Georgia State at Georgia
WHERE: Foley Field
WHEN: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 20-11; Georgia State 8-24
TV/RADIO: SECNetwork+ ; Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston)
Credit a little challenge from head coach Scott Stricklin to Jonathan Cannon and Ryan Webb for helping jumpstart the two pitchers prior to last week’s series at Vanderbilt.
It was not that the pair had been pitching badly. Stricklin just expected more.
Challenge accepted.
Facing the nation’s top-ranked team in Vanderbilt, Cannon and Webb pitched the games of their respective Georgia careers. Although he did not get the win in Friday’s 5-2 loss, Webb went toe-to-toe with Commodore ace Jack Leiter, holding Vanderbilt to one run on with a career-best 13 strikeouts.
On Saturday, Cannon tossed seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts while the bats helped the Bulldogs pound out a 9-1 win.
“That was a huge motivator for us, and Coach Stricklin was just telling us we’ve got to be those guys,” Cannon said. “We’ve got to go out there and pitch our butts off in order to give our team a chance to win, and with that challenge we were able to step up this weekend.”
Stricklin explained his message was simple.
As the top two starters on the Bulldogs (20-11), it was time for the duo to put the team on their respective shoulders and start being the aces they were expected to be.
“They were pitching fine; they were doing good. But I didn’t feel they were pitching as good as they possibly could, so I challenged them a little bit,” Stricklin said. “It wasn’t anything hostile. It was like, 'Hey, let’s go. Let’s be the guys you are, and let’s carry this team.' They were like, 'Heck yeah.' They stuck their chest out, and they were big-time this weekend.”
For his effort, Cannon (2-2 with a 3.37 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 26.2 innings) was named SEC Pitcher of the Week. Teammate Connor Tate (.381 with eight home runs) was tabbed the SEC Hitter of the Week.
Webb’s effort saw the senior left-hander (2-1) lower his ERA to 2.86 with 55 strikeouts in just 34.2 innings.
“Even though we didn’t get the win (Friday), he did a phenomenal job,” said Cannon, who laughed that his teammate did not need to offer any encouraging words before taking the mound Saturday.
“It’s one of those things that doesn’t have to be said,” Cannon said. “We’re both competitors so we’re always going to be out there trying to out-do each other.”
But now, it’s time to move on.
Following Tuesday’s game against Georgia State (5 p.m.), the Bulldogs have a chance to improve their conference standings over the next two weekends.
Although currently in sixth place in the East with a league mark of 5-7, Georgia is just one game behind fourth-place Florida and Kentucky. The Bulldogs host the Wildcats for three games starting on Friday, and currently have an RPI of No. 23, according to the NCAA.
The following week, the Bulldogs travel to Missouri, a team currently sitting in seventh place in the East.
“We’ve got to be ready to play Tuesday, and we’ve got to be ready to play this weekend,” Stricklin said. “If we can play with that intensity and that fight, then I think we can be a factor in this league. One weekend is one weekend. You’ve got to move on to the next one.”
