No. 10 LSU at No. 5 Georgia
WHERE: Foley Field
WHEN: Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m., Sunday Noon
RECORDS: Georgia 19-2, 3-0; LSU 16-5, 3-0
STARTING PITCHERS: Friday – Emerson Hancock (5-0, 0.58) vs Zack Hess (1-1, 3.91); Saturday – C.J. Smith (2-0, 2.81) vs Cole Henry (1-0, 3.57); Sunday – Tony Locey (3-0, 2.17) vs Eric Walker (1-0, 5.71)
TV/RADIO: Friday: SEC Network+ (Matt Stewart and Jason Jacobs); Saturday-Sunday: SEC Network (Karl Ravach and Dan McDonald); Radio: Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (David Johnston, Jeff Dantzler).
Suddenly, the college baseball world is paying attention to the Georgia baseball team.
With good reason.
After sweeping South Carolina last week in Columbia, the Bulldogs (19-2) are one of the nation’s fastest rising teams – ranked as high as No. 5 by D1Baseball.com.
This weekend at Foley Field, Scott Stricklin’s squad has a chance to open even more eyes when No. 10 and perineal power LSU (16-5) comes to Athens for a three-game set.
First pitch Friday is set for 7 p.m. with Emerson Hancock (5-0, 0.58) taking the mound, followed by games Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (noon).
For some team the rarefied air Georgia finds itself in might be a concern. That’s apparently not the case with the Bulldogs, winners of 11 straight games.
“We’ve got so many older guys it’s not something I have to talk about. They understand that all of this can be taken away very easily, one bad game, one bad weekend. This league will humble you in a hurry,” Stricklin said. “Every single SEC series is like a Super Regional. We understand that. No series is bigger than any of the other ones. This one, of course, is going to take on a lot of meaning, because it’s our first big home series and it’s LSU.” Pitching continues to be Georgia’s forte.
Hancock gets most of the attention, but so far, the bright spots on the mound have been aplenty.
Georgia starters come into play 15-1 with a 2.00 ERA. Overall, the Bulldogs have a team ERA of just 2.52.
Offensively, Georgia is batting .296 with a .422 on-base percentage.
Individually, preseason All-American Aaron Schunk continues to show why that’s the case. The junior is batting .321 with four homers and 19 RBI, and has seven saves as the Bulldogs’ closer, a number that ties him for second nationally.
Others include LJ Talley (392-4-15), right fielder Riley King (.3703-25), shortstop Cam Shepherd (.256-1-11 and leads the SEC with 24 walks), along with junior Tucker Maxwell (5 HR, 25 RBI and 9 stolen bases).
The Bulldogs know they’ll have to be at their best against an LSU squad that swept Kentucky last weekend in Baton Rouge.
All three games are sellouts.
“It’s going to be awesome, a lot of adrenalin, a lot of fans coming out,” King said. “But we’re just going out to play baseball, we’re not worried about who the opponent is.”
Stricklin seems to agree.
“I know our guys will be excited, our players will be excited, our fans will be excited,” Stricklin said. “We just need to play the way we’re capable and I think we have a great chance to win the series.”
NOTES: Maxwell is expected back in the starting lineup after sitting out last Tuesday’s game against Georgia State to rest a sore hamstring. … On Saturday, Georgia will hold the inaugural Foley Fest in the outfield parking lot from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring live music, interactive games. The event is free to attend.
