VALDOSTA –– The Valdosta State baseball team returns to the road this week against Auburn Montgomery for a weekend Gulf South Conference series. The AUM series is set for a single game Friday at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

Fans can access links to live stats, streaming information and more at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page. Check back with vstateblazers.com following each game for a complete recap and stats of the games.

The Blazers are coming off a rain-shortened series versus Shorter in the Gulf South Conference series opener this past weekend. VSU and Shorter split the first two games of the series on Saturday and had not completed five innings of Sunday’s finale before the game was called due to rain. It marked the third game this season which has been cancelled or postponed for the Blazers.

VSU (4-3, 1-1 GSC) hit .268 against Shorter in the two games, while holding the Hawks to a .196 clip.  The Blazers were 15 of 56 from the dish, scoring nine runs, with two doubles, one triple, two home runs and drove in nine.  The team slugged .446 and reached base at a .364 clip with seven walks and two hit batsmen.  The team had a .961 fielding percentage with three errors.

On the mound, senior Tristan Cone picked up the win in the 5-1 victory in game one on Saturday.  He went seven innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, walked two and fanned nine. Shorter hit just .167 against him. Senior Alec Aleywine earned his first save as a Blazer, pitching two innings of relief in the opener. The Blazers had a 4.5 ERA for the series in 16 innings, allowing 11 hits, eight earned runs, walked nine and fanned 16. Senior Zach Blankenship threw well in the nightcap Saturday, going five innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, walked four and fanned five. The VSU bullpen was unable to hold the 4-2 lead, however, surrendering five runs in the top of the seventh by the Hawks, losing 7-4.

Offensively, seniors Nick Lewis and Logan Stephens each had three hits to lead the team. Stephens was 3 for 7 with a run scored, a double, a triple and drove in two. Aleywine went 2 for 5 with a team-high three runs scored, a home run and three RBI.

Saint Leo (1-7) is coming off a 1-2 weekend against Quincy (Ill.).  The Lions won the middle game of the series for their first win of the season as they had started 0-6, including two losses to GSC foe Lee.  The Lions were picked sixth in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason Poll this season after going 25-25 last season and 14-16 in league play.  VSU and Saint Leo split two games last season, each winning on its home field.

This season, the Lions are led by Amir Wright, who is hitting a team-high .393 from the dish in eight games on 11 of 28.  He has scored a team-high ten runs, along with three doubles and one triple.  He has two RBI with six walks and is 2 for 2 in stolen bases. Jake Vander Wal is hitting .300 on 6 of 20 from the plate with a team-high six runs scored, a team-high four home runs and a team-best seven RBI.  Sam Crail is second on the team in home runs with three.

As a team, the Lions are hitting .221 on 56 of 253, scoring 37 runs with 16 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 36 RBI. The team is slugging .383, while reaching base at a .320 clip with 33 walks. Saint Leo has 13 errors for a .953 fielding percentage, leading to 25 unearned runs.

On the mound, Ruddy Gomez is 1-1 in three starts with a 2.25 ERA. He has pitched a team-best 16 innings, allowing 12 hits, five runs – four earned, walked 13 and fanned 20.  National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Second Team Preseason All-Region selection McCabe Sargent is 0-1 with a 4.40 ERA in three starts and 14.1 innings.

This will be the first of two meetings with Saint Leo this season as the Lions will visit Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park on Apr. 7.

Auburn Montgomery is 3-0 in Gulf South Conference play and 4-6 overall after sweeping Christian Brothers last weekend. AUM began the season 0-6, before winning its last four games, including a 9-6 win at Embry-Riddle in the series finale on Feb. 9, for the first win of the year. During its four-game winning streak, AUM has outscored the competition 39-7.  In the first six games, the Warhawks were outscored 67-26.

The Warhawks are scheduled to play Miles College on Wednesday, before welcoming the Blazers for the weekend. AUM is led by Dalton Cobb, who is hitting .371 on 13 of 35 from the plate. He has scored 11 runs to lead the team, while recording one double, one triple and a team-high two home runs. He is slugging .629 and reaching base at a .489 clip, while going 4 for 4 in stolen bases. Matthew Zielonko is hitting .333 for the season on 13 of 39 with four runs scored, a team-high three doubles and a team-best 11 RBI. AUM is hitting .294 for the season with 99 hits, 65 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 59 RBI. The team is slugging .395 and reaching base at a .391 clip with 43 walks and 12 hit batsmen.  AUM is 11 of 14 in stolen bases this season.

On the mound, Micah Henderson is 2-0 in 19 innings with a 2.84 ERA. He has allowed 20 hits, 11 runs – six earned, walked five and fanned eight. Troy Jones is 1-1 in 15.1 innings and a team-high 14 strikeouts. The staff has a 6.97 ERA in 81.1 innings, allowing 109 hits, 77 runs – 63 earned, walked 47 and fanned 48 as teams are hitting .318 against it.

The Warhawks were picked eighth in the GSC Preseason Poll, released in January. AUM went 27-22 last season and 14-15 in league play.  VSU swept the season series in Valdosta, outscoring AUM 39-13.  VSU leads the all-time series 5-2 and 4-2 in Gulf South Conference play. AUM won the first two meetings in 2018, with both as members of the GSC.

VSU is led by senior Mike Christopoulos who has a team-high ten hits for the season. He is hitting .435 on 10 of 23 from the dish with seven runs scored, three doubles and two home runs, while driving in seven. Christopoulos is slugging .826 for second on the team, while reaching base at a .519 clip with four walks. He is one of three different Blazers with two home runs each as Aleywine and senior David Maberry each have two round-trippers. Senior Nick Lewis (.533 avg.) and Maberry each have eight hits for second on the team, while Aleywine leads the team with nine runs scored.

Offensively, the Blazers are hitting .283 for the season with 63 hits in 223 at bats, while scoring 47 runs with 10 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 40 RBI. The team is slugging .439 and reaching base at a .392 clip with 37 walks and five hit batsmen. VSU has a .969 fielding percentage with eight errors leading to four unearned runs.

On the bump, Cone is 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA. He has pitched 17 innings to lead the team, allowing 17 hits, eight earned runs, walked six and fanned a team-high 24. Blankenship is 1-0 in three appearances with two starts. He has pitched 14 innings, allowing 14 hits, seven earned runs, walked four and fanned 14. Senior Cooper Cain is 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings, allowing eight hits, five runs – two earned, walked four and fanned nine. As a staff, VSU has a 4.05 ERA in 60 innings, allowing 53 hits, 31 runs – 27 earned, walked 27 and fanned 63 as teams are hitting .233 against it.