Tucker Maxwell is on FIRE.
On Saturday, the junior from Dawsonville concluded what’s been a memorable weekend, leading No. 9 Georgia to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Presbyterian by the score of 7-6 and 8-1.
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In the three games combined, Maxwell went 8 for 9 with two home runs and 12 RBI, chipping in with four stolen bases in the Bulldogs’ 7-6 win in Game 1 before sparking the victory in Game 2 with a three-run homer in the fifth.
“I’m just trying to be the same person every day, not trying to do too much,” Maxwell said. “I’m just trying to hit the ball back up the middle every time.”
Head coach Scott Stricklin was duly impressed.
“He might be SEC player of the week,” Stricklin said. “It’s really good, I’m really happy for him. We’ve seen flashes of that for the last two years. We see him do things that other guys can’t do because he’s so athletic. He’s freakishly strong, but it’s never really come together for him at one time on the baseball field consistently. Now, it’s starting to happen, and what you’re seeing is a really good athlete who's used to being a football player figure out how to do baseball. The game is slowing down for him a little bit, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence. It’s fun to watch because he is an exciting baseball player.”
Tony Locey, Georgia’s Game 2 starter, didn’t need much support.
The junior right-hander fired a seven-inning one-hitter, retiring the first 14 batters he faced before Andrew Livingston reached him for a two-strike, solo home run down the right field line.
On the previous pitch, Locey thought he'd struck out Livingston for what would have been the third out. But home plate umpire Nicolas Katchur disagreed.
Johnny Cook would follow with a walk, but Locey would regain his composure to retire the next seven batters before being replaced by Adam Goodman to start the eighth. Goodman struck out a pair, followed by Justin Glover who pitched a perfect ninth.
Locey would finish the game with nine strikeouts, one off his career high of 10 set in the opening weekend series against Dayton.
“It’s called maturity, and that’s the biggest difference in me now and me two years ago coming in as a freshman,” Locey said. “It’s just me knowing I have a lot of confidence, knowing I’m better than you, it’s myself versus yourself and I can just throw it down the plate because I’ve got a great defense behind us.”
Georgia (14-2) won Game 1, rallying back from a three-run deficit with four in the eighth, but the victory took a back seat due to an injury to Presbyterian catcher Jimmy McDonald.
Trailing 6-3, Georgia tied the game on a two-run single by Maxwell before Randon Jernigan scored on a wild pitch to put Georgia up by one.
Unfortunately, the play came at a cost.
In his attempt to make the tag, McDonald collided with Jernigan, his head appearing to snap back. McDonald lay prone on his stomach and did not appear to move before and while being attended to by trainers from both teams.
After being loaded onto a stretcher, McDonald was taken by ambulance to Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital where word after the game was that the catcher was getting some feeling back in his fingers and toes. An MRI is scheduled for Sunday morning.
Once play resumed, King was retired for the third out before Aaron Schunk closed out the ninth for his fifth save.
Earlier, all eyes were on freshman starter Cole Wilcox who opened with a pair of scoreless innings before Presbyterian reached the right-hander for a pair of runs in the second and two more in the fifth before being replaced by Zac Kristofak (2-0) with one out. Wilcox finished with two walks and four strikeouts, but Stricklin didn’t rule him out of the rotation for next week’s opening SEC series at South Carolina.
“He’s an awfully talented kid and he’s going to be in the mix no matter what,” Stricklin said. “Even if he’s not in the rotation he’s going to be getting the ball when the game is on the line, no question about it. I’ve said it 100 times, I don’t worry about Cole Wilcox.”
Riley King and Maxwell both had productive days at the plate. King went 3-for-6, while Maxwell went 3-for-4 with three RBI, giving him nine over the past two games. Maxwell also stole four bases, pushing his total on the year to nine.
NOTE: McDonald wasn’t the only injured player Saturday. Georgia freshman catcher Shane Marshall, suffered a sprained shoulder during the Bulldogs’ Game 1 win.
“He’s got a sprained shoulder (AC Joint). It was a pretty good collision, but it did not come out of socket which was good news,” Stricklin said. “He’s going to be out for a little bit. We don’t know how long, but it’s going to be a little bit of time, maybe a week or two weeks, but it’s not season-ending. Right now, we’re pretty encouraged. It could have worse.”
