UPDATE:
https://twitter.com/UGASoftball/status/971106073787686913
#14 Georgia softball welcomes Georgia Tech and Western Carolina to Athens for midweek games Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch against the Yellow Jackets will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday while the Bulldogs and Catamounts face off at 5 p.m. Wednesday evening.
- Georgia Tech (11-7)
Dates: Mar. 6, 2018
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium
Media Information
Streaming Video: SEC Network+
Play-by-Play: Matt Stewart
Analysis: Kristina Wyatt
Radio: WUOG 90.5 FM/WUOG.org
Play-by-Play: Myan Patel
- Western Carolina (4-10)
Dates: Mar. 7, 2018
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium
Media Information
Streaming Video: SEC Network+
Play-by-Play: Chris Gilmore
Analysis: Natalie Kerns
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball
This Week’s Promotions
» Admission to every home Georgia softball game is FREE
» Tuesday, Mar. 6 – First 200 fans receive a “Wreck Tech” t-shirt
» Wednesday, Mar. 7 – $1 Hot Dogs
Follow the Bulldogs
» All five Georgia games will be streamed to the SEC Network+. Kaleb Frady will provide play-by-play while Natalie Kerns and Kristina Wyatt will provide analysis.
» Saturday’s game against Jacksonville State will be broadcast on WUOG 90.5 FM and online at WUOG.org. Myan Patel will be on the call.
» Live stats will be available for all games of the Georgia Classic. Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule on GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available all season long at @UGAsoftball.
Georgia Softball Notebook
Series Histories
Georgia Tech – Georgia leads 29-10
» The Bulldogs lead the series in Athens, 16-4
» Georgia has won 14 of the last 15 meetings with its in-state rival
Western Carolina – Georgia leads 7-0
» Six of all seven meetings have been in Athens; the other was in 2007 in Tallahassee, Florida
A Look Back
Georgia finished early-season tournament play going 14-0 at home over a three-weekend period. Going undefeated at home widened the Bulldog’s winning streak to 17 games. In five wins over the weekend over Radford, Jacksonville State, and UNCG, the Bulldogs hit .402 and outscored opponents 38-3. In 14 games at Jack Turner Stadium, Georgia has outscored opponents a whopping 111-5 while hitting a tick under .400 at .399. In the circle, Georgia pitchers have allowed just three earned runs in 88 innings of work, good for a 0.24 ERA. 127 opponents have also been struck out by the Bulldog pitching staff.
Going Streaking
Georgia softball widened its winning streak to 17 games with five wins over the weekend. The streak ties for the fourth-longest in program history and the longest since 2010. The record, set from May 6, 2001 to Mar. 3, 2002, is 25 games.
Georgia in the Top 25
The Bulldogs stayed strong at #14 in both the week three USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Coaches Polls. The Bulldogs entered the season with a preseason #25 ranking and sat at #17 in the week one polls.
Despite finishing last in the SEC a season ago with a 6-18 record, the Bulldogs dropped out of the NFCA Poll only one week. It was the first time Georgia had been outside the top 25 since 2013.
A Look Ahead
Southeastern Conference play begins this weekend when Arkansas comes to Athens for a three-game series beginning Saturday. Entering the week, the Razorbacks are 16-1 on the season while ranking third in the SEC with a .336 batting average. The series begins Saturday at 1 p.m. Sunday and Monday’s games will be under the lights with first pitch schedule for 6 p.m. and 7, respectively. The series will be televised nationally on the SEC Network (Saturday, Monday) and ESPNU (Sunday). Georgia was picked ninth in the SEC Preseason Poll while Arkansas was picked 10th.
Head of the Pack
At the plate, Georgia leads the SEC in six offensive categories including batting average (.405), slugging (.664), on-base percentage (.469), hits (206), doubles (35), home runs (29), and total bases (338).
In the country, Georgia’s team batting average is second-best in the nation. The Bulldogs lead the NCAA in slugging and scoring (8.63 runs/game).
The RUNdown
The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 162-17 in 19 games this season. Nationally, Georgia ranks first in scoring with 8.53 runs per game. Georgia’s .406 batting average is the second-highest in the NCAA.
Zoom, Zoom
Senior Cortni Emanuel tied a Georgia record with five stolen bases against Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 24. Her mark tied Kellie Middleton’s record vs. McNeese State on Feb. 11, 2007. Emanuel swiped 12 total bags in four games of the Georgia Classic. Now in her fourth season, she has 144 stolen bases, a figure that ranks second all-time at Georgia. Her 23 (1.21/game) this season leads the country and SEC.
Mowing Them Down
Brittany Gray picked up her 400th career strikeout in the Feb. 23 game against Charleston. In her next start on Feb. 24 against ETSU, Gray worked a complete-game shutout while setting a new career-high 14 strikeouts in the seven-inning affair.
With her performance, her 441 strikeouts moves her into sixth all-time at Georgia. Her 11.6 strikeouts per seven innings ranks third nationally.
Over the Edge
Georgia has hit 29 home runs in 19 games in 2018. In 2017, Georgia had 28 in 58 games. Georgia’s 1.53 home runs per game average ranks third all of NCAA DI softball teams.
Solid in the Circle
The Georgia pitching staff has been sharp to start the season, recording a 0.70 ERA through 19 games and 120 innings. Georgia’s ERA ranks second in the SEC, third in the nation. The staff has struck out 161 opposing hitters, allowing only 12 earned runs and putting 12 shutouts in the books. Kylie Bass and Brittany Gray have been staples in the circle, pitching a combined 86.2 innings. Together, they have struck out 125 batters.
No Runs For You!
The pitching staff has recorded 12 total shutouts this season. The Bulldogs recorded six-consecutive shutouts from Feb. 17-24, tying a program record set twice, first in 2003 then again in 2016.