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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – After a week’s worth of rest, the Nova Southeastern baseball team (5-1) will return to the NSU Baseball Complex for a weekend series against the Valdosta State Blazers (2-5). The first game is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. and the series will end with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 19 with the first pitch set for 1 p.m.

“After such a long layoff we are looking to get back into action and compete versus a quality program in Valdosta State University,” said head coach Greg Brown. “The players have been able to use this time as an opportunity to assess and address some of our deficiencies to build towards the next phase of the season.”

The Sharks began the 2011 season on a strong note as they came out to the first 5-0 start in program history. NSU kicked off the year with a 2-1 victory over Northwood and followed up with a home sweep of Albany State. Against the Golden Rams, the Sharks outscored their opponents by a total of 21 runs (29-8).

The biggest test came in their first road game against Barry in Miami Shores, Fla. NSU trailed by two runs in the top of the ninth but rallied back to beat the Buccaneers, 9-7. Unfortunately, the Sharks lost momentum in their last game as they fell at home to Palm Beach Atlantic, 3-2.

The Sharks' strong start has been recognized as NSU received 10 votes in this week's Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national poll.

Heading into the weekend series against VSU, NSU has another opportunity to make history. A win Friday night would mark the second time the team has started the season 6-1. A sweep would equal the best nine-game start in program history.

The Blazers have had a disappointing start to their season. The reigning Gulf South Conference champions were picked to repeat as champions in the GSC preseason poll. they also entered the year ranked No. 14 in the CBN's national preseason poll. So far this year they have gone 2-5, with all losses coming against schools from Florida.

They started the year by losing, 19-3, on the road against Saint Leo, who was picked eighth in the Sunshine State Conference poll. They also lost an 11 inning game against Flagler,7-6, before being swept in a weekend series against Florida Tech. The Blazers have only managed to defeat Albany State, 8-0, and Georgia Southwestern, 5-4, in their first seven games.

This marks the third straight year in which NSU will host a weekend series against VSU, a team the Sharks are 8-6 against all-time. Last season, the Sharks lost 3 out of 4 games in a weekend series. In 2009, NSU went 3-1 against the then No. 11 ranked Blazers.

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