The Georgia baseball will host the fifth-ranked Clemson Tigers at Foley Field this evening with the first pitch scheduled to rip towards home plate at approximately 7:02 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and be available on the Bulldog Sports Network from IMG.
The Bulldogs (13-16) are coming off a SEC road series win over Tennessee while the Tigers (24-5) claimed an ACC series on the road against Georgia Tech.
PITCHING MATCH-UP
It will be another staff night on the mound for the Bulldogs Tuesday with sophomore LHP Ryan Avidano (2-0, 7.50 ERA) getting the start while the Tigers go with right-hander Tyler Jackson (4-1, 4.24). Avidano pitched two innings of a combined shutout of Clemson in 2015, a 7-0 win in Athens. His career starts came in 2015 against Furman (6IP), Longwood (7IP), Mercer (1.1IP), Kennesaw State (5.1IP) and Ga. Tech (2.2 IP). This year, he has made eight relief appearances for a total of 12 innings. Last Tuesday, Georgia’s staff night featured 11 pitchers in a 12-3 win over Savannah State.
GAME NOTES
In records dating back to 1950, Clemson leads the series with Georgia 76-53-1 including winning both meetings last year after Georgia swept the series in 2015. The Tigers posted an 11-6 win in Athens and 12-0 in Clemson during the 2016 season.
The Bulldogs, under the direction of Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin, are batting .268 as a team while they have an ERA of 4.78 and a fielding percentage of .955. In the road series win over UT, Georgia batted .240 with a 3.46 ERA and fielded .971.
Freshman SS Cam Shepherd (.333-1-14), the current SEC Freshman of the Week, has started all 29 games at shortstop. In the Tennessee series, he batted .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles and an RBI. In four games last week, he batted .526 (10-for-19) with three doubles, his first career triple and four RBI. Shepherd’s .425 SEC batting average (17-for-40) ranks second in the league.
Freshman 3B Aaron Schunk (.324-1-16) has started 28 games at third base and has hit safely in a career-best nine straight games. In the series at UT, he batted .538 (7-for-13) with a double and two RBI. He moved to the leadoff spot in the batting order for the final two games of the UT series.
Junior RHP Blake Cairnes registered a pair of saves in back-to-back appearances in the Tennessee series. For the year, he is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and three saves in 10 outings. In 16 innings, he has four walks and 20 strikeouts.
CLICK HERE for the complete game notes for the Georgia Bulldogs versus the Clemson Tigers baseball game.
TELEVISION/RADIO
TV: SECN (Taylor Zarzour & Carlos Pena via Remote)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network from IMG College (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
Stations: 960 AM-WRFC and selected affiliates (check your local listings), georgiadogs.com and via the Georgia Bulldogs app and TuneIn app.
Live Stats: CLICK HERE for the Game Tracker live stats.
Additional Coverage on Twitter: @BaseballUGA
TICKET INFO
Foley Field Ticket Booth and Gates open two hours before first pitch.
Reserved Seat Tickets: $8; General Admission Tickets: $5; Order online or by calling 1-877-542-1231
UGA Student Tickets: Free Admission with valid UGA Student ID Card
UGA Student Gate is located off Rutherford Street
SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR THE CLEMSON GAME
The first 500 UGA students will receive a free “Beat Clemson” t-shirt, and UGA students can run the bases following the game.
ON DECK
(Thursday, April 6th – Saturday, April 8th)
UGA vs. Missouri Series
April 6-7 games will be at Foley Field in Athens
Saturday, April 8th game will be at the new SunTrust Park in Atlanta to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Bulldog fans headed to SunTrust Park are encouraged to purchase parking in advance at one of the available lots.
Link to purchase Parking for SunTrust Game: CLICK HERE
Because parking is dispersed around the ballpark, this will enable you to use the “Waze” app for directions that will guide you directly to your parking spot. Simply type in “SunTrust Park,” then press “Where to Park” and select your parking lot. This is the easiest way to navigate the stadium and parking lots. Because only one lot will accept on-site payments on game day, please be prepared and purchase in advance.
Link to purchase Tickets for SunTrust Game: CLICK HERE