University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Baseball To Battle Yellow Jackets, Razorbacks
April 16, 2007 | Baseball
Georgia stands at 13-23 overall and 5-10 in the SEC. The Bulldogs conclude a 10-game stretch that featured nine road games including back-to-back SEC road trips on Wednesday in Atlanta against in-state rival Georgia Tech (22-14). The game will be televised on a tape-delay basis by SportSouth. The Bulldogs play host to SEC-leading Arkansas (29-10, 11-4 SEC) starting Friday at Foley Field. Game one of the series will be televised by COX at 6:37 p.m. ET.
Georgia (13-23 overall, 5-10 SEC)
This Week (4 games):
Wed., April 18 at Georgia Tech, 7:06 p.m. ET (SportSouth-TV, tape-delay)
Fri., April 20 vs. Arkansas, 6:37 p.m. ET (COX-TV)
Sat., April 21 vs. Arkansas, 2 p.m. ET
Sun., April 22 vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m.
Last Week: 2-2
Beat Savannah State 1-0 at Foley Field
Beat Alabama 4-1 in Tuscaloosa
Lost to Alabama 7-6 and 5-3 in Tuscaloosa
On the mound, Georgia is led by sophomore right-hander Stephen Dodson (3-4, 1.88 ERA). He ranks second in the SEC in earned run average. He is coming off his first career complete game in a 4-1 road win over Alabama last Friday. He did not walk a batter and struck out a career-high seven. It was Georgia's first complete game of the year and he carried a shutout to the ninth.
Georgia's leading hitter is senior centerfielder Jonathan Wyatt at .307-3-29 to go with a team-best 13 stolen bases. Also, he has a perfect fielding percentage on the season with 106 putouts and two assists in 108 total chances. Junior third baseman Ryan Peisel had the best offensive performance in the Alabama series as he batted .500 (7-for-14) with three doubles, a home run and five RBI. Freshman right-hander Steve Esmonde has not allowed a run this season in six appearances covering a span of 10.1 innings. He pitched two scoreless innings last Sunday at Alabama. Junior closer Joshua Fields saw his record fall to 1-6 with his fifth blown save this year in Georgia's 7-6 loss Saturday to the Crimson Tide. In 2006, Fields led the league with 15 saves, going 3-2 with a 1.80 ERA. This year, he has a 5.61 ERA.
Overall, the Bulldogs are only 9-5 when leading after eight innings this season while last year Georgia was 43-0 went it owned a lead going to the ninth. Georgia ranks fifth in the SEC in pitching at 3.76 ERA and 11th in batting at .267. Georgia is 6-8 in one run-game this year and 14 times it has scored two runs or less in a game, going 2-12 in these contests.
Previewing This Week's Opponents:
The Yellow Jackets are 22-14 overall and 10-7 in the ACC. They split an ACC series with Virginia last weekend with the final game rained out. Georgia Tech won game one 2-1 in 11 innings and then lost Saturday 7-6 on a walk-off three-run home run. Georgia won the series over Georgia Tech last year 2-1. The Yellow Jackets claimed an 8-2 win in Atlanta while Georgia won at Foley Field 12-6 and then 5-4 in 11 innings at Turner Field. In records dating back to 1898, Georgia leads the series 190-142-1.
Arkansas, which holds a two-game lead in the SEC, has won six in a row. The Razorbacks finished their weekend sweep of Florida with a .412 batting average with two outs and 14 RBI. Arkansas also hit .424 with runners in scoring position for the weekend and .344 overall. Arkansas is batting .301 overall with a 4.05 team ERA. They face Missouri State Wednesday before coming to Athens.
Arkansas leads the all-time series with Georgia 16-11. The Bulldogs claimed a 2-1 series win over the Razorbacks last year in Fayetteville. Georgia won 2-0 and 8-7 while the Razorbacks notched game three 5-4. Friday's probable pitching matchup will feature two of the league's top hurlers in Bulldog sophomore Stephen Dodson (3-4, 1.88 ERA) versus Arkansas junior left-hander and projected first round draft pick Nick Schmidt (8-0, 2.22 ERA).
Georgia Baseball Ticket/Promotions Information:
Tickets: Reserved Seats ($6) Gen. Admission Adult ($6) Gen. Admission Youth ($3)
UGA Students - FREE ADMISSION with UGA ID – Student Gate is located on the 3rd baseline
• Available online www.georgiadogs.com
• Foley Field Ticket Window Fri., April 204:30pm–through the 4th Inning
• Foley Field Ticket Window Sat., April 21 Noon–through the 4th Inning
• Foley Field Ticket Window Sun., April 22 11 a.m.–through the 4th Inning
PROMOTIONS SCHEDULED SATURDAY:
• First 300 fans in attendance will receive free Georgia Baseball mini-bats
PROMOTIONS SCHEDULED SUNDAY:
• Postgame “Meet the Team/Autograph” session
• SEC Shutout Sunday – If an officially scored shutout game is recorded by the Bulldogs, one lucky fan will win $2,500!
