Bulldogs Begin NCAA Tournament Friday in Durham

Georgia (40-16)
at the NCAA Durham Regional
Dates: May 20-22, 2022
Friday's First Pitch: 12 p.m., EDT
Location: Durham, N.C.
Stadium: Duke Softball Stadium
Tickets: GoDuke.com
Regional Tournament Website: GoDuke.com
Participating Teams:
   No. 12 Duke (41-8)
   Georgia (40-16)
   Liberty (43-16)
   UMBC (31-10)

Media Information
TV: ESPNU (Friday)
   Play-by-play: Clayton Matvick
   Analysis: Brittany McKinney
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

The Georgia Bulldogs will begin 2022 NCAA Tournament play this Friday as they take on the Liberty Lady Flames to open the Durham Regional. First pitch in the Duke Softball Stadium is set for 12 p.m., ET, on ESPNU.

The Durham Regional is hosted by the No. 12 national seed Duke Blue Devils. Duke will begin tournament play Friday against the UMBC Retrievers. The regional round of the NCAA Tournament will be double elimination.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Friday's game will air nationally on ESPNU. Clayton Matvick (play-by-play) and Brittany McKinney (analysis) will be on the call.
» All games of the 2022 NCAA Tournament will stream live on ESPN.com and the ESPN app. Games not available on linear television will stream on ESPN+.
» Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule at GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available on the official Twitter page of Georgia softball, @UGAsoftball.

BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series Histories
Duke
» Georgia leads the all-time series 2-0
» In 2021, Duke came to Athens in the NCAA Regional round. Georgia won back-to-back one-run games to advance to the Gainesville Super Regional.
Liberty
» First meeting
UMBC
» Georgia leads the all-time series 1-0
» The Bulldogs faced off against the Retrievers in Georgia's first-ever NCAA Tournament game on May 16, 2002 in Columbia, South Carolina. Georgia won 2-1.

A Look at What's Ahead
The winner of the Durham Regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round, taking on the winner of the Los Angeles Regional hosted by No. 5 UCLA. The Bruins will host Ole Miss, LMU, and Grand Canyon.

NCAA Tournament Tidbits
» 2022 will be Georgia's 20th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance
» Georgia's all-time record in postseason is 74-41 including 55-19 in regional play
» As a team, Georgia has advanced to 11 Super Regionals and five Women's College World Series, most recently 2021
» While Durham will host its first Regional, this won't be Georgia's first NCAA Tournament appearance in North Carolina. The Bulldogs drew the Chapel Hill Regional in back-to-back seasons (2008, 2009). Georgia advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round both years and is 6-0 in tournament play in the state of North Carolina.
» Georgia is 2-0 against the Blue Devils in postseason history. In 2021, Duke came to Athens in the Regional round. Georgia won back-to-back one-run games to advance to the Gainesville Super Regional.
» Georgia is 1-0 against UMBC in postseason history. The Bulldogs faced off against the Retrievers in Georgia's first-ever NCAA Tournament game on May 16, 2002 in Columbia, South Carolina. Georgia won 2-1.
» Georgia has never played the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament (national seeding began in 2007)

Four Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Accolades
A total of four Georgia softball student-athletes were named to the All-SEC Softball Teams. Junior third baseman Sara Mosley, senior designated player Lacey Fincher, and sophomore outfielder Jayda Kearney were tabbed All-SEC First Team while junior second baseman Sydney Kuma earned All-SEC Second Team honors. Four All-SEC performers is the most for the Georgia Bulldogs since the same amount in 2018.

Georgia's New Sisters of Swat
On Saturday, April 7, the 2022 Georgia Bulldogs broke the program single-season home run record, knocking the 100th of the season. The record breaker was a grand slam off the bat of Jayda Kearney in the bottom of the seventh against Ole Miss. The previous record of 99 was set in 2010. That team's roster included Alisa Goler, Megan Wiggins, Kristyn Sandberg, and Taylor Schlopy who all rank among Georgia's all-time home run leaders.

The last SEC team to hit 100 home runs was Tennessee in 2015. The SEC season record is 120 set by Florida in 2011. Georgia's 100 this season has already cracked the SEC top 10 list, tying for fifth most with Arkansas (2022) and Tennessee (2015).

Kearney Earns Final SEC Player of the Week Award in 2022
Sophomore Jayda Kearney was named the final SEC Player of the Week for 2022. She hit .778 (7-for-9) against Ole Miss with three home runs and 11 RBI. Kearney recorded a career-best four hits in game one against Ole Miss then followed it up with two home runs and a career-best seven RBI in game two. Her seven RBI in a conference game is the most by a Bulldog since 2013. Hit Georgia's 98th, 99th, and program record-breaking 100th home run, a grand slam.

Fields Named to SEC Softball Community Service Team
Redshirt-junior Jaiden Fields was named to the 2022 SEC Softball Community Service Team. Fields is a member of the leadership academy at Georgia, L.E.A.D., and represents her team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She has volunteered for Girl Power events, assisted with collections for Bigger Vision Community Shelter, collected items for The Foodbank of Northeast Georgia, and participated in reading programs in the Clarke County School District.

Georgia in the Polls
Georgia checks in at No. 19 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll in Week 14, the final poll of the regular season. The Bulldogs also came in at No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Georgia's RPI also came in at 20.

Players Mentioned

Jaiden Fields

Lacey Fincher

Jayda Kearney

Sydney Kuma

Sara Mosley

Related Videos