Georgia welcomes the 16th-ranked Auburn Tigers to Foley Field Friday for the SEC home opening series. First pitch will be at 7:02 p.m.
The Bulldogs (9-13, 0-3 SEC) returned to the win column with a 9-6 road win over Kennesaw State this past Tuesday. Auburn (18-5, 3-0 SEC), currently on an eight-game winning streak, jumped into the Top 25 rankings following a sweep of then fifth-ranked Florida last weekend on the Plains. Most recently, the Tigers picked up a 7-4 road win over Ga. Tech.
Here’s a few notes on the matchup with the Tigers:
*Auburn holds a 104-85 edge in the series with the Bulldogs. Georgia did not face Auburn last year, and the Bulldogs swept Auburn in its last visit to Foley Field in 2012. Since then, Georgia has faced the Tigers on the Plains in ’13 and ’15, going 1-5. Five of the last seven series meetings have been sweeps. Georgia’s sweeps came in ’06, ’07 and ’12 while Auburn’s came in ’10 and ’15.
*The Bulldogs, under the direction of Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin, are batting .269 with 21 home runs while they have an ERA of 5.56 and a fielding percentage of .951. In the LSU series, Georgia batted .291 but posted an 11.62 ERA and fielded .950. Auburn is batting .304 with seven home runs while the team ERA is 3.36 and a .974 fielding percentage. In its sweep of the Gators, Auburn outscored UF 22-9, batting .302 with a 2.33 ERA and a .983 fielding percentage. The Tigers are coached by Butch Thompson, who was Georgia’ pitching coach from 2002-05. Also, one of his assistants is Doug Sisson, who served as Georgia’s associate head coach from 2006-07.
*Georgia’s probable rotation for the AU series will feature senior Andrew Gist (1-1, 4.82 ERA) on Friday followed by freshman Tony Locey (2-3, 7.65 ERA) on Saturday and junior RHP Chase Adkins (3-1, 2.97 ERA) on Sunday. The trio all made their first career SEC starts last week at #6 LSU. As part of a staff night this past Tuesday at KSU, Gist picked up a win with a scoreless inning. Auburn will counter with a trio of RHPs in Keegan Thompson (4-0, 0.78), Casey Mize (3-0, 0.30) and Davis Daniel (1-0, 5.75).
*Georgia junior LF/1B Keegan McGovern has hit safely in 10 of the past 11 games, the lone exception came last Friday at #6 LSU when he went 0-for-1 with three walks. After a 4-for-4 performance in the 9-6 road win over Kennesaw State this past Tuesday, he now leads the team in batting at .348.
*Bulldog sophomore catcher Michael Curry ranks among the SEC leaders with 25 RBI and five home runs. He has belted 16 career home runs. Overall, he is batting .298 with a career-best eight-game hitting streak and has driven in at least one run in eight of the past 10 contests.
*Georgia freshman shortstop Cam Shepherd (.308-1-10) enjoyed a successful SEC debut, batting .538 in the series at #6 LSU. In the SEC opener, he went 4-for-5 including an RBI-double, a stolen base and three runs scored. He finished the series 7-for-13 with two doubles and two RBI. He has a career-best seven-game hitting streak. Another Bulldog freshman who enjoyed a nice debut was second baseman Will Proctor (.271-3-10) as he batted .556 (5-for-9) with a home run and three RBI.
*Georgia freshmen CF Tucker Maxwell has reached base in 17 straight games. As Georgia’s leadoff hitter, he has a team-best 17 walks and is batting .236-2-8. Nine Bulldogs including seven freshmen made their SEC debut last Friday at No. 6 LSU.
Television/Radio
TV: Entire series available on SECN+ (Kaleb Frady, 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), georgiadogs.com and via the Georgia Bulldogs app and TuneIn app.
Live Stats: www.georgiadogs.com, go to the Schedule Page, find the game, click on GameTracker Link
Additional Coverage on Twitter: @BaseballUGA;
Foley Field Ticket Information
*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
Promotions For AU Series
Friday at 7:02 pm
* First 1,000 fans receive Georgia Baseball pennants
* National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day: Raisins will be given out during the game
Sunday at 1:02 pm
*First 750 fans receive Georgia Baseball wristband
*Anthem Buddies: go on the field and stand next to your favorite Bulldog for the National Anthem
*Postgame Autographs and Kids Run the Bases