University of Georgia Athletics
No. 11 Bulldogs Back In Action At Foley Field
January 28, 2012 | Baseball
Jan. 28, 2012
ATHENS, Ga.-----Georgia resumed preparations for the 2012 baseball season Saturday at Foley Field with its first full squad practice.
Georgia's workout featured a 10-inning scrimmage as 10 pitchers tossed two innings apiece. Junior third baseman Curt Powell provided the go-ahead RBI, a two-out base hit in the top of the ninth off junior right-hander Bryan Benzor. Junior outfielder Kevin Ruiz scored on Powell's single to lift the Black squad to a 4-3 win over the Red team. Senior right-hander Michael Palazzone and sophomore left-hander Alex Wood started for their respective squads.
"It's time to get the guys ready, make sure everybody is in shape," said Georgia coach David Perno. "I thought it was a good day. We've got a lot of veterans who know what to do, and we've got some freshmen that will be helping us in the lineup and on the mound. We're preparing to get everybody confident, feeling good and locked in for the start of the season."
Georgia is ranked in all four major preseason polls including No. 11 by Baseball America. The Bulldogs are No. 18 according to Collegiate Baseball, No. 21 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll and No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll.
The Bulldogs return eight starting position players and eight pitchers that logged a majority of the innings in 2011. After playing the nation's most difficult schedule, the 2011 Bulldogs wound up 33-32 and reached the finals of the NCAA Corvallis (Ore.) Regional.
A total of more than 425 people attended Georgia's First Pitch Diamond Gala at the Classic Center this past Friday in Athens. This year's special guest was former Bulldog pitcher Mitchell Boggs (UGA 2003-05) who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 2011 World Series. Boggs gave a heartfelt speech regarding his development as a student-athlete at UGA and said it prepared him for his next step in life.
"It was a dream come true to be at the University of Georgia and to play for the Bulldogs," said Boggs. "I was fortunate enough to play on a team that won an SEC title and advanced to the College World Series. Now I've been a part of a World Series championship team in the Major Leagues with the Cardinals. I'm very excited about this year's Georgia team. I know they have some high expectations and Coach Perno has done a great job leading the program. St. Louis is a great baseball city, and the fans remind me a lot of the Georgia Bulldog fans because they provide great support for their team."
Georgia will practice again Sunday with a nine-inning scrimmage slated for 2 p.m. Junior left-hander Blake Dieterich and freshman right-hander David Sosebee are scheduled to start with 10 pitchers expected to see action.
