Georgia’s Emerson Hancock has been one of the biggest stories in the SEC, but the sophomore right-hander won’t be on the mound when the fourth-ranked Bulldogs (33-9, 13-5) travel to No. 9 Mississippi State (33-9, 10-8) for another big conference series starting Friday.
According to head coach Scott Stricklin, he’s going to rest Hancock after the Cairo native experienced what he called minor soreness following a bullpen session Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s just a little bit extra sore, it’s been checked out, everything is structurally fine. We just don’t want it to linger, so we made the decision that we’re going to try and knock this out so he can be 100 percent for the final stretch if we need him,” Stricklin said Thursday in a telephone interview with UGASports. “If this was an absolute must-win, in a Super, Omaha or a regional, he’s pitching. He wanted to pitch but we made the decision that we’re going to let this calm down and get him to 100 percent.”
Stricklin said Hancock – 7-2 with a 1.04 ERA – first noticed an issue on Friday following his three-hit, 11-strikeout performance the night before against Missouri.
“He felt it a little bit on Friday when he woke up and when he threw yesterday, it was still there a little bit. He threw really well, but it still was there,” Stricklin said. “We were looking for him to say, ‘Hey, I feel great,’ but he said he could still feel it so we said, you know, we don’t want you to throw at all. So, he’s going to be shut down for a couple of days but he’ll be right back on his regular schedule and we anticipate he’ll be back on the mound when we play Florida.”
The Bulldogs host the Gators for three starting May 3 at Foley Field.
Hancock - who earned SEC Pitcher of the Week for his effort against Missouri - will accompany Georgia on its trip to Starkville, where he will throw on Sunday.
“He’ll throw on Sunday to kind of get his arm going back,” Stricklin said. “We’ll give him a couple of days to rest, and he’ll throw on Sunday and his bullpen day will be Tuesday so if he feels great, he’ll be back in it.”
With Hancock out, the Bulldogs will start sophomore C.J. Smith (3-2, 3.05) with Tony Locey (7-0, 2.04) on Saturday. On Sunday, Stricklin anticipates giving the ball to junior Tim Elliott (5-2, 2.59), although a final decision has not been made.
“Most likely it will be Tim, but we’ll start with Smith, Locey. They’ve gone Friday-Saturday, so they’re on normal rest,” Stricklin said. “We’ll TBA Sunday as far as Tim is good, he didn’t throw many pitches on Tuesday, as long as he feels good. He’ll take a bullpen tomorrow and if he feels good, will get the start on Sunday.”
Elliott took the loss in Tuesday’s 8-6 loss to Georgia Tech at SunTrust Park, but did not throw a lot of pitches. If he’s unable to go, fortunately, there are other options.
“Logan Moody, possibly, Ryan Webb in a pitch-count start, possibly, and who knows, depending on what kind of shape the bullpen is in you could throw Zac Kristofak, let him go three innings, and go that way,” Stricklin said. “But right now, we’re leaning toward Tim Elliott. We’ll just have to wait and see how he feels after Friday.”
While Georgia – which holds the top record in the SEC by one game – certainly could have used Hancock in Friday’s opener, Stricklin still feels his team is in great shape.
“State’s a tough place, and Emerson wanted to pitch, but I think he knows this is a decision that’s in his best interest, the team’s best interest, and everyone’s best interest in the long run, so that’s what we want to make sure we do,” he said. “Him being healthy in late May and June is the most important thing.”
