Carrollton, GA - The University of West Georgia Wolves baseball team is set to host the Valdosta State Blazers in a three-game Gulf South Conference series at Cole Field this weekend. The Wolves (27-10, 15-9) are winners of ten straight games, including seven straight conference games, and currently hold a spot in the GSC tournament. The Wolves look to continue their win streak in hopes of securing their spot in postseason play.
Offense Leading the Way
The West Georgia offense has been very good this season, but especially in their last five victories. The Wolves have scored double-digit runs in their last five games, including fourteen on a season-high nineteen hits in a win over Georgia College on Tuesday.
Dalton Rogers is hitting .462 over his last ten games, including fourteen RBI.
Garrett Hayes has twenty RBI over the last five games, and seven of his thirteen hits have gone for extra bases.
Goldsmith Leading UWG Staff
UWG Senior right-hander
Brandon Goldsmith has been outstanding on the mound this season. He has gone 7-0 on the year and is fourth in the Gulf South Conference with a 2.67 ERA. Goldsmith has struck out 53 batters while walking only seventeen opposing batters on the season. The Hamilton, GA native has been a workhorse for UWG as he is second in the conference with 67.1 innings pitched.
Power at the Plate
UWG has hit 32 homeruns as a team so far in the 2016 season. The two players leading the Wolves in that category are right-fielder
Tyler Hutch and second baseman
Artemis Kadkhodaian, who each have seven long balls on the year. That duo combined for only three homeruns in the entire 2015 season. Shortstop
Caleb Lopes comes in at third on the list with five homeruns, while
Garrett Hayes has four.
Valdosta State at a Glance
The Blazers are currently 24-12 overall and 15-7 in the Gulf South Conference. They are hitting .305 as a team on the season. Their offense is led by Dalton Duty who is hitting a team-high .421 with seven homeruns. Marcus Sigmon is hitting .315 on the year with a team-leading 14 doubles and 36 RBI. The VSU pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.30 on the season. Kellan Bailey is 6-3 with a 4.18 ERA. Colby Wisdom has a 1.08 ERA through 16.2 innings pitched. Greg Guilliams is in his ninth season as the Valdosta State head coach.
When and Where
The three game series is set to begin Saturday, April 16 at 2:00 p.m. EST at Cole Field. Game two is set to take place approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Game three will take place Sunday with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. EST. Live stats will be available at uwgsports.com. Updates will also be available via @UWGAthletics on Twitter.
