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BSB: Aggies Even Series, Rubber Game at Noon Today

Texas A&M evened the series with a 6-0 win over No. 10 Georgia Friday evening at Foley Field as Justin Lamkin tossed a complete game three-hitter with 15 strikeouts.

FAST FACTS

• Sophomore Tre Phelps extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single to right field in the first inning. Phelps also had a diving catch in the outfield to retire the Aggies in order in the first.
• With two runners on in the top of the third, a home run by Gavin Kash gave Texas A&M an early 3-0 lead.
• The Aggies added another run in the top of the eighth with a solo shot from Bear Harrison and Kash added a two-run single in the ninth for the final.
• Senior Slate Alford’s 37-game on-base streak was snapped. Alford went 0-4 with one strikeout on the evening. This is only the second game this season he has failed to get on base.
• Junior Brian Curley (4-3) started for the Bulldogs and took the loss after he tossed 5.0 innings and allowed three runs off four hits with eight strikeouts. Texas A&M’s Justin Lamkin (4-7) got the win as he threw a three-hitter and tallied 15 strikeouts.
• Freshman Nate Taylor provided 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Taylor has 16 strikeouts and two walks across 7.1 innings this season.

Video Highlights

Box Score

KEY QUOTES

Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson

On the loss…

“Offensively, we had probably one of the worst offensive nights I’ve been a part of since I’ve been here. Our hitters weren’t ready. I’ll wear some of that, but that won’t happen tomorrow. We’ve got to be better offensively. You can’t miss five zone heaters. For us, that’s the balls right down the middle. You can’t miss sliders. The thing you’ve got to know about a guy like tonight is that he’s throwing strikes. You have to get up there and be ready to hit the baseball, and we didn’t do a great job of that.”

On the message to the team after the loss…

“I’m not a big meeting guy, but I think we’ve got to have them. Tonight was one of those nights. You can’t come out flat. [Brian] Curley’s got to attack the strike zone early. That’s the difference in the game, right? We can talk about a play not made at first base or whatever you think he should have made. He makes that play, and we double him up and there’s a zero in the third. Maybe the game’s a little different at that point, but I’ll have to go back on the tape and watch it.”

On the creating momentum throughout the game…

“We’re looking for guys to come into the game whether it be on the mound or at the plate and win the battle. Leaders can help set the tone and give you momentum which is not one thing but a consecutive push. You have to have consecutive people pushing before you say you have momentum.”

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs (41-14, 17-12 SEC) will be back for the series finale tomorrow afternoon with first pitch set for 12:02 p.m. on the SEC Network.

SB: Dawgs Win, Advance – Duke Matchup Today

SOFTBALL | vs. COASTAL CAROLINA | W, 6-3
   Winning pitcher: Lilli Backes (15-9)
   Losing Pitcher: Nicolette Picone (28-10)

Season Record: 32-20, 7-16 SEC

The Georgia softball team overcame an early three-run deficit, scoring six unanswered runs, to beat Coastal Carolina 6-3 on Friday in the first game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Georgia advances in the Durham Regional to take on host (14) Duke today at 1:30 p.m.

FAST FACTS

• Georgia out-hit the Chanticleers 10-4 in the game. Emily Digby scattered three hits to lead the team, tying a career-high, while Lyndi Rae Davis and Mua Williams each had two hits.  
• Williams drove in three of Georgia’s six runs in the game. Her RBI single in the second cut the CCU lead to 3-2, then her two-RBI single in the third put the Bulldogs ahead 6-3.
• Lilli Backes pitched the complete game in the circle, allowing three runs on three hits. She struck out nine in the contest. After CCU scored three runs on three hits in the first, Backes limited the Chanticleers to one hit in the final six shutout innings.
• Three-run, four-hit innings in the second and third erased an early Coastal Carolina 3-0 lead to put Georgia ahead 6-3 heading to the fourth. Mua Williams drove in three runs on a pair of hits to highlight the early scoring.

Video Highlights

KEY QUOTES
Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On Friday’s game…
“I’m just proud of the way we played a complete game. Obviously, that wasn’t the start we were looking for, but I thought Lilli [Backes] really bounced back and controlled the game after that. One hit in six innings against a really good hitting team is impressive. I thought her and Chelsea [Wikinson], and Marisa [Miller] worked well together with the game plan, and she just had her stuff working. I thought offensively, we had a lot of quality at-bats. They didn’t all turn into hits; I thought in that first inning we had three really good at-bats and it didn’t amount to much, but that’s the part of the game. You’ve got to keep being relentless with your competitiveness, and I thought we did a good job with that. I thought we ran the bases well, and I thought we defended well. The play by [Emily] Digby there was unreal. I’m just excited to put a complete game together. And now we’ve got to rest up and be ready for a really good Duke team tomorrow.”

Stats

UP NEXT
Georgia advances in the Durham Regional to take on host (14) Duke today at 1:30 p.m., streaming on ESPN+.

MBB: Jordan Ross Signs with UGA

Jordan Ross, who helped Saint Mary’s secure back-to-back West Coast Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament bids in 2024 and 2025, has inked papers to continue his collegiate career with the Georgia Bulldogs, head coach Mike White announced on Friday.

Ross is a 6-3 guard from Pleasant Grove, Utah. In two seasons with Saint Mary’s he started 35 of 63 games played and recorded 328 points (5.2 ppg), 134 rebounds (2.1 rpg) and 111 assists (1.8 apg). Ross was the only true freshman to see action for the Gaels during the 2023-24 season, contributing 1.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 28 appearances. He upped each tally considerably in 2024-25, starting all 35 games and averaging 8.3 points, 3.1 boards and 2.6 assists per game with a stellar assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.92. Ross posted 13 double-figure scoring outputs at Saint Mary’s, including a career-high 19 versus Arizona State as a sophomore, and notched additional career highs of eight assists against Pepperdine, seven rebounds versus Arizona State, three steals against Washington State and three blocks versus Vanderbilt.

Ross was tabbed as a four-star prospect out of Arizona Compass Academy Prep in the Class of 2022 and was ranked as the nation’s No. 94 overall prospect by 247Sports.com.

Ross was a four-year starter during his high school career, playing at Pleasant Grove High School as a freshman and sophomore before moving to Link Academy as a junior and AZ Compass as a senior. With Ross, Link Academy and AZ Compass posted runner-up performances at the 2022 and 2023 Geico Nationals. Link’s Lions lost to Montverde Academy in the 2022 tournament, finishing with a 33-2 record and ranked No. 3 in USA Today’s final Super 25 boys’ basketball poll for the 2021-22 season. AZ Compass was the No. 7 seed in 2023 and upset Long Island Lutheran and IMG Academy before falling to Link Academy in the championship game to finish with a 24-9 record.

Georgia enjoyed its best season in decade during last winter as the Bulldogs earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2015. Georgia finished 20-13, including wins over teams ranked No. 1 (Florida), No. 11 (St. John’s) and No. 12 (Kentucky) in the final AP poll. The Bulldogs played one of the nation’s most challenging schedules, facing a nation-leading eight top-10 opponents during the regular and and playing a total of 20 of 33 games – 60.6 percent – against other NCAA Tournament teams.

The Bulldogs will return seven players from last season’s roster – starters Blue Cain and Dylan James as well as Justin Abson, Somto Cyril, Jaden Newell, Brandon Klatsky and Markel Jennings.

Ross is the eighth newcomer set to join the Bulldogs in the fall, including three high school prospects and five portal signees.

Previously, White announced transfer portal signees: 

• Jeremiah Wilkinson, the 2025 ACC Sixth Man of the Year at Cal.

• Justin Bailey, who helped lead Wofford to the NCAA Tournament in 2025.

• Kanon Catching, who helped BYU reach the “Sweet 16” of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

• Marcus “Smurf” Millender, who ranked among the AAC’s statistical leaders in eight categories for UT San Antonio last season.

In the fall, the Bulldogs signed a trio high school prospects ranked as the No. 18 class in the nation by 247Sports.com, as well as No. 20 by ESPN.com. The trio featured:

• Jackson McVey, a 7-1 center from Ellijay, Ga., who played at Overtime Elite as a senior and is ranked No. 194 in the On3Sports.com industry comparison. 

• Kareem Stagg, a 6-8 power forward from Chesapeake, Va., who played for IMG Academy as a junior and senior and is ranked as high as No. 68 nationally by 247Sports.com. 

• Jacob Wilkins, a 6-9 small forward from Loganville, Ga., and Grayson High School ranked as high as the No. 35 prospecting the Class of 2025 by Rivals.com, who is the son of Georgia legend and Naismith Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.

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