#8 Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament Play Thursday

#8/9 Georgia (43-10)
at the 2018 SEC Tournament
Dates: May 10-12, 2018
Opening Game Times: 2:30 p.m., EDT
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Stadium: Mizzou Softball Stadium

Media Information
TV: SEC Network / ESPNU / ESPN 2
Streaming Video: SEC Network+
Radio: SiriusXM SEC Radio channel 374
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

SEC Tournament Website

#8/9 Georgia heads to Columbia, Missouri for the 2018 Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament this week. The second-seeded Bulldogs will open tournament play Thursday in round two at 2:30 p.m., EDT, against the winner of Wednesday's game between Arkansas and Kentucky.

Follow the Bulldogs
» The 2018 SEC Softball Tournament will air nationally on the networks of ESPN and online via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
» Every game of the SEC Tournament will air on SiriusXM SEC Radio channel 374.» Live stats will be available. Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule at GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available all season long at @UGAsoftball.

Bulldog Bulletin
A Look Back
Georgia concluded the regular season going 1-2 on the road at Ole Miss. The series loss is the lone loss in SEC play this season. The Bulldogs fell on a walk-off home run in game one then were shut out in game two. Georgia rebounded to win the finale 5-1 behind a three-hit performance by Ciara Bryan. Justice Milz was consistent at the plate, picking up two hits in each game of the series. Georgia had not suffered back-to-back losses all season. Sunday's finale win snapped a three-game losing skid.

A Look Ahead
The Bulldogs will look to make their 17th-consecutive NCAA Regional appearance following the SEC Tournament. The Bulldog's current 16-striaght streak is one of 14 teams in the nation to appear in 16 or more consecutive regionals. The Bulldogs are one of only three SEC teams to produce such success. Past Regional action, Georgia has appeared in nine Super Regionals and three WCWS.

SEC Tournament Tidbits
» Georgia's all-time SEC Tournament record is 20-20 (.500)
» Lone tournament title came in 2014 in Columbia, South Carolina
» Georgia will make its second appearance as a #2 seed, the last being 2006. Georgia defeated Arkansas then fell to LSU that season in Athens
» Georgia's 20 SEC Tournament wins ranks fifth in tournament history while its .500 percentage ranks fourth-best
» Georgia has reached the tournament finals five times, fourth most in league history
» The Bulldogs rank second with four Championship runner-up finishes (2002, 2004, 2005, 2011)
» Lu Harris-Champer is the fourth-winning-est coach in tournament history at 20-16 (.556)
» Georgia is set to host the SEC Tournament in Athens in 2023

Georgia in the Top 25
The Bulldogs fell to #8 in the week 13 USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll while also falling to #9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. In the latest RPI, Georgia comes in at number 10 this week.

Harris-Champer Named SEC Coach of the Year
Lu Harris-Champer, who wins her third SEC Coach of the Year honor (2003, 2005) guided the Bulldogs to a 43-10 regular-season record, finishing second in the SEC with a 16-8 clip. Georgia's second-place exceeded expectations as the Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the Preseason Poll, finishing in last place a season ago. Georgia won seven of eight conference series including wins over then #2 Florida, #7 Tennessee, and #17 Alabama. The Bulldogs opened the season 26-1, the best start in school history, including a 25-game winning streak to tie the program record. 2018 is the 16th40-win season under Harris-Champer. Georgia's 16 SEC wins are the most since 2012 (17). The Bulldogs are expected to make their 17th-consecutive NCAA Regional appearance this month.

Four Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Honors
Pitcher Brittany Gray, infielder Alyssa DiCarlo, and outfielder Cortni Emanuel earned First Team All-SEC accolades while infielder Justice Milz earned Second Team honors. The honors for Gray and Milz are firsts in their careers while Emanuel earns her fourth (All-Freshman Team in 2015, Second Team in 2016, then First Team in 2017). It's the third-straight for DiCarlo (First Team, All-Freshman in 2016; Second Team in 2017).

Emanuel, DiCarlo Names Top 25 Finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year
Cortni Emanuel and Alyssa DiCarlo were named two of 25 finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. 2018 is the second time Georgia has landed two on the finalist list, the other being 2015 (Alex Hugo, Paige Wilson). Georgia has had six top-25 finalists for the award in the program's history. Alisa Goler (2009) is Georgia's lone top-10 finalist. The 2018 season is Emanuel's second-straight season on the list.

Gray, Emanuel Selected in NPF Draft
Seniors Brittany Gray and Cortni Emanuel were drafted in the 2018 National Pro Fastpitch Draft Monday evening. Gray was selected by the Beijing Shougang Eagles as the 14th pick while Emanuel was selected as the 23rd pick by the USSSA Pride.

Gray and Emanuel become the 12th and 13th Georgia Bulldogs to be drafted in the NPF. Gray is the highest pick out of Georgia since Chelsea Wilkenson was taken as the 14th pick in 2016. 2016 was also the last time Georgia had two student-athletes drafted in the same year.

Shout-outs for Shutouts
The Georgia pitching staff has recorded 21 shutouts in 2018. UGA's record for shutouts in a season is 33 set in 2003. Georgia's 20 shutouts ranks tied for fifth-most all time. UGA had 20 in 2009 and 2015.

The Bulldogs recorded six-consecutive shutouts from Feb. 17-24, tying a program record set twice, first in 2003 then again in 2016.

DiCarLONG Ball
Junior Alyssa DiCarlo has knocked a team-leading 16 home runs this season, cracking Georgia's single-season top-10 list. In her career, she ranks 10th all-time with 40 home runs. She has recorded three two-home run games this season, bringing her career total to five. Her 16 is a career-high in a season for the Arizona native.

She has also cracked the career list with 182 RBI. With 55 this season, she is nine shy of reaching the single-season list. She is tied for seventh with 64 RBI last season.

Down But Not Out
Georgia has come back to win five games when trailing after six innings this season. Three wins have been on the road while comebacks at home have been against Florida and Alabama.

In the road series at Mississippi State, Georgia found itself down a run in the top seventh with two out in every game. The Bulldogs either tied or took a lead in each game with one out left, winning games Friday and Sunday.

Emanuel Joins Greatness
In the Apr. 8 game against Missouri, Cortni Emanuel recorded her 300th career hit. She becomes only the third Georgia player with 300 career hits, joining Nicole Barber and Kim Wendland. She moved into second all-time during the Alabama series. She is also only one of four with over 200 runs scored at Georgia.
Winning Series is Key
Georgia won seven of eight Southeastern Conference series played. Georgia won all but one league series in 2006, a season after winning all 10 series in 2005. Game three of the series has been a rubber game in four of seven SEC series. Georgia has won the opening game of the series six times.

A Power-Packed Offense
At the plate, Georgia leads the SEC in four offensive categories including batting average (.335), slugging (.519), hits (471), and total bases (729).

In the country, Georgia's team batting average ranks fourth while slugging ranks ninth and coming in 11th in on base pct. and 15th in scoring (6.09 runs/game).

There's No Place Like The Jack
Georgia has played 35 games at Jack Turner Stadium this season, winning 31 of said contests. 2018 is Georgia's first 30-win season at home since 2014 (35-6). It's the ninth 30-win home season.

The most wins at home was in 2011 when the Bulldogs won 38 games at Jack Turner Stadium.

Solid in the Circle
The Georgia pitching staff has been sharp this season, recording a 1.47 ERA. Georgia's ERA is fourth-best in the SEC and 11th in the nation. The staff has struck out 356 opposing hitters, and putting 21 shutouts in the books. Georgia's strikeout total ranks third in the league.

It Begins at the Top
Cortni Emanuel has led off the Georgia lineup in every game this season, hitting .443 to lead the league. Her 82 hits also leads the SEC.

The first inning is the second-highest run producing inning for Georgia, scoring 59 runs in the opening stanza. The Bulldogs have scored in the first 26 times, winning 24 of those games.

The RUNdown
The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 323-99 this season. Nationally, Georgia ranks 15th in scoring with 6.09 runs per game. Georgia's .335 batting average is fourth-best in the NCAA.

Individually, Cortni Emanuel leads the team with 58 runs scored while Alyssa DiCarlo is second with 45. Emanuel ranks seventh in the nation with 1.09 runs scored per game.

Zoom, Zoom
Senior Cortni Emanuel tied a Georgia record with five stolen bases against Charleston, Feb. 24. Her mark tied Kellie Middleton's record vs. McNeese State on Feb. 11, 2007. Emanuel swiped 12 total bags in four games of the Georgia Classic.

Now in her fourth season, she has 166 stolen bases, a figure that ranks second all-time at Georgia. Her 0.89 stolen bases per game this season ranks fifth in the country. Her 47 stolen bags cracked the single-season top-10 list at Georgia and is a season-best for the senior.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ciara Bryan

Alyssa DiCarlo

Cortni Emanuel

Brittany Gray

Justice Milz

University of Georgia Athletics