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WTennis: Mell Reasco upsets No. 8 seed Reese Brantmeier in NCAA singles championship

Sophomore Mell Reasco’s upset victory over No. 8 seed Reese Brantmeier highlighted the University of Georgia women’s tennis team’s success in the NCAA singles championship on Monday at the USTA National Campus.

The day began with No. 4 seed Vidmanova competing against No. 84 Kit Gulihur from North Florida. After losing the first set 4-6 and trailing 0-3 early in the second, Vidmanova rallied back to win 7-5 and secure a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. Vidmanova, with an overall record of 32-6 and 16 ranked victories, is scheduled to face Michigan’s Julia Fliegner on Tuesday, May 23, in the round of 32.

In the mid-morning match, No. 63 Reasco faced off against No. 8 seed Reese Brantmeier from North Carolina. After splitting the first two sets, Reasco emerged as the winner in a hard-fought third-set tiebreaker, defeating Brantmeier 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4) to advance to the round of 32. Reasco, with an overall record of 24-6 and eight ranked wins, is set to take on Stanford’s Alexandra Yepifanova on Tuesday.

In the afternoon, No. 3 seed Ma competed against No. 55 Jessica Alsola from California. Despite interruptions due to afternoon showers, Ma triumphed over Alsola in three sets, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Ma, with an overall record of 31-7 and 15 ranked wins, will face the winner of the match between Anika Yarlagadda (North Carolina) and Amelia Honer (UC Santa Barbara) on Tuesday in the round of 32.

On Tuesday, sophomores Guillermina Grant and Mai Nirundorn will join in on the action when the NCAA doubles championship kicks off. The duo is set to face North Carolina’s Fiona Crawley and Carson Tanguilig.

Dasha Vidmanova and Lea Ma

The day began with No. 4 seed Vidmanova competing against No. 84 Kit Gulihur from North Florida. After losing the first set 4-6 and trailing 0-3 early in the second, Vidmanova rallied back to win 7-5 and secure a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. Vidmanova, with an overall record of 32-6 and 16 ranked victories, is scheduled to face Michigan’s Julia Fliegner on Tuesday, May 23, in the round of 32.

In the afternoon, No. 3 seed Ma competed against No. 55 Jessica Alsola from California. Despite interruptions due to afternoon showers, Ma triumphed over Alsola in three sets, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Ma, with an overall record of 31-7 and 15 ranked wins, will face the winner of the match between Anika Yarlagadda (North Carolina) and Amelia Honer (UC Santa Barbara) on Tuesday in the round of 32.

On Tuesday, sophomores Guillermina Grant and Mai Nirundorn will join in on the action when the NCAA doubles championship kicks off. The duo is set to face North Carolina’s Fiona Crawley and Carson Tanguilig.

Singles Results

Round of 64

#3 Lea Ma (UGA) def. #55 Jessica Alsola (California) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

#4 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #84 Kit Gulihur (North Florida) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3

#63 Mell Reasco (UGA) def. #8 Reese Brantmeier (North Carolina) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4)

MTennis: Ethan Quinn of the Georgia men’s tennis team won his round of 64 match of the NCAA Singles Championship

Quinn, the field’s No. 2 seed, beat Fomba, the nation’s 19^th-ranked singles player, by a 6-7(7), 6-2, 7-5 result in a back-and-forth contest. Redshirt senior Philip Henning ended his collegiate career with a loss to Miami’s Dan Martin in the opening round by a 7-6(4), 6-4 score. Henning finished the season with a 23-13 record in singles, going 17-7 on court two as well as 10-0 in the conference schedule, and 17 wins in doubles. 

No. 2 Quinn will face Ryan Seggerman of North Carolina today in the round of 32 at a time to be announced later. Seggerman beat SMU’s Adam Neff, 6-4, 7-6(4), Monday morning to advance.

“Ethan played in a tough, difficult match,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “Luc Fomba is one of the biggest servers in college tennis. Ethan had to find a way to put enough balls in play as Fomba was playing his game. He won a close tiebreaker in the first set, and Ethan found himself down a break in the second set. It took a lot of courage, a lot of heart, and a ton of hard work for Ethan to come back and win that match. I’m proud of what he’s done this year.”

The second-seeded Quinn opened the first set in his match against Fomba, with each side holding serve heading into the tiebreaker. Quinn opened with a 3-1 lead before the Horned Frogs’ choice for court two this season rattled off three-straight points. Quinn responded by tying the breaker at six-all. However, Fomba took the set, 7-6(7), after winning three of the final four points and saving a set point.

Quinn, a native of Fresno, Calif., bounced back in the second set by earning a pair of breaks and going up 4-1 early. Each side would hold serve the following three games, allowing Quinn to even the match by taking the second set, 6-2.

In a third set filled with deciding points, it was Quinn who found himself behind early, as Fomba held serve twice and earned a break to take an early 3-0 lead. At break point and trailing 4-2, Fomba’s forehand slice went directly into the net and allowed Quinn to tie the match after serving. After the set was again tied at 5-5, the Bulldogs’ choice for court one saved a match point and broke Fomba, allowing him to serve for the match. Quinn fell behind 40-15 but managed to come back and earn match point, winning his opening round match off a thunderous ace to clinch the 6-7(7), 6-2, 7-5 win. Quinn improved to 29-10 in singles on the season with a 21-7 mark against ranked opponents. 

Henning’s match against Martin began at approximately 2:30 p.m., with the redshirt senior trailing in the first set, 3-4, but leading in the game, 30-love, at the time of a lightning delay that forced all matches indoors. The match was paused for about an hour and 15 minutes, beginning again at 3:45 p.m. Henning, the nation’s 19th-ranked singles player, would force a breaker in the first set, but Martin managed to take it, 7-6(4). Henning would fall behind in the second, again 3-4, but broke back and tied the set. Martin would earn a break and served to close out the match, winning by a 7-6(4), 6-4 score. 

Henning, a Bloemfontein, South Africa native, finished his collegiate career with a 102-50 singles record and 89-41 in doubles, which puts him tied for the 15^th-most doubles wins in program history. With a 191-91 combined record, Henning ranks 17^th on the career combined wins total list, tied with teammate Blake Croyder. 

“Philip’s opponent was outstanding today, all the credit to Dan Martin,” said Coach Diaz. “Philip is disappointed, but I’m so proud of the career he’s had. It was his last match as a Bulldog, but he played in every match representing the G with immense pride. I’m so proud of how he’s always represented our program with class. He always went out there well-prepared for both practice and matches. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

Singles Results

Round of 64 – 05/22/23

No. 2 Ethan Quinn (UGA) def. Luc Fomba (TCU) 6-7(7), 6-2, 7-5

Dan Martin (MIA) def. Philip Henning (UGA) 7-6(4), 6-4

Baseball: Ben Anderson, Charlie Condon, and Fernando Gonzalez earned Southeastern Conference baseball honors

Georgia’s Ben Anderson, Charlie Condon, and Fernando Gonzalez earned Southeastern Conference baseball honors Monday as the league announced the annual awards and All-SEC teams as voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Anderson, along with Alabama’s Andrew Pinckney, are the SEC Co-Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Condon was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. LSU’s Dylan Crews was named SEC Player of the Year, and LSU’s Paul Skenes is the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Arkansas’ Dave Van Horn was voted the SEC Coach of the Year.

Anderson, a native of LaGrange, Ga, holds a degree in biochemistry and is pursuing a master’s degree with a 3.79 grade point average in biomedical sciences. He plans to attend medical school after his playing career. Anderson is the first Georgia baseball player to earn an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, and he is the third to earn SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in consecutive seasons. Anderson has started 51 games and posted a .282 batting average with 12 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 28 RBI, and a perfect fielding percentage. Pinckney recently earned his degree in management information systems with a 3.52 grade point average. Pinckney is hitting .347 in his junior campaign with 15 home runs and 49 RBI. Anderson is the third Bulldog to be named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year since the league added this award in 2004. Anderson joins Gordon Beckham (2008) and Keegan McGovern (2018) as Bulldog recipients.

Condon, a native of Marietta, Ga., is among the SEC leaders in batting (.393), hits (81), and RBI (67), and his 25 home runs this season is an SEC freshman record, breaking the previous mark of 22. Earlier this season, Condon had a 37-game on-base streak and a 24-game hitting streak. He also leads the SEC in home runs in conference games this season (16). In Georgia history, Condon’s 25 home runs rank second in a season behind Beckham, who tallied 28 in leading Georgia to the 2008 College World Series Finals. Also, Condon was a second-team All-SEC selection at first base plus was named to the Freshman All-SEC team. Condon is Georgia’s first SEC Freshman of the Year since the award was added by the league in 2000.

Gonzalez was named the catcher on the 11-man SEC All-Defensive Team. A junior native of Panama City, Panama, he has appeared in 43 games, including 41 starts. He has a .994 fielding percentage with 293 putouts, 20 assists, and two errors. For the past seven games, he has served as a designated hitter due to an elbow injury. He is batting .232 with nine doubles, six home runs, and 25 RBI.

Crews leads the SEC and is ranked seventh nationally with a .423 batting average. He has 14 home runs, 13 doubles, and 57 RBI so far this season. He is the first to garner SEC Player of the Year honors in consecutive seasons. Skenes leads the SEC in wins (10), strikeouts (164), and earned run average (1.77). Van Horn led the Razorbacks to their fourth SEC regular season title and second in the last three seasons. 

The 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament runs Tuesday through Sunday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Georgia opens the tournament against South Carolina Tuesday, with first pitch slated for 10:30 a.m. ET.

2023 SEC Baseball Awards

Player of the Year: Dylan Crews, LSU

Pitcher of the Year: Paul Skenes, LSU

Freshman of the Year: Charlie Condon, Georgia

Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ben Anderson, Georgia; Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Andrew Pinckney, Alabama

Coach of the Year: Dave Van Horn, Arkansas

First Team All-SEC

C: Cole Messina, South Carolina

1B: Jac Caglianone, Florida

2B: Cade Kurland, Florida

3B: Tommy White, LSU

SS: Josh Rivera, Florida

OF (3): Dylan Crews, LSU; Wyatt Langford, Florida; Ethan Petry, South Carolina

SP (2): Paul Skenes, LSU; Hagen Smith, Arkansas

RP: Brandon Neely, Florida

DH/UT: Hunter Hines, Mississippi State

Second Team All-SEC

C: Calvin Harris, Ole Miss

1B: Charlie Condon, Georgia

2B: Emilien Pitre, Kentucky

3B (2): Luke Mann, Missouri*; Bryson Ware, Auburn*

SS: Jacob Gonzalez, Ole Miss

OF (4): Kemp Alderman, Ole Miss; Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt; Andrew Pinckney, Alabama*; Jared Dickey, Tennessee*

SP (2): Devin Futrell, Vanderbilt; Brandon Sproat, Florida

RP: Nick Maldonado, Vanderbilt

DH/UT: Kendall Diggs, Arkansas

Freshman All-SEC Team

Charlie Condon, Georgia; Ethan Petry, South Carolina; Ike Irish, Auburn; Cade Kurland, Florida; Colby Shelton, Alabama; Jared Jones, LSU; Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M; Alton Davis II, Alabama; Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State; Gage Wood, Arkansas; RJ Austin, Vanderbilt; Luke Heyman, Florida

SEC All-Defensive Team

C: Fernando Gonzalez, Georgia

1B (2): Drew Williamson, Alabama*; Hunter Gilliam, Kentucky*

2B: Emilien Pitre, Kentucky

3B: Davis Diaz, Vanderbilt

SS: Jim Jarvis, Alabama

OF (4): Enrique Bradfield, Jr., Vanderbilt; Dylan Crews, LSU; Tavian Josenberger, Arkansas*; Kason Howell, Auburn*

P: Hagen Smith, Arkansas

*Ties (Ties are not broken)

Baseball: Georgia opens the SEC Tournament against South Carolina Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET – left-hander Jaden Woods returns from injury

Woods (3-2, 5.59 ERA), who missed the last five SEC series with bicep tendonitis, will start for the Bulldogs (29-26, 11-19 SEC). Georgia is the 11^th seed while the nationally ranked Gamecocks (38-17, 16-13 SEC) are the sixth seed. Woods was in line for a win over USC in the SEC opener on March 18 in Athens when the Gamecocks rallied for a 5-4 win. In that start, Woods struck out 11 in seven innings while allowing three runs on seven hits. Earlier this month, Woods earned a degree in Sport Management. He is among the team’s top professional prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft.

Tuesday’s action is single elimination and features eight teams as the top four squads earned first-round byes. Tuesday’s winners advance to the double-elimination part of the tournament. The Georgia-USC winner faces third seed LSU (42-13, 19-10 SEC) Wednesday at 10:30 am ET. USC swept Georgia in Athens to open SEC play in mid-March. It was part of a 1-9 league start for the Bulldogs, who stormed back to go 10-10 over their final 20 SEC games to earn a spot in the 12-team field. The Gamecocks finished third in the Eastern Division. This past weekend, Georgia dropped a home series to fifth-ranked LSU, while the Gamecocks lost a home series to No. 18 Tennessee.  The USC-UT series concluded with a pair of seven-inning games Saturday. 

SEC Tournament History: Georgia is 31-49 in 27 appearances, with its best finish being second three times (1985, 1986, and 1989). The Bulldogs are 3-1 against the Gamecocks at the SEC Tournament. Under Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin, Georgia’s best showing came in 2019 when it reached the semifinals. Since 2014, the Bulldogs are 4-8 at this event in Hoover. Georgia will hold a one-hour practice at the Hoover Met Monday at 3:20 CT.

SCAR Tissue: Eight times this year (including seven SEC games), the Bulldogs have lost games after either being tied or leading going into the ninth. It started on Opening Day against Jacksonville State as the game was 5-5 going to the ninth, and the Gamecocks scored three for a win. In the SEC opener against USC in Athens, the Bulldogs led 4-3 going to the ninth and lost 5-4. Then, the Gamecocks went on to run-rule the Bulldogs twice to post a sweep. Against Auburn, Georgia led 6-3 with two outs and nobody on in the ninth and lost 7-6 in 11 innings. It happened twice in Missouri walk-offs as the Bulldogs were swept by the Tigers in Columbia earlier this month.

However, Georgia has stunned the SEC co-champions this year too. At No. 2 Florida, the Bulldogs trailed 10-6 in the ninth and won 13-11. Against No. 5 Arkansas in Athens, Georgia, erased an 8-4 deficit in the ninth (grand slam by Connor Tate, walk-off home run by Parks Harber) with a 9-8 victory to sweep the Hogs.

Power At The Plate: Georgia is batting .285 with 101 home runs, a .382 OB%, and is 34-for-40 in stolen base attempts. There have been only three Bulldog teams with 100+ home runs in a season, with the top two marks being 109 in 2009 (62 games) and 102 in 1987 (63 games).

Redshirt freshman 1B/OF Charlie Condon is one of the leading hitters in the country and chasing the team’s Triple Crown, batting .393-25-67. Condon’s 25 home runs is an SEC and Georgia Freshman Record. Graduate Connor Tate ranks second on the club in batting at .384-16-54. Tate leads the SEC with 83 hits, while Condon is third with 81. Parks Harber rounds out this trio of sluggers at .282-18-56. Condon and Tate have started all 55 games this year.

Tough Glove: Georgia ranks second in the SEC in fielding at .980 with 37 errors this season. The school record is .980 set in 2019 while the second best is .979 by the 2018 squad. Last year’s club posted a .978 mark which ranks third.

SEC Tourney Schedule For Tuesday, May 23

Game 1 (10:30 a.m. ET) – #6 South Carolina vs. #11 Georgia [SEC Network] 

Game 2 (TBD) – #7 Tennessee vs. #10 Texas A&M [SEC Network] 

Game 3 (5:30 p.m. ET) – #8 Kentucky vs. #9 Alabama [SEC Network] 

Game 4 (TBD) – #5 Auburn vs. #12 Missouri [SEC Network] 

Radio/TV/Live Stats Information For Georgia-USC Game

Tuesday at 10:30 am ET (SEC Network)

Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4421&type=Archive

TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal & Ben McDonald): https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=e582c8a8-da34-4cd3-85c3-3c30b49c54a6

Live Stats: http://statb.us/b/466486

SEC Bracket:  https://www.secsports.com/bracket/baseball

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