Dawgs host Bama

Georgia Baseball Series Preview Versus Alabama

Georgia (8-13, 0-3 SEC) looks to snap a five-game slide when it welcomes Alabama (13-9, 2-1 SEC) to Foley Field starting Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday's Bulldog-Bama tilt will be televised by CSS at 4:05 p.m. Georgia dropped a 7-5 decision to Furman this past Tuesday after getting swept at Texas A&M in its SEC opener. Georgia is batting .294 with a 5.00 ERA and .979 fielding percentage.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Game/Georgia, Class, W-L, ERA vs. UA Rotation (W-L, ERA), R/L, Class

G22 RHP #3 Sean McLaughlin Fr. 3-1, 2.00 vs. #29 Charley Sullivan (1-1, 3.19), RHP, Sr.

G23 LHP #38 Patrick Boling RJr. 1-2, 3.68 vs. #35 Jon Keller (2-2, 3.12), LHP, So.

G24 RHP #18 Bryan Benzor Sr. 1-0, 6.35 vs. #32 Spencer Turnbull (1-1, 4.21), RHP, So.

Around The Bulldog Diamond

*The Bulldogs have fallen behind early in 12 games this season, going 2-10 when the opponent scores first and 2-10 when the opponent scores in the first inning. Georgia's struggles have come on Sundays (1-4), in midweek contests (1-5) and overall hitting with runners in scoring position (.278; Opponents have hit .318).

*Freshman RHP/OF Sean McLaughlin is enjoying a fine start to his career at 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA in five Friday night starts. In his SEC debut at Texas A&M, he got the loss in a 4-1 contest (7 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 3K). Also, he has appeared in 13 games including eight starts as an outfielder/designated hitter, batting .172-0-4.

*Redshirt junior LHP Patrick Boling (1-2, 3.68 ERA) has solidified the No. 2 spot in the rotation with another fine performance. He lost a pitching duel at A&M as the Bulldogs fell 2-1 in 10 innings. Boling allowed one run on six hits in 6.2 innings with two walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts. Boling has 36 Ks and only eight BB in 29.1 IP.

*Sophomore RF/Closer Jared Walsh is a regular two-way player. Walsh is 1-2 with a 1.46 ERA and 2 saves with nine games finished. He is batting .328-1-11 in 17 games including 16 starts in right field and fielding 1.000.

*Senior 3B Curt Powell ranks among the SEC leaders with a .404 batting average including .364 in SEC action. Earlier this year, he had a 13-game hitting streak during a stretch when he batted .509 (29-for-57). Powell's career best is a 14-game streak in 2012. He is fielding .919 overall and 1.000 in SEC action.

*Senior Kyle Farmer, who served as the starting shortstop for Team USA this past summer, is leading the squad with 22 RBI. He is fielding .968 in 98 total chances and ranks third on the team in batting at .354. Farmer has a team-high eight doubles this year and 59 for his career which ranks fourth in school history.

About Alabama

Coached by Mitch Gaspard, the Crimson Tide opened up SEC play at home by winning a series from Tennessee, outscoring them 33-9. They batted .371 (43-for-116) with 12 doubles, no home runs with nine walks and were hit by six pitches. They posted a 2.33 ERA in the series with 10 walks and 15 strikeouts while fielding .961 (5 errors). Centerfielder Georgie Salem earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after batting .462 (6-13) with six RBI in the series while senior RHP Charley Sullivan tossed a complete game three-hitter in the opener. This week, UA defeated Samford 15-7 in Birmingham and Jacksonville State 6-5 at home on Wednesday.

UA leads the all-time series with UGA 43-32 going back to 1955. Last year, Alabama claimed the series 2-1 in Tuscaloosa. This will be their first visit to Athens since 2008 when they won a series 2-1.

Radio/TV Information

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network from IMG College; Play-by-Play: David Johnston

Stations: 960 AM-WRFC and selected affiliates (check your local listings), georgiadogs.com/allaccess via GTV

TV/Video: Friday and Sunday games will be streamed via subscription-based GTV and Sunday game will be full production

Saturday: CSS plus CSN Houston, CSN Mid Atlantic, Bright House Sports Network, joined in progress CSN-Chicago (Matt Stewart-play-by-play, Joe Beckwith-analyst)

Ticket Information: Single game Reserved seats at Foley Field: $8 each; General Admission: $5 apiece and can be purchased online. Georgia ticket office (877-542-1231) between 8:30 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday. UGA students admitted free with their valid UGA Student ID card. UGA Student Gate is located off Rutherford Street.

Promotions: First 1,000 fans to Friday's game receive Georgia Baseball Cup.

After Sunday's game, kids will have the opportunity to get autographs from the Bulldogs and run the bases.