BASEBALL: Dawgs Land at Sixteen in Preseason Poll
The University of Georgia will start the 2022 campaign with a preseason ranking of No. 16, according to the D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25 rankings released recently.
The Bulldogs are one of eight Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams in the top 25. While Texas claimed the top spot, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Ole Miss round out the top five. The SEC leads all conferences with the most teams in the poll. LSU (No. 8), Florida (No. 9), the Bulldogs and Tennessee (No. 18) check in among the top 25.
The Bulldogs, under the direction of Ike Cousins head coach Scott Stricklin, resume team workouts later this month. The 2022 season opener is set for Feb. 18 at Foley Field with a three-game series against Albany. Georgia concluded the 2021 season with a 31-25 mark. The 2022 Bulldogs will feature 28 returning lettermen including eight starters around the diamond and 13 pitchers who logged innings a year ago.
The editors and national writers of D1Baseball determined the Top 25 rankings. For a look at the complete D1Baseball Top 25 preseason poll, click HERE.
#13 Georgia (14-3, 3-2 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (11-5, 2-2 SEC) Tips Off Tonight
Thursday, Jan. 20 | 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | Starkville, Miss. | Humphrey Coliseum
Watch: SEC Network + (Bart Gregory and Charlie Winfield)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
960 AM The Ref, WXKT 103.7 FM and the Georgia Bulldog App
Opening Tip Storylines
» Georgia concludes a tough stretch of games with its fourth road contest in the last five league matchups. The Lady Bulldogs tip off against Mississippi State at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT Thursday inside Humphrey Coliseum.
» The Lady Bulldogs own a 28-21 lead in the all-time series against Mississippi State but are looking to snap a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs from Starkville. Georgia’s last win against MSU came on Jan. 21, 2016, in Athens. The Lady Bulldogs’ last victory at Humphrey Coliseum came in 2012.
» Thursday’s contest features two of the top shot-blocking teams in the nation. Mississippi State ranks fourth nationally with 6.6 swats per game, while Georgia ranks seventh with 6.3 per contest.
» Georgia is led by one of the top frontcourt/backcourt duos in the country with Jenna Staiti and Que Morrison. The pair has played particularly well in SEC play, accounting for 41 of the team’s 71 ppg average.
» Staiti is averaging nearly a double-double with 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game against SEC foes this season.
» Is Morrison one of the best all-around players in the nation? There is no (QUE) stion about it. Morrison is the only SEC player to rank in the top-5 of the conference in assists (third with 5.1 per game), steals (sixth with 2.4 per game), and free-throw percentage (second at 89.2 percent), while also ranking among the league’s top-15 in scoring (14th with 14.6 ppg).
» Morrison has scored in double figures in 25 of her last 30 games and has totaled four 20-plus point efforts this season.
» Junior forward Jordan Isaacs is coming off the best game of her career. Isaacs helped the Lady Bulldogs hand Missouri its first home loss of the season behind her 9-point, 5-rebound effort.
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