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BSB: Dawgs vs. Gators at Foley begins today
The eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs close out the regular season by playing host to Florida here Thursday with first pitch slated for 6:02 p.m. The entire series will be streamed on SEC Network+ and be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Georgia (38-12, 16-11 SEC) enters the final SEC series as the hottest team in the league on an eight-game winning streak in year one of the Wes Johnson era. This stretch includes back-to-back sweeps of No. 13 Vanderbilt at Foley Field and No. 14 South Carolina in Columbia. The last time Georgia swept a pair of ranked teams in consecutive weeks came in 2008. Florida arrives in town with a 26-25 overall mark and 11-16 in the SEC.
Stay Hot: The Bulldogs rank third nationally with a school record 133 home runs. Also, this year’s squad has hit a school record 11 grand slams. Georgia is third nationally with a .607 slugging percentage and .440 on base percentage. The Bulldogs are batting .307 with a 5.31 team ERA and a .972 fielding percentage. The Gators are batting .273 with 107 home runs, a .513 SLG% and .383 OB%. UF owns a 6.20 ERA and a .980 FLDG%.
Top Hitters: The Bulldog offense is headlined by sophomore All-America Charlie Condon. The potential top draft pick in 2024 according to MLB.com, he leads the NCAA with a .454 batting average, a school record 34 home runs (2nd in SEC single season history), 210 total bases, and a 1.082 SLG%. He has a .567 OB% (third nationally) with 46 walks (22 intentional) and 72 RBI. He has a 21-game hitting streak. Senior Corey Collins is enjoying a fine year at .367-16-49 while leading the country with a .598 OB%. He ranks fifth nationally with an SEC-leading and school record 24 HBP this year. Freshman Tre Phelps checks in at .385-9-32. Condon has smashed a school record 59 career home runs in only 106 games This season, Condon has had seven games with multiple home runs including a school record-tying three home runs against Michigan State.
UF’s top power hitters are two-way standout Jac Caglianone (.418-28-55; 5-1, 4.07 ERA) and Colby Shelton (.261-18-44) while Ty Evans (.316-13-43) was injured last week in the Kentucky series.
Hire This Man: Selected by J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks to lead the Bulldog baseball program last June, Wes Johnson already has set the record for most overall wins and most SEC wins by a Georgia baseball coach in his first season. Also, he will be only the second Georgia baseball coach in school history to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first season, joining David Perno who did it in 2002.
Starting Rotation: Georgia’s rotation will feature sophomore right-hander Kolten Smith (8-2, 4.72 ERA) on Thursday, sophomore right-hander Leighton Finley (5-1, 4.45 ERA) on Friday and TBA for Saturday. UF will counter with sophomore left-hander Pierce Coppola (0-2, 7.27 ERA) on Thursday, freshman right-hander Liam Peterson (2-4, 5.92 ERA) for Friday and junior LHP Jac Caglianone (5-1, 4.07 ERA) on Saturday.
Series History: The Gators leads the series 191-101-2 going back to 1931. The Bulldogs have won six straight over UF at Foley Field, sweeping them in 2022 (7-6, 6-1 and 14-8) and in 2019 (6-4, 9-1{7} and 4-1 {7}). UF won the series last year in Gainesville 2-1. Georgia claimed the opener 13-11 after seven-run outburst in the ninth. Charlie Condon hit three home runs that night while Connor Tate smashed a grand slam in the ninth to lead the attack. The Gators came back to win 2-1 and 11-6 to take the series.
Georgia In The Top 25 Polls: An array of top 25 polls are released each week. The Bulldogs are a consensus top 10 team this week including No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll.
SEC Baseball Tournament On Deck: Slated for May 21-26 at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala., the SEC Tournament is for the top 12 teams with the best SEC winning percentage. Currently, the Bulldogs are the No. 5 seed. Seeds 5-12 open the tournament on Tuesday while the top four seeds get a bye and begin play on Wednesday. The SEC Tournament bracket will be released this weekend once all the games are complete.
Radio/TV/Live Stats Links for Georgia-UF Series
Thursday @ 6:02 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4609&type=Live
TV: SECN+ (Matt Stewart & Jason Jacobs)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/faaa0eba-7e2f-4a51-960e-34589f63d711
Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Friday @ 6:02 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
X https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4610&type=Live
TV: SECN+ (Matt Stewart & Jason Jacobs)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/3065196d-f088-4b82-807e-4c85040d35ed
Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Saturday @ 2:02 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4611&type=Live
TV: SECN+ (Matt Stewart & Jason Jacobs)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/e0a1c0a5-6eaf-496c-bc96-e86659a34761
Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Foley Field Tickets/Parking/Promotions Information
*Limited General Admission Seating for Thursday & Friday Only: $10; Saturday is Sold Out
*Call 1-877-542-1231 or order online at https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/list/BBS
*Foley Field Gates/Ticket Windows open one hour before game time.
*Free parking is available in the commuter surface lot behind the outfield.
*Please note this season Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic one hour prior to baseball games until 30 minutes post-game.
*UGA Student Tickets: Free Admission with UGA ID; Enter Student Gate G on Rutherford Street
*Special Promotions/Giveaways: Thursday: 1st 300 UGA Students get a free Georgia Hat; Friday: The first 750 fans get a free mini bat; Also, UGA’s legendary retiring men’s tennis coach Manuel Diaz will throw out the first pitch. He is the SEC’s all-time winningest coach with six national titles and spent 36 seasons at the helm; Saturday: Foley Fest and Senior Day Recognition (pre-game); Children can participate in Anthem Buddies pregame and Run the Bases postgame
SB: UGA hosting the 2024 NCAA Athens Regional
Dates: Friday, May 17-Sunday, May 19, 2024
Location: Athens, Ga.
Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium
Tickets: Single-Day Tickets Available
Game Day Central & Fan Information: https://gado.gs/bjt
Participating Teams:
No. 11 Georgia (39-16)
Charlotte (38-16)
Liberty (36-23)
UNCW (33-21)
Media Information
TV: networks of ESPN
Play-by-play: Jenn Hildreth
Analysis: Leah Amico
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball
The No. 11 national seed Georgia softball team will host the 2024 NCAA Athens Regional this weekend at Jack Turner Stadium. The four-team, double-elimination tournament will feature Georgia, Charlotte, Liberty, and UNCW.
Georgia will play UNCW Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The tournament will kick off Friday between Charlotte and Liberty at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
Follow the Bulldogs
– All games of the Athens Regional will air or stream live on the networks of ESPN and ESPN+. Jenn Hildreth (play-by-play) and Leah Amico (analysis) will be on the call.
– Live stat for each game can be found on the interactive bracket on the NCAA website.
Fan Information and Upcoming Promotions at Jack Turner Stadium (https://gado.gs/bjt)
– 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.
NCAA Tournament Tidbits
– 2024 will be Georgia’s 22nd-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance
– Georgia’s stellar track record in the postseason puts it as one of eight teams in the nation to appear in a regional for 22 or more straight years (Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington). Within that realm, Georgia is one of three Southeastern Conference teams to produce such success.
– Georgia’s all-time record in postseason play is 80-45 including 61-21 in regional play
– As a team, Georgia has advanced to 12 Super Regionals and five Women’s College World Series, most recently 2021
– Athens and Jack Turner Stadium will host its 13th NCAA Regional in 2024 (2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024)
– This is the first back-to-back regional host for Georgia since the Bulldogs hosted three straight regionals from 2014-2016.
– The Bulldogs are 46-11 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in Athens
– When Athens has hosted the Regional round, Georgia has advanced to the Supers 10 of 12 times (2004, 2006 being the only times Georgia did not advance out of Athens)
– Georgia recently faced Liberty in the 2022 Durham Regional. The Flames won the first game, 2-0, knocking Georgia into the consolation bracket. The Bulldogs defeated Liberty 7-2 the next day to advance to the regional final.
– Georgia has never matched up with Charlotte or UNCW in the NCAA Tournament
– This will be the 11th time Georgia has been a national seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have never been the 11 seed. Georgia’s record as a national seed is 48-23.
Series Histories
Charlotte
– Georgia leads the all-time series 9-2
– The Bulldogs are 7-2 against the 49ers in Athens
– Charlotte defeated Georgia a season ago at Jack Turner Stadium, 6-5
– Prior to last season’s loss, Georgia has won eight-straight meetings dating back to 1999
Liberty
– The all-time series is tied 1-1
– The Bulldogs and Flames lone meeting game in the 2022 Durham Regional. The Flames won the first game, 2-0, knocking Georgia into the consolation bracket. The Bulldogs defeated Liberty 7-2 the next day to advance to the regional final.
UNCW
– Georgia leads the all-time series 7-0
– Six of the seven meetings have been in Athens, most recently playing twice in 2020
– The series dates back to Georgia’s inaugural season in 1997 when the Bulldogs and Seahawks met in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Georgia in the Polls
Georgia in the Poll: Week 14
– USA Today/NFCA: 14
– ESPN/USA Softball: 13
– D1Softball: 13
– Softball America: 14
– RPI: 9
Recapping Action
Georgia went 1-1 in the SEC Tournament in Auburn last week. The Bulldogs and Auburn set an SEC Tournament record for the longest game played in tournament history, going 14 innings and 4 hours and 21 minutes. After Auburn used a three-run home run to go up 5-2 in the top of the 14th. Jayda Kearney blasted a three-run jack in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, then Sarah Gordon knocked a two-out solo shot to walk off the Tigers, 6-5. The Dogs drew Florida in the semis. Georgia hit three home runs, but ultimately fell to the Gators 9-4 in the slugfest. The win against Auburn was Tony Baldwin’s first SEC Tournament win as a head coach and Georgia’s first since 2019.
A Look at What’s Ahead
The winner of the Athens Regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round against the winner of the Los Angeles Regional featuring No. 6 UCLA, Virginia Tech, San Diego State, and Grand Canyon.
MTEN: UGA signs transfer Oscar Pinto Sansano
Pinto Sansano, originally from Castellón de la Plana, Spain, currently holds a 13.15 Universal Tennis Rating. A rising junior, he spent his freshman season at Arkansas before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth University this past season. He was a key contributor for the Rams, totaling a 14-3 singles record on courts two and three and notching seven doubles wins on court one for the Atlantic 10 Champions.
“I am so excited to welcome Oscar to our program,” said Coach Hunt. “He is a veteran player and extremely accomplished in both doubles and singles. He is a tremendous addition to the program not only because of his ability on the court but also because of his high character.”
While at VCU, Pinto Sansano helped lead the team to its seventh straight Atlantic 10 tournament championship. The Rams racked up a 16-10 record en route to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where they upset Princeton in the first round, clinched by Pinto Sansano. The team also beat No. 12 Mississippi State in Starkville during the first round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend, with Pinto Sanso earning key wins in both doubles and singles.
Pinto Sansano reached a career-best in the ITA Doubles Rankings on March 5, where he peaked at No. 31 with German Samofalov. He also earned back-to-back A-10 Performer of the Week honors on March 7 and 14. Pinto Sansano ended his time at VCU with records of 15-3 in singles and 13-11 in doubles while primarily playing on court one in the dual match season.
Before his collegiate career, he was the No. 53 junior in the UTR World Rankings, also reaching an International Tennis Federation Juniors World Ranking of No. 275. Pinto Sansano, who peaked at No. 80 in Spain’s national rankings, won the ‘J5’ 2019 La Nucia Tournament in Spain with a victory over professional player Vilius Gaubas. He also advanced to three consecutive quarterfinals in 2020 and made an appearance in the semifinals of the J2 Benicarlo Tournament during the same year.
Pinto Sansano joins freshman signee Aidan Atwood as the new additions to the roster for the upcoming season. The duo will join the returning 10 Bulldogs from the 2024 spring season.
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