Bulldogs Face Bears Tuesday At 5 PM

ATHENS-----The No. 24 Georgia Bulldogs face the Mercer Bears Tuesday at Foley Field with first pitch at 5:02 p.m. The game will be streamed on SECN+ and be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.

The Bulldogs (21-4) aim to keep the momentum going after a splendid week where they won four straight games while batting .358 with 18 home runs and outscoring their opponents 43 to 21. On Monday, Georgia made its debut in the Baseball America and the USA TODAY Coaches Sports Top 25 rankings at No. 24.

C+C Hitting Factory: Formed in 1989, C+C Music Factory had hit singles like "Gonna Make You Sweat," "Here We Go and "Things That Make You Go Hmmm.." Now located in Athens, there's "C+C Hitting Factory of Charlie Condon and Corey Collins that have pitchers sweating, fans barking and producing mammoth home runs that make everybody go hmmm.
            Collins, a 6-3, 236-pound first baseman, is the reigning SEC Player of the Week after batting an SEC best .647-6-13 in helping Georgia go 4-0 last week. He started three games off with a home run.
Condon, a 6-6, 216-pound infielder/outfielder, is a National Player of the Year candidate and the potential number one overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. Condon leads the nation in batting (.519), slugging percentage (.664), home runs (17) and on base percentage (.637). This season, he has started all 25 games with 11 at third base, five in left field, four in right field, three in centerfield and two at first base. Condon has a 1.000 fielding percentage in 73 total chances.

About Mercer:  The Bears (14-9) are coached by Craig Gibson. Last year, they went 33-25. Mercer welcomes back 22 players and brough in 24 newcomers (14 transfers and 10 freshmen). Senior outfielder Conner Todaro is the leading hitter at .413-2-10 while redshirt junior designated hitter Jackson Cherry is next at .333-6-16. They are batting .263 as a team with 28 home runs and are 21-for-30 in stolen bases. The team ERA is 4.37 with a .978 fielding percentage.  This past weekend in Southern Conference action, they lost a road series to UNC Greensboro.

Series History: Georgia leads the all-time series over Mercer 90-27-1 dating to 1897. The teams last faced each other in a 2019 NCAA Regional in Athens with the Bulldogs posting a 13-3 win. The last regular season meetings came in 2017 as the Bears won 6-5 in Macon and then 4-3 in 12 innings in Athens.

Tuesday Pitching Matchup: Georgia will start senior righthander Zach DeVito (2-0, 1.29 ERA). It will be his second career start. He has made six appearances this year for a total of seven innings. DeVito began his career as a reliever at Tulane where he made a combined 40 appearances from 2021-22. Last year, he was recovering from an internal brace procedure and was limited to 14 innings with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have used a staff approach in their midweek games this season. Mercer has not announced a starter.

On Deck: On Friday, Georgia returns to SEC action when it begins a road series with No. 5 Tennessee (21-4, 3-3 SEC). Game times are 6:30 p.m. (SECN+), 5 p.m. (SECN) and 2 p.m. (SECN). Last weekend, the Bulldogs swept No. 8 Alabama in Athens while the Volunteers won a home series 2-1 over Ole Miss.

Rutherford Street Closure: Please note this season that one hour before game time, Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic until 30 minutes post-game.

Radio/TV/Live Stats Links

Tuesday vs. Mercer at 5:02 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4583&type=Live

TV: SECN+ (Matt Stewart & Jason Jacobs)
https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/7cb0ea49-9538-4223-9785-5702a551281e

Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Foley Field Tickets/Parking/Promotion Information
*Click here for tickets, General Admission Seating: $5
*Call 1-877-542-1231 or order online at https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/list/BBS
*Foley Field Gates/Ticket Windows open one hour before game time.
*Free parking is available in the commuter surface lot behind the outfield.
*Please note this season Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic one hour prior to baseball games until 30 minutes post-game.
*UGA Student Tickets: Free Admission with UGA ID; Enter Student Gate G on Rutherford Street
*Special Promotions/Giveaway: None

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).

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Players Mentioned

Corey Collins

Charlie Condon

Zach DeVito

University of Georgia Athletics