By: Austin Sellars, Staff Writer 

VALDOSTA, Ga – The VSU men’s baseball team will host a three-game series against Union University on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13 and 14, at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga.  This is the first conference series for the red and black. 

The first game will be held on Friday, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. On Saturday, they will have a Valentine’s Day doubleheader, with the first game starting at 1 p.m. and the second at 4 p.m.  VSU is coming off a three-game series against Florida Tech, in which they lost the first two and won the final game on a walk-off single by senior Jackson Webster in the bottom of the ninth.  

The Blazers are currently 2-5 in their non-conference openers, and three wins in this series would start their conference campaign on a strong note.  

Union is coming off a big home win over Lane College, 18-8, improving their record to 4-3 on the season.  

Historically, the two programs are 19-11 in favor of VSU. However, the last matchup between the two schools occurred last season, resulting in a 2-1 home win for the Bulldogs on Valentine’s Day, 2025. 

For the Bulldogs, Junior Elijah Ramsey is batting .478, with 11 hits, three doubles, two home runs, and 20 total bases, leading the team at the plate.  

On the bump for the Bulldogs, sophomore Cole Lannom is absolutely dealing, with 12 strikeouts, two walks, and a 1.29 ERA this season. Freshman Chris Troyer also has 12 strikeouts this year.  

For VSU, junior Charlie Banks and Isiah Pou are leading the team in slugging percentage, with both numbers above .500. Banks sits at .516, while Pou is slugging an impressive .577. 

Pou and Banks also join senior Brent Howard, each batting in 6 runs.  

The Blazers continue to have difficulty leaving runners in scoring position this season. If they can improve in this area, it will likely significantly alter the course of their season. 

Three big wins will set the Blazers up nicely in conference play, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday night.