Feb. 21, 2012

This Week’s Baseball Schedule (4 home games, all broadcast on WRFC 960 AM or WGAU 1340 AM)

Wed. – Ga. State (3-1), 5 p.m.

Fri., – Winthrop (0-3), 5:30 p.m.; Sat. – Winthrop, 1 p.m; Sun. – Winthrop, 1 p.m.

GTV Online Streaming available for Feb. 22, 24 and 26 games.

Last Week’s Results: Defeated Presbyterian 6-1, 5-4 and 11-0

Single game reserved seats are $8 each while general admission tickets are $5 apiece and can be purchased online. Fans can call the Georgia ticket office at 877-542-1231 between 8:30 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday. For Group Ticket information, please call 706-542-9045 or email: grouptickets@sports.uga.edu 

Team Notes

*Georgia opened its season here by sweeping Presbyterian last weekend, outscoring them 22-5.

*The Bulldogs are 3-0 for the first time since 2009 when they won their first 14 games. 

*Against the Blue Hose last weekend, Georgia batted .330 and posted a 1.67 ERA. 

*After setting a school record with a .974 Fielding Percentage last year, Georgia’s defense looks to be even better in 2012. In the opening series, the Bulldogs made just one error, for a .991 Fielding Percentage. 

*Overall, 13 Bulldogs saw their first collegiate action in the series.

Individual Highlights

*Offensively, Georgia was led by junior third baseman Curt Powell who went 6-for-9 with two RBI in the PC series and senior second baseman Levi Hyams, who went 5-for-10 with 4 RBI. Counting the final three games of the 2011 season, Hyams has a six-game hitting streak.

*Redshirt sophomore LHP Alex Wood notched the win on Opening Day (6 IP, 5H, 1R, 0BB, 7K) as the Bulldogs registered a 6-1 decision. 

*On Saturday, junior Brett DeLoach delivered a pinch-hit, two-out, two-run double for a 5-4 walk-off. *Five Bulldog pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout on Sunday. Redshirt freshman RHP Taylor Hicks made his debut Sunday and went four innings in his first start for a win on a staff day. 

Ranking Update

*Georgia moved up 3 spots to No. 9 in the latest Baseball America Top 25. 

*The Bulldogs moved up 4 spots to No. 14 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

*Georgia climbed 4 spots to No. 17 in this week’s NCBWA Top 30.

*The USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll has not been updated since the preseason.

Wednesday Starter

Freshman RHP Pete Nagel will make his first career start on Wednesday as part of a planned staff day. He made his Bulldog debut in the season opener. He pitched one inning (the 7th) and did not allow any runs or hits with two walks and one strikeout in the 6-1 victory over Prebyterian.

Up Next

The Georgia State Panthers (3-1) claimed a series from Western Illinois in Atlanta this past weekend. GSU dropped the opener and then won the final three games. The Panthers are set to start their tall, freshman from Germany in Max Schmitz, who is 6-7, 196 pounds. He made his debut this past Saturday and earned a win in relief, pitching 0.2 innings and allowing one unearned run on three hits with no walks or strikeouts.

The GSU series dates back to 1971, and the Bulldogs hold a 38-5 edge. The last meeting came in 2010, a 13-9 Bulldog win in Athens.

On Friday, the Winthrop Eagles (0-3) come to Athens for a three-game set. The Eagles face Western Carolina on Tuesday. This past weekend at home, they lost twice to nationally-ranked Georgia Tech and once to Kent State. Georgia leads the series with Winthrop 12-7. The teams last met in 2010, a 4-2 Bulldog victory.