Shane Thomas | The Valdosta Daily TimesValdosta State pitcher Kasie Johnson (25) throws during a game against Georgia Southwestern on March 6.

VALDOSTA –– The No. 15-ranked Valdosta State softball team concludes the 2019 regular season with West Georgia Apr. 27-28 at Steel’s Diamond in a key Gulf South Conference series.

The series begins Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader, followed by a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day as the Blazers will honor their lone senior in pitcher Kasie Johnson prior to Sunday’s game.

Fans can access links to live stats and streaming at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page for the series. Check back with vstateblazers.com for complete recaps and stats of the games.

Heading into the weekend, VSU is 32-12 overall and 13-10 in GSC play. The Blazers currently sit fifth in the league standings and, with a sweep of UWG, could finish higher depending on how the teams above the Blazers finish. The 2019 Gulf South Conference Championship is scheduled for May 2-5 at the regular season champion which, right now, would be West Florida if the season ended today.

VSU sits third in the second NCAA South Region rankings, which were released on Wednesday by the NCAA. The 2019 NCAA Championship field will be released May 6 at 10 a.m. ET on NCAA.com. There will be one more ranking (next Wednesday), prior to the official announcement on May 6.

The Blazers ran their winning streak to seven games as they swept the final non-conference doubleheader of the season against Albany State on Tuesday. The Blazers won the opener 9-3 and the nightcap 4-0 as junior Logan Hill blasted two home runs in the twin bill, including a grand slam in the first inning of the opener. Both Johnson and sophomore Caylie Van Auken pitched complete games in the wins as they both stand at 14-4 on the year.

West Georgia enters with a 26-25 record overall and a 12-15 mark in the GSC. The Wolves have not yet clinched a berth in the GSC Championship and most likely need to win the series versus the Blazers to ensure selection as UWG, Union, Delta State, Montevallo and Lee all are within two wins of each other in the standings. Of those teams, two will be left out of the eight-team conference tournament.

The Wolves are coming off three wins over Union in the regular season home finale Apr. 19-20. UWG is hitting .270 for the year on 359 of 1332, while recording 61 doubles, nine triples, 28 home runs with 185 RBI and have scored 218 runs. UWG is 77 of 93 in stolen bases this season, while recording a .392 slugging percentage and a .348 on base average with 132 walks and 34 hit batsmen. The Wolves have a .973 fielding percentage with 38 errors leading to 37 runs.

UWG’s Hannah Scarbrough leads the team with a .348 average on 56 of 161. She has scored 27 runs to lead the team with a team-high 14 doubles, one home run and 15 RBI. Scarbrough is a perfect 19 of 19 in stolen bases. Ashley Ellison is second in average at a .298 clip with 23 runs scored, 31 hits, five doubles, one triple and one home run. Madison Chambers leads the team in home runs with five, while also leading the team in triples with two. Alley Taylor, who is second in hits with 37, is 17 of 18 in stolen bases.

In the circle, Katie Foote leads the team with a 2.43 ERA and a 7-6 record in 23 appearances with 13 starts. She has six complete games and been in on three shutouts and has one save. She has pitched 92.1 innings for second on the team, while recording 15 walks and 47 strikeouts. Moran Goree is 7-9 with a 3.33 ERA in 23 appearances with 14 starts. She leads the team with 105 innings pitched, along with nine complete games, two shutouts and one save. Goree has walked 52 and fanned 102 to lead team as the opposition is hitting .241 against her. As a staff, UWG has a 3.30 ERA in 337.1 innings, allowing 372 hits, 196 runs – 159 earned, walked 118 and fanned 252 as teams are hitting .277 against it.

UWG ranks 13th nationally in fielding percentage at a.973 clip for second in the league. Scarbrough is 56th nationally and second in the conference in doubles with 14, while she is eighth in the league in hits with 56. Goree is fourth in the GSC in strikeouts per seven innings at 6.4, while Foote is eighth in the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.13) and fifth in walks allowed per seven innings (1.14) for 45th nationally.

The Blazers enter the weekend hitting .292 for the season on 331 of 1135, while scoring 256 runs with 53 doubles, four triples, 54 home runs and 225 RBI. The team is slugging .488 and reaching base at a .386 clip with 169 walks and 13 hit batsmen. VSU is 60 of 66 in stolen bases and has a .962 fielding percentage with 43 errors leading to 22 unearned runs.

Junior Fallyn Johnson leads the team with a .407 batting average on 24 of 59, scoring 14 runs with five RBI in 30 games with 21 starts. Junior Haley Garrett has played and started all 44 games, leading the team with 45 hits and runs scored. She has six doubles and is second on the team in home runs with ten. Garrett is slugging a team-best .648 and reaching base at a .441 clip with 17 walks and been plunked once. Junior Logan Hill is third in average at .311 with 33 hits, 30 runs scored, eight doubles and six home runs with 26 RBI. Hill has walked 25 times for second-most on the team and boasts a .447 on base percentage. Redshirt freshman Kiley Robb leads the team with 11 home runs (48th nationally and second in the GSC) and 37 RBI. She is slugging .605 and reaching base at a .384 clip. Junior Jordenne Gaten leads the team on a perfect 24 of 24 in stolen bases.

The Blazers have a 2.28 ERA in 289 innings of work this season with 27 complete games, 10 shutouts and four saves. VSU has allowed 257 hits, 116 runs – 94 earned, walked 36 and fanned 329 as teams are hitting .229 against it.

Sophomore Caylie Van Auken and K. Johnson each are 14-4 on the year. Van Auken leads the team in strikeouts with 165 as she has pitched a team-high 134 innings, allowing 115 hits, 43 runs – 33 earned and walked just 16 for a 1.74 ERA in 24 appearances with 20 starts and 16 complete games. K. Johnson has a 2.46 ERA in 108 innings, allowing 97 hits, 43 runs – 38 earned, walked 14 and fanned 127.

Nationally speaking, VSU is 25thin ERA and third in the league at 2.28, while ranking second in the conference in hit batters, plunking just 21 for the season. VSU is ninth nationally in home runs per game at a 1.23 clip, while ranking 29th in shutouts (10) for third in the league. VSU is second in the GSC in slugging percentage and 33rd nationally (.489) and the team leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at a 9.14 clip.

Individually, Van Auken is third in the GSC in ERA and 51st nationally at 1.72, while she second in the league in shutouts with four for 56th nationally. She is fifth in the land in strikeout-to-walk ratio at a 10.31 clip to lead the league. She is 19thin strikeouts (165) for first in the GSC and 17thin strikeouts per seven innings (8.6) for second in the league. Van Auken also is 17thin walks allowed per seven innings at 0.84 for third in the conference. K. Johnson also is second in the league in shutouts (4) for 56th nationally, while she is sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.07) for second in the league and is third in the conference in strikeouts (127) for 58th nationally. She is third in the league (27th nationally) in strikeouts per seven innings (8.2) and is 23rd nationally in walks allowed per seven innings (0.91) for fourth in the conference.