Georgia Baseball Weekly Report (20-17 overall, 6-9 SEC)
The UGA baseball team took the series over No. 2 South Carolina over the weekend and now look to Clemson and Florida.
This Week (4 road games)
April 19 at Clemson, 6:30 pm (ESPN3)
http://es.pn/1SbrgJS
April 21-23 @ #2 Florida, 7:30 pm (ESPNU); 7 pm (SECN); 2 pm (ESPN2)
Last Week (3-1 vs. top 20 foes)
April 12 beat #19 Ga. Tech 3-1 in Atlanta
April 15-17, Lost to #2 South Carolina 3-1; Beat #2 SC 13-4 and 5-3
Bulldog Notes
*Georgia (20-17 overall, 6-9 SEC) improved to 6-8 against ranked teams after its SEC series win over No. 2 South Carolina. It marked the highest ranked series win since 2001 when the Bulldogs knocked off No. 2 LSU two games to one. Georgia continues a school-record 22-game stretch against ranked opponents by going to Clemson (24-12) Tuesday, and then it heads to No. 2 Florida (33-5, 11-4 SEC) for an SEC series starting Thursday.
*One of the most bizarre Bulldog streaks of the season continued this past weekend as Georgia extended its stretch of consecutive solo home runs to 20. The Bulldogs crushed six home runs against the Gamecocks, including four in Sunday’s series-clinching 5-3 win. The Bulldogs have hit 29 home runs for the year, and the last time a runner was on base for a home run came on March 8 in the 13th game of the season. Freshman catcher Michael Curry delivered a pinch-hit, three-run blast against Charlotte at BB&T Ballpark. Currently, Curry is tied for the team-high with six home runs with five of those solo shots. He is heating up after batting .412 (7-for-17) last week.
*Overall, Georgia is batting .258 with an ERA of 4.37 and fielding .966 In SEC action, the Bulldogs are hitting .279 with a 5.71 ERA and fielding .958. Georgia’s top hitter is junior RF/C Skyler Weber (.323-2-22) and junior CF Stephen Wrenn (.290-3-19). Curry (.264-6-18) and senior DH/1B Daniel Nichols (.255-6-16) lead the club in home runs while junior LF Keegan McGovern (.269-5-26) is tops in RBI and among the league leaders in walks with 31.
*Georgia returns to action on the road Tuesday night against Clemson (ESPN3). The Bulldogs dropped an 11-6 decision to Clemson in Athens on April 5 as the Tigers scored five runs in the ninth to snap a 6-6 tie. In records dating back to 1950, Clemson leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs 75-53-1. Georgia swept a two-game set from Clemson last year for the first time since 2009. Coach Stricklin is 3-2 all-time against the Tigers.
*The Georgia-Florida series in Gainesville will be Thursday–Saturday and all three will be televised. The Bulldogs trail in the Florida series 171-79-2 with the Gators winning the last two series (3-0 in Gainesville in 2014 and 2-1 in Athens last year). Coach Scott Stricklin is 4-6 all-time against the Gators. Back in 2012, Stricklin’s Kent State squad eliminated then top-seeded Florida at the College World Series.
*In the pitching department last week, Georgia was led by junior LHP Andrew Gist (3-1, 2.95 ERA) as he beat #19 Ga. Tech in Atlanta with a career-high eight innings, allowing a solo home run to start the ninth before giving way to sophomore RHP Blake Cairnes (0-0, 3.00 ERA, 2 SV) who struck out the side for his second save. In the SEC, Georgia’s rotation against #2 USC featured RHP Robert Tyler (3-3, 2.77 ERA), junior LHP Connor Jones (5-2, 5.08 ERA) and sophomore LHP Bo Tucker (3-3, 3.37 ERA). The Bulldogs got stellar relief from senior RHP Heath Holder (0-2, 3.15 ERA) who leads the SEC in opponent’s batting average at .161, and junior RHP Drew Moody (1-3, 5.02 ERA). Moody got the win in Sunday’s series-clinching victory over the Gamecocks.