Daily Dawg Thread: March 31, 2023

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Daily Dawg Thread: March 31, 2023

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Daily Dawg Thread: March 31, 2023

Video/Transcript: Chaz Chambliss and Xavier Truss Interviews – March 30, 2023

On now being a veteran among the outside linebackers…

“I mean it’s kind of weird because I had Robert Beal Jr. and Nolan Smith. All those guys were older than me or at the age I am right now when I came in. Right now, it’s just embracing that role and trying to help the young guys.”

 

 

 

 

On lessons taken from the graduating seniors…

“Just being there for the young guys like they were for me. They were there for me and helped me get through all the times as a freshman because that’s a long journey to where you get to playing shape.”

On his focus this spring to improve..“Being more fluid in my coverage and also just perfecting the pass-rush.”

 

 

 

 

On his journey since coming to Georgia…

“It has been a long journey. For the last almost five years now, I have been on a crazy and incredible ride. I have made so many different relationships over the past five years and have learned so much, even at my position with a lot of different position coaches. These last five years have been a blessing to my own personal growth.”

On the depth of the returners on the offensive line…

“I think it is definitely important. I think it gives us a leg up. There is a lot of maturity and a lot experience on our offensive line, especially having Tate (Ratledge), Sederick (Van Pran) and myself and all of the guys back, even (Amarius) Mims. It is a huge help. This will be a great year for Mims. If we all just work hard, it will work out.”

On what areas of the game he is focusing on during the spring…

“This spring I have been working on, in my pass set, throwing my hands, punching and staying low. Last year we had a really good year, pass protection wise. For me, watching the little things on film, I definitely played a little too high. Even in the run game, I played high. It is harder for me, being tall, to stay low and being interior. Focusing on staying low and continuing to drive my feet. In the run game, my combo blocking and making sure I am staying low and square. That way when we have combo blocks in a game, it is easy and looks effortless.”

WGolf: Jenny Bae holds on to third place at Augusta National Women’s Amateur

📸: Rob Davis

 Georgia’s Jenny Bae reserved her spot in the final round of the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur in impressive fashion on Thursday. Bae posted a 4-under 68 at Champions Retreat Golf Club to remain alone in third place on the leaderboard as the tournament shifts to famed to Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday.

Bae is at 7-under 137 through 36 holes and – barring something seemingly unfathomable – appears to be one of only three golfers with a realistic opportunity to win the tournament. Stanford’s Rose Zhang is the leader at 13-under, with Andrea Lignell from Ole Miss in second at 8-under. Following Bae, there is a 5-shot gap to the rest of the field, which places every other competitor at double digits off the lead.

Bae is excited to be in the mix entering the final round.

“It means a lot,” Bae said. “I’m really proud of myself. I don’t really say that about myself, and I feel I should start to. I’m going to just try on every hole and see what happens.”

Bae played her first 13 holes on Thursday at 4-under. She notched her initial birdie of the day at No. 4 and put together two more before and after the turn at No. 9 and No. 10. Bae then birdied No. 13 before her lone bogey of the day at No. 15. She closed with a birdie at No. 18. After the round, Bae quickly gave credit to her caddy, Georgia head coach Josh Brewer.

“Today was the same thing as yesterday – really solid,” Bae said. “I have to admit there were a few ups and downs, but thank God I had my caddy, who is also my coach. He guided me through each shot and was saying ‘You’ve just got to trust it. You’ve had good feel the entire week so you’ll be good.’”

Though Bae has enjoyed a standout season with the Bulldogs, with seven top-5 finishes in nine tournaments, she tried to clear her mind of that and last year’s tournament before traveling to Augusta. A year ago, she shot 9-over 153 and missed the cut in her first ANWA appearance.

“Because of last year, I came in with no expectations,” Bae said. “I told myself ‘Try your best. You’ve played really well all year.’ When I give myself more self pressure, it never goes well.”

Future Bulldog Savannah de Bock posted a 75 on Thursday and wrapped up the 36 holes at 9-over 153 and tied for 63rd. The 2022 European Ladies Amateur champion from Belgium turned at 1-over after a birdie at No. 5 between bogeys at No. 2 and No. 6. She bogeyed No. 11 and No. 14 before a second birdie at No. 15. De Bock bogeyed No. 17 before wrapping up her loop with a par.

The field was cut to 31 golfers following the second round. The entire field 72 golfers will play at practice round at Augusta National on Friday. Those 31 individuals will compete in the ANWA’s final round at Augusta National on Saturday.

NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours of live final-round coverage at Augusta National from Noon-3 p.m. ET on Saturday. Additionally, Golf Channel’s “Live From the Masters” will commence on Friday at Augusta National to provide coverage of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur; the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals; and the Masters Tournament. Live scoring is available online at anwagolf.com.

With Bae and de Bock, Georgia now sports five golfers who have a combined seven appearances in the four editions of the ANWA. In addition, Caterina Don competed in 2019 and 2021, and Isabella Holpfer and Candice Mahé both qualified in 2021.

Baseball: Struggling Dawgs will play three vs. Vandy (4) starting tonight

Georgia resumes Southeastern Conference play Friday in Nashville against fourth-ranked Vanderbilt.  First pitch will be at 5:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+, and it will be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.

Georgia (15-10, 1-5 SEC) dropped a 12-2 decision to Georgia Southern Wednesday at Foley Field and that was the lone home contest in a nine-game stretch. The Bulldogs are 2-3 in this span that concludes Tuesday at Kennesaw State. The Commodores (20-5, 6-0 SEC) and ninth-ranked South Carolina (24-2, 6-0 SEC) lead the SEC as both have swept their first two league series. While the Commodores rank 13th in the SEC in batting at .284, they are coming off a monster offensive showing in a road sweep of Mississippi State when they tallied 55 runs, smashed 12 home runs and hit .383. Vanderbilt’s pitching staff has a 3.28 ERA, good for fifth in the league. On Tuesday, they dispatched Lipscomb 11-1 in eight innings.  

Series History: Georgia leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt 124-114 in records dating to 1897. The Bulldogs stunned top-ranked Vanderbilt in 2021, winning the series 2-1 in Nashville. Last year, No. 14 Vanderbilt claimed a series over Georgia in Athens 2-1. The teams have split the last 12 meetings.

Bombs Away: This week, Georgia stands ninth nationally with 49 home runs, and it could challenge the school record by the end of the season. The top three totals in Bulldog history are 109 (2009), 102 (1987), and 96 (2008). The most home runs in a season during the Scott Stricklin era have been 81, set last year in 59 games.

        Georgia redshirt freshman OF/1B Charlie Condon (.467-10-40) ranks among the national leaders in several categories. He has hit safely in 24 games and has a team-leading 15 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games. Graduate OF Connor Tate (.446-9-28) ranks among the national leaders with 45 hits and 83 total bases. He had a 22-game hitting streak end last week. Tate’s 36 career home runs rank sixth in school history. He hit a pair in the 24-7 road rout of Auburn last Saturday.

        Junior 3B/1B Parks Harber (.340-9-30) has been the most consistent Bulldog in league play, batting an SEC-leading .542 with three home runs and 11 RBI. He had the best series against USC, hitting .556 (5-for-9) with a double, two home runs, and four RBI, and then led the team against Auburn when he batted .533 (8-for-15) with three doubles, a home run, and seven RBI. Harber had a career-best 12-game hitting streak end this past Wednesday.

On The Mound: The Bulldogs have a 6.06 ERA with 263 strikeouts and 126 walks. Georgia’s SEC rotation for the VU series will feature junior LHP Jaden Woods (3-1, 3.90 ERA) and junior LHP Liam Sullivan (3-1, 2.57 ERA), with Sunday’s starter to be announced. The Commodores will go with all left-handed rotation in sophomore Carter Holton (3-0, 2.59 ERA), junior Hunter Owen (3-0, 2.78 ERA), and Devin Futrell (4-1, 3.55 ERA).

Radio/TV/Live Stats Information

Friday at 5:30 pm ET  in Nashville, Tenn. (SEC Network+)

Georgia Bulldog Sports Network: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4382&type=Archive

SEC Network+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=29fddf33-ceda-482a-b6ee-21061c24ca16

Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=vand

Saturday at 3 pm ET  in Nashville, Tenn. (SEC Network+)

Georgia Bulldog Sports Network: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4383&type=Archive

SECN+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=147d817b-22c0-42a4-bf73-a9f1bca16a30

Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=vand

Sunday at 2 pm ET  in Nashville, Tenn. (SEC Network+)

Georgia Bulldog Sports Network: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4384&type=Archive

SECN+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=3b8aaba6-aa50-439c-8058-94ecc9cc2e13

Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=vand

MTennis: Dawgs (8) meet UK (4) and Arkansas (59) this weekend

The eighth-ranked University of Georgia men’s tennis team will play in a pair of conference matches this weekend, starting with No. 4 Kentucky on Friday, March 31 at 5 p.m. inside the Dan Magill Tennis Complex and then traveling to Fayetteville to take on No. 59 Arkansas on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. ET at the Billingsley Tennis Complex. 

#8 Georgia (12-5, 6-0 SEC) vs. #4 Kentucky (19-2, 7-1 SEC)

Date: March 31, 2023

Time:  5 p.m. ET

Location: Athens, Ga.

Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex

#8 Georgia (12-5, 6-0 SEC) vs. #59 Arkansas (12-8, 0-6 SEC)

Date: April 2, 2023

Time:  2 p.m. ET

Location: Fayetteville, Ark. 

Venue: Billingsley Tennis Center

MEDIA INFORMATION

UGA Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/69433d4f/PRh_ncNiCEenPbu5kXtpgw?u=https://gado.gs/9xb

Kentucky Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/559b280f/nr_kj744REuZSbeMotY9zA?u=https://gado.gs/ac0

Arkansas Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/217e05bf/31-CTIvg00O8E_DlJOpXyw?u=https://gado.gs/abz

Live Stats + Video (vs. Kentucky): https://link.edgepilot.com/s/be589eb8/uB2gxG09o0mB0G0ePSR94Q?u=https://gado.gs/8mk

Live Stats (vs. Arkansas): https://link.edgepilot.com/s/9eed5d35/y25T2nyIhUe8YgKR-CUVOQ?u=https://gado.gs/aby

Live Video (vs. Arkansas): https://link.edgepilot.com/s/eb5b22b7/912HhFTox0CxW0KqsxW80w?u=https://gado.gs/91e

Match Notes: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/ac5fd872/FnZl28CSOk_gZ-FDPo7qtg?u=https://gado.gs/ac6

SEC Crosscourt Cast by CrackedRacquets (Friday Only): https://link.edgepilot.com/s/2a92076c/7_K0TrSiv0OVjiFelgkGNg?u=https://gado.gs/ac7

Social Media

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men’s Tennis on social media on Twitter and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and online at GeorgiaDogs.com.  

Conference Play Continues

The Bulldogs continue Southeastern Conference action this week, beginning with a top 10 showdown against the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats at home on Friday at 5 p.m. and closing the weekend with a trip to Fayetteville to take on No. 59 Arkansas at the Billingsley Tennis Center on Sunday at 2 p.m.

As the top two teams in the SEC, Georgia and Kentucky will battle for the top spot in the conference standings. The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0 in conference matches, while the Wildcats are 7-1 with their lone loss coming by a 4-3 result to No. 6 South Carolina at home on March 2. With a win, Georgia would hold a two-match lead in the race for the SEC regular season championship.

In its last match, the Bulldogs defeated No. 51 LSU by a 5-2 result on the road. The team won the doubles point by winning on all three courts, and in singles courts one, two, three and six to claim its seventh-straight win. Georgia is 55-14 in the series against the Tigers since 1957 and has not lost to them since 2003.

The Bulldogs have played 13 ranked teams so far this season, going 9-4 in those matches, including five wins over top 25 teams. Georgia is one of three teams to finish in the top five of the SEC standings in each season since 2019 (Florida, Tennessee).

Diaz’s Details

On hosting Kentucky in a battle between the top two teams in the SEC…

“It’s just another big match, that’s the way we’re going to treat it. We’ve continuously told the team, every match you’re playing for a championship, and Friday is no different. We don’t want to make it any bigger because I’m sure that our energy and focus are going to be where it needs to be. It’s going to be an important match, but we want to go out there and play loose, aggressively and assert ourselves as best we can because we know they’re a good team and they will make us uncomfortable. That said, we are ready for them and this opportunity to play in front of our fans.”

On traveling to Arkansas for the match against the Razorbacks…

“Everyone in this conference is good. Playing in Arkansas is always a huge challenge for us, it’s typically in tough conditions and windy over there. It will be a huge challenge for us to get back up and play another peak match. In this conference, you can’t take anybody for granted. You can’t play anything below your best and succeed, so we’re going to see where we are on Saturday and wrap it back up on Sunday.”

On Miguel Perez Peña’s improvement this season…

“Miguel is just so physical and now he’s a lot more consistent. He’s able to defend when he needs to, he’s settling in and gained some maturity and he’s playing smarter tennis. His physicality is a huge asset for him. He’s going to have a big challenge on Friday and continue to have challenges every time he steps on the court. Right now, he’s playing with a lot of confidence and that makes a big difference.”

On Philip Henning and Trent Bryde’s impressive start to conference play…

“They’re doing a great job leading this team in many ways. I think that they both have worked very hard. This fifth year means so much to our seniors, that every time they step out on the court, they’re making the most of it. They’re playing very hard and now very experienced players and that’s the biggest thing that they bring.”

WTennis: Georgia travels to LSU today, Sunday TAMU

Head Coach Jeff Wallace

#4 GEORGIA vs #43 LSU

Date: Friday, March 31

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Site: LSU Tennis Complex

#4 GEORGIA vs #2 TEXAS A&M

Date: Sunday, April 2

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Bryan-College Station, Texas

Site: George P. Mitchell Tennis Center

MEDIA INFORMATION

LSU Live Stats/Video: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/e8911f4a/XQLlaQ9JPE2F5qgJkA3CnQ?u=https://gado.gs/aaw

Texas A&M Live Stats/Video: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/9fb35333/2EI9haRbGEG7QGmfJOuRag?u=https://gado.gs/8xu

UGA Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/920539ff/XgRy4emRE0Wg_tX3bwMeog?u=https://gado.gs/9yj

Social Media

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Women’s Tennis on Twitter @UGAWomensTennis, on Instagram @UGAWomensTennis, and on Facebook @GeorgiaWomensTennis or check out information online at georgiadogs.com.

806 Wins, 19 SEC Titles, Six National Championships

Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace is now in his 38th year at the helm of the Bulldogs’ tennis program. As the nation’s winningest active women’s tennis coach, Wallace is one of only two coaches to record 800 wins in women’s tennis history – trailing only Lin Loring, the all-time winningest coach with 846 (Indiana). Wallace is also, the nation’s only women’s tennis head coach to be named National Coach of the Year four times.

2023 ITA National Team Indoors Runner-Up

After defeating sixth-ranked Stanford, 15th-ranked Oklahoma and 14th-ranked Iowa State, the Bulldogs made the program’s ninth ITA Indoors finals appearance – a rematch with No. 2 North Carolina. Despite a spectacular run, Georgia fell to the Tar Heels 4-0. 

Under the direction of Coach Wallace the University of Georgia women’s tennis team has played for or won a National Championship in five different decades:

1987……………………………………………………………………………………………………………NCAA Finals

1994……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Champions

1994……………………………………………………………………………………………………………NCAA Champions

1995……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Champions 

1999……………………………………………………………………………………………………………NCAA Finals

2000……………………………………………………………………………………………………………NCAA Champions

2001……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Finals

2002……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Champions

2004……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Finals

2009……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Finals

2015……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Finals

2019……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Champions

2019……………………………………………………………………………………………………………NCAA Finals

2023……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Indoor Finals

Built to Last

Under the direction of Coach Wallace, Georgia has finished first or second in the SEC 29 times.

SCOUTING REPORT

Georgia

The Bulldogs are 14-3 on the season and a perfect 7-0 in SEC play. Georgia is coming off a 4-1 win over No. 12 Tennessee.

Singles

#8 Lea Ma

#10 Dasha Vidmanova

#57 Anastasiia Lopata

#60 Mell Reasco

Doubles

#31 Grant/Nirundorn

#44 Kowalski/Reasco

LSU

LSU is 9-6 on the season and 2-5 in SEC play. The Tigers are coming off of a pair of tough losses to No. 11 Auburn (4-3) and Alabama (4-2).

Singles

#22 Kylie Collins

#27 Anastasiya Komar

Doubles

#30 Komar/Vishwase

#55 Collins/ Komar

#73 Carrington/Komar

Texas A&M

Texas A&M is 19-1 on the season and 7-0 in SEC play. The Aggies are coming off a pair of wins against Alabama (4-0) and No. 11 Auburn (5-2). Their lone loss came at the hands of top-ranked North Carolina in the ITA National Team Indoors. Texas A&M will host the No. 12 Tennessee on Friday, March 31 before the highly anticipated top-5 battle with the Bulldogs on Sunday.

Singles

#3 Mary Stoiana

#54 Carson Branstine

#90 Gianna Pielet

#100 Mia Kupres

#101 Daria Smetannikov

#120 Jayci Goldsmith

Doubles  

#3 Branstine/Stoiana

#43 Goldsmith/Stoiana

#46 Ewing/Goldsmith

All-Time Series

The Bulldogs own a 47-4 edge over the Tigers. The last time the two squads met, Georgia defeated LSU 4-1 in Athens.

The Bulldogs own a 16-3 mark over the Aggies. The two teams met twice last season. Texas A&M topped Georgia 7-0 in Athens and 4-0 in the SEC Championship match in Gainesville, Florida.

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Greg is closing in on 15 years writing about and photographing UGA sports. While often wrong and/or out of focus, it has been a long, strange trip full of fun and new friends.