UGA Classic Begins Friday at Jack Turner Stadium

#18/21 Georgia (15-2)
hosting the UGA Classic
Date: Friday, March 12-Sunday, March 14, 2021
Location: Athens, Ga.
Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium
Participating Teams: Georgia, East Carolina, North Dakota
Tournament Schedule
Friday
     East Carolina vs. Georgia – 6 p.m.
Saturday
     East Carolina vs. Georgia – 11:30 a.m.
     North Dakota vs. Georgia – 2:45 p.m.
     North Dakota vs. East Carolina – 6 p.m.
Sunday
     East Caroline vs. North Dakota – 10:45 a.m.
     North Dakota vs. Georgia – 2 p.m.

Media Information
Streaming: SEC Network+ (Saturday and Sunday only)
   Play-by-play: Karlie Smith
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

The 18th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are set to host East Carolina and North Dakota in this weekend's UGA Classic at Jack Turner Stadium.

Georgia will play East Carolina Friday evening at 6 p.m. then again Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. The Bulldogs will turn around and play North Dakota at 2:45 p.m. The tournament will close Sunday between the Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks at 2 p.m.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Georgia games on Saturday and Sunday will stream live on SEC Network+. Karlie Smith will be on the call.
» Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule at GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available at the official Twitter page of Georgia softball, @UGAsoftball.

2021 Georgia Softball Fan Attendance Policy
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines, guests will be permitted through a "Player Pass List" only. Admission will not be open to the general public. For student-athlete families and guests, social distancing measures will be in effect while in the stadium and face coverings will be required. Only cashless payments will be accepted at Jack Turner Stadium this season for concessions.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series History
East Carolina
» Georgia leads the all-time series 5-0
» All five meetings have been in Athens, the last two in 2017 as part of the Red & Black Showcase that season
North Dakota
» First meetings

A Look at What's Ahead
The Bulldogs will travel to Kennesaw State for a midweek game next Wednesday. It will be the first time Georgia will play at Kennesaw State. The Bulldogs will then set its sights on Southeastern Conference play against No. 17/18 Missouri at home March 19-21.

Fields has a Field Day
On March 6, redshirt-sophomore Jaiden Fields had quite the day at the plate. Down 5-2 against UAB, Fields hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, her first career home run. The hit allowed Georgia to tie the game in the seventh and win 6-5 in 11 innings. In the next game against Mercer, Fields put the Bulldogs on the board with a two-run home run in the first. She followed it up with a grand slam in the fourth. She drove in eight runs on the day.

Bulldogs Dig the Long Ball
Georgia ranks 13th in the country with 1.76 home runs per game, hitting 30 home runs in 17 games. Individually, Sydney Kuma's seven home runs rank 16th in the nation and seventh in the SEC and Lacey Fincher's six rank 30th in the country. Georgia's .605 slugging percentage is 16th nationally.

Avant Rules the Circle
Graduate pitcher Mary Wilson Avant has cemented herself as the Bulldogs' ace this season. She ranks third in the nation with eight victories in the circle and her 75 strikeouts ranks 11th. She's averaging 10.5 strikeouts per seven innings.

Georgia Picks Up 45^th and 46^th No Hitter
The Bulldogs' pitching staff has recorded a pair of no hitters this season. The first by Mary Wilson Avant (W), Madison Kerpics, and Britton Rogers, came on Feb. 19 against Longwood. The second by Lauren Mathis (W) and Alley Cutting came at Georgia State on Feb. 27.

Welcome to the Sydney Show
Sophomore Sydney Kuma and freshman Sydney Chambley have made immediate impacts in the Bulldogs' lineup this season. The two have combined for 12 of Georgia's 30 home runs and 35 RBI. Their combined 18 extra base hits comprises 32 percent of the teams total. They each hit two home runs against Kent State Feb. 20.

Chambley Named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week
Outfielder Sydney Chambley was named the first SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 15. In her first weekend in the Red and Black, the Dallas, Georgia native hit .833 (5-for-6) on the weekend. All five hits went for extra bases and she drove in a total of six runs. She totaled 15 bases as she slugged 2.500 through two games. Her first Bulldog hit came in her second at-bat, an RBI triple to center. Her second hit of the game was a two-run home run to straight-away center in the sixth inning. In Saturday's game against Virginia, Chambley tied a Georgia single-game record with two more triples. She is only the third Bulldog to triple twice in a game and the first since Alex Hugo did it against Illinois in 2015. She concluded her three-hit day with a two-RBI double in Georgia's go-ahead fifth inning.

25 Seasons of Georgia Softball
The 2021 season will be the 25th of softball in Athens. In 25 seasons, Georgia has accumulated more than 1,000 program victories, 17 40-win season, 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, and four appearances in the Women's College World Series. 20 Bulldogs have earned All-American distinction and 17 have been drafted to the NPF.

Georgia in the Polls
The Bulldogs rose to No. 18 in the NFCA and held at No. 21 in the USA Softball poll in week four. The Bulldogs rose in the D1Softball and Softball America polls to No. 19 from No. 24 last week.

Georgia Tabbed Seventh in SEC Preseason Poll
The Georgia softball team was picked seventh in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll with 78 points in the poll. Alabama drew nine of the 13 first-place votes en route to being named the SEC preseason favorite, as voted on by the league's head coaches. LSU, who picked up the two first-place votes, was picked second. Florida (one first-place vote), Tennessee, and Kentucky rounded out the top five in the preseason poll.

Kuma Tabbed a Top Sophomore by Softball America
Sophomore infielder Sydney Kuma was ranked No. 16 on Softball America's list of top 25 college sophomores. Kuma, who stated all 28 games at shortstop last season, led the Georgia offense with a .438 average with 32 hits, 28 runs, eight doubles, and 24 RBI as a rookie in 2020.

Trio of Bulldogs Earn Undergraduate Degrees
This season roster will feature three Bulldogs who all earned their undergraduate degrees in May 2020. Mary Wilson Avant (Marketing), Alley Cutting (Psychology), and Jacqui Switzer (Communications Studies) became UGA graduates. All three began work toward their Masters degrees in the fall semester.

Roster Breakdown
The 2021 roster carries 27 student-athletes including 12 upperclassmen. Graduates Mary Wilson Avant and Alley Cutting returned for their final season after being granted another year of eligibility. The rest of the upperclassmen feature seven seniors and a trio of juniors. The roster offers a good mix of experience and youth with five sophomores and a 10-member freshmen class.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mary Wilson Avant

Sydney Chambley

Alley Cutting

Jaiden Fields

Lacey Fincher

Madison Kerpics

Sydney Kuma

Lauren Mathis

Britton Rogers

Jacqui Switzer