Dear Kobe, Mr. Bryant always felt insincere, you were always Kobe to the masses. It was bigger than basketball with you. You changed everything we value in sports. You were the man I never met, but knew my entire life. For many middle to late 1990’s kids, you were their icon. We shouted your name when shooting at a trash ...

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, ...

By: Rut Labrada, staff writer  Be ready to lend an ear, everyone! Poet and professor Tim Seibles will be visiting Valdosta State University on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Georgia Poetry Circuit.  He will be reading selected poems from his works to a wide audience at the Student Union Theater that evening, with entry being ...

We all know that maintenance is important for keeping the campus nice, right?   No one wants to drive on old broken roads; no one wants to trudge down nasty sidewalks, and certainly no one wants to see dead plants and animals all over the place.   But what happens when the maintenance that’s supposed to be beneficial to students puts a wrench in their plans?  Recently there has been ...

Written by: Ashley Jones, Art & Entertainment Editor  On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Valdosta will witness the opening of its first Raising Cane’s.   Opening with an early morning celebration, the new Valdosta restaurant will start by celebrating the first customer in line with a gift basket and a greeting from the Valdosta Raising Cane’s employees.  The new Valdosta restaurant will continue the celebration with a “Lucky 20” drawing to award 20 customers with free ...

By: Rut Labrada, Staff Writer  VSU’s undergraduate research journal, Omnino, is soliciting student research papers after receiving low submission numbers due to website renovation during the Fall 2025 semester.  Every year, the research journal, advised by English Professor Dr. Anne Greenfield releases a volume of student-written and peer-reviewed papers from various departments across VSU, but after the website renovation, the Omnino staff and faculty were forced ...

Austin Sellars – Spectator Staff Writer VALDOSTA, Ga – The VSU women’s softball team will travel to Dahlonega, Georgia, for a doubleheader against the University of North Ga. The first game starts at 1 pm, and the second begins around 3:30 pm at Haines and Carolyn Hill Stadium.  VSU is coming off a win over Middle Georgia in the Gulf Shores Invitational, where the ...

By: Ailyn Quiroz, Staff Writer  VSU students and local high school students can win a total of up to $20,000 in cash prizes by participating in a business competition that takes place this spring.   The J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship and the College of Business Administration have launched the 2026 Business Plan Competition where students get to build and showcase their business ideas while gaining real-world skills in the entrepreneurial field.   The registration date for the contest is Feb. 15.  Participants must form teams of at least two ...

By: Austin Sellars, Staff Writer  VALDOSTA, Ga. – The VSU men’s baseball team hosts Florida Tech for its home-opening three-game series this weekend, taking place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Feb. 5, 6, and 7, at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.  The opening game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, 4 p.m. on Friday, and 1 p.m. on Saturday.  The Blazers are coming off a ...

By: Marese Hudson, Assistant Sports Editor  VSU men’s basketball team survived a late scare and prevailed overtime, to claim a thrilling Gulf South Conference victory over the University of West Florida 103-100 Saturday at The Complex.   VSU improved their overall record to 12-8 and 9-2 at home, extending its record against West Florida to 23-10.  Senior guard Drew Mills led the whole game in points as he had a season-high 36 points, ...

By: Marese Hudson, Assistant Sports Editor VSU men’s tennis enters the 2025-26 season chasing rarity, as they will try to win their third straight NCAA DII championship, but this run will depend heavily on one of the youngest rosters in the country.    The Blazers finished 26-0 last spring and extended their dual-match streak to 42, and ended off by winning ...