VALDOSTA –– The No. 9-ranked Valdosta State softball team returns home for a top ten matchup with No. 2 West Florida in a key Gulf South Conference series today and Sunday at Steel’s Diamond. VSU enters with a 16-5 record overall and a 5-3 mark in the GSC, while West Florida is 25-3 and a perfect 9-0 in the GSC.

Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page. Chris Caray will have the live broadcast of the series on 92.1 WDDQ FM. The series is set for a doubleheader today, beginning at 3 p.m., followed by a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Blazers are coming off a disappointing 0-2 trip to Mississippi College as they lost 8-0 and 2-1 in ten innings. Prior to that, VSU had won five-straight games. In the nightcap at MC, VSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the tenth as the international tiebreaker was applied with a runner at second to begin the frame. In the bottom of the inning, MC had a leadoff walk, followed by a sacrifice bunt and a double scored two runs for the walk-off.

UWF is coming off a sweep of a non-conference sweep of Montevallo on Wednesday as UWF outscored UM 15-2 in the doubleheader. Last weekend, the Argos went 2-2 in the Captain D’s Surf ‘N Turf Classic with two wins over No. 21 Wingate and two losses to No. 4 North Georgia, a team VSU defeated earlier this season. Prior to the losses against UNG, the Argos had won 17-straight games.

VSU slipped from fifth to ninth in the latest NFCA Poll following the 2-2 record last week. Along with the two losses a week ago, the Blazers posted a pair of five inning victories over Georgia Southwestern. Junior Giovanna Watts tossed her first career no-hitter in the nightcap of the twin bill as she went five innings, allowing no runs, striking out three as the only baserunner for the Hurricanes was off an error. It was the ninth perfect game or no-hitter for the Blazers in program history and the first since senior Kasie Johnson recorded a perfect game on Mar. 21, 2018, against Miles College.

UWF remained No. 2 in the poll this week and garnered one first place nod. The Argos enter hitting a blistering .366 from the dish on 271 of 740, with 56 doubles, 17 triples, 11 home runs, while scoring 199 runs and recording 174 RBI. The team is slugging .532 and reaching base at a .438 clip with 84 walks and 18 hit batsmen. UWF has 18 errors on the year for a .976 fielding percentage.

Teala Howard leads the team hitting .518 on 43 of 83 with one double, one triple and one home run. She has scored a team-high 34 runs with 13 RBI, while slugging .590 and reaching base at a .559 clip. She is a team-best 24 of 26 in stolen bases. Rhiannon Sassman is second in average at .444 on 36 of 81. She is tied for second in doubles with eight, while recording a team-high six triples and has two home runs. Sassman has scored 25 runs and driven in a team-high 32. She is slugging a team-best .765 and reaching base at a .515 clip. In all, ten Argos are hitting .300 or better on the year, through at least 16 games.

On the mound, UWF boasts an impressive 1.25 ERA in 179 innings. The team has allowed 111 hits, 46 runs – 32 earned, walked 51 and struck out 153 as teams are hitting .174 against the Argos. All three pitchers for the Argos have under a 1.50 ERA as Tori Perkins leads the team with a 0.88 ERA in 14 appearances with six starts. She is 8-0 with six complete games, allowing 30 hits, 11 runs – seven earned, walked 24 and fanned 43 as teams are hitting .154 against her. Grace Gilbert (1.36 ERA) is 9-2 in 13 appearances with 12 starts for 56.2 innings, while Kelsey Sweatt is 8-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 13 appearances and ten starts. She has pitched a team-high 66.1 innings, while fanning a team-best 72 and walking just 17.

Nationally speaking as of Mar. 12, UWF ranks tenth in batting average (.361) for second in the GSC, while ranking seventh in doubles per game (2.08), eighth in ERA (1.34), 11th in fielding percentage (.979), 12th in on-base percentage (.434), 20th in scoring (7.08), fourth in shutouts (9), 15th in slugging percentage (.529) and sixth in triples per game (0.62). Howard is third nationally in hits (39), while Sassman is third in triples (5) as is teammate Rachel Wright.

The Blazers enter the week hitting .271 for the season on 146 of 538. VSU has 31 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs, scored 113 runs and driven in 97. The team is slugging .470 and reaching base at a .362 average with 76 walks and three hit batsmen. VSU has a .963 fielding percentage with 20 errors, while going 30 of 34 on the base paths.

Junior Haley Garrett leads the team hitting .389 on 21 of 54. She has scored 15 runs with three doubles, four home runs and driven in 11. She is slugging a team-best .667 and reaching base at a .441 clip. Junior Taylor Strickland is hitting .313 with 20 hits in 64 at bats, 15 runs, five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 11 RBI. She is slugging .547 and reaching base at a .392 clip. Junior Jordenne Gaten leads the team with five home runs and is a perfect 14 of 14 in stolen bases. She is hitting .288 with a team-high 21 hits and 19 runs scored.

On the mound, sophomore Caylie Van Auken leads the team with a 0.93 ERA and is 6-2 on the year in ten appearances and eight starts. She has seven complete games with two shutouts in a team-high 60 innings pitched. Van Auken has allowed 45 hits, 10 runs – eight earned, waked four and fanned 66. Teams are hitting .206 against her. Johnson is 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA in 11 appearances with 10 starts. She has three complete games and two shutouts. Johnson has pitched 51.1 innings, allowing 49 hits, 16 runs – 13 earned, walked seven and fanned a team-high 70. Watts is 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA. As a team, VSU has a 1.62 ERA in 138 innings, allowing 116 hits, 42 runs – 32 earned, walked 16 and fanned 163 as teams are hitting .220 against it.

Statistically speaking, VSU leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at a 10.19 clip, while ranking 11thin home runs per game at a 1.14 clip. VSU is 14th nationally in shutouts (6). Van Auken is tied for the national lead in hit batters (1), while she is second nationally in strikeout-to-walk-ratio at 16.5 and Johnson in ninth at 10.0. Johnson also is 10th nationally in strikeouts per seven innings at 9.5. Junior Dream Aaron is sixth nationally in walks at 1.06 per game..

VSU then will conclude the homestand with a doubleheader Tuesday, March 19 at 3 p.m. versus Eckerd at Steel’s Diamond.