WHERE: Foley Field
WHEN: Thursday 7 p.m., Friday 6 p.m., Saturday Noon
RECORDS: Georgia 33-10, 10-8; Oklahoma 29-11, 10-8
STARTING PITCHERS: Thursday – RH Brian Curley (2-0, 2.41) vs RH Kyson Witherspoon (7-2, 2.84); Friday – TBA vs LH Cade Crossland (3-2, 5.620; Saturday – RH Leighton Finley (2-0, 6.33) vs RH Malachi Witherspoon (3-2, 5.62).
TV/RADIO: Thursday: ESPN U (Keith Moreland, Lance Cormier); Friday-Saturday: SEC Network+ ; Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler, David Johnston).
Johnson not worried about Georgia's bats
Wes Johnson swears he’s not losing his mind.
But when it comes to Georgia’s struggling bats, even after Tuesday night’s shutout loss at Clemson, he’s seeing some positive signs.
“You’re sitting here going, okay, this guy's really crazy. We got blanked and had three hits (Tuesday) night,” Johnson said before practice on Wednesday. “But I thought Nolan McCarthy, who's been in a little bit of a funk, obviously got off a couple of really nice swings. Henry Hunter hit some left-handers last night and hit the ball hard. Daniel Jackson hit a ball 106, 108, somewhere in there. Kolby Branch, I thought, got off some good swings yesterday. So yeah, we're seeing some guys moving in the right direction. Now we just gotta string them back together.”
Although Georgia continues to lead the nation with 45, Bulldog bats haven’t quite been as prodigious as earlier this season.
Much of that is due to the pitching Georgia has been facing.
The Bulldogs’ last three SEC series against Texas, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt were also against the No. 1 (3.15), No. 3 (3.81), and No. 4 (3.69) staffs in the conference, regarding team ERA.
While that does not necessarily excuse hitters from chasing bad pitches, or the fact that Georgia has struck out a league-worst 386 times.
But even there, Johnson doesn’t sound very concerned.
Take Tre Phelps, for example.
During an at-bat late in the game, Phelps fell behind 0-2 before coaxing a walk.
“Those are things that we weren't doing this past weekend, to your point. But we had a couple of those at-bats last night, and those are signs of like, okay, it's coming,” Johnson said. “We were chasing that very situation this past weekend, a couple of times in game two, and it didn't walk, it struck out. So, you know, those are things that you're looking at and going, okay, we're coming back.”
With four SEC series to go, much at stake
With just four SEC series to go, Johnson isn’t ready to start placing any one series above the other.
Even with Georgia’s ability to host through the Super Regionals on the line, Georgia’s skipper says the last thing his Bulldogs need to do is forget that every week is of equal importance.
“That's something you, as a coach, have to constantly remind them of. You better remind them of it every day,” Johnson said. “In our league, I've said for years, is you catch a pitching staff or an offense and they're hot, boy, it's going to be all you've got to find a way to get one. It doesn't matter what you do. So, I think that's why you can't put too much emphasis on one series versus another; they're all really good. Everybody in our league has talent.”
However, if the Bulldogs (33-10, 10-8) harbor dreams of earning a national seed, there is work to be done.
Although both Baseball America and DIBaseball.com agree that Georgia will host one of the 16 regionals, the two preeminent college baseball publications disagree on whether the Bulldogs will be a national seed.
Baseball America still has Georgia as a national seed, but D1Baseball.com has Georgia as a 10th seed and on the outside looking in.
Current SEC standings show just how competitive it is.
The Bulldogs currently sit at fifth in the SEC, but their 10-8 league mark also has Georgia tied with Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
After this weekend’s series with the Sooners (29-11, 10-8), the Bulldogs travel to Missouri (13-27, 0-8) followed by a road trip to Alabama (32-10, 9-9) before closing out the regular season at home against Texas A&M (26-14, 8-10).
Sooner twin pitchers pose their own challenge
A pair of twin right-handers will be two of the challenges Georgia faces on the mound this weekend against Oklahoma.
At 6-2 and 207 pounds, Kyson Witherspoon is enjoying one of the best seasons in the SEC, sitting at 7-2, an ERA of 2.48 with 84 strikeouts in 58 innings.
Fraternal twin Malachi Witherspoon is a little bit bigger (6-2, 211), but like Kyson, can bring a fastball that reached 98 mph.
Both were members of Team USA last year.
“Kyson really commands his fastball, and then he's able to throw a cutter and a slider off of that,” Johnson said. “Every now and then, he'll show you a change-up or a curve ball, but, you know, for the most part, he's gonna live and die with those pitches, and he commands them really well.”
Although Malachi’s control isn’t quite on par with Kyson's (22 walks compared to 12) and his ERA is higher (5.32), Johnson said all his pitches play.
“Malachi's just a little different fastball shape. His stuff plays differently from Kyson's. The other one's a little more run and sink, the other is flatter and more run,” Johnson said. “But they’ve both got command, and they’ve got velocity to go with it.”
This and that
... Saturday, the Bulldogs will hold their annual Lettermen’s Day with a special recognition of the 1990 national championship team, the first SEC team to win a baseball title. There will be around 18 Bulldogs from that team expected in attendance to mark the 35th anniversary of the title. Also, Pam Webber, the wife of the late Coach Steve Webber, along with Patricia Reban, the wife of the late 1990 College World Series Most Outstanding Player Mike Rebhan, will be attending as well.
...The Bulldogs are batting .294 with a .574 slugging percentage and an NCAA-leading 105 home runs. They have a .425 on-base percentage with 242 walks, have been hit 93 times, plus are 50-for-56 in stolen bases. The team’s leading hitters are roommates Ryland Zaborowski (.385-16-55, .852 slugging percentage) and Robbie Burnett (.331-17-55, 12 SB). Earlier this year, Zaborowski was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, the NCBWA/Dick Howser Trophy National Hitter of the Month for March and a mid-season All-American by multiple outlets. Burnett made the second team mid-season All-America lists, too. Zaborowski missed the final two games of the Vanderbilt series due to an ankle injury and returned to the lineup Tuesday against Clemson. Burnett was the team’s top hitter in the Commodore series, batting .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, a home run, and two RBI.
...Senior Slate Alford, who has a 26-game on-base streak, batted .385 (5-for-13) with a double, two home runs and two RBI against Vanderbilt. Burnett and Alford accounted for 10 of the team’s 17 hits in the series. OU is batting .293 with a .485 slugging percentage, including 50 home runs.
...The leading hitters for the Sooners are Trey Gambill (.336-3-19, 10 SB), Jaxon Willits (.333-9-39, 12 SB), and Easton Carmichael (.325-10-45, 11 SB). Also of note, freshman Kyle Branch (.302-2-22) is the younger brother of Bulldog shortstop Kolby Branch. OU is 96-for-116 in stolen base attempts. The Bulldogs have posted a 4.94 ERA with 450 Ks and 195 BBs. Opponents are batting .231 against Georgia. OU has a 4.28 ERA with 399 Ks and 147 BBs this season. Opponents are batting .245 against the Sooners with 31 home runs. OU features one of the league’s top closers in Dylan Crooks (2-0, 1.31 ERA, 9 Saves). Georgia’s fielding percentage is .982, while the Sooners are fielding .972.
