The No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs return to Foley Field Tuesday as Georgia State comes to town. First pitch is set for 5:02 p.m. ET and be available on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
The Bulldogs (20-11) are riding high after winning an SEC road series versus #1 Vanderbilt, outscoring them 25-8. It was Georgia’s first series win over a No. 1 ranked team since 1993. Also, Georgia became the first team to beat Vanderbilt in Nashville in a series since 2018. Entering the series, Georgia was the last team to beat them in a series doing it in Athens in 2019 when it was a top five showdown. The Bulldogs now start a five-game home stand Tuesday against Ga. State (8-25) and then Kentucky (20-9, 6-6 SEC) starting Friday.
Georgia leads the all-time series with the Panthers 43-8 as it dates back to 1971. Earlier this year (Feb. 24), Georgia posted a 6-2 win over GSU for its fifth straight win in the series. The Panthers last win over Georgia came in 2014, 3-2 in Athens. The Bulldogs will have another staff night on the mound with freshman LHP Luke Wagner (3-2, 3.09 ERA) getting the start. GSU will counter with senior LHP Tyler Koch (0-0, 4.26 ERA).
This past weekend against Vanderbilt’s vaunted pitching staff that led the nation with a 2.31 ERA, Georgia slugged .585 with eight doubles and nine home runs. Meanwhile, Georgia’s pitching staff posted a 2.77 ERA and registered 42 strikeouts against the league’s best offense that ranked second nationally in slugging percentage at .544.
Redshirt junior Connor Tate (.381-8-23) led the Bulldog attack against the top-ranked Commodores, batting .583 (7-for-12) with two doubles, three home runs and six RBI. He was one of nine players/pitchers named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, and he was honored as the SEC Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. Tate is the first Bulldog named National Player of the Week and SEC Player of the Week since Tucker Bradley on March 2, 2020. Tate is batting .391-6-10 in SEC action. Earlier this year, Corey Collins was named SEC Freshman of the Week.
Meanwhile, sophomore RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-2, 3.38 ERA) was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week. He tossed a career-high seven shutout innings with 9 strikeouts and no walks in clinching SEC road series over No. 1 Vanderbilt this past Saturday. He is Georgia’s first SEC Pitcher of the Week since Cole Wilcox on March 2, 2020.
Senior Garrett Blaylock (.271-6-17), who has started the last five games at second base, had nothing but extra base hits against the No. 1 Commodores, smacking two doubles and three home runs with five RBI. He batted .385 (5-for-13) in the series to improve to .421-3-7 In SEC action. Blaylock began his career at Vanderbilt. Redshirt junior INF JoshMcAllister(.362-5-13), who ranks among the SEC leaders in batting, has missed the last six games due to a hamstring injury. He is day-to-day after having to leave game one of the South Carolina series (Apr. 2) with a pulled hamstring.
Georgia Baseball Radio Link: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Announcers: Jeff Dantzler, David Johnston)
Tues. Pregame Show begins at 4:40 p.m. ET: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=3939&type=Archive
All regular season Bulldog games will be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network. Georgia home games along with SEC road games will be available on the SEC Network+ platform too. All Georgia baseball games will be carried locally on WRFC 960 AM as it will serve as the primary home for all broadcasts. In Atlanta, Bulldogs fans can tune in to WFOM 1230 AM. Fans can listen to every game online for free through the official website of the Bulldogs, georgiadogs.com and the Georgia Bulldogs app. Also, games will be available on TuneIn. Live Stats are available via the Bulldogs app too.
SEC Network+ TV Links: (Announcers: Matt Stewart, Jason Jacobs)
Tues. at 5:02 p.m. ET: TBA