University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Baseball Begins SEC Title Defense At Alabama
March 13, 2009 | Baseball
Sewell-Thomas Stadium - Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Friday, March 13 - 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 - 5:05 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 - 3:00 p.m.
**All times Eastern.
TELEVISION
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RADIO
Georgia Bulldog Radio Network: David Johnston
Local Station: WRFC AM 960 The Ref
On the Internet: www.georgiadogs.com & GXtra
No. 1 GEORGIA BEGINS SEC TITLE DEFENSE AT ALABAMA
Top-ranked Georgia will begin its SEC title defense with a three-game series at Alabama Friday through Sunday. The Bulldogs, hunting their first series win in Tuscaloosa since 1993, enter conference play as the league’s only unbeaten team with a 14-0 mark and the SEC’s leader in team batting (.360 avg) and team pitching (2.29 ERA).
The Dogs are averaging nearly 12 runs and more than 13 hits a game and have scored double digit runs in 11 out of 14 games so far. Last season, Georgia had its 11th double-digit run game in the 47th game of the season, and in 2007, it scored double-digits in seven games. Georgia is on pace for 156 doubles, 24 triples and 92 home runs in the regular season, and by comparison, last year’s SEC championship squad had 96 doubles, seven triples and 77 home runs in the regular season. Georgia has put away its opponents fairly early in all 14 games, outscoring the opposition 24-2 in the first inning and 61-10 in the first three innings. The Bulldogs have only trailed at the end of two innings all season.
Freshman Johnathan Taylor leads the team with a .475 batting average, and a .618 on-base percentage. Preseason All-America first baseman Rich Poythress is hitting .429 with an SEC-leading 32 RBI and has homered in the last two games. Joey Lewis is batting .404 and leads the league with 10 doubles.
Georgia will stick with the same rotation it used in last weekend’s sweep of Quinnipiac. Senior right-hander Trevor Holder (3-0, 2.08 ERA) will get the start again on Friday, and sophomore Justin Grimm (1-0, 2.87 ERA) will start on Saturday with Alex McRee still out with mononucleosis. Jason Leaver (2-0, 2.92 ERA) will make his fourth start on Sunday. The pitching staff has combined for three shutouts already and have held the opposition to four hits or less in four games.
GEORGIA OFF TO RECORD START
The Bulldogs’ 14-0 start is the best in school history, surpassing the 9-0 start by 1911 team. It is also tied for the second-longest winning streak in school history--the 1990 team won 14 straight games during its run to the national title. The longest winning streak in program history is 19 straight by the 1908 squad. During the current run, Georgia has ascended to the top of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll, the first time the Bulldogs have been ranked No. 1 since winning the 1990 College World Series.
HOMECOMING FOR HOLDER
Friday marks a homecoming of sorts for Georgia senior pitcher Trevor Holder, who grew up approximately 60 miles from Tuscaloosa in Mountain Brook, Ala. A 2005 graduate of Mountain Brook High School, Holder moved into a tie for 10th on the all-time UGA career wins list last week after holding Quinnipiac hitless in 7.0 innings in Georgia’s 7-0 win.
Holder was the ace pitcher for the 2008 SEC championship squad and was drafted in the 10th round by the Florida Marlins in last June’s MLB draft. He opted to return to Georgia for his senior season and is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA so far in 2009. He is the lone Alabamian on the Bulldogs’ roster.
MCREE OUT WITH MONONUCLEOSIS
Junior lefthander Alex McRee will miss his second consecutive start after being diagnosed with mononucleosis last week. The Baseball America Preseason All-America selection is 2-0 and has yet to allow a run in 10.2 innings. He will be re-evaluated before next weekend’s series against Mississippi State. Justin Grimm will move into the Saturday spot, and Jason Leaver will get the nod on Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT
Georgia outscored Le Moyne 25-5 in a two game sweep of the Dolphins Tuesday and Wednesday at Foley Field. Colby May led the team with a .444 (4-for-9) average while Johnathan Taylor, Matt Cerione and Lyle Allen all hit .400. Rich Poythress hit three run homers in both games and finished the series with eight RBI. A pair of freshmen earned the wins--Cecil Tanner on Tuesday and Chase Hawkins on Wednesday.
GEORGIA VS. ALABAMA
Georgia has had little success in Tuscaloosa over the last 15 years as the Bulldogs last series win at Alabama came in 1993. The two teams didn’t play in 1995, but since they resumed playing every other year in Tuscaloosa in 1997, the Crimson Tide has won 14 out of 18 on their home field.
Overall, Alabama has won five out of the last six meetings including three out of four in 2008. The Crimson Tide handed Georgia its only home series loss last year during the final weekend of the regular season, then bounced the Bulldogs from the SEC Tournament a week later.
GEORGIA PITCHERS HAVE SEC’S LOWEST ERA
Georgia’s team ERA of 2.29 is far and away the best in the league, with Vanderbilt second at 3.38. The Bulldogs have allowed an SEC-low 32 earned runs and 99 hits, the second lowest mark in the conference.
The Bulldogs’ starting pitchers this season are 10-0 with a 1.85 ERA in 68.0 innings pitched with 65 strikeouts and 18 walks. Trevor Holder, the Friday starter, leads the team with a 3-0 record and a 2.08 ERA.
Freshman Michael Palazzone and junior Dean Weaver, two of Georgia’s top relievers, have combined to throw 18 scoreless innings. Palazzone has surrendered just two hits in 9.0 innings, and another key reliever, Jeff Walters, has also given up just two hits in 9.1 innings. Palazzone and Walters each have an opposing batting average of .067.
QUOTING HEAD COACH DAVID PERNO
On the 2009 team...
“It’s been a good group. The dynamics are set up well for this team because of a lot of veterans that had a lot to do with our success last year. It’s always good to have the young freshmen we have coming in. That always seems to be a good mix for us in my time here. It’s been a good team to work with. I don’t read too much into what our record is and what our rankings are right now, but I do think we have a chance to be pretty good. Hopefully we’ll continue to play like we have and do some good things starting this weekend.”
On comparing the 2009 team to the 2008 team...
“It’s two different teams, and we haven’t tried to draw comparisons. We approach it totally different; we’re not trying to replace Gordon Beckham or Josh Fields. We have what we have. We were fortunate with the draft, and we feel like we are talented and we have great pitching. Before the year is over our pitching is probably going to be better than it was last year. That makes things a lot easier when you have to transition. I told this team that the star of this team is the team. We have to get these freshmen up to speed, and there is going to be some adjustment for them learning how to handle league play. If you have the veteran leaders at the top who have been in big games it makes things easier.”
On sweeping Arizona...
“We didn’t just beat them; the games were decided pretty early, and that’s what was most impressive. Our schedule hasn’t been as tough as in years past, but this team and these freshmen, whether they can or not, think they can play. We have to make sure their confidence is at a high level. I’m proud of the juniors who have really elevated not just from a playing standpoint, but also from a maturity level and a leadership level. That’s been the key. We knew we were going to have a strong senior class with Holder, Massanari, Harvil and Leaver, and our junior class is probably the most talented of any we’ve had here. We just didn’t know if they would evolve into the types of leaders that we had last year. It’s been fun, but I know things change dramatically this weekend. No one expected a whole lot out of us this year without Gordon Beckham and Josh Fields, but now we’ve positioned ourselves to where if we play good baseball for the next 10 weeks, we are going to have a chance. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
On the success of Georgia’s freshmen...
“There are a lot of guys who have success their freshman year, but their sophomore year is a much tougher situation because the expectations grow. We did it in 2004 where we had a freshman hitting fourth and a freshman hitting fifth and Jonathan Wyatt in our lineup playing every day, so we were playing with three freshmen in the lineup. It’s good if they are complimented by a strong leadership core, and this team has that. These freshmen are just following their lead and having fun, and it’s just baseball right now. The biggest hurdle with this class is going to be next year can they handle the expectations and remaining humble and being at the front of the bus instead of the back of the bus. It’s a great and very unique blend. I would design every team like this if you had your choices. It’s a good fit and a good mix. The energy is good and the competition is good. They are always pushing. They know they can’t let their guard down or we are going to put in one of these veterans. I like the way this team, from a mentality standpoint, is setting up for us.”
On whether the performance of Georgia’s freshmen has been surprising...
“I was more surprised in August when we got Chase Davidson, Zach Cone, Michael Palazzone, Cecil Tanner and Jeff Walters to school. When those kids showed up it was a shock to us. We’ve never had anything like that happen in our program. I felt like we’d be deeper than we’ve ever been. I didn’t know what this junior class would be like. I didn’t know if Joey Lewis would continue to do what he did in the World Series last year. There were still some question marks about the veterans. So far so good, they’ve answered them. I’m not concerned with the freshmen, because no matter who we play we are going to get a good days work from them. That’s they key with them. They are good enough and talented enough to play at this level. My concern was with the junior class, playing for the right reasons and doing the right things all the time; so far so good. If they keep that up we have a chance to be a good baseball team.”
On whether playing at Arizona will benefit the freshmen as they prepare for the series at Alabama...
“It should help. Alabama is a totally different animal from Arizona, especially this year. We have always had a tough time winning in Tuscaloosa. All we want to do is get in there and play well and play close to our identity for three games and pitch like we’ve been pitching, and if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out; we still have nine weeks to go. We’re not pushing this team very hard from a winning standpoint right now. We’re just trying to push them to execute the game and handle the situations as they come, play together and have fun. If you worry too much about Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and South Carolina you’ll be overwhelmed, because everyone in our league can beat you, especially at their home fields. Our big deal right now is making sure these young kids are executing the way they can and the way they are capable of and making sure we are getting everybody into the right roles they can thrive in.”
On Trevor Holder and the rest of the Georgia pitching staff...
“Trevor is my guy. You can talk about everyone all over the country, but if I have to win a game, I’m going to take my guy. Trevor is as fierce of a competitor as I’ve every coached. His stuff is a better than it was last year. His breaking ball is different; it’s more of a slider and more of a power pitch. His changeup is good, so he’s equipped more than he was last year, and he won with average stuff last year. I think Trevor has a chance to have a big year. The reason I talk so much about Trevor is because he puts everything on our pitching staff in line. You don’t have to run a guy to a Friday night spot who has never pitched in it. Everyone else can stay in similar roles other than (Alex) McRee, who needs to be a starter. I like our bullpen. (Cecil) Tanner, (Michael) Palazzone and (Jeff) Walters are the three new guys who have brought us options. We can use them in various roles and do a lot of different things with them, whether it be middle relief, closing situations or even starting in mid-week games or even weekend games if we can’t get Alex McRee back. The wildcard in our pitching staff is Justin Grimm. I felt like if he would step up and mature a little bit, we know he has lighting in the bottle with his right arm. It’s a matter of him getting experience and getting out there. He elevates our pitching staff to as good as anyone’s. You are running three guys out there on the weekend with a deep, deep bullpen with a lot of situational guys you can bring in for short periods, and you have long guys too. That’s always been a good situation for us with Holder going No. 1, McRee at No. 2 and Grimm at No. 3. You have three power arms, and you give them a left-handed look and that makes our bullpen that much deeper. All of it is strengthened by Trevor returning, because of his presence on Friday night. That takes the pressure off McRee on Saturday and so forth. It allows Grimm to gain valuable experience and still go out there and dominate games when he has his stuff going.”
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