After two weekends on the road, the No. 9 Georgia softball team (13-1) returns home to host the Georgia Softball Classic this weekend at Jack Turner Stadium.

The Bulldogs’ games begin on Friday, March 4 with a doubleheader against Western Carolina and Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m. ET. The team will then play back-to-back games on Saturday against No. 19 Minnesota and Austin Peay, scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. The tourney concludes with another matchup against the Gophers on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET

All games can be viewed with Gametracker links on georgiadogs.comwhile Sunday’s game can be watched on SEC Network+/WatchESPN. Regular-season games have free admission at Jack Turner Stadium.

GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT: MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Georgia faced tough competition at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last weekend, coming home with a 4-1 mark after defeating LIU Brooklyn, Cal State Fullerton, Northwestern and San Jose State while falling in its first loss of the year to then-No. 10 UCLA. The Bulldogs hit .377 with 49 hits while being walked 17 times. The pitchers held their own, finishing with 31 total strikeouts.

LAST TIME OUT: WESTERN CAROLINA/MINNESOTA
Western Carolina: A six-run fifth inning that included three Bulldog home runs lifted Georgia to a 9-3 win over Western Carolina in 2014. Alex Hugo was one of those home runs for her lone hit of the contest while Samantha LaZear had a hit and two runs. That was Georgia’s sixth all-time win over the Catamounts while the three runs allowed are the only scores by Western Carolina in the six games.

Minnesota: Georgia earned a 5-2 win over Minnesota when the Gophers came to Athens in 2012. The Bulldogs used a three-run first inning to propel them to victory, notching six hits in the game. Minnesota totaled four hits while committing two errors. It was the third-straight win in the all-time series for Georgia after recording two shutout victories in 2010.

CORTNI SETS CAREER HIGH FOR RBI WITH TRIPLE VS. UCLA
Cortni Emanuel set a new career high with three RBI against No. 10 UCLA. One swing of the bat brought in all three scores, as Cortni hit her first triple of the season and second of her career. The sophomore notched a three-base hit last year in game one of a doubleheader against Savannah State.

PUAILOA POSTS TRIO OF MULTI-HIT GAMES
Kaylee Puailoa hit the ball well back in her home state, notching three games with two hits in each. The senior opened the weekend going 2-for-3 against LIU Brooklyn and Cal State Fullerton where she scored the winning run off of an Alyssa DiCarlo triple. She then added two hits in the comeback win over Northwestern, hitting .500 with two RBI. Puailoa now has seven multi-hit games this season and 46 in her career.

GRAND SLAM FOR IOSEFA
After LIU Brooklyn decided to intentionally walk Alex Hugo to load the bases with two outs, Tina Iosefamade them pay for their decision, sending a long ball over right field for her first career grand slam. It was the third home run of the year for the senior, tying the team high, while No. 35 of her career. It’s the second grand slam the Bulldogs have hit this season, as Hugo sent one over left field against Winthrop.

MCGUIRE STEPS UP IN CALI GAMES
Consistently solid behind the plate, Maeve McGuire was just as stellar at the plate in California, leading the team with a .643 average. With nine hits and five runs, the junior sparked a comeback against Cal State Fullerton, hitting a leadoff home run in the fourth inning for her first of the season. The Illinois native had two perfect batting games, going 3-for-3 versus LIU Brooklyn before posting a career-best four hits in the finale against San Jose State. McGuire leads the team with eight multi-hit games this year.

BULLDOGS TOP IN NATIONAL STATS
Georgia has held the top spot as the nation’s best batting average and on-base percentage the past two weeks. The Bulldogs hit .377 last weekend while posting an on-base percentage of .464, moving their season averages to .411 and .524, respectively. Four Bulldogs rank in the top 100 for batting average while five are in the top 100 nationally for on-base percentage.

BULLDOGS MOVE IN NATIONAL POLLS
With one loss in its record last weekend, Georgia moved in this week’s national polls. The Bulldogs are now No. 9 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 while down to No. 11 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball List. Georgia is one of nine SEC teams in the top 25 while one of five in the top 10 of the NFCA poll. Minnesota will be the second ranked opponent Georgia faces this season, as the Bulldogs fell to then-No. 10 UCLA in California.

MINNESOTA COACH ALLISTER FORMER BULLDOG ASSISTANT
At the helm of Minnesota softball for six seasons, Jessica Allister got her start in the coaching world in the Classic City. Allister served as an assistant coach under Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champerfor the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The Bulldogs recorded over 50 wins in both of those years while winning the SEC Regular-Season Championship in 2005 and East Champs in 2006. In 2005, Georgia advanced to Super Regionals, falling a game short of the Women’s College World Series.

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA SOFTBALL: For complete information on Georgia softball, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoftball on Twitter and Instagram and UGASoftball on Facebook.
 

CLICK HERE FOR TOURNAMENT CENTRAL