University of Georgia Athletics
It Was A ‘Phenomenal’ Bulldog Weekend
April 24, 2023 | Baseball, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Tennis, The Frierson Files, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
A Georgia Bulldogs weekend for the ages wrapped up Sunday with the No. 4-ranked women's tennis team beating No. 2 Texas A&M in Fayetteville, Ark., to win the storied program's ninth SEC Tournament title. It was just one of many highlights from a special weekend for Georgia, in Athens and beyond.
"It was outstanding. It was just a phenomenal weekend. I think our players came in on a mission, and mission accomplished," women's tennis coach Jeff Wallace said in a phone interview from the Atlanta airport Monday morning.
The weekend kicked off Thursday night at Foley Field, where the Bulldogs were hosting a three-game series against No. 5 Arkansas. Georgia got the weekend off to a fast start by rallying to beat the Razorbacks, 6-5. The Bulldogs got behind 2-0 in the first inning, scored five runs in the third — three coming on a Fernando Gonzalez home run — and Georgia led the rest of the way,
Friday was a very full Bulldog day, on and off the courts and fields. At lunchtime, one of the women's swimming and diving program's all-time greats, Allison Schmitt, a nine-time NCAA champion with 10 Olympic medals, received the Young Alumni Award at the UGA Alumni Awards banquet.
That night, now-retired swimming and diving coach Jack Bauerle's extraordinary career was celebrated with a gala at the Payne Indoor Athletic Facility, featuring about 300 former swimmers and another 500 or so colleagues, family and friends.
While that was happening, across the street at Foley Field, the Bulldogs belted four home runs and clinched the series against Arkansas with a 7-3 win. Charlie Goldstein pitched a gem, striking out five Hogs and allowing just three hits in six shutout innings.
Meanwhile, at Jack Turner Stadium, the No. 11-ranked softball team began a three-game series with South Carolina on Friday night. Ellie Armstead drove in Georgia's first run and later scored the second in a 2-1 win. The next day, the Bulldogs made quick work of the Gamecocks, winning 9-1 in five innings to secure the series win. Softball completed the sweep on Sunday with a 3-0 win.
The baseball team completed its sweep of the Razorbacks in dramatic fashion on Saturday. Trailing 8-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Georgia got a grand slam from Connor Tate to tie the game and Parks Harber ended it with a walk-off homer for a thrilling 9-8 win.
A sweep of the No. 5 team in the country wasn't the only positive thing happening at Foley over the weekend. Led by UGA graduate student Hunter Scully, it was Journey to Zero Waste Weekend at the stadium. The goal was for all the trash from the three games — cups, plates, bottles and cans, etc. — to be recycled or composted, with nothing going to the landfill.
In the women's tennis final, Georgia avenged its only loss in SEC play during the regular season, 5-2 at A&M on April 2. This time around, the Bulldogs captured the doubles point to take an early lead and later clinched the SEC title with graduate Meg Kowalski's three-set win at the No. 5 singles spot.
"We certainly had our chances in that (previous) match, and this time, we definitely played better doubles, got the doubles point, that certainly helped a lot, and I felt like our players just battled," Wallace said. "It was really high-level tennis and our players weren't going to take no for an answer."
Kowalski was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and joined freshman Guillermina Grant on the All-Tournament Team.
The men's and women's track teams, competing at the Georgia Tech Invitational, earned seven wins and a pair of top collegiate finishes. Elija Godwin, the NCAA Indoor champion in the 400 meters, won the 400 at Tech with a time of 45.43 seconds, the ninth-fastest time in the country this year.
Georgia nearly added a men's SEC Tournament title to its already great weekend. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs, the SEC regular-season champions after going undefeated in league play, played a thriller in the final against No. 5 Kentucky. Georgia had a few championship points but couldn't quite close the deal, falling 4-3.
"What a great weekend for Georgia Athletics," J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks said. "It all started with the Jack Bauerle Celebration, which was a tremendous way to honor one of the legendary figures in Georgia history. Then, like a lot of our fans, we were going back and forth between baseball and softball, while cheering on our tennis teams at the SEC Tournament and following track and field in Atlanta.
"The entire weekend was filled with phenomenal accomplishments, and I can't wait for what's ahead in the next few months."
The men's and women's tennis teams will now turn their attention to next month's NCAA Championships, with both sure to host first- and second-round matches at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The baseball team hosts Georgia State on Tuesday (6 p.m.) and the softball team hosts Mercer at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
