No. 21 Missouri at No. 5 Georgia
WHERE: Foley Field
WHEN: Thursday 6 p.m., Friday 7 p.m., Saturday Noon
RECORDS: Georgia 30-8, 10-5; Missouri 26-12-1, 7-7-1
TV/RADIO: Thursday: SEC Network (Tom Hart and Todd Walker); Friday-Saturday (SEC Network Plus); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston)
Twelve hours hadn't even passed from the time Georgia’s marathon 20-inning game with Clemson ended before 5th-ranked Georgia was back on the field for a brief workout Wednesday afternoon.
Tired though the Bulldogs were, with another huge SEC series against Missouri set to begin Thursday afternoon at Foley Field, getting their legs back under them was a necessary evil.
Surprisingly, nobody was complaining.
Although the muscles ached more than normal, the crazy 20-inning affair was still very much on the minds of the players and head coach Scott Stricklin, who said the fact Georgia (30-8, 10-5) was able to come away with the victory made the long night worthwhile.
“I got home about 2:45, and I probably fell to sleep around 3:30 or 3:45,” he said. “But kids and dogs don’t care what you did last night. Kids’ and dogs’ schedules starts around 6:30 a.m. in the Stricklin house, so the over and under (on sleep) was about three hours.”
Third baseman Aaron Schunk appeared a bit bleary-eyed as he emerged from the clubhouse. However, the smile on his face was not about to be erased.
His mood was not only due to the victory, but thankful memories of the estimated 400 students who showed up during the 19th inning to help cheer the Bulldogs on.
“That was probably one of the coolest atmospheres that we had, especially at 2 a.m. Having everyone there being that loud; we talked about how we need to dedicate that spot to students,” Schunk said. “I think we all thought it was really cool and kind of gave us the edge at the end.”
Stricklin, who said his phone almost blew up with text messages after the game, agreed.
“I think once it got past the 15th inning, it was, ‘Hey, if you’re up, turn this game on,' so I think a lot of people tuned into those last five or six innings just like people showed up here. Hey, if you’re out and up, come on out here, and the next thing we look up, we’ve got 400 students behind home plate going crazy,” he said. “That was a lot of fun, it really did help us. The energy in the dugout was really good when we were hitting. When we were in the field, and we didn’t score, guys were looking around, looking at the clock, but when that group came in, the energy in our dugout really rose, and it was pretty awesome to see them have that kind of impact on the game.”
As the game wore on, things got a little silly in the Georgia dugout.
Players broke out ping-pong paddles, put on motorcycle helmets, with Schunk even demonstrating an air guitar routine, which was caught by cameras of the SEC Network televising the game.
“Delirious is probably the word,” Schunk said. “Between the 12th and the 20th, it’s kind of like, what’s going on? But we just kept sticking to it. Last night was kind of a pitcher’s duel. There were 50 strikeouts combined, which was brutal, but we kept chipping away, and finally it gave way.”
As for any lingering effect, Stricklin is confident his team will be ready to go for Thursday night’s 6 p.m. first pitch against Missouri.
Wednesday, the Bulldogs practiced for 30 minutes in shorts before putting in a team recovery lift with strength coach Ryan Gearheart.
“I’m confident they’ll have their legs back under them for the most part. I wish we had another day. Let’s not kid ourselves, it would be nice to have another day to recover, but it’s nice on the back end, too, because we play Georgia Tech next Tuesday at SunTrust, and we’ll have an extra day to get ready for them,” Stricklin said. “It’s tough on the front side when you play a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and the next week you’ve got to go Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but now that it’s back to back, our guys are on their normal rest. So it’s a little bit easier, although basically, we just played two mid-week games instead of one. At least we were able to find a way to get a win certainly helps that.”
No extra pressure on Emerson Hancock
There’s not much that ruffles the feathers of sophomore ace Emerson Hancock.
Arguably the top pitcher in the SEC, Hancock (6-1, 1.18) enters Thursday’s game knowing the Bulldogs could use a strong effort to rest the bullpen coming of Tuesday night’s game.
However, for Hancock, this isn’t a unique challenge. Preserving the bullpen is something he tries to do every time he takes the mound.
“I don’t think it’s any extra at all. My job as the Friday night guy is to limit the bullpen usage throughout the weekend and go as long as I can,” he said. “So, this weekend, you’re going to see some really good pitching from both teams. It’s going to be a real clean series all the way through. It’s no added pressure. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
That’s all Stricklin wants to see.
“When you’ve got a guy like Emerson Hancock on the mound, you’ve got to feel pretty good about it. Now, that being said, there’s no guarantee, because he’s had two losses and a no-decision where he’s pitched his tail off, and we weren’t able to score runs,” he said. “That’s the thing that’s worrisome about Missouri. Their pitching staff is really good, and they’re leading the league in pitching. It’s going to be a challenge to score runs and put runs on the board, and to win a series like this, it’s a big deal. We’ll have to play well to win another series.”
Injury update
Stricklin said he expects sophomore pitcher Ryan Webb will be available for Saturday’s finale after missing most of the season with arm issues.
Webb, who threw to hitters Thursday, has only pitched in four games this year.
“He will be available on Saturday, most likely. He’ll be a little sore tomorrow, because today was the first time he’s faced hitters, so he’ll probably be ready Saturday,” Stricklin said. “We’re going to put him on the roster after watching that performance, as long as he wakes up tomorrow and feels good. We expect him to be a little sore, but he’ll have two days off. It will most likely be a one-inning stint on Saturday, and hopefully have him back to where he’s almost normal to two to three innings next week.”
…After pitching three innings on Tuesday, Schunk will not be available to pitch in Thursday night’s opener. Stricklin said he will be available for Friday. Zac Kristofak will work as the closer for Thursday’s game.
