#6/7 Georgia (37-6) vs. USC Upstate (29-15)
Date: Apr. 18, 2018
Time: 6 p.m., EDT
Location: Athens, Ga.
Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium
Media Information
Streaming Video: SEC Network+
Play-by-play: Kaleb Frady
Analysis: Natalie Kerns
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball
Complete Game Notes Attached
#6 Georgia will host USC Upstate Wednesday at Jack Turner Stadium in the final midweek game of the 2018 season. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. against the Spartans.
Follow the Bulldogs
» Wednesday’s game will stream live on the SEC Network+. Kaleb Frady will provide play-by-play while Natalie Kerns will be the color analyst.
» Live stats will be available. Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule at GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available all season long at @UGAsoftball.
This Week’s Promotions
» Admission to every regular-season home Georgia softball game is FREE
» $1 Hot Dogs
Bulldog Bulletin
Series History
Georgia leads 3-2
» All five meetings have been in Athens
» Last meeting was Apr. 15, 2015; Spartans won 4-3
» Teams met yearly from 2011-15 but haven’t met since
A Look Back
In out-of-conference action last week, Georgia hosted in-state opponents Georgia State and Mercer. The Bulldogs shut out the Panthers in midweek action, 7-0. Mary Wilson Avant and Amanda Ablan combined for the shutout in the circle and holding Georgia State to just two hits. Georgia fell in extra innings in the opening game of a doubleheader against Mercer on Saturday, 5-2. The Bulldogs rebounded in the second game, forcing the twin bill split, 7-5. Alysen Febrey went 3-for-3 in the game while Avant worked her third complete game.
A Look Ahead
Georgia returns to SEC play this weekend with a three-game series at Kentucky. The opening game will be under the lights in Lexington at 6 p.m. Saturday game is set to begin at 2 p.m. with the finale beginning Sunday at 1. Georgia will come home for the final home series of the regular season against Alabama, Apr. 27-29. The regular season will wrap up May 4-6 at Ole Miss.
Georgia in the Top 25
The Bulldogs fell a spot to #6 in the week 10 USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. Georgia dropped to #7 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll.
Georgia’s rankings this season:
Preseason: 25
Week 1: 17
Week 2: 14
Week 3: 14
Week 4: 11
Week 5: 10/12
Week 6: 7
Week 7: 6
Week 8: 5/6
Week 9: 5
Week 10: 6
In the latest RPI, Georgia comes in at number 8, the second highest-ranked SEC team behind Florida (5).
Shout-outs for Shutouts
The Georgia pitching staff has recorded 19 shutouts in 2018. UGA’s record for shutouts in a season is 33 set in 2003. Georgia’s 19 shutouts rank tied for seventh-most all time. UGA had 20 in 2009 and 2015.
The Bulldogs recorded six-consecutive shutouts from Feb. 17-24, tying a program record set twice, first in 2003 then again in 2016.
Justice League
Second baseman Justice Milz has been one of Georgia’s hottest hitters lately. She has hit five of Georgia’s last seven home runs. In the last 10 games, she has driven in 15 RBI, a team high, while hitting .424. Her on-base percentage of .462 has resulted in 10 runs scored.
In SEC play, Milz leads the team with 16 RBI and co-leads with six home runs.
Winning Series is Key
Georgia has opened Southeastern Conference play winning five-straight series. Georgia won all but one league series in 2006, a season after winning all 10 series in 2005. Game three of the series has been a rubber game in three of five SEC series.
Emanuel Joins Greatness
In the Apr. 8 game against Missouri, Cortni Emanuel recorded her 300th career hit. She becomes only the third Georgia player with 300 career hits, joining Nicole Barber and Kim Wendland. She is also only one of four with over 200 runs scored at Georgia.
Gray Out for Rest of Season
Senior pitcher Brittany Gray will miss the remainder of the season due to a right biceps injury. Gray, a native of Greenwood, Indiana, will have surgery to repair the injury and is expected to make a full recovery. In 2018, Gray went 16-1 in the circle, pitching 12 complete games, and shutting out seven opponents. Her 0.48 ERA led the Southeastern Conference and ranked second nationally. She struck out 134 opposing hitters in 2018.
A Power-Packed Offense
At the plate, Georgia leads the SEC in five offensive categories including batting average (.348), slugging (.557), runs scored (286), hits (398), home runs (52), and total bases (638).
In the country, Georgia’s team batting average ranks third, second in slugging, and coming in sixth in on base pct. and seventh in scoring (6.65 runs/game).
Down But Not Out
Georgia has come back to win three games when trailing after six innings this season. The Bulldogs have won four games when tied or trailing after six innings in league play.
In the road series at Mississippi State, Georgia found itself down a run in the top seventh with two out in every game. The Bulldogs either tied or took a lead in each game with one out left, winning games Friday and Sunday.
There’s No Place Like The Jack
Georgia has played 31 games at Jack Turner Stadium this season, winning 28 of said contests. The Bulldogs have topped their home winning total from the past three seasons (24, 2017; 23, 2016; 26, 2015). Georgia is .783 at home with 563 wins.
The most wins at home was in 2011 when the Bulldogs won 38 games at Jack Turner Stadium.
Solid in the Circle
The Georgia pitching staff has been sharp this season, recording a 1.24 ERA through 282.2innings. Georgia’s ERA is the third-best in the SEC and seventh in the nation. The staff has struck out 309 opposing hitters, and putting 19 shutouts in the books.
It Begins at the Top
The top of Georgia’s lineup features two hitters batting north of .400 in Cortni Emanuel (.440) and Alysen Febrey (.417).
The first inning is the second-highest run producing inning for Georgia, scoring 54 runs in the opening stanza. The Bulldogs have scored in the first 23 times, winning all 23 of said games.
The RUNdown
The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 286-71 this season. Nationally, Georgia ranks seventh in scoring with 6.65 runs per game. Georgia’s .348 batting average is third-best in the NCAA.
Individually, Cortni Emanuel leads the team with 50 runs scored while Alyssa DiCarlo is second with 40. Emanuel ranks fifth in the nation with 1.16 runs scored per game.
Zoom, Zoom
Senior Cortni Emanuel tied a Georgia record with five stolen bases against Charleston, 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 160 stolen bases, a figure that ranks second all-time at Georgia. Her 0.91 stolen bases per game this season ranks third in the country. Her 39 stolen bags cracked the single-season top-10 list at Georgia. Her season high is 45, set in 2015.