University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Back In Action Wednesday
March 09, 2011 | Baseball
March 9, 2011
ATHENS-----Currently, Georgia (4-8) is playing a stretch of nine road games and won't be back at Foley Field until March 22nd when it plays host to rival Georgia Tech. Tonight, Georgia will face Alabama (8-4) at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. Capacity for the Gwinnett Braves stadium is 14,475. First pitch is set for 7:06, and the game will be televised by CSS. Junior LHP Chase Hawkins (0-1, 5.23) will start for UGA while Alabama will start sophomore LHP Taylor Wolfe (1-0, 4.09).
Georgia is playing five games this week in five different stadiums. Alabama and Georgia will not meet during SEC play in 2010 or 2011, so the two head coaches got together in 2009 and set up a one-game non-conference contest at a neutral site in their respective states. Alabama leads the all-time series 41-30 dating back to 1955. This year's game will be part of a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta event and is billed as the inaugural "Gwinnett Baseball Classic." Proceeds from the event benefit Children's, a not-for-profit organization, committed to enhancing the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. It is one of the largest clinical care providers for children in the country.
Last year, Alabama played host to Georgia at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. The Crimson Tide won 13-2. Before the game, Alabama made a $1,000 donation to the "Prayers For Chance Fund." It came as a result of donations by Crimson Tide, players, coaches, staff and the Grand Slammers club to assist Bulldog infielder Chance Veazey. He was left paralyzed from the waist down following an on-campus scooter accident. Veazey is now a student assistant with the baseball program.
Out of the 12 games this season, Georgia has played six contests against teams ranked in the top 20. They are 2-4 in those games.
The Bulldogs will be without starting OF Johnathan Taylor ("JT") who sustained a neck injury this past Sunday in a collision with OF Zach Cone during the third inning against #5 Florida State. Cone wore Taylor's #2 jersey in the 8-6 win over Mercer this past Tuesday in Macon. Also, the team had a picture of JT that they hung in the dugout. The Bulldogs plan to take the photo with them to hang in the dugout for the rest of the year.
"JT told us to go out and win some games, and that's what we need to do and what we want to do for him. We got a victory Tuesday so that's a good start," said Georgia coach David Perno.
Go West
This weekend, Georgia returns to California for the first time since 2006 when it went 1-2 at USC. As part of the Dodgertown Classic, the Bulldogs will face #10 UCLA (7-4) Friday at 9 p.m. ET on its campus for the first time in school history. The Bruins were the 2010 CWS finalists and return a majority of that club including a deep pitching staff that currently has a 1.55 ERA.
On Saturday, Georgia battles the Trojans (3-8) on their campus at 7 p.m. ET. USC holds a 6-1 edge over UGA. USC has dropped seven in a row including getting swept by #22 Rice in Houston and #7 Cal State Fullerton.
On Sunday at Dodger Stadium at 1 p.m. ET, Georgia will play Saint Mary's (3-6) for the first time. The Gaels replaced Ohio State who dropped out of the Classic this summer. This year, they have a win over No. 15 Oregon and a 1-0 win over #25 UC Irvine. Their team ERA is 2.11.
Send JT A Message
University of Georgia junior outfielder Johnathan Taylor will move to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta later this week to continue his rehabilitation after being injured during Sunday's baseball game with Florida State. Taylor, a 5-8, 181-pound native of Acworth, Ga., underwent neck surgery to stabilize his spine Monday at St. Mary's Hospital. A website where individuals can send Johnathan messages and check for updates has been set up by the family.
To send a note to Johnathan and the family, please visit:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/Johnathantaylor.
The son of Tandra and John Taylor, he has appeared in 117 games in his Bulldog career including 91 starts. He owns a .312 career batting average. A Consumer Economics major, he was named to the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll in 2009 and the UGA Athletic Director's Honor Roll in 2010.
