Fifth-ranked Georgia opens a three-game series with North Florida Friday at Foley Field with first pitch slated for 5:02 p.m.
Georgia (7-2) is batting .297 as a team with a 2.72 ERA and a .977 fielding percentage. UNF (3-6) is hitting .265 with a 6.343 ERA and .966 FLDG%. Senior LHP C.J. Smith (0-1, 1.64) will start the opener against UNF. He pitched well last Saturday against Gardner-Webb, tying his career high by going seven innings, but got a no decision in a game Georgia won 3-2. Senior preseason All-America LHP Ryan Webb (0-0, 0.00) made his 2021 debut this past Saturday on a pitch count as he is coming back from an illness. He looked sharp, going three scoreless innings, allowing one hit with no walks and four strikeouts. He will start Saturday. Georgia’s other preseason All-America pitcher, RHP Jonathan Cannon, is slated to make his 2021 debut next week. Freshman LHP Jaden Woods (0-0, 5.19)will make his third career start on Sunday.
Redshirt junior OF/1B Connor Tate leads the Bulldogs in batting at .500 (16-for-32) with eight RBI. Tate went 7-for-17 with five RBI last week and then was 2-for-3 with an RBI against KSU Wednesday. His identical twin, Cole, serves as the starting SS, and is batting .370-1-4. However, Cole did not play Wednesday for the first time all year due to a hamstring injury and is day-to-day. Freshman DH/C Corey Collins is batting .370 with two home runs, six RBI and a team-high seven walks. He has reached base safely in all nine games.
The Ospreys are coached by former Miss. State two-sport standout (QB/INF) Mike Parenton. He is in his fourth season with the Ospreys. UNF opened the season with a 7-4 road win over No. 21 Florida State. They have named starters for Friday (Max McKinley, 1-1, 6.14) and Saturday (Austin Bogart, 0-0, 3.00) with Sunday TBA. UNF’s leading hitter is senior Trey Spratling-Williams at .526-0-2. Senior shortstop Abraham Sequera (.258-2-5) hit a home run from both sides of the plate in a loss to then No. 1 Florida last month. The Ospreys are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference and have been Division 1 since 2006.
The series continues Saturday and Sunday with first pitch on those days set for 1:02 p.m.