Georgia Hits the Road for Top-15 Series at Florida

No. 12/9 Georgia (32-8, 11-3)
at No. 15/15 (29-10, 6-6)
Dates: Friday, April 14-Sunday, April 16, 2023
First Pitch: 6 p.m. // 2 p.m. // 12 p.m.
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Stadium: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium

Media Information
Streaming: SEC Network+
   Play-by-Play: Kyle Crooks
   Analysis: Aleshia Ocasio
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

The 12^th-ranked Georgia softball team is back on the road this weekend for a top-15 series with SEC rival Florida. The Bulldogs and  15^th-ranked Gators open the series Friday evening at 6 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Saturday's game is set to begin at 2 p.m. with the finale slated for a 12 p.m. start in Gainesville on Sunday.

Follow the Bulldogs
» Every game of the Florida series will stream live on SEC Network+. Kyle Crooks (play-by-play) and Aleshia Ocasio (analysis) will be on the call.
» 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 History
» Georgia trails the all-time series 30-42
» Georgia is 17-18 on the road against the Gators compared to 10-20 at home in the all-time series
» This will be Georgia's third trip to Gainesville in as many seasons: 2021 NCAA Super Regional, 2022 SEC Tournament, 2023 regular season
» The Bulldogs' last head-to-head matchup with Florida in Gainesville was in the 2021 NCAA Super Regional; Georgia shut the Gators out in back-to-back games to punch its ticket to the Women's College World Series
» Georgia's most recent regular-season trip to Gainesville was in 2017; Florida swept the series

Recapping Action
Georgia run ruled Georgia Southern 9-1 in five innings Wednesday evening at home. Madison Kerpics earned the victory in her start, working four shutout innings, allowing three hits. Kerpics struck out eight batters. The offense out-hit the Eagles 6-3. Lyndi Rae Davis led the charge with two hits, one of which was a grand slam in the fourth inning. Dallis Goodnight and Ellie Armistead were responsible for two RBI each at the top and bottom of the lineup.

A Look at What's Ahead
The Bulldogs return home for the final homestand of the season beginning Wednesday, April 19 when USC Upstate comes to town. First pitch against the Spartans is set for 6:30 p.m. Georgia then hosts South Carolina in the final home SEC series April 21-23. Georgia's midweek aginast Mercer on April 26 will close the book on home games in the regular season.

Georgia in the Polls
Georgia's rankings after Week 9:
     - USA Today/NFCA: 12
     - ESPN/USA Softball: 9
     - D1Softball: 6
     - Softball America: 7
     - RPI: 15

Coaching Connection
Georgia head coach Tony Baldwin coached with Florida head coach Tim Walton twice with USA Softball, first in 2019 with the U-19 Team and most recently this past summer with the US Women's National Team at the World Games in Birmingham. Team USA won Gold at the World Games, going 5-0 and defeating Japan 3-2 in the Gold Medal game.

Shout Outs for Shutouts
The Bulldogs pitching staff has recorded 14 shutouts (10th most in the country) in 2023 including five in SEC play. Georgia's three-straight SEC shutouts was the longest streak since 2006 (4). Shelby Walters and Madison Kerpics had combined to pitch 24-straight scoreless innings entering the Kentucky series. Earlier in the season, Georgia closed out the month of February shutting out six-straight opponents. That scoreless-inning streak reached 40 innings.

Improving in Game Two
The Bulldogs have made significant improvement in the second game of SEC series compared to 2022. Currently, Georgia is 5-0 in the second game of SEC series this season compared to 2-3 through five series a season ago.
        Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
2022    6-2 3-5 3-5
2023    4-1               5-0 2-2
Georgia has already topped its number of series wins this season, winning five compared to a total of four a year ago. Georgia and its opponents squared off in a game three rubber match five times last year.

The Dogs Can Swing It
Georgia is currently slugging its way to the top of the SEC, leading the league with a .591 team slugging percentage (ranks fourth nationally). Additionally, UGA leads the Conference with 347 hits, 64 home runs, and 14 triples. Georgia (625) has nearly 100 more total bases than the second-place team in the league (Florida, 532).

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Players Mentioned

Ellie Armistead

Lyndi Rae Davis

Dallis Goodnight

Madison Kerpics

Shelby Walters

University of Georgia Athletics