Carrollton, GA - The University of West Georgia baseball team is heading down to Valdosta, GA to play the Blazers in a three game series at Billy Grant Field. UWG will look to try and improve its 7-4 record in the Gulf South Conference play. The weekend series kicks off March 29 at 5:00 p.m. The Wolves and Blazers will then play a double header Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. with the next game to follow soon after.
VSU at a Glance
Valdosta State University is looking much better as of late winning their last six of their last seven games. The Blazers are 14-11 overall this season and 3-6 in conference play. VSU is 13-4 at home this year, so there should be many exciting games from the teams this weekend.
UWG at a Glance
West Georgia has lost four of their last five games on this away stretch that started back on March 19. Even with the recent rough patch, the Wolves are still 18-12 overall on the year and 7-4 in the GSC play. Like the Blazers, the Wolves would much rather play at home rather than on the road as their away record is 4-9 this season.
VSU Batters to Watch
Valdosta State has a sophomore behind the plate catching for them named Bryant Hayman. Hayman is not only a good defensive catcher, but also has an explosive bat. He is hitting .305 on the year and is leading the team in hits (25), home runs (4), and RBIs (17).
UWG Batters to Watch
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Shaquille Jackson# looks to be completely healthy again and is playing good baseball of late. Jackson has missed eight games this year, but he leads the team with a .376 batting average. He also leads the team in stolen bases as he is 11-for-14 on the year. #
Evan Hester# has also continued to be impressive for the Wolves as he leads the team is hits (35), doubles (13), and walks (17).
VSU Pitchers to Watch
Valdosta State has two pitchers they heavily rely on in Pete Whittingslow and Jeremy Holcomb. Whittingslow has pitched forty innings this year and has a 2.48 ERA. He has also shown to have good command on the mound only giving up 13 walks while striking out 33 batters. Holcomb has also proven to be a reliable pitcher as he is 4-2 on the year with a 2.23 ERA. Hitters are only hitting .227 against him this season. The Wolves will also likely see Nick Fogarty in one of the games this weekend. Fogarty, a two-time Gulf South Pitcher of the week, has a 1.67 ERA, and has struck out 31 batters to only walking nine. Fogarty also hurled a perfect game against Paine, striking out nine batters in the seven inning game.
UWG Pitchers to Watch
It would be crucial for the Wolves to get off to an early lead and maintain that through the middle innings, as the team is 12-0 when leading after seven innings. One way to do that is solid pitching, and that is exactly what #
Jamie Sexton# has been giving the team this year. Sexton is 6-1 on the year with a 1.08 ERA. He has earned back to back GSC pitcher of the week awards and has also pitched five complete games this year. The Blazers can also expect to see righty #Randal Wright# out on the mound. Wright has a 4.68ERA and has 21 strikeouts to just four walks this season.
Previous Matchup
Last year the Wolves and Blazers split the series against each other after the first game was cancelled because of a travel delay. In game one, Riemer got the start for the Wolves and was a big part of why they won the game. He went eight innings only giving up three runs and also punched out three batters at the plate. UWG won the first game 7-3. In game two, the Wolves got off to a bit of a slow start. They found themselves down 7-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. They did make a small comeback scoring four runs in the inning, but it was just a little too late.
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