Daily Dawg Thread: January 25, 2024

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MBB: Mike White Postgame Interview – Georgia 68, LSU 66

Opening Statement…

“It was a great win for us. You take anyone you can get in this league, home or away. LSU is really good. We are really fortunate to have won. They had a chance to down the stretch, they kept fighting and fighting. They were tremendous defensively. The play at the end of the game, wow, what a pass. It could’ve gone either way. Obviously, we are really fortunate and excited. We have to move on quickly because here comes another one at noon in a couple days.”

On the effort on the last possession…

“It was huge. We want to play downhill, and we had one. Justin Hill has made plays for us obviously and the ball is going to be in his hands, and more to come moving forward. We have other guys too that we trust down the stretch, but we just tried to get downhill and thought if we were neutralized, we can use one. We ended up getting a couple looks there and Russ [Russel Tchewa] made an enormous play obviously, and he converted at the foul line as well. Huge play by Russ.”

On RJ Melendez’s strong game off the bench and momentum building dunk…

“He’s really competitive. In transition? He’s got good length, the ability to run through passes, and he’s really fast. His first few steps there, whether he gets the ball or receives a pitch ahead, especially off of turnovers or long rebounds, he’s just out. He’s a fast player and he’s got a nose for the rim in transition. He had a drive in the half court as well where he drew fouls and he’s converting at the foul line as well. He’s a guy like Justin Hill that plays starter minutes and produces like a starter. He’s a good player.”

On how the crowd has impacted the game…

“It was awesome. I absolutely see it. We were much better in the second half defensively and I thought that had a lot to do with our fans. It got loud in there and I’m really appreciative.”

On how Georgia grinded out the game and how it compares to his teams at Florida…

“Yeah definitely. Again in order to be in the conversation we’ve got to win a lot more but it’s certainly better than the alternative. It’s not going to be easy in this league and it’s the best defensive league in college basketball. It seems like every time we play a team we say they are one of the best defenses in our league too. Who doesn’t guard you at a very high level in this league? They are rebuilding and we are rebuilding and it was just two teams fighting it out. We can say it was ugly or a grind but really it was ten guys out on the court that were throwing haymakers. It was a high-level game of intensity. I know everybody that played in this game is going to be tired. It was a competitive high-level game.”

On the bubble drill at practice and how that has helped the teams rebounding…

“Yeah, it’s an apparatus that we put up on the rim so you can’t score. The ball comes off a piece of plastic sitting on the rim. It can’t give you a lot of shooting confidence, but it helps you become a better rebounding team. It has helped us in the past month.”

Video Highlights/Photos/Box Score: Georgia 68 LSU 66

Highlights

Photo Gallery

Watch a fullscreen slideshow HERE.

Box Score

SB: UGA picked to finish second in the SEC + 3 Dawgs named to Top 50 Watch List

The University of Georgia softball team has been picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference in 2024, picking up six first-place votes from the league’s head coaches. Additionally, Jayda Kearney, Sydney Kuma, Sara Mosley, and Shelby Walters were tabbed Preseason All-SEC.

The Bulldogs garnered 136 total points in the coaches’ poll, second only to preseason favorite Tennessee who totaled six first-place votes and 137 points in the poll. LSU, Arkansas, and Auburn round out the top five. Points were compiled on a descending basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Georgia’s second-place pick is the highest since the Bulldogs were tabbed second prior to the 2019 season.

The preseason All-SEC Team was also selected by a vote of the head coaches. Ten schools were represented on the team, with Tennessee leading the way with five selections. Georgia and LSU both had four, and Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri each had two. The Preseason All-SEC Softball Team consists of a minimum of 21 players and no ties are broken.

Georgia returns all position players from last season’s Super Regional team including All-Americans Kearney, Kuma, and Mosley. The trio combined for 45 percent of Georgia run production and accounted for 52 percent of Georgia’s home runs. Each hit over .340 and slugged north of .700.

All six 2023 All-SEC Team performers return including right-handed pitchers Walters and Madison Kerpics. The pair combined for 37 wins in the circle and 243 strikeouts.

The Bulldogs concluded the 2023 season in the Super Regional round at third-seeded Florida State. Georgia finished second in the SEC with a 16-7 record, the most wins and highest conference finish since 2018. Overall, the Bulldogs accumulated a 42-15 record in Baldwin’s second season at the helm.

The 2024 season begins Feb. 9 at home when Georgia hosts the Red & Black Showcase presented by T-Mobile. Murray State, South Dakota, and Purdue will travel to Athens to open the season.

Admission to every regular-season home game is free, no tickets are required for entry to 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.

2024 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)

Place	School	Points
1.	Tennessee (6)	137
2.	*Georgia (6)*	*136*
3.	LSU	106
4.	Arkansas	103
5.	Auburn	100
6.	Alabama	88
7.	Florida (1)	77
8.	Texas A&M	75
9.	South Carolina	68
10.	Kentucky	53
11.	Missouri	28
12.	Ole Miss	24
13.	Mississippi State	19

Jayda Kearney, Sara Mosley, and Shelby Walters named to Top 50 Watch List for 2024 Player of the Year award

University of Georgia softball student-athletes Jayda Kearney, Sara Mosley, and Shelby Walters have been named to the Top 50 Watch List for 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, it was announced Wednesday.

The 2024 Top 50 Watch List highlights athletes from 28 universities and six athletic conferences with Oklahoma leading the universities in recognition as six Sooners join the list followed by UCLA with four athletes and Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and LSU tabbing three athletes apiece. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads the athletic conferences with 21 athletes.

All three Bulldogs return in 2024 after earning All-SEC and NFCA All-Region honors a season ago. Kearney, a senior outfielder from Columbus, New Jersey, was named NFCA First Team All-America while Mosley, a fifth-year third baseman from Ellijay, Georgia, was tabbed All-America by Softball America. Kearney and Mosley, along with graduate second baseman Sydney Kuma combined for 45 percent of Georgia run production and accounted for 52 percent of Georgia’s home runs. Each hit over .340 and slugged north of .700.

Kearney and Mosley each appeared on the Top 50 watch list prior to the 2023 season, but neither were chosen as Top 25 finalists for the award.

Walters, who joined the Bulldogs last season as a transfer, made an immediate impact on the Bulldogs’ pitching staff, winning 18 games in the circle with a 1.72 ERA and seven saves.

The trio was tabbed Preseason All-SEC by the league’s head coaches ahead of the 2024 season. Georgia, who is ranked No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Softball Preseason poll, was picked to finish second in the SEC in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, earning six first-place votes from the league’s head coaches.

The Top 25 Finalists will be announced on May 1. While an athlete does not have to be on the “Watch List” to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 will be announced May 15 with the final three finalists being named May 20. The 2024 Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the start of the Women’s College World Series.