University of Georgia Athletics
Baseball Faces Winthrop, Southern Cal This Week
February 26, 2007 | Baseball
Overall Record: 3-4
Last Week: 3-1
Feb. 21 Georgia d. Mercer in Macon 6-5
Feb. 23 Georgia d. Purdue in Athens 9-0
Feb. 24 Purdue d. Georgia in Athens 5-0
Feb. 24 Georgia d. Purdue in Athens 2-0
This Week: 4 Home Games
Feb. 27 vs. Winthrop, 5 pm (Foley Field)
March 2 vs. Univ. Southern California. 6 pm
March 3 vs. Univ. Southern California, 2 pm (First 300 fans receive a free UGA Baseball Pennant)
March 4 vs. Univ. Southern California, 1 pm
Bulldog Team Notes:
Up next, Georgia continues a 16-game homestand with a pair of potential nationally-ranked opponents in Winthrop (8-4) and the Univ. of Southern California (9-7). The Eagles were ranked as high as No. 22 last week while USC was not ranked but coming off a series win over No. 21 Tulane. Georgia is 13-for-14 in stolen base attempts this year. The Bulldogs, who have posted the three highest fielding percentages in school history under coach David Perno, are off to a slow start defensively. With a lineup featuring as many as four freshman, Georgia has made 16 errors on the year. On Friday, Georgia switched its corner infielders, moving senior Ryan Peisel back to third base from first and freshman Luke Stewart to first base from third. For the first time since 1908, Georgia played a three-game series that featured three shutouts. The Bulldogs won the Purdue series this past weekend, winning game one 9-0, then were blanked 5-0 and rebounded to win the finale 2-0. In 1908, Georgia shutout Clemson thrice.
Bulldog Individual Notes:
Freshman outfielder Matt Cerione ranks among the SEC leaders with a team-best .455 average in six starts. Sophomore shortstop Gordon Beckham leads the team with three home runs and nine RBI and looks to improve his .241 batting average. Sophomore left-hander Nathan Moreau has been sharp in his two starts, posting a 1-0 mark and 0.82 ERA in 11 innings. Freshman left-hander Alex McRee earned his first win as part of a combined three-hit shutout of Purdue. He has made three appearances this year and has yet to allow a run. Junior All-America closer Joshua Fields notched two saves in two appearances this past week with six of the seven outs coming via a strikeout.
About This Week's Opponents:
The Winthrop Eagles (8-4), under the direction of Joe Hudak, visit Athens for the first time since 2003 when the teams split a two-game set. The Bulldogs hold a 9-5 edge in the series history which dates back to 1995. The last meeting came in 2005 in Rock Hill, S.C., with Georgia winning 10-6 in 11 innings. Joshua Fields got the win with a memorable performance as he struck out the first eight batters he faced. This year, the Eagles opened at #13 UCLA, dropping two of three and then have won seven of their last eight at home. Freshman third baseman Kevin Nolan paces the club at .383-0-5 followed by sophomore first baseman Eddie Tisdale .381-0-6.
The USC Trojans (9-7) make their first visit to Athens and the lead the series 3-1. The teams first met at the 2001 College World Series when first round draft pick Mark Prior (Chicago Cubs) beat the Bulldogs 11-5. Last year, Georgia made its first-ever West Coast trip and beat USC first round draft pick Ian Kennedy (New York Yankees) 3-2 but then dropped the final two games of the series by scores of 9-5 and 12-11. The Trojans are led by former major league catcher Chad Kreuter, who is in his first season after long-time skipper Mike Gillespie retired. The Trojans return All-Pac-10 infielder Matt Cusick, and he leads the team with a .370 average. They also feature freshman catcher/pitcher Robert Stock, Baseball America's Youth Player of the Year in 2005 who bypassed his senior year of high school to enroll early at USC. He is batting .229-1-3 and is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and two saves in four appearances. He is a future closer behind senior right-hander Paul Koss (1-1, 1.04, 6 SV).
FOLEY FIELD TICKET INFORMATION
Single game ticket prices are ($6) Reserved Seats, ($6) General Admission Adults and ($3) General Admission Youth. All tickets are available online at georgiadogs.com or by calling the Athletic Association Ticket Office at 1-877-542-1231 8 am-4:30pm Monday through Friday.
UGA Students - FREE ADMISSION with UGA ID – Student Gate is located on the 3rd baseline.
Group tickets are also available for all home games. Groups must be at least 25 in size to receive discounts off the regular priced tickets and tickets can be purchased by calling 706-542-9045 8 am-5 pm Monday through Friday.