WHAT: Georgia vs Florida (exhibition)
WHERE: 121 Financial Ballpark, Jacksonville, Fla.
WHEN: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
TICKETS: $15
Saturday’s annual Georgia-Florida football won’t be the only matchup between the Bulldogs and Gators this weekend.
On Friday night, the two schools’ respective baseball teams resume their rivalry with an exhibition game at 121 Financial Ballpark. Located in the shadows of TIAA Bank Field, the first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“I just want to see us compete,” head coach Scott Stricklin said. “We’ll throw nine different guys, that’s the plan. We’ve got a couple of other guys who can throw if we need to, but right now the plan is to throw nine different guys with five of them freshmen.”
Jaden Woods will get the start for the Bulldogs, followed by Liam Sullivan and Nolan Crisp. Each is expected to throw an inning.
Freshmen pitchers Stricklin has the option of throwing include Jarvis Evans, JD Smith, Leighton Finley, Matthew Hoskins, Kolten Smith, and Blake Gillespie.
The game will be a 10-inning affair, which will allow both teams to insert as many of their players as possible. Stricklin said he’ll take 38 players to Jacksonville. The team will remain in Jacksonville Saturday and attend the football game between the top-ranked Bulldogs and the Gators.
“It’s also an opportunity for our position guys to go up there against a really good Florida team and just be able to go toe-to-toe,” Stricklin said. “Offensively, we’re as good as anybody and Florida is really good. When all is said and done, I hope what we’re able to say is, offensively we’re as good as what we thought we were, and on the mound, we’re able to get these freshmen through and hopefully build some depth.”
Georgia’s bats have certainly been the story of fall practice, which concludes with Friday night’s exhibition.
Samford transfer Will David has been extremely impressive. Stricklin said the third baseman has been the most consistent as far as exit velocity, and along with fellow transfers Sebastian Murillo and Mason LaPlante, has helped lengthen the lineup to a point not seen in several years.
In the team’s other exhibition game, the Bulldogs blasted UAB in a planned 14-inning game 18-6.
“I don’t know if I learned anything new. I do know that we’re really deep offensively, especially when you start talking about the back end of our lineup,” Stricklin said. “If we made the lineup today, you’re talking about Fernando Gonzalez, Will David, Sebastian Murillo, Mason LaPlante, and D.A. Allen. Those guys will possibly be down there, and they’ve all hit this fall.”
Of the returnees, Connor Tate, Corey Collins, Charlie Condon, Ben Anderson, Parks Harber, Gonzalez, and Cole Wagner figure to be the heart and soul of this year’s lineup.
There are other names to keep an eye on.
“Here lately Garrett Spikes has swung the bat well, and Josh Stinson had an unbelievable fall. He and D.A. have had great falls. Young kids like Justin Thomas and Luke Boykin are going to be really good players for us. All those guys have really swung the bats and made it hard on our pitchers because there’s just not any break,” Stricklin said. “We’ve got the team split in half, and both teams are loaded. It’s been good for our pitching staff to have to deal with that and I’ve been happy with the way our pitchers have hung in there. Our pitchers have gotten better as we’ve gone, and I thought we pitched it pretty well in the Red Black series.”
Tickets are $15 and are for sale online via Ticketmaster at the following link.
