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Summer Reruns

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Hey, Bulldog Nation! Well, if you're like us, we're enjoying a little rest & relaxation so far this summer as we gear up for another exciting year of UGA Athletics! But don't think for a second that we'll let Georgiadogs.com and our social media channels gather dust this time of year! The folks at GTV have organized a way for you to revisit your favorite (and our favorite) videos from the past year and will be showing them again in our "Summer Reruns" series! Below is the full schedule of what you can expect to see each day of the week. The first one has already been posted for today and can be viewed here


Mic'd Up Mondays: A video feature where a coach wore a microphone during a game or practice.
Travel Tuesdays: Videos that followed our teams around the country and/or the world!
Hump Day Highlights: A look back at the best athletic contests of 2012-13.
Throwback Thursdays: Some of our favorite videos from the recent to the more distant past.
Feature Fridays: Interesting profiles and behind-the-scenes looks back from the past year.
Sunday Funday: Our favorite funny features!

Go Dawgs!

A Big Bulldog Welcome

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On Wednesday the University of Georgia Athletic Association welcomed its newest member to the family as head baseball coach Scott Stricklin was officially introduced and spoke to media members, donors, and fans for the first time. Stricklin joins the Bulldogs after nine years at his alma mater, Kent State University, where he led the Golden Flashes to five NCAA Regionals and the 2012 College World Series. For more Stricklin bio information, which is pretty darn impressive, click here

In addition to Stricklin's press conference yesterday (the archive can be found below), he sat down for a 1-on-1 interview with GTV's Kevin Copp, which is also below. Stricklin and his family - wife, Cheri, daughters Sydney (11) and Keaton (5) and son Cale (8) - spent the rest of the day meeting various Athletic Department staff and administrators, touring campus, and taking photos.

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Must-read/must-watch:

Alex Wood's MLB debut

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It was just one short year ago that Alex Wood was playing baseball at UGA, and last night he made his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves. Wood was a second round pick in the 2012 draft and went to Class A Rome to start his career, before a quick rise through the ranks saw him in the majors last night.

Below are a couple good reads about the lefty's debut, in which he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the win:

*AJC: Big night in Braves debut for ex-UGA pitcher Alex Wood here
*Red & Black: Successful MLB debut for ex-Bulldog, now Atlanta Brave Alex Wood here
*AtlantaBraves.com: Wood revels in rush of big league debut here

Follow Alex on Twitter @awood45.

#GDAY13 coverage information

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Happy Friday, Bulldog Nation! Well, if you can believe it, tomorrow is already G-Day, the annual intrasquad scrimmage for the Georgia football team. Kickoff is set for 1 PM at Sanford Stadium and it's bound to be a great afternoon as fans get to preview the 2013 edition of the Bulldogs for the first time!

If you can't make it to the game, check out the information below to enhance your viewing experience!

Watch: Live television coverage (regionally) is being provided by our friends at CSS. Check your local listings for more.
Listen: Listen to the Dawgs on Georgiadogs.com or on the official Georgia Bulldogs mobile app (UGA Sports) with a GTV subscription. The broadcast will carried on 95.5FM/AM750 News/Talk WSB, and is being made available to all Bulldog Radio Network network affiliates. Check with your local station for confirmation.
Connect: Get live game tweets from our official Twitter account @UGAAthletics and behind-the-scenes looks at the day from Between The Hedges @UGAHedgesBlog. You can also find updates on Facebook.com/GeorgiaBulldogs and by following us on Instagram (ugaathletics) and Vine (ugaathletics). Don't miss a thing!
The game's official hashtag is #GDAY13. Be sure to tag your tweets to join the conversation and find out what others are saying about the game.
Chat: Join the conversation in real-time on the Georgiadogs.com live chat, which will be located here at kickoff.

The G-Day homepage on our official Web site is located here, with everything you need to know including information on game promotions, rosters, parking, and what else is going on around campus this weekend! 

As always, GO DAWGS! Enjoy the game!

Signing Day Recap

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Well, another National Signing Day has come and gone and the Georgia football team has locked down yet another top-10 recruiting class. It was a great day all the way around, and we appreciate all the fans who came out to enjoy the day with us at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall or who watched the live broadcast or who participated in the chat or who shared their thoughts with us on Twitter using the hashtag #GeorgiaNSD. We are so appreciative of Bulldog Nation and we know you'll join us in welcoming the 32 signees who officially become Bulldogs yesterday!

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In case you missed it, Coach Richt spoke to the media yesterday afternoon, and shared his thoughts on the class though he's still recovering from hip surgery. Full video of Coach Richt's interview - as well as interviews with other coaches who spoke during our live broadcast yesterday - can be found here

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Yesterday also marked Signing Day for the soccer team and track teams, and they also brought in great classes! For info on Georgia's soccer class of 11 players and an interview with head coach Steve Holeman, click here! Track signed four student-athletes and is expecting more, so you can check out who they signed on our Twitter page (@UGAAthletics). 

So, thank you again for being a part of the special day and we can't wait to join you in watching these new Bulldogs get here and start contributing! Go Dawgs!

#GeorgiaNSD

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Happy Friday, Bulldog Nation! Just wanted to check in and let you know about the awesome coverage we've got planned for next Wednesday's National Signing Day - the first day of signing period for football, soccer, and track & field. Here's how you can stay connected throughout the day and make sure you're up-to-date on our newest Dawgs!

*GTV live broadcast: The folks at GTV will be producing a LIVE studio broadcast from UGA's Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, which will run from 8 a.m.-2:15 p.m. on georgiadogs.com. Chuck Dowdle and former Bulldog defensive back DJ Jones will host, and will take you through what's happening and updating you on the signees as they come in - including highlight reels on each player! Kevin Copp will also be interviewing soccer head coach Steve Holeman to discuss their signing class - that will happen at 11:30 a.m. And as the GTV team wraps up the day you'll hear exclusively from Coach Richt! All the action is free and available only on Georgiadogs.com.

*Fans will also be able to interact with our georgiadogs.com Internet team and with each other on a live chat also on georgiadogs.com. 

*Our Facebook (Georgia Bulldogs), Twitter (@UGAAthletics), Instagram (ugaathletics), and Google+ (Georgia Bulldogs) pages will include live updates as well, while we right here on Between the Hedges blog will attempt to keep you posted on the behind-the-scenes action as it unfolds on what promises to be a very hectic day around here!

*The official hashtag for the day will be #GeorgiaNSD. Don't forget to use it when tweeting about Signing Day to stay in the conversation!

Hopefully one (or all) of these modes will work for you to follow along with Signing Day as Georgia continues to provide the best coverage in the nation!

As always, GO DAWGS, and we'll see you Wednesday!

Henley wins PGA's Sony Open

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Good morning, Bulldog Nation, and I hope you'll start your week off by joining me in congratulating former Bulldog Russell Henley for his win at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii over the weekend. Just three months after receiving his PGA Tour card, Henley won the event - his Tour debut - by three strokes Sunday in record-breaking fashion. Henley birdied the last five holes to shatter the tournament record by five strokes, while his score of 24-under 256 was second-lowest in PGA Tour history for a 72-hole event, two shots behind Tommy Armour III in 2003 at the Texas Open. Henley also set the Sony Open record for its 36-hole score (126), shared the 54-hole tournament record with Scott Langley (193), and set another record at the event by posting the lowest closing round by a champion with a 7-under 63.

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We hope you're just as proud as we are of Russell and we're glad he's representing the Dawgs so well! 

If you're so inclined, give Russell a follow on Twitter at @russhenleygolf - his followers more than doubled overnight - and congratulate him there! We know he'd love to hear from the Dawg Nation!

Below are a few links to more Russell Henley news:

*Associated Press (via Georgiadogs.com): http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/011413aaa.html
*Yahoo Sports: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/golf--lateral-hazard--russell-henley-opens-pga-tour-career-with-dazzling-victory-060558362.html
*Golf Digest: http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/blogs/local-knowledge/2013/01/make-way-for-russell-henley-golfs-newest-star.html
*ESPN: http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/8841923/russell-henley-wins-pga-tour-debut-record-setting-fashion
*dawgsports.com: http://www.dawgsports.com/2013/1/13/3874184/uga-golfer-russell-henley-wins-first-pga-event-in-astounding-fashion
*golfchannel.com: http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/smashing-success-henley-wins-sony-in-tour-debut/

Foley Family Makes Generous Donation To UGA Baseball

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While we've been keeping you updated on the renovations at Foley Field, including a brand new scoreboard and additions to "Kudzu Hill", there is now more progress on the horizon thanks to a generous donation from the Foley Family. The following previously ran on Georgiadogs.com.

ATHENS-----The Foley family of Columbus is synonymous with Georgia baseball, and they have provided the foundation for the Bulldogs latest stadium renovation, the UGA Athletic Association announced Thursday.

"The University of Georgia and the baseball program hold a special place in the hearts of our family," said Frank D. Foley, III, spokesman for the family. "We are pleased to honor the legacy of our grandfather and all passed generations of our family by providing this gift to lead the on-going fundraising for Foley Field. We recognize the importance of maintaining and updating the field and know it will be a tremendous benefit for the Bulldogs."

"We are very fortunate to have the continued loyal support of the Foley family and excited that they are taking the lead in this project," said Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity. "They have made a lasting impact on the baseball program in support of the student-athletes and the fans. The ballpark is in a beautiful setting, and we are taking steps to enhance it."

"Student-athletes come to Georgia because they know they are going to get a first-class education and compete in the SEC which is the premier baseball conference featuring top-notch facilities, fan support and instruction," said Georgia coach David Perno. "The Foley family has always been at the forefront of any major renovation effort at Foley Field. Their leadership will help us continue to recruit elite student-athletes that look forward to playing for Georgia along with providing an enjoyable game day experience for all fans visiting Foley Field."

The large-scale measures planned for the future include improvements to the dugouts, Georgia's locker room and team lounge, training room and batting cages. Also, an upgraded sound system, redesigning the stadium's main entrance and additional restrooms and concession areas along with an expanded press box are planned.

The UGA Athletic Association board of directors already approved and work is under way on a few items that are part of the master plan. Current construction scheduled to be completed for the 2013 season will make improvements to the right field area known as "Kudzu Hill," a new high-definition video scoreboard and new trees behind the outfield fence.

Since the late 1960s, Bulldog baseball home games have been played at Foley Field. Judge Frank Foley is considered one of Georgia's all-time greats for his contributions both on and of the field. He was a part of the 1908 Southern championship team. A distinguished alumnus, he is remembered by many as a kind and caring gentlemen.

Georgia has experienced tremendous postseason success at Foley Field, winning four NCAA Regionals and three Super Regionals. In the Perno era, the Bulldogs have advanced to the College World Series in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Overall, Georgia is 21-7 in the NCAA postseason at Foley Field including a remarkable 16-0 in elimination games.

Monday Morning Round-up

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Hey, Bulldog Nation - hope you all had a great and relaxing weekend. It was relatively slow around here as finals are underway and many of our coaches are on the recruiting trail in this downtime. But here are a few nuggets for your Monday morning:

*Georgia will watch 39 of its student-athletes receive UGA diplomas on Friday at graduation. More here.
*The Georgia football team held its annual awards banquet and gala Saturday night at the Classic Center in Athens. Several players walked home with awards, including Aaron Murray and Jarvis Jones as MVP's on their respective sides of the ball. Full release here
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*The Lady Bulldogs held their annual "bike build" Saturday afternoon, assembling bicycles that would then be donated to needy children in the community in time for the holidays. Read the story here, and stay tuned for a video on the event coming soon to Georgiadogs.com.
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*Men's golf coach Chris Haack is being inducted today in the Golf Coaches Association of America's Hall of Fame.

Also, tickets are still available for the Capital One Bowl. Purchase them through UGA to make sure you are in the right section at the game, and to avoid counterfeit tickets. Call the ticket office at 1-877-542-1231 M-F 8:30-4:30, or click here.

Finally, both basketball teams are back in action at home later this week, with the men taking on Iona on Saturday at 5 PM in Stegeman and the women looking to continue their unbeaten start vs. Lipscomb Sunday at 2 PM here. 

GO DAWGS!

Updates from the Dome

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GOOD AFTERNOON BULLDOG NATION! We are live here at the Georgia Dome for today's SEC Championship game between your Bulldogs, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The winner will earn the right to play Notre Dame in the national championship game. Remember you can watch on CBS or follow live scoring on Georgiadogs.com. As usual, our official Twitter (@UGAAthletics) will be tweeting live updates and we at @UGAHedgesBlog will try to provide as much colorful coverage as possible! Also check us out on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaBulldogs) for photos from today!

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Below is a quick timeline of what's been happening here so far as we tick under the hour mark to kickoff:

Noon: Between The Hedges arrives on scene, finds press box (after much confusion).
1 PM: Checked out SEC Fanfare over at the World Congress Center
2 PM: Team arrives at the field. Heads to locker room. Some players walk around on field, listening to music, throwing ball around.
3 PM: Team emerges from locker room officially to raucous applause from our great fans!
3:15 PM: Georgia Dome plays Bulldog highlight video!

That's it for now. . . reminder to follow us on Twitter @UGAAthletics and @UGAHedgesBlog and be sure to check back later for more!