Last Weekend:  The Statesmen captured three wins over Great Lakes Valley Conference foes No. 13/25 Southern Indiana and No. 9/16 Quincy University.  Senior Zack Shannon hit a home run and had three RBIs and Seth Birdsong tossed five-plus shutout innings with six strikeouts 

to help the Statesmen earn a 7-0 win over Southern Indiana in Quincy, Ill., on Saturday. Shannon went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in the fifth inning while Birdsong, who carried a no hitter into the sixth, gave up one hit and fanned six Eagles in 5.2 innings pitched.  The Green-and- White (7-1) held off a late rally for a 6-5 win in game one and earned an 11-2 win in the nightcap to sweep No. 9/16 Quincy University (0-2) 

on Sunday at the Quincy Baseball Stadium. Hayden Davey struck out eight while giving up two runs on two hits and Juwan Burney and Josh Russell combined for six hits to lead the Statesmen in game one. Dalton Minton and Tyler Walton combined to throw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts out of the Statesmen bullpen in game two. Jason Popovich led DSU with three RBIs while Zack Shannon and Brian Lane each had two RBIs in the night cap.

Midweek Recap: Zack Shannon went 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs and five RBIs to rally top ranked Delta State University (8-1) to a 10-5 win over Mississippi Valley State University (0-1) on Tuesday at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. The Statesmen scored three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to erase a 3-0 deficit and take a 4-3 lead. Brian Lane, Shannon and Clay Casey belted back-to-back-to-back home runs to highlight a five-run seventh that gave DSU a 9-3 lead.

Scouting the Blazers: The Blazers enter the weekend with a 6-5 record under the direction of 11-year Head Coach Greg Guilliams. DJ King has started the last two games for VSU, boasting a .444 average with a home run and two RBIs. Luke Suchon follows with a .361 average with a team-best four doubles along with eight RBIs. Max Abramson leads the team with nine RBIs and is third with a .318 batting average. Ross Goforth has two home runs and six RBIs.  Sean Gabel, Hunter Jones and Logan Dubbe are the probable weekend starters on the mound. Gabel is 1-2 with a 1.76 ERA, 18 strikeouts and one walk. Jones is 1-0 with nine strikeouts, nine walks and a 3.29 ERA while Dubbe is 0-1 with a 5.54 ERA, seven strikeouts and five walks. 

The Statesmen offense will be up against one of the top pitching staffs in the GSC, as the Blazers rank second in ERA (3.03) and third with 91 strikeouts.

GSC Numbers: The Green-and-White enter the series with the Blazers with an all-time 593-217-1 conference record that includes 14 GSC Tournament championships and 21 GSC regular season titles. Delta State has won 11 GSC West Division and seven GSC Tournament crowns under current Head Coach Mike Kinnison.

GSC Numbers: Delta State leads the GSC in home runs (14) and slugging percentage (.483) while ranking second in hits (111), total bases (169) and toughest to strikeout (45).  The Statesmen rank third in batting average (.317) and RBIs (71) and are fourth in runs scored (77). Zack Shannon's five home runs leads the GSC and his 17 RBIs are third. Brian Lane is first in the league in hit by pitch (6) and fewest strikeouts (1), and is third in hits (916) and fourth in RBIs (15). Jason Popovich's 45 at bats are first and his 15 hits are tied for fourth.

GSC Openers:  The Green-and-White are 22-15 all-time in GSC openers . The Statesmen defeated West Alabama 6-4 at Tartt Field in Livingston, Ala., to open the 2017 GSC slate. The Statesmen are 12-9 in conference openers under Head Coach Mike Kinnison.

76th Season: Delta State is in its 76th season of baseball with a 1,978-953-11 all-time record. The Statesmen are ranked seventh in NCAA Division II in wins with a 306-123-2 record since 2000.



RETURNING TO FORM After two tough outings, senior pitcher Seth Birdsong looks to be returning to form after a solid outing against Quincy University. Birdsong tossed five-plus scoreless innings, taking a no-hitter into the sixth, before yielding his only hit of the afternoon. The Brownsville, Tenn., native finished with a season-high six strikeouts against two walks in 5.2 innings.

DAVEY SOLID ON THE BUMP Junior Hayden Davey has been solid through his first three starts, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.12 ER and 20 strikeouts against seven walks. Davey tossed six innings with eight strikeouts and two walks while allowing two runs on two hits against No. 9 Quincy University.

SOLID BULLPEN Senior Peyton White has registered three saves out of the Statesmen bullpen in seven games. White has recorded saves against Palm Beach Atlantic (2.4), Ouachita Baptist (2.9) and Quincy University (2.18).  White has a 2.57 ERA with three strikeouts in seven innings of work. Dalton Minton and Tyler Walton combined for six shutout innings in to lock down a Statesmen game three win against Quincy. The pair yielded one hit with seven strikeouts in the 11-2 win.

SANFORD RECORDS PAIR OF FIRSTS Redshirt freshman Bradly Sanford's RBI double against Quincy were his first collegiate hit and RBI as a Statesmen. The Grenada, Miss., native has started in two games and played in three games behind the plate, hitting .200 with three runs scored, a double and one RBI.

NCBWA SOUTH REGION POLL After spending the first three weeks on top of the NCBWA South Region Poll, the Statesmen (8-1) dropped to second behind Florida Southern (10-0). West Georgia (10-0) is third followed by Tampa (7-2), and North Alabama (6-3) in the top five. St. Leo (6-2), Mississippi College (6-1), Lynn (6-4), Embry Riddle (6-2) and Nova Southeastern (3-4) round out this week's poll. Rollins, Valdosta State, Montevallo, Palm Beach Atlantic and Eckerd all received votes.


RECORDS WATCH Senior Zack Shannon has a GSC leading five home runs and 17 RBIs through nine games in 2018. The Cincinnati, Ohio native is one home run away from tying Mark Hayes (1987-89) and Casey Myrick (1995-98) for ninth on the school's career home runs list.