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SB: No. 5/3 Georgia (12-1) vs. No. 8/9 Clemson (11-2) tonight in Athens

No. 5/3 Georgia (12-1)

vs. No. 8/9 Clemson (11-2)

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024

First Pitch: 5 p.m., ET

Location: Athens, Ga.

Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium

   Admission: FREE (no tickets required / seating is first come, first served)

Media Information

Streaming: SEC Network+

   Play-by-play: Kaleb Frady

   Analysis: Mary Wilson Avant

Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com

Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

Complete Game Notes Attached

No. 5/3 Georgia softball hosts No. 8/9 Clemson at Jack Turner Stadium Wednesday evening in the first midweek game of the season. First pitch against the Tigers is set for 5 p.m.

Follow the Bulldogs

– Wednesday’s game will stream live on SEC Network+. Kaleb Frady (play-by-play) and Mary Wilson Avant (analysis) will be on the call.

– Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule page on GeorgiaDogs.com.

Fan Information and Upcoming Promotions at Jack Turner Stadium

– Admission to every regular-season home game is free; no tickets are required to enter Jack Turner Stadium. Seating is first come, first served. Gates open one hour prior to first pitch or one hour before the first game of the day for home tournaments.

– For the 2024 season, parking is available in the lot closest to S. Milledge Ave. The back lot is closed due to construction.

– The UGA Clear Bag Policy is in effect.

Taylor Swift Night

– First 250 fans receive an “Eras” t-shirt

– First 100 UGA students get free pizza

– Kids fifth grade and younger can run the bases post-game

BULLDOGS BULLETIN

Series History

Clemson

– Georgia trails the all-time series 1-2

– In the three meetings, the home team has won each game

– This will be the second meeting between the Dogs and Tigers in Athens; Georgia won the first Athens meeting in 2022, 3-2

Georgia in the Polls

Georgia in the Poll: Week 3

     – USA Today/NFCA: 5

     – ESPN/USA Softball: 3

     – D1Softball: 4

     – Softball America: 3

Recapping Action

The Bulldogs picked up wins over No. 21 Virginia Tech, Radford, and Dartmouth in the Georgia Classic in Athens over the weekend. Virginia Tech bested the Dogs on Friday night in a one-run game, but Georgia responded on Saturday, downing the Hokies 7-5. Georgia plated seven runs in the sixth inning to run rule Radford in the nightcap, 10-1. The Dogs finished the weekend with an 8-1 win over Dartmouth on Sunday.

A Look at What’s Ahead

The Bulldogs hit the road this weekend to Palo Alto, California to take part in the 2024 DeMarini Invitational hosted by No. 11/10 Stanford. Georgia will play No. 11/10 Stanford and No. 20/24 Cal twice each while also taking on Boise State. Action begins Friday March 1 against Cal at 3 p.m., ET, followed by Boise State at 5:30 p.m.

MBB: Dawgs comeback falls short in Baton Rouge, 67-66

 Late game drama at the tail end of a back-and-forth battle in the second half saw the Georgia men’s basketball team’s comeback bid fall just short as it fell 67-66 on the road against LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Tuesday.

Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs’ (15-13, 5-10 SEC) scoring efforts with 16 points on the night followed by Justin Hill’s 11 points, all coming in the second half powered by three 3-pointers. Dylan James was heavily involved in the second half as he matched a career-high nine points on 18 minutes with a pair of rebounds while Silas Demary Jr. led the efforts on the glass with seven boards along with five points and four assists. Georgia was also efficient on the defensive end of the court, forcing 16 LSU (15-13, 7-8 SEC) turnovers and holding it to 67 points on the night after averaging 76.8 points per game on the season.

The game tipped-off to a high-scoring affair as the Bulldogs trailed 16-10 heading into under-16 media timeout. Despite trailing by 13 nearing the midway point of the half, Georgia sparked momentum as it hopped on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 23-19. Shooting woes created trouble for the Bulldogs late in the first half as they trailed 40-27 heading into the locker room.

Georgia came out firing to open the second half, as it produced a 9-2 run to cut the score to 42-36 and force an LSU timeout. After exchanging several possessions on both ends of the court, three straight 3-pointers from the Bulldogs closed the gap to 54-49 just over 10 minutes left. Georgia continued to battle back late, tacking on another 7-0 run in just over one minute to take its first lead of the second half at 58-57 with 5:35 left in game. The final minute of regulation saw three lead changes as a late Hill layup with 29 seconds left handed the Bulldogs a 66-65 lead. A foul at the other end of the court took LSU to the free throw line with 15 seconds left, where the Tigers would convert and regain the lead. Georgia created two scoring opportunities on its last possession but could not connect as time expired.

The Bulldogs’ next tilt will see them return to Athens where they will host Texas A&M on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 6 p.m. ET at the Stegeman Coliseum. The game will be broadcasted on the SEC Network. Georgia trails the all-time series 5-8, where it will look to snap a four-game losing streak against the Aggies.

Five Fast Facts

• Noah Thomasson has scored 15 or more points in each of his last four games.

• Blue Cain made his first career start, finishing with six points, two rebounds and two steals in 14 minutes.

• Dylan James matched a career-high nine points on 18 minutes with a pair of rebounds.

• Georgia outrebounded LSU 34-31 on the night while winning the bench points battle 29-21.

• Georgia forced 16 LSU turnovers (13 turnovers per game this season) while holding it to 67 points (76.8 points per game this season).

Key Quote

Head Coach Mike White: “I’m hurt for our guys. Tough environment in our locker room right now because our guys laid it on the line and played as hard as they’ve played all year. In many ways, I thought we deserved that win, but LSU did too. Those guys are playing their best basketball of the year, and they made a lot of plays. Tough loss for us. Good win for LSU.”

Box Score

MTennis: Jamie Hunt has been named the next head coach of the Georgia men’s tennis program

“Coach Hunt understands what it takes to compete at a championship level,” Brooks said. “He did it as a player and has led our program to championships as the associate head coach over the last few years. Jamie is someone who connects with our student-athletes and has helped lead our team to top recruiting classes nearly every year. I know our fans, alumni and student-athletes will be thrilled to have Jamie as the head coach of Georgia men’s tennis.”

Hunt is currently in his seventh season as the associate head coach on Georgia’s staff. Hunt will become the third head coach in the modern history of the program dating back to 1955, replacing the legendary Manuel Diaz, who recently announced his retirement.

“I am delighted that Jamie Hunt has been named the next head coach of men’s tennis at the University of Georgia,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “He exemplifies UGA’s standards of excellence for coaches and student-athletes, and I know that our men’s tennis program will benefit tremendously from his continued leadership.”

Hunt played for Coach Diaz from 2007-2010 and helped lead Georgia to a pair of national championships. He returned to his alma mater in 2017 to serve as the program’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.

Under Hunt’s leadership, Georgia has signed a top-10 class in all but one season — the No. 2 class in 2018, No. 3 in 2019, No. 10 in 2021 and most recently bringing in the top-ranked class in 2023. That recruiting success has translated to the court.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Hunt helped lead Georgia to a Southeastern Conference Championship with a perfect 12-0 mark in league play. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, and freshman Ethan Quinn captured the program’s fifth NCAA singles title, joining all-time greats Mikael Pernfors (1984, 1985) and Matias Boeker (2001, 2002).

“Being named the head coach of Georgia men’s tennis is the privilege of a lifetime,” Hunt said. “It is hard to put into words how much this university and tennis program have meant to me and my family. I would like to thank President Morehead and Athletics Director Josh Brooks for the opportunity to serve our incredible student-athletes as their head coach and lead this storied program into the future.”

“I’d also like to thank Will Glenn for being such an important mentor to me and Ian Duvenhage for taking a chance on me as a young coach by giving me my coaching start in college tennis,” Hunt said. “And, of course, I owe the biggest thanks to Coach Diaz. To learn from and be mentored by the greatest college coach of all time has more than prepared me for this opportunity, and I am forever grateful for him and his leadership. To the best fans and lettermen in the country, I look forward to making you proud with how this team competes and represents this world-class university on and off the court.”

Since Hunt returned to Athens in 2017, the Bulldogs have accumulated a 116-54 record, including two NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances and one semifinal finish. He has been named the ITA Southeastern Region Coach of the Year twice (2019, 2023), while his players have won a plethora of awards, including 22 All-SEC recognitions, 11 ITA All-America distinctions, nine ITA Southeast Regional awards, ITA National Rookie of the Year and ITA National Senior Player of the Year.

“Jamie Hunt is the perfect choice to continue the great tradition of Georgia tennis,” Diaz said. “He was an elite player, he is an excellent coach, and, most of all, he is an exemplary person. Jamie always has a positive attitude and a smile on his face. Over the last few years, Jamie has taken on an even larger role with our team, which resulted in us winning an SEC Championship and NCAA singles title last season. I know our players, our future players, fans and alumni are excited to have Jamie lead this program.”

Before coming back to his alma mater, Hunt served as the associate head coach for the Vanderbilt men’s tennis program from 2013-17. The Commodores had an impressive year in 2013, finishing with a No. 15 ITA national ranking following an appearance in the NCAA Round of 16, marking Vanderbilt’s highest ranking in over a decade.

Hunt then helped Vandy to a No. 20 national ranking in 2014 as the team hosted the NCAA Tournament regional round for the second year in a row. In 2015, Hunt developed Gonzales Austin into Vanderbilt’s second-ever SEC Player of the Year, helping the program earn its best SEC record in nearly a decade with an 8-4 mark against league opponents. During his seven years in Nashville, four Vanderbilt players were named ITA All-Americans, while two doubles teams reached the No. 1 ranking in the ITA Doubles poll.

During his playing career, Hunt won the U.S. Open Junior Doubles Championships before becoming an All-SEC and All-American performer at Georgia. His 116 singles wins still rank 13th in school history for the four-time All-SEC selection, while his combined singles and doubles record of 238-80 ranks third in the Georgia record book.

Off the court, he was the winner of the prestigious ITA Southeast Regional Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.

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