VALDOSTA –– The No. 18-ranked and fourth-seeded Valdosta State softball team opens the 2019 NCAA South Regional against No. 5-seed Tampa this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET at University of West Florida.

The top-seeded UWF Argos will then face No. 8-seed Spring Hill College at 2 p.m. ET to open the championship, followed by the VSU/UT game. There will be three games on Friday, May 10, and then potentially two games on Saturday, May 11 to determine the advancing team.

The other half of the regional will be played in Melbourne, Fla., with No. 2-seed Florida Tech serving as the other host. Along with FIT, No. 7-seed Mississippi College, No. 3-seed Alabama Huntsville and No. 6-seed Saint Leo all will play there.

Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more for the regional at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page. The games will be broadcast on the radio and Spencer Van Horn will have the call of the games. Check vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page for correct radio channel.

Ticket prices for the championship are $20 for an all-tournament pass, $12 for an all-tournament pass for seniors and youth 12 and under, while an all-tournament pass is $12 for students. Day passes are $8 for adults, $5 for both seniors and students.

The winner of the Pensacola regional then will face the winner of the Melbourne regional, May 16-17, at the highest remaining seed in the Super Regional round. The Super Regional will be a best, two-out-of-three format with the winner earning a berth in the 2019 NCAA Division II College World Series, May 23-27 at the Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo.

VSU is 35-16 on the year and is coming off a 2-2 Gulf South Conference Championship as sophomore Caylie Van Auken and junior Taylor Strickland earned GSC All-Tournament honors. Van Auken had an outstanding weekend in the circle as she appeared in all four games for the Blazers with a 2-0 record and a 0.38 ERA. She pitched 18.2 innings, allowing 13 hits, three runs – one earned, walked none and fanned 13 as the opposition hit just .194 against her. She had one complete game as VSU went 2-2 in the tournament. Van Auken finished third in the tournament in ERA (0.38) and third in strikeouts (13).

Strickland hit .545 for the championship in four starts in the outfield for the Blazers. She went 6 of 11 from the dish with two runs scored, two doubles, one triple and drove in four. She slugged .909 and reached base at a .615 clip with two walks. She finished second in the tournament in hits (6) and tied for second for the championship with two doubles.

The Blazers are making their 18th trip to the NCAA Tournament and the 14-straight trip, marking the second longest active streak in Division II. Fellow Gulf South Conference member Alabama Huntsville is making its 17th-straight trip to lead the nation in 2019. VSU is 55-36 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and the 55 wins ranks seventh-most in Division II history. VSU won its first national title in softball in 2012, while finishing runner-up in 2010 and 2014.

Tampa is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2015 and 11th overall. Th Spartans are 14-20 all-time in the tournament. Spring Hill is making its first appearance in program history, while West Florida is making its 14th trip overall and fourth-straight. The Argos are 29-27 all-time.

VSU has faced each of the teams in its side of the regional this season as the Blazers are 1-0 against Spring Hill, 1-3 against West Florida and 0-1 against Tampa.

Against Tampa in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., the Spartans broke a 1-1 game in the top of the sixth on a one out RBI single. VSU had its chances in the game as it left seven stranded, while UT left three on base. VSU senior Kasie Johnson went just 1.1 innings, allowing one earned run on one hit, walked one and fanned on. Van Auken pitched the final 5.2 innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, walked none and fanned five. Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year Makaleigh Dooley earned the win for the Spartans. Tampa had two runs on three hits in the game with three errors, while VSU had one run on five hits and one error.

The Blazers downed Spring Hill College 5-1 in the second game of the season in the Gulf Shores Invitational in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Blazers tallied two home runs in the third inning of the game for a 4-0 lead and then scored one in the sixth for the 5-1 victory. Van Auken won her first game as a Blazer, going all seven innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run, no walks and eight strikeouts.

Against West Florida, the Blazers have had their struggles this season, most recently in a 9-0 loss in the GSC Tournament last weekend at UWF. The Blazers are hitting just .178 against the Argos this year on 16 of 90, while scoring eight runs, with one double and three home runs. UWF is hitting .303 with 22 runs scored, 33 hits, four doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI. K. Johnson is 1-1 against the Argos with a 4.38 ERA. As a team, VSU has a 4.58 ERA in 26 innings with four walks and 18 strikeouts. Junior Jordenne Gaten leads the team against the Argos this season, going 5 of 12 (.417) from the dish with three runs scored, one double, one home run and one RBI.

Along with Van Auken, VSU had senior Kasie Johnson, junior Lacey Crandall and redshirt freshman Kiley Robb earn Gulf South Conference Second Team All-Conference honors this season. Van Auken is 16-5 this season with a 1.59 ERA in 158 innings in 29 appearances with 22 starts. She has 17 complete games, allowing 132 hits, 49 runs – 36 earned, walked 18 and fanned 182. Teams are hitting .221 against her.

K. Johnson is 14-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 26 appearances with 22 starts and 10 complete games. She has pitched 120 innings, allowing 119 hits, 59 runs – 50 earned, walked 17 and fanned 135 as teams are hitting .248 against her. Crandall is hitting .283 in 50 games with 48 starts behind the dish. She has 36 hits, 19 runs scored, six doubles, three home runs and 24 RBI. Robb leads the team with 12 home runs on the year and is hitting .272 with 40 hits for third on the team. She has scored 41 runs to tie for the most on the team, while recording seven doubles and a team-high 38 RBI.

Tampa enters the game hitting .252 for the season on 279 1105. The Spartans have scored 279 runs with 47 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs and 145 RBI. The team is slugging .342 and reaching base at a .327 clip. Lexie Chevalier leads the team with 37 hits and has a .294 average with a team-high 19 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and 16 RBI. Maddie Farrell is second in hits with 36, while leading the team with 24 RBI and second in walks with 14. Corynn Miner is third in hits with 34, while recording seven doubles, a team-high two triples and 21 RBI. Sam Worrell leads the team with four home runs.

In the circle, the Spartans have been outstanding this season as the team has a 1.43 ERA and the opposition is hitting just .189 against it. Dooley is 26-7 in 35 appearances with 27 complete games and 222.1 innings of work. She has allowed 147 hits, 47 runs – 37 earned runs, walked 14 and fanned 214. Mine is 5-2 in 15 appearances with seven starts for 50.2 innings. She has allowed 32 hits, 14 runs – 11 earned, walked 16 and fanned 38.

Nationally speaking, Tampa is fifth nationally in ERA at a 1.43 clip, while ranking 14th in shutouts (15) and second nationally to Valdosta State in strikeout-to-walk ratio at a 6.73 clip. VSU leads the nation at an 8.55 average. Dooley is eighth nationally in ERA at 1.16, while Miner is 28that 1.52. Miner is 13th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (4.42) and Dooley is 19that 4.63. Dooley is ninth in shutouts (9), second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (15.2), 10th in strikeouts (214), third in victories (26) and second in walks allowed per seven innings (0.44).

The Blazers enter the championship hitting .286 for the season on 373 of 1302. VSU has scored 279 runs with 61 doubles, five triples, 58 home runs and 246 RBI. The team is slugging .475 and reaching base at a .377 clip with 180 walks and 18 hit batsmen. VSU has a .961 fielding percentage with 52 errors leading to 32 unearned runs.

In the circle, VSU has a 2.33 ERA in 337 innings of work with 30 complete games, ten shutouts and four saves. The Blazers have allowed 309 hits, 144 runs – 112 earned, walked 42 and fanned 359 as teams are hitting .236 against them.

Individually, sophomore Fallyn Johnson leads the team with a .392 average as she is 31 of 79 from the plate with 17 runs scored and six RBI. Junior Haley Garrett is second in average at a .356 clip as she has started all 51 games thus far. Garrett leads the team with 52 hits and is tied for the team-lead in runs scored with 41. She has eight doubles and is second in home runs with ten, while recording 27 RBI. Garrett leads the team in slugging percentage at a .616 clip, while reaching base at a .434 average with 19 walks for fourth on the team. Strickland is hitting .301 for the season also in 51 starts. She has 47 hits, 10 doubles, four triples to lead the team, four home runs and 31 RBI. She has scored 36 runs for third on the team.

Nationally speaking, VSU is 26th nationally in ERA at 2.26, while leading the GSC in home runs per game at a 1.14 clip for 10th nationally. VSU leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 8.55, while ranking 40th nationally in slugging percentage (.475). Van Auken is 33rd nationally in ERA at 1.59 for third in the GSC. She is fourth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 10.11 to lead the GSC, while ranking 23rd nationally in strikeouts (182) for first in the league and she is 25th nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (8.1) for second in the league. She also is 13th nationally in walks allowed per seven innings at 0.8 for third in the GSC. K. Johnson is seventh nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 7.94 while ranking 33rd in strikeouts per seven innings (7.9) and 71st in strikeouts (135). She is 28th in walks allowed per seven innings (0.99).