University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia To Face The Atlanta Braves
February 25, 2008 | Baseball
Schedule This Week: 4 Road games
Wed. Exhibition vs. Atlanta Braves, 1:05 p.m. (Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)
Fri. vs. *#12 Oregon State, 9 p.m. ET
Sat. vs. *#12 Oregon State, 4 pm ET
Sun. vs. *#12 Oregon State, 3 pm ET {FoxSportsNet-Northwest-TV)
*PGE Park, Portland, Ore.
Last Week (1-2 at home)
Feb. 22 defeated #1 Arizona 9-7
Feb. 23 lost to #1 Arizona 7-1
Feb. 24 lost to #1 Arizona 9-8
Georgia-Atlanta Braves Preview
For the 10th time since 1988, Georgia will face the Atlanta Braves in the Spring Training opener for the major league club in Florida. Both teams use wood bats in the exhibition along with a 10-player lineup including a designated hitter. Atlanta is 9-0 in the series including a 10-1 win in 2006. The closest games came in 1991 and 1996 when the Braves won 2-1.
Atlanta usually plays its regular position players for the first part of the game while the pitchers are mainly its top prospects. However, twice the Braves have started a Major Leaguer on the mound including in 2006 (Horacio Ramirez).
The Bulldogs plan to start sophomore right-hander Dean Weaver. He went 1-3 with an 8.04 ERA in 14 appearances with six starts last season. Georgia plans to let at least eight pitchers see action Wednesday.
There are seven current Bulldog veterans who played in the 2006 exhibition. Senior third baseman Ryan Peisel (0-2) and junior shortstop Gordon Beckham (0-2) made starts. Also, right fielder Matt Olson (0-2) and shortstop Miles Starr (0-1) saw action. Georgia’s current SEC rotation of juniors Trevor Holder, Nathan Moreau and Stephen Dodson all pitched in the 2006 game but will not see action this time around.
Former Bulldog catcher Clint Sammons is in the Braves camp again this year. He saw action against Georgia in the 2006 game and finished the 2007 season at the Major Level with the Braves.
Charlie Morton, a 24-year-old, 6-5, 218-pound right-hander will start for the Braves. Also, Jorge Campillo (RHP non-roster invitee from Mexico), Zach Schreiber (RHP played at Duke) and Francisley Bueno (LHP non-roster invitee from Cuba) are also scheduled to throw two innings apiece while the ninth inning will go to the 6-8, 250-pound Australian right-hander Phil Stockman.
In six appearances (five starts) with the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League, Morton was 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA. A third-round selection in the 2002 draft, Morton spent most of last year with Double-A Mississippi. His fastball has been clocked at 96 mph.
Georgia-Oregon State Series Preview
After the Braves game, Georgia heads to Portland for a series against two-time defending national champion Oregon State starting Friday. Due to stadium renovations in Corvallis, the three-game set will be played at PGE Park in Portland, home of the the Triple-A Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (San Diego Padres). PGE Park installed FieldTurf for the 2008 season and the Bulldogs-Beavers series will be the first to play on it.
OSU leads the series over Georgia 4-0. The teams first met at the 2006 College World Series, a 5-3 Beaver win. While in Omaha, Georgia head coach David Perno and OSU skipper Pat Casey set up a home-and-home series for 2007 and 2008. OSU opened the 2007 season in Athens with a three-game sweep of the Bulldogs (10-8, 7-3 and 6-2). The 12th-ranked Beavers (1-2) opened this year at a tournament in Tempe, Ariz., falling 8-1 to third-ranked Vanderbilt, then beat Miami (Ohio) 8-3 and were shutout by ninth-ranked Arizona State 11-0.
Georgia-Arizona Series Recap
Georgia opened the 2008 season with a thrilling 9-7 win over top-ranked Arizona as closer/designated hitter Joshua Fields went 2-for-4 with a home run and then struck out the side in the ninth for a save. The Wildcats rallied to win the series, taking the next two contests 7-1 and 9-8. Saturday's game was 2-1 heading to the eighth before Arizona broke it open. On Sunday, Georgia led 4-0 going to the seventh before the Wildcats stormed back and eventually took a 9-4 lead to the ninth. Georgia smashed a couple of home runs to plate four in the final frame but the rally fell short.
Georgia's starting rotation of junior right-handers Trevor Holder and Stephen Dodson along with left-hander Nathan Moreau combined to go 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA against the potent Wildcats. Moreau had the most impressive start, pitching six scoreless innings allowing just three hits, two of which were bunt singles.
Offensively, sophomore first baseman Rich Poythress had the best weekend, batting .625 (5-for-8, HR, 3RBI, 5 BB) while junior shortstop Gordon Beckham hit .538 (7-for-13) and senior third baseman Ryan Peisel hit a pair of home runs and drove in four. Georgia and Arizona both hit .286 with five home runs in the series.
Wed. Exhibition vs. Atlanta Braves, 1:05 p.m. (Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)
Fri. vs. *#12 Oregon State, 9 p.m. ET
Sat. vs. *#12 Oregon State, 4 pm ET
Sun. vs. *#12 Oregon State, 3 pm ET {FoxSportsNet-Northwest-TV)
*PGE Park, Portland, Ore.
Last Week (1-2 at home)
Feb. 22 defeated #1 Arizona 9-7
Feb. 23 lost to #1 Arizona 7-1
Feb. 24 lost to #1 Arizona 9-8
Georgia-Atlanta Braves Preview
For the 10th time since 1988, Georgia will face the Atlanta Braves in the Spring Training opener for the major league club in Florida. Both teams use wood bats in the exhibition along with a 10-player lineup including a designated hitter. Atlanta is 9-0 in the series including a 10-1 win in 2006. The closest games came in 1991 and 1996 when the Braves won 2-1.
Atlanta usually plays its regular position players for the first part of the game while the pitchers are mainly its top prospects. However, twice the Braves have started a Major Leaguer on the mound including in 2006 (Horacio Ramirez).
The Bulldogs plan to start sophomore right-hander Dean Weaver. He went 1-3 with an 8.04 ERA in 14 appearances with six starts last season. Georgia plans to let at least eight pitchers see action Wednesday.
There are seven current Bulldog veterans who played in the 2006 exhibition. Senior third baseman Ryan Peisel (0-2) and junior shortstop Gordon Beckham (0-2) made starts. Also, right fielder Matt Olson (0-2) and shortstop Miles Starr (0-1) saw action. Georgia’s current SEC rotation of juniors Trevor Holder, Nathan Moreau and Stephen Dodson all pitched in the 2006 game but will not see action this time around.
Former Bulldog catcher Clint Sammons is in the Braves camp again this year. He saw action against Georgia in the 2006 game and finished the 2007 season at the Major Level with the Braves.
Charlie Morton, a 24-year-old, 6-5, 218-pound right-hander will start for the Braves. Also, Jorge Campillo (RHP non-roster invitee from Mexico), Zach Schreiber (RHP played at Duke) and Francisley Bueno (LHP non-roster invitee from Cuba) are also scheduled to throw two innings apiece while the ninth inning will go to the 6-8, 250-pound Australian right-hander Phil Stockman.
In six appearances (five starts) with the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League, Morton was 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA. A third-round selection in the 2002 draft, Morton spent most of last year with Double-A Mississippi. His fastball has been clocked at 96 mph.
Georgia-Oregon State Series Preview
After the Braves game, Georgia heads to Portland for a series against two-time defending national champion Oregon State starting Friday. Due to stadium renovations in Corvallis, the three-game set will be played at PGE Park in Portland, home of the the Triple-A Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (San Diego Padres). PGE Park installed FieldTurf for the 2008 season and the Bulldogs-Beavers series will be the first to play on it.
OSU leads the series over Georgia 4-0. The teams first met at the 2006 College World Series, a 5-3 Beaver win. While in Omaha, Georgia head coach David Perno and OSU skipper Pat Casey set up a home-and-home series for 2007 and 2008. OSU opened the 2007 season in Athens with a three-game sweep of the Bulldogs (10-8, 7-3 and 6-2). The 12th-ranked Beavers (1-2) opened this year at a tournament in Tempe, Ariz., falling 8-1 to third-ranked Vanderbilt, then beat Miami (Ohio) 8-3 and were shutout by ninth-ranked Arizona State 11-0.
Georgia-Arizona Series Recap
Georgia opened the 2008 season with a thrilling 9-7 win over top-ranked Arizona as closer/designated hitter Joshua Fields went 2-for-4 with a home run and then struck out the side in the ninth for a save. The Wildcats rallied to win the series, taking the next two contests 7-1 and 9-8. Saturday's game was 2-1 heading to the eighth before Arizona broke it open. On Sunday, Georgia led 4-0 going to the seventh before the Wildcats stormed back and eventually took a 9-4 lead to the ninth. Georgia smashed a couple of home runs to plate four in the final frame but the rally fell short.
Georgia's starting rotation of junior right-handers Trevor Holder and Stephen Dodson along with left-hander Nathan Moreau combined to go 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA against the potent Wildcats. Moreau had the most impressive start, pitching six scoreless innings allowing just three hits, two of which were bunt singles.
Offensively, sophomore first baseman Rich Poythress had the best weekend, batting .625 (5-for-8, HR, 3RBI, 5 BB) while junior shortstop Gordon Beckham hit .538 (7-for-13) and senior third baseman Ryan Peisel hit a pair of home runs and drove in four. Georgia and Arizona both hit .286 with five home runs in the series.
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