The Georgia baseball team hosts No. 8 Florida for a three-game weekend series at Foley Field, with game one tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET. All three games will be made available on the SEC Network+ and the Bulldog Sports Network from IMG.
With four SEC series remaining, the Bulldogs (17-25, 5-13 SEC) are tied for 12th with Tennessee for the final spot in the 12-team SEC Tournament field. Georgia and the Vols own identical 5-13 SEC records. The Bulldogs do hold the tiebreaker over UT after winning the series in Knoxville 2-1 earlier this season. Alabama is in last place overall with a 2-16 SEC record. Missouri holds the 11th spot with an 8-10 league mark. The Gators (27-13, 10-8 SEC) are in second place in the Eastern Division, two games behind seventh-ranked Kentucky (28-13, 12-6 SEC). Georgia travels to Kentucky next (May 5-7).
Georgia is coming off a 7-5 road win over Georgia Tech to clinch the season series in its only midweek action while Florida last played on Sunday, winning a home series over No. 18 South Carolina. Entering this series, the Bulldogs are batting .259 with an ERA of 5.08 and a fielding percentage of .956. The Gators are batting .252 with a 3.09 ERA and a .978 fielding percentage. Florida leads the series with Georgia 173-80-2. The Bulldogs last won a series over the Gators in 2013, going 2-1 in Athens. Florida has won the last three series, posting a sweep in Gainesville in 2014 and winning 2-1 in Athens in 2015 and 2-1 in Gainesville in 2016.
On Saturday at 2 p.m., Georgia will hold its annual Lettermen’s Day with a special focus on the 30-year anniversary of the 1987 team that was the first Bulldog squad in school history to advance to the College World Series. Also, two annual lettermen awards will be presented before the game. Lettermen from as far back as the 1940s will be in attendance.
GAME NOTES
Pitching Matchups For The UF Series
Friday at 7 p.m.: Andrew Gist (2-3, 3.99), LHP, Sr. vs. Alex Faedo (6-1, 2.47) RHP, Jr.
Saturday at 2 p.m.: Chase Adkins (5-4, 3.43), RHP, Jr. vs. Brady Singer (4-3, 1.94), RHP, So.
Sunday at 1 p.m.: Kevin Smith (2-4, 6.35), LHP, So. vs. Jackson Kowar (6-0, 3.90), RHP, So.
Hitters To Watch
Georgia’s top two hitters and All-Star candidates are sophomore C/DH Michael Curry (.344-9-42) and freshman SS Cam Shepherd (.320-5-22). They have started all 42 games and rank 1-2 on the squad in batting average, home runs and RBI. Curry ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in batting, home runs and RBI. In SEC action, Shepherd is batting a team-best .359 followed by Curry at .338. The Gators are led by sophomore OF Nelson Maldonado (.311-3-13) and junior 1B/C JJ Schwarz (.243-5-30). Also, Florida is 52-for-68 in stolen base attempts with junior SS Dalton Guthrie (.250-3-13) and sophomore 2B Deacon Liput (225-1-12) with 10 stolen bases apiece.
Banged-Up Bulldogs
Georgia’s infield depth has taken a hit this month after two more Bulldogs were lost to season-ending injuries. Freshman Aaron Schunk (.290-1-18), who had started 37 games at third base, broke his left thumb against Clemson on April 19th while junior utility infielder Trey Logan (.190-0-6) broke his left collarbone against Vanderbilt April 22nd. Georgia has been without projected starting first baseman sophomore Patrick Sullivan all year due to an illness. Also, junior outfielder Will Campbell (.237-3-13), who has made 29 starts, has missed the last nine games due to a sore back.
CLICK HERE for the complete game notes for the Georgia Bulldogs versus the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball series.
TICKET INFO
*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 GEORGIA-FLORIDA SERIES
*Friday: First 750 fans receive Utz Potato Chips
*Saturday: Lettermen Day honoring Georgia’s 1987 College World Series Team; First 750 fans receive a 1987 replica jersey
*Sunday: First 200 fans receive an oatmeal cookie to celebrate National Oatmeal Cookie Day:
Pregame: Anthem Buddies: Stand on the field next to your favorite Bulldog for the National Anthem
Postgame: Kids can run the bases and play catch in the outfield for a brief time
TELEVISION/RADIO
TV: SEC Network+ Friday-Sunday (Matt Stewart & Jason Jacobs);
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.
STATS
CLICK HERE for the 2017 Georgia Baseball Stat Link.
For live stats durinng the game, got to the Georgiadogs.com Baseball team’s page, CLICK HERE, go to the Schedule Page, find the game, click on GameTracker Link.