Bulldogs Set for Showdown with Gators in NCAA Super Regional

Georgia (32-21)
at #4 Florida (45-9)
Dates: May 28-30, 2021
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Stadium: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
Super Regional Schedule:
Friday, May 28 – 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, May 29 – 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, May 30 – 12 p.m. (ESPN) (if necessary)

Media Information
TV: ESPNU / ESPN
   Play-by-play: Courtney Lyle
   Analysis: Kayla Braud
Streaming: ESPN app (all games)
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

Georgia softball will make its 11th Super Regional appearance in program history this weekend when it travels to Gainesville, Florida. The Bulldogs will take on nationally-seeded No. 4 Florida in the best-of-three series.

The NCAA Gainesville Super Regional begins Friday at 5 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Saturday's game and Sunday's if-necessary game will begin at noon.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Friday's game will air on ESPNU. Saturday and Sunday's games will air on ESPN. Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Kayla Braud (analysis) will be on the call.
» All games will stream live on the ESPN app.
» Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule at GeorgiaDogs.com as well as the interactive bracket on NCAA.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available at the official Twitter page of Georgia softball, @UGAsoftball.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series History
» Georgia trails the all-time series 28-42
» In Gainesville, the Bulldogs are 15-18 against the Gators
» Georgia took the series opener in Athens, 4-2, behind a one-hitter from Mary Wilson Avant. Florida bounced back to take the series in games two and three
» The Bulldogs and Gators have met four total times in the postseason (Georgia leads 3-1).
» In 2016, Georgia traveled to Gainesville for a matchup with top-seeded Florida in the Super Regional round. Georgia stunned the Gators, first shutting them out in game one then walking it off with a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh of game two off the bat of senior Kaylee Puailoa.
» Georgia and Florida matched up in Oklahoma City in 2010 and 2018. Georgia won the matchup in 2010 when the Gators were the No. 4 seed. Florida was victorious in the opening-round game in 2018.
» Florida has won seven of the last 10 meetings

A Look at What's Ahead
The winner of the Gainesville Super Regional will punch their ticket to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Georgia will look to make its fifth program appearance in OKC. The WCWS is set to begin Thursday, June 3.

NCAA Tournament Tidbits
» 2021 is Georgia's 19th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance
» Georgia's all-time record in postseason is 72-39 including 55-19 in regional play
» The Bulldogs have appeared in 10 Super Regionals with an 11-12 Super Regional record
» 2021 is the first time Georgia has ever advanced to a Super Regional when it wasn't a national seed
» Georgia's postseason record against Florida is 3-1 (2010, 2016, 2018)
» The Bulldogs and Gators met in the 2016 Super Regional, Georgia stunned top-seeded Florida in two games to advance to its third WCWS appearance
» Georgia has played the No. 4 national seed four times, going 1-3. The lone win came against No. 4 Florida in the 2010 WCWS. Since then, Georgia has lost three-straight against the No. 4 national seed (Auburn in 2016, Florida State in 2017).
» As a team, Georgia has advanced to 10 Super Regionals and four Women's College World Series, most recently 2018
» In Athens, Georgia is 43-11 in postseason play; the Bulldogs swept their way to Oklahoma City in 2018, defeating Harvard, Northwestern, and No. 10 Tennessee in Athens. The last postseason loss in Athens was May 22, 2016 against Oklahoma State
» In her 25-year career, head coach Lu Harris-Champer has taken teams to 23 regional appearances, advancing to 13 Super Regionals and six Women's College World Series

Avant Shines in Athens Regional
Graduate Pitcher Mary Wilson Avant pitched 14 of Georgia's 20 innings in the Athens Regional. She earned the win in the circle all three games, starting the first two games and entering in relief in the Regional final against No. 13 Duke. Avant pitched a two-hit shutout of the Blue Devils on Saturday. She did not allow a run to the national seed in eight innings of work.

Chambley Breaks Out in First Postseason
Freshman outfielder Sydney Chambley drove in a team-best six RBI in the Athens Regional. Two of her four hits were home runs including a game-ending grand slam against Western Kentucky. In the field, she recorded 13 putouts in left, making highlight reel catches in Sunday's Regional final game. Her 13 putouts were second only two first baseman Lacey Fincher's 24. She drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth in Sunday's game Regional final.

Kuma Named SEC All-Newcomer Team
Sydney Kuma concluded the season hitting .296. She knocked a team-best 14 home runs and drove in a team-high 34 runs on 47 hits. She also touched home more than any Bulldog, scoring 36 times. In SEC play, Kuma scattered 19 hits and drove in 10 runs. She started every game of the season at second base, the only Bulldogs to start all 49 games at the same position in 2021.

Chambley Named SEC All-Freshman Team
Georgia native Sydney Chambley was one of two Bulldogs to hit north of .300 on the season. She hit nine home runs and drove in 29 runners. She led the SEC with six triples and joined Kuma as the only Bulldogs to top 40 hits. Chambley assisted on four putouts from the outfield on the season.

Kearney Named SEC All-Freshman Team
Jayda Kearney was Georgia's leading hitter in conference play, hitting .286 with 18 hits. She tied a team high with five home runs in SEC play with 13 RBI. On the season, Kearney scored 20 runs, drove in 23, and was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases.

Avant Earns Spot on SEC Softball Community Service Team
This is Avant's second appointment to the SEC Community Service Team, earning a spot on the 2019 team as well. The Macon native serves as the chair of the Social Committee within SAAC. She has spearheaded the student-athletes collection of back packs and supplies for Bigger Vision Community Shelter for the homeless. Avant has volunteered with the Georgia/Auburn challenge collecting toiletries and personal hygiene items for The Cottage, an agency that raises awareness and facilitates the healing of individuals, families, and communities affected by sexual violence and child abuse. She also collected healthy snacks "Food2Kids" for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. She has also been a Special Olympics volunteer and Food Bank "Hunger Bowl" volunteer.

Georgia Rounds Out Top 25-Packed Stretch
The Bulldogs recently rounded out a stretch of 17 games against six ranked opponents, with all but one being top 10. Georgia earned five victories against those opponents. After the stretch, Georgia's RPI checked in at 14 and its strength of schedule was fourth-best in the country.

Bulldogs Dig the Long Ball
Georgia ranks 13th in the country with 1.47 home runs per game. The Bulldogs hit six home runs in the Regional round of the NCAA Tournament with Lacey Fincher and Sydney Chambley hitting two each. Georgia's 32 home runs in SEC games ranked second in the SEC. The Bulldogs tied a season-high five home runs against Missouri (3/20) including four in the first inning. The Bulldogs hit three-straight in the inning, the first time since 2018 against Florida. Georgia's .495 slugging percentage is 29th nationally.

Bulldogs Set for Showdown with Gators in NCAA Super Regional

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Players Mentioned

Mary Wilson Avant

Sydney Chambley

Lacey Fincher

Jayda Kearney

Sydney Kuma

University of Georgia Athletics