he No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs return to Southeastern Conference action Friday in Columbia, Mo., where the Bulldogs battle Missouri. First pitch in the three-game series is set for 7:32 p.m. ET and be available on the SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
The Bulldogs (24-12, 7-8 SEC) have won six of their last eight games including the past two SEC series. During this stretch, Georgia is averaging 8.6 runs a game while batting .323 (93-for-288) with 18 doubles and 17 home runs. The Tigers (11-23, 4-11 SEC) played nationally-ranked Florida close in Gainesville last weekend, ultimately dropping all three but a pair were two-run contests. Georgia leads the all-time series over the Tigers 12-9. The teams first met when Missouri joined the SEC in 2013. The Bulldogs have swept the past two series.
Last weekend, the Bulldogs claimed a home series over Kentucky. This past Sunday, Georgia exploded for 18 hits to win the rubber game of the series 17-6 against the Wildcats. Connor Tate (.369-8-25) leads the club in batting and has reached base safely in 16 straight contests. He ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in batting, hits and total bases. Tate and graduate Riley King are riding eight-game hitting streaks. The longest current hitting streak belongs to freshman C/DH Corey Collins (.308-7-29) at 10 games.
Redshirt junior INF Josh McAllister (.364-6-17) is batting .370 in SEC action while senior INF Garrett Blaylock (.297-7-19) checks in with an impressive .452 league average and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Blaylock is 14-for-31 in SEC games with five doubles and four home runs.
Georgia’s pitching rotation will once again feature senior LHP Ryan Webb (2-2, 2.83 ERA) in game one followed by sophomore RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-2, 4.06 ERA) in game two. The game three starter has yet to be determined.
The Bulldogs collected their seventh walk-off of the season this past Tuesday, beating Clemson 8-7 to sweep the two-game set. Georgia improved to 7-3 in one-run games.
Photos from last weekend’s series with Kentucky
UGA-Missouri Series Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Sr. LHP Ryan Webb (2-2, 2.83 ERA) vs. Seth Halvorsen (3-2, 7.07 ERA), RSo., RHP
Game 2: So. RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-2, 4.06 ERA) vs. Spencer Miles (1-6, 7.57 ERA), So., RHP
Game 3: TBA vs. Zach Hise (0-5, 6.27 ERA), Fr., RHP
Comments From SEC Series Preview Media Session
Ike Cousins Head Coach Scott Stricklin
On seeing improvement with the team during the season
“There’s no question we’re playing better baseball. Going into Vanderbilt, you could say we were limping into that series. We had lost three straight series in the conference, and we had lost a really tough game to Ga. Southern 2-1. We go into playing the No. 1 team in the country and we’re not playing good baseball, and we turned it around. The guys answered the bell. We challenged them as coaches. We played really well that weekend, and I think that proved to be everybody that we can be a pretty good team, and we’ve played well since then. Hopefully, that’s the turning point, and we continue to be consistent and play good baseball. Certainly, we’re playing a lot better now than we were five or six weeks ago.”
Ryan Webb, LHP, Sr.
On why the team is playing better of late
“It’s just a lot of confidence. Earlier in the year, we didn’t have a whole lot of experience. I think when we got in the SEC, everyone says it’s different, and some of our younger guys were trying to play and do more than they thought they were capable of, and I think that kind of added more stress to everything. Once they kind of realized that baseball is baseball, and you don’t have to do anything more than what you already do. You’re talented enough. Let your talent speak for itself, and we’ve kind of hit our stride the last few weeks. ”
Josh McAllister, INF, Jr.
On hitting leadoff
“I enjoy hitting leadoff, and it’s perfect for me. If I can get on…Cole is starting to heat up again and Corey Collins is on a tear as usual. It’s about setting the tone. I feel like most pitchers come out and throw first pitch fastball, and I hunt fastballs. If I can get on base and someone can score me then that’s all that matters. I want to get on base and help the team.”
Georgia Baseball Radio Links: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Announcer: Jeff Dantzler)
Friday Pregame Show at 7:10 p.m. ET: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=3944&type=Live
Saturday Pregame Show at 4:40 pm ET: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=3945&type=Live
Sunday Pregame Show at 1:40 pm ET: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=3946&type=Live
All regular season Bulldog games will be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network. Georgia home games along with SEC road games will be available on the SEC Network+ platform too. All Georgia baseball games will be carried locally on WRFC 960 AM as it will serve as the primary home for all broadcasts. In Atlanta, Bulldogs fans can tune in to WFOM 1230 AM. Fans can listen to every game online for free through the official website of the Bulldogs, georgiadogs.com and the Georgia Bulldogs app. Also, games will be available on TuneIn. Live Stats are available via the Bulldogs app too.
SEC Network TV Links: (Fri./Sun. Announcers: Ben Arnett, Nate Gatter {Sun.}, Joe Crede); Sat. (Sam Ravech, Todd Walker)
Friday at 7:32 p.m. ET on SECN+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=b7d42746-76ff-4716-9258-06f45810633a
Saturday at 5:02 pm ET on SEC Network: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=9f89f98a-9a87-4d22-81c2-e4541f4afbe0
Sunday at 2:02 pm ET on SECN+: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=41748543-3698-4d43-abd2-b465dc2edd37