A Georgia helmet sits on the field before an NCAA softball game between Georgia and Elon at Jack Turner Stadium on February 12, 2015 in Athens, Ga. (Photo by Emily Selby)
The No. 8 Georgia softball team will take its 9-0 record on the road, facing five opponents at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., this week.
Georgia begins its run on Thursday with LIU Brooklyn at 9 p.m. ET followed by Cal State Fullerton. On Friday, the Bulldogs face of with No. 10 UCLA at 3:30 p.m. ET before closing the tournament on Saturday with games against Northwestern and San Jose State starting at 1 p.m. ET.
All games can be viewed with a subscription to FloSoftball while live stat links can be found atgeorgiadogs.com.
– Game Notes –
LAST TIME OUT: DISNEY CITRUS CLASSIC
Georgia recorded its second undefeated weekend of the early season after sweeping the field in run-rule fashion at the Disney Citrus Classic. The Bulldogs outhit opponents 44-7 while outscoring them 50-0. Georgia was issued 29 walks over the five games, as eight players hit .300 or better. In the circle, Georgia struck out 32 while only allowing 13 baserunners for the tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Georgia is no stranger to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, competing at the tournament the last few years. Last season, Georgia went 2-2 with wins over Indiana and No. 4 Oklahoma while falling to No. 25 Texas and No. 24 Notre Dame. Georgia’s top hitters of that weekend are back in 2016, led by Sydni Emanuel hitting .615 with eight hits. Samantha LaZear and Cortni Emanuel followed as each had three stolen bases while Alex Hugo had the team’s lone home run of the four games. Chelsea Wilkinson did a majority of the work, going 1-2 with 21 innings pitched while striking out 17.
LAST TIME OUT: CAL STATE FULLERTON/UCLA/NORTHWESTERN
Cal State Fullerton: Georgia last faced the Titans in 2012 in Cathedral City, winning 12-5. The Bulldogs totaled 15 hits to Fullerton’s nine, hitting six home runs in the contest.
UCLA: Georgia defeated UCLA in 2012 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic 13-4, as the offenses were even with 10 hits each. However, two Georgia home runs and four walks issued to the Bulldogs made the difference.
Northwestern: Georgia hosted Northwestern in a home tournament in 2013, winning 6-5 after having a four-run sixth inning. Four of this season’s Bulldogs faced the Wildcats, led by Tina Iosefa with a hit and RBI. Samantha LaZear notched a run and two putouts while Katie Browne had a walk and five putouts.
WILKINSON’S PERFECT GAME LEADS TO LEAGUE HONOR
Wilkinson posted the second perfect game of her career on Sunday versus UAB, guiding her to be named SEC Pitcher of the Week. The fifth complete-game no-hit effort in the senior’s career, she struck out six of the 15 Blazer batters, including the final three. The North Carolina native finished the weekend with 23 strikeouts after tabbing a season-best nine against Stephen F. Austin. She gave up four total hits and those would be the only baserunners allowed after she didn’t issue a walk in 14 innings of work.
CORTNI MOVES UP TO TOP 10 IN STOLEN BASES
C. Emanuel moved up into Georgia’s career top 10 for stolen bases after going 4-for-4 at the Disney Citrus Classic. With eight swiped bags in 2016, C. Emanuel is now 53-for-57 in her short career. The sophomore posted 45 in her debut season, which was the most by a Georgia player since 2007 and was the top number in the SEC.
CAREER HIGHS FOR SYDNI AND PUAILOA
S. Emanuel and Kaylee Puailoa each tabbed new career highs during games at the Disney Citrus Classic. For S. Emanuel, the junior went 4-for-5 at the plate against Stephen F. Austin, giving her a new personal best for hits. The Texas native is currently on a three-game hitting streak. Puailoa recorded a career-high six RBI against UAB, giving her five games this season with multi-RBI. The senior hit a three-run home run followed by a bases-clearing double to earn her RBI.
HUGO IN CAREER TOP 10 FOR RBI
Alex Hugo continues to be one of the top batting leaders, as she is now in Georgia’s career top 10 for RBI. In just three years in Athens, Hugo holds 152 RBI after tallying 15 this season, including seven last weekend. Including her freshman year at Kansas, Hugo holds 199 career RBI, which is second among NCAA’s career active leaders.
BULLDOGS TOP IN NATIONAL STATS
After last weekend’s games, Georgia holds the top spot in national stats for batting average, on-base percentage and ERA. Georgia is hitting .433 on the year, outhitting opponents 88-15 thanks in part to the pitching staff throwing two no-hitters. The Bulldogs’ .558 on-base percentage leads the nation, as Georgia has been issued 52 total walks on the year. Along with its no-hit performances, the pitchers hold a 0.30 ERA with seven shutouts this year. Georgia is outscoring its opponents 98-5.
BULLODGS MOVE UP IN NATIONAL POLLS
With its unblemished record, Georgia moved up in both of this week’s national polls. The Bulldogs sit at No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 while No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. Georgia faces its first ranked opponent of 2016 in UCLA, as the Bruins are top 15 in both polls.
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.