The Blazers won 8-5 in a come from behind win against Georgia Southwestern with a perfect four-for-four night at the plate from Jon Koenigsfeld. The Blazers are now 29-11 on the season largely because of the success on the offensive side of the ball.
Valdosta State slugger Brandon Decker was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Week this week for his dominating performance in the Blazers’ three-game series with the Wolves of West Georgia.
Decker hit an impressive .818 in the three games while recording three homeruns and 14 RBIs on the weekend.
“I don’t know man, I am just feeling really good right now and I am hitting the ball really well,” Decker said. “I am just trying to help my team out.”
The senior slugger, who transferred to Valdosta State from South Florida Community College before his junior season, has found a comfortable spot in the Blazers lineup. VSU head coach Greg Guilliams has slotted the six foot three inch outfielder in the third spot of the batting order, just ahead of University of Georgia transfer Clayton Cain.
This season the Criminal Justice major is hitting a conference best .470 at the plate, and leads the conference in homeruns with 17 RBIs with 68 and more than 130 total bases. Decker is second in the conference with 65 hits, trailing only Andrew Whittington of Southern Arkansas University.
“I just go out there every day and try to do the same thing,” Decker said. “I am just trying to help my team win.”
The on-field success for Decker is something that he has enjoyed much of his life. Decker broke the homerun record at his high school in Holiday, Fla. in his senior season as he hit ten out of the park while bringing in 47 runs.
While in junior college at SFCC, Decker was named a Junior College All-American, tallied 20 homeruns with a batting average of .404, and was named the SFCC Offensive Player-of-the-Year.
“The thing that Brandon is doing, is that he is hitting the ball into all fields,” Greg Guilliams, VSU head coach, said. “He is a tough-out because he is able to hit all the pitches.”
As impressive as Decker’s numbers are this season, Decker posted even more impressive numbers last season. Decker was named a Division II All-American and also first team All-GSC, and finished the year with a .514 average with 94 hits and 22 homeruns, which was one shy of the school record.
As the 13th ranked Blazers find themselves in a tie for first place in the GSC Eastern Division with the Argonauts of West Florida, Decker looks to lead the Blazers against the University of North Alabama this weekend, much like he has all season. Read about the games online at VSUspectator.com.