University of Georgia Athletics
Bell Ushers in 2015 Baseball Season with a Bang
February 13, 2015 | Baseball
Brief speeches had been made and the ceremonial ribbon had been cut, celebrating the recently completed $12 million Foley Field Revival project, but it was Georgia second baseman Mike Bell that really kicked off the Bulldogs' 2015 baseball season Friday night.
In the bottom of the first inning of the Dogs' debut, Bell, a sophomore from Fairburn, Ga., belted a 2-run homer over the left-field fence to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage over Eastern Illinois. It was just the second career blast for Bell, who wasn't done -- and who wasn't alone in hitting homers. Bell hit a 3-run shot to left in the sixth inning of the Dogs' 18-3 rout of the Panthers, part of a five-homer and 20-hit night for Georgia.
Bell said he and the Bulldogs, who managed just 13 home runs in 2014, couldn't have asked for a better start to the season.
"We've got the new field, everything's new, everybody's excited, and then to get the first win, especially how we did, it's good momentum to keep up," Bell said.
Aside from the cold temperatures, with the game starting in the low 40s and getting lower almost by the inning as the sun set behind the stands along the first base line, it was also a near-perfect launch of the Bulldogs' dramatically upgraded home. Improvements were made to everything from the locker room to adding foul territory Field Turf and padding to the outfield wall, as well as improved meeting rooms, training rooms and premium seating areas.
Perhaps the most notable addition to the stadium, which was originally constructed in 1990, is the new "Dugout Club" seating behind home plate.
In his comments to the bundled-up crowd of 2,162, Greg McGarity, the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics, thanked the nearly 200 families that combined to donate nearly $5 million to the project. He also thanked the program's lettermen that, he said, "really stepped up to the plate and helped us."
McGarity was working in the athletic department in 1990 when the stadium was constructed. He said Friday it was interesting to see things come full circle from the facility's beginnings to now.
"It's just fun to finally see it become a facility that everybody can now enjoy and get comfortable with," McGarity said. "Now it's up to us to maintain it and keep it one of the nicest parks in college baseball. It may not be the largest, but it can certainly be the cleanest, the most efficient and something that's hopefully sold out every game."
During the pregame festivities, UGA President Jere Morehead spoke for a couple of minutes, having arrived at Foley Field from the dedication of the College of Veterinary Medicine's new Veterinary Medical Center -- an education building and teaching hospital.
"To come from that event to this event makes this day truly special," Morehead said.
Moments after Bell's big blast to left, former Georgia coach Steve Webber was recognized and given a warm reception between the first and second innings. Webber was the head coach of the Bulldogs' 1990 national championship team and won 500 games during his 16-season run at Georgia, from 1981-1996. Bell's shots weren't the only fireworks to go off against the Panthers. Not at all.
With the Dogs up 5-2 in the third, Keegan McGovern, a freshman from Willacoochee, Ga., playing in his first collegiate game, drilled a 3-run shot over the big "G" on the wall in right-center field.
First baseman Daniel Nichols, a junior from Leesburg, Ga., smashed a 2-run homer in the fifth to put Georgia ahead 10-3. Two batters after Bell's second bomb of the game, in the sixth inning, catcher Zach Bowers, of Acworth, Ga., went deep for the Dogs' fifth long ball of the night.
"It was great to see everybody here, but we were anxious to play," Georgia second-year coach Scott Stricklin said. "It's been a long offseason and I don't think we could have played much better."
Game two of the Bulldogs' three-game series with Eastern Illinois is Saturday at noon. The series wraps up Sunday at 1 p.m.
John Frierson is a staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Hall of Fame at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
