University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia, Clemson Play Home And Home Midweek Series
April 05, 2010 | Baseball
| Georgia Bulldogs (10-17) vs. #16 Clemson (20-8) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Watch Out For That Cone | |||
| Sophomore CF Zach Cone, who owns a 17-game hitting streak, is showing why he is a top pro prospect for 2011 with stellar defense (48 putouts, 5 assists, 0 errors) to go with a team-best .385 average, 27 RBI, four triples and six home runs. During his streak, he is batting .377 (26-for-69 with 21 RBI). The Bulldog Hitting Streak Record belongs to Josh Hudson at 28 games in 1999. Since then, the next best belongs to Mark Thornhill who had a 26-gamer in 2001. Against #4 LSU, Cone hit .417 (5-for-12) with two home runs. | |||
| Hyams Solidifying Lineup and Defense | |||
| Sophomore INF Levi Hyams (.364-1-13) is healthy and making an impact. He posted the best offensive numbers in the Miss. State series at .467 (7-for-15) with four doubles and four RBI. Then against #4 LSU this past weekend, he batted .333 (4-for-12) with two doubles, a home run and 7 RBI. In SEC action, he is batting a team-best .385-1-12. He missed the first 12 games of the year due in part to a back injury. When he returned, the first five games were for defense as he either took pitches or bunted. | |||
| Strong First Half For Verdin | |||
| Before the 2010 campaign began, head coach David Perno tabbed sophomore RF Peter Verdin (.316-6-22) as the Bulldog most likely to have a breakout season. So far, Verdin has done just that, tying for the team lead with 6 home runs (5 solo), is 9-for-9 stolen bases and second in RBI with 22. | |||
| Perno Going For #300 | |||
| At 299-225-1, head coach David Perno will be going for his 300th career win at Georgia. Now in his ninth season, Perno has taken the Bulldogs to four College World Series including the 2008 CWS Finals. He is looking to become just one of three Bulldog baseball coaches to register 300 wins; Jim Whatley (336-327-3 from 1950, ‘52-75) and Steve Webber (500-403-1 from 1981-1996). | |||
| GEORGIA-CLEMSON SERIES | |||
| Clemson comes to town with a 20-8 record including 9-3 in the ACC. This past weekend, they won a league series over Boston College in Clemson. They won game one 15-2, dropped game two 11-5 and claimed the series with a 14-9 victory. After a 17-2 start, the Tigers are 3-6 in their last nine games. They went 1-2 against top-ranked Virginia in this stretch. In records dating back to 1950, Clemson leads the series with Georgia 67-48-1. Currently, Georgia is on a four-game winning streak in the series after sweeping the series in 2008 and 2009. Last season, Georgia was ranked #1 when it faced #17 Clemson. The Bulldogs swept the two-game series, winning 6-5 in Athens and then 4-2 the next night in Clemson. In 2008, Georgia registered an 11-3 win in Athens followed by a 6-4 win at Clemson. The Tigers won both meetings in 2007 (4-2 in Athens, 11-10 in Clemson). Junior outfielder Kyle Parker headlines the offense when he is not playing football as he is the Tigers starting quarterback too. Parker is batting .378-11-27, all team-highs. The Tigers plan to start a couple of freshman pitchers in the two-game series with the Bulldogs this week. On Tuesday, they will go with Dominic Leone (1-0, 3.55 ERA) and on Wednesday, it will be Mike Kent (1-0, 2.45 ERA). Meanwhile, Georgia will start junior RHP Eric Swegman (0-1, 8.44 ERA) and sophomore LHP Chase Hawkins (0-1, 6.52 ERA). It will be Swegman’s first action since a start against Kennesaw State on March 9 when the Bulldogs lost 11-1. Swegman has pitched just 5.1 innings this season. Hawkins has pitched more out of the bullpen of late. His last start came versus Alabama at the Hoover Met on March 3. Georgia dropped that game to the Crimson Tide 13-2. Hawkins has thrown 19.1 innings this year. |
