The Georgia baseball team faces off against South Carolina in Columbia in a crucial three-game SEC series starting this afternoon at 7:00 p.m. ET. Games two and three will follow on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
The series is crucial for the Bulldogs in securing a spot in the SEC Tournament. Georgia currently is one game ahead of Tennessee for the final spot in the 12-team SEC Tournament field, which is set for May 23-28 in Hoover, Alabama. Seeding of the teams in the tournament is based on conference winning percentage with the division winners seeded No. 1 & 2. The Bulldogs, who are (9-18) in conference play, hold the tiebreaker over the Volunteers, who are (7-18) in conference play, after winning the series in Knoxville 2-1 earlier this season. Tennessee hosts Missouri, (11-16) in the SEC and who holds the 11th spot in the conference tourney, for a three-game series this weekend. If the Bulldogs take 2 of 3 from South Carolina this weekend, they will clinch the final spot in the conference tournament even if Tennessee wins all three of their games versus Missouri.
GAME NOTES
CLICK HERE for the complete game notes for the Georgia Bulldogs versus Mississippi State baseball series.
The Bulldogs have won six of their last eight games and two straight SEC series over top 10 ranked foes. Georgia won two out of three at fourth-ranked Kentucky two weeks ago and then defeated sixth-ranked Miss. State two games to one last weekend in Athens. The No. 30 Gamecocks are in 10th place overall in the SEC standings with a 12-15 league record.
Pitching Matchups For The MSU Series
The pitching matchups for the first two games of the series are set. In game one Thursday at 7 p.m., Georgia will start senior left-hander Andrew Gist (2-4, 4.13 ERA) while the Gamecocks counter with junior right-hander Wil Crowe (5-4, 3.50 ERA). In game two Friday at 7 p.m., the Bulldogs will start sophomore left-hander Kevin Smith (4-5, 5.17 ERA) while USC goes with sophomore right-hander Adam Hill (3-5, 3.11 ERA). Neither team has announced a starter for game three on Saturday.
Did You Know? Under Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin, Georgia has won the last three series over the Gamecocks, going 6-3 against them the past three years, and each year USC was ranked in the top 10. Last year in Athens, Georgia stunned the No. 2 Gamecocks two games to one. The previous two seasons, USC entered the Georgia series ranked No. 7.
STATS
CLICK HERE for the 2017 Georgia Baseball Stat Link.
TELEVISION/RADIO
TV: Thursday-Friday on SECN+; Saturday on SEC Network (Dave Neal & Mike Rooney)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network from IMG College (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
Stations: 960 AM-WRFC and selected affiliates (check your local listings), also via the Georgia Bulldogs app and TuneIn app.
Additional coverage and updates on Twitter: @BaseballUGA
For live stats during the game, go to the Georgiadogs.com Baseball team’s page, CLICK HERE, go to the Schedule Page, find the game, click on GameTracker Link.
IMPORTANT INFO FOR THE SEC TOURNAMENT
Fans attending the 2017 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover will be asked to enter the event with clear bags and should be prepared to arrive early and to see a law enforcement presence in and around Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, the Conference office has announced. Enhanced security measures, including the clear bag policy, will also be in place at the inaugural SEC Baseball FanFest event in the new Finley Center adjacent to the Hoover Met. The security measures are consistent with procedures exercised at other SEC championship events throughout the year.