with nine doubles, one triple, six home runs and 26 RBI. The team is slugging .349 and reaching base at a .313 average with 22 walks and nine hit batsmen. Lee has 11 errors on the year for a .953 fielding percentage, leading to five unearned runs.

Offensively, Lee is led by Miguel Pimentel who is hitting a team-high .364 on 8 of 22 from the dish with two runs scored, one double, one triple and one home run, while driving in four. He is slugging .636 and reaching base at a .462 average. Alan Smith is second in average at .333 with eight hits, a team-high seven runs scored, three doubles and one home run. He has driven in a team-high five for the season.

On the mound, the Flames have a 6.27 ERA in 56 innings. Lee has allowed 65 hits, for a .286 opponent batting average, 44 runs – 39 earned, walked 34 and fanned 41. Alex Butler has a 1.80 ERA in two starts and a team-high ten innings pitched. He has allowed eight hits, three runs – two earned, walked four and fanned seven as teams are hitting .205 against him.

Following the series with Lee, VSU travels to No. 23 Saint Leo for a Tuesday, Feb. 19, game at 5 p.m., before returning home to host Kentucky Wesleyan for a three-game series Feb. 24-25 at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.