Category: UGA Baseball

ATHENS—– University of Georgia Honor Roll student Emerson Hancock made history Wednesday as the latest Bulldog selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft.

Hancock, a 6-4, 213-pound junior pitcher from Cairo, Ga., went sixth overall to the Seattle Mariners. In his Bulldog career, the right-hander is 16-7 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 appearances, all starts. He has tallied 206 strikeouts and 55 walks in 192 innings. In 2020, he was 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in four starts. He had 34 strikeouts and only three walks in 24 innings as Georgia went 14-4 and was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally when the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, Hancock, a sport management major, is on the ballot for Academic All-America honors, which will be announced later this week by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Hancock has served as Georgia’s No. 1 starter the past two seasons. He was a consensus All-American as a sophomore in 2019 after posting an 8-3 mark and 1.99 ERA. Following his senior year at Cairo High School, Arizona selected him in the 38^th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

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Georgia Bulldogs 14-4

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 Georgia Southern 11-5

STATESBORO, GA. –Four Georgia Southern pitchers combined to toss a four-hitter as the Eagles defeated second-ranked Georgia 6-1 Wednesday in front of a crowd of 3,286 at J.I. Clements Stadium.

The Eagles (11-5) went on top 1-0 in the second and had a chance for more. Austin Thompson led off the frame with a triple and scored on a groundout by Christian Avant. A couple of Bulldog miscues and a walk loaded the bases, and then Georgia turned an inning-ending double play. In the third, the Eagles made it 2-0 on a two-out single by Thompson. Georgia Southern extended its lead to 6-0 with a four-run outburst in the fourth.

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ATHENS—–Second-ranked Georgia begins a five-game road swing Tuesday against Georgia Southern at SRP Park in North Augusta, S.C. First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m., and the Bulldogs will be the home team.

The teams were scheduled to play there last Wednesday, but the game was postponed due to rain. Then, the Bulldogs will face the Eagles (9-5) in Statesboro on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+) and open up Southeastern Conference action at top-ranked Florida (16-0) starting Friday.

At 14-2, the Bulldogs are off to another hot start. Last year after week one in the SEC, the Bulldogs had roared out to a 19-2 mark including sweeping No. 22 South Carolina in Columbia. After going 3-1 last week, Georgia moved up to No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll and to No. 3 in Baseball America and D1Baseball.com top 25 rankings. Georgia was ranked as high as No. 2 last April in the USA Today Coaches poll and by D1Baseball.com.

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UMASS 1-8

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 Georgia Bulldogs 14-2

ATHENS, Ga. – Third-ranked Georgia completed a series sweep of Massachusetts Sunday, winning 6-0 at Foley Field.

The Bulldogs improved to 14-2, notching their fourth shutout including second over the Minutemen. Georgia senior right-hander Logan Moody was making his first start of the year and tied his career high by going five scoreless innings for his first win this season. Justin Glover, Will Childers and Tucker Bradley combined to pitch the final four frames, allowing just four hits with four strikeouts.

The Minutemen (1-8) threatened in the first, loading the bases with two outs, and then Moody retired first baseman Steve Luttazi. In the fourth, UMASS got a leadoff triple from Anthony Videtto, and Moody and the Bulldogs took care of the next three hitters to maintain the shutout. UMASS put the first two on to start the sixth against Glover, and then he came back to get a strikeout, and the Bulldogs turned a double play.

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UMASS 1-7

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 Georgia Bulldogs 13-2

ATHENS, Ga.—– A ten-run second inning propelled third-ranked Georgia to a 16-2 series-clinching win against UMASS Saturday at Foley Field.

Cole Wilcox (3-0) got the start for Georgia (13-2), going five scoreless innings, striking out six batters, while yielding only three hits. In relief of Wilcox, Jack Gowen, Cain Tatum, and Darryn Pasqua combine for nine strikeouts over the final four innings. UMASS (1-7) starter, Ben Shields (0-2) gave up eight runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Gowen tallied a careeer-high five strikeouts in two innings.

UMASS struck first in the second inning, when Jordan Erbe singled to right field and Georgia right fielder, Connor Tate, fumbled the ball allowing the runner to score from second. Wilcox was able to strikeout the next two batters to end the threat, and limit the damage to just one run.

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UMASS 1-6

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 Georgia Bulldogs 12-2

ATHENS, Ga.—–A trio of Bulldogs combined on a four-hit shutout as third-ranked Georgia blanked Massachusetts 5-0 Friday at Foley Field.

Georgia (12-2) got its first hit with one out in the fourth when Tucker Bradley lined a single up the middle. Garrett Blaylock followed with a double to left center on a 3-2 offering. UMASS right-hander Sean Harney struck out Chaney Rogers and then junior Kaden Fowler drew a walk to load the bases for Patrick Sullivan. He smashed a ball to the gap in left center but Ryan Coleman hauled it in at the warning track. Georgia missed another scoring opportunity in the sixth. Cam Shepherd led off with a double and took third on a wild pitch. Harney came back to retire Bradley on a shallow flyout, and then got Blaylock and Rogers to groundout sharply to first to keep it a scoreless contest.

Both pitchers carried shutouts to the eighth as Harney had allowed five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts while Georgia’s Emerson Hancock had given up just a pair of hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts.

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ATHENS—– Third-ranked Georgia welcomes UMASS to Foley Field for a three-game series starting Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:02 p.m (SECN+).

At 11-2, the Bulldogs have matched their start from a year ago after 13 games. The 2019 club roared out to a 19-2 start and finished 46-17 in the sixth season under Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. This past Tuesday, Ga. Southern snapped Georgia’s four-game winning streak with a 6-3 win at Foley Field. Then Wednesday’s rematch at SRP Park in N. Augusta, S.C. was postponed due to rain. It will be made up Tues., March 10 at SRP Park.

The Minutemen (1-5), coached by Matt Reynolds, are in the middle of a 19-game road trip to open their season. They began the year with a 6-3 win over Delaware State but have lost five straight including getting swept by Navy last weekend in Annapolis. UMASS opens Atlantic 10 conference play March 20 at Davidson and its first home series will be against Richmond March 27. Georgia has never faced UMASS.

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ATHENS—– Third-ranked Georgia will face Georgia Southern at Foley Field Tuesday with first pitch slated for 5:02 p.m (SECN+).

At 11-1, the Bulldogs are off to their best start since 2009 when they began the year 14-0. The Bulldogs are coming off their third sweep of No. 17 Ga. Tech in the past four years under Ike Cousins head coach Scott Stricklin. Up next, the Bulldogs face the Eagles (5-5) in a two-game set (Wednesday’s contest will be at SRP Park in N. Augusta, S.C.) and then UMASS (1-5) for a three-game series starting Friday in Athens. After going 4-0 last week, Georgia moved up to No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll and to No. 4 in Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and D1Baseball.com top 25 rankings.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against the Eagles 55-38-1 including winning a series 2-1 in Statesboro last year (W 3-1, W 4-2, L-10-7). Georgia is 2-0 in games at SRP Park, posting wins over No. 8 Clemson (6-3 in 2018) and The Citadel (9-0 in 2019). The Bulldogs and Eagles will meet again for a single game in Statesboro on March 11. Georgia has never faced UMASS.

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Ga. Tech 7-4

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 Georgia Bulldogs 11-1

Lawrenceville, Ga. – Fourth-ranked Georgia completed a series sweep of No. 17 Georgia Tech Sunday 9-3 at Coolray Field, marking the third sweep of the Yellow Jackets in the past four years.

The Bulldogs (11-1), picked up the win in front of a sellout 10,299 fans, the third sellout crowd of the series. Freshman Jonathan Cannon earned his third win of the season after coming in to relieve starting lefthander C.J. Smith, who ended his day with six strikeouts. Zach Maxwell took his first loss of the season for Georgia Tech.

Georgia’s Tucker Bradley continued his streak of reaching base safely in all 12 games this season. Bradley also had his fifth three hit game of the season.  Ben Anderson continued a couple of streaks of his own, extending his hitting streak to seven and is right behind Bradley, having reached base safely in the last 11 games so far this season.

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Kennesaw State 4-4

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 Georgia Bulldogs 8-1

ATHENS, Ga. – Fourth-ranked Georgia cruised past Kennesaw State 15-1 Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 2,172 at Foley Field.

Georgia (8-1) grabbed an early 3-0 lead. Ben Anderson led off with a single and scored on Cam Shepherd’s (2-2, 2 HRs, 5 RBI) blast into the trees over the centerfield wall. Tucker Bradley (2-3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs) followed with his fourth home run of the year, giving the Bulldogs back-to-back home runs for the first time since Keegan McGovern and Michael Curry did it against Troy in 2018.

In the third inning, Kennesaw State (4-4) catcher, Tyler Tolve, recorded an RBI single, shrinking the Bulldog lead to 3-1. However, Georgia quickly responded with a nine-run outburst to build a 12-1 advantage after three innings.

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Santa Clara 5-3

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 Georgia Bulldogs 7-0

ATHENS, Ga. — Fourth-ranked Georgia improved to 7-0 after sweeping a doubleheader from Santa Clara Saturday in front of a Foley Field crowd of 3,109, winning 5-4 (12) and 6-1.

Before the game, the Bulldog baseball team honored their “Star” Nicholas Chaclan and his family as part of their support for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Vs. Cancer program. The Bulldogs presented a $10,000 check to the organization and wore gold shoelaces in their cleats to help shine a light on the thousands of children who have experienced a cancer diagnosis. Gold is the signature color for childhood cancer.

Game One: Bradley Delivers 12^th-Inning Walk-Off Home Run
Tucker Bradley’s two-out walk-off home run to centerfield lifted Georgia past Santa Clara 5-4 in 12 innings. Georgia erased a early 3-0 deficit and then rallied after being down 4-3 in the 10^th.

Bradley entered the contest batting .588 and went 3-for-6 including his team-leading third home run. Freshman Jonathan Cannon notched the win, pitching the final frame with two strikeouts. Bronco reliever Travis Howard went 5.2 innings with no walks and seven strikeouts but gave up the home run to take the loss and fall to 2-1. Georgia improved to 6-0 while the Broncos fell to 5-2. Santa Clara led 3-0 at one point.

Sophomore right fielder Matt Jew gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead in the second inning when he connected for a solo home run. Santa Clara added a two-out run in the fourth and a solo home run by Eamonn Lance to start the fifth extended its lead to 3-0. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 3-1 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Riley King.

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ATHENS—– Fourth-ranked Georgia starts a four-game series with undefeated Santa Clara Friday at Foley Field. First pitch will be at 3 p.m. followed by a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday.

Both teams are coming off midweek victories as the Bulldogs (4-0) went on the road and defeated Kennesaw State Wednesday 10-3. The Broncos are off to their best start since 2012 when they began the year 5-0. Before heading to Athens, Santa Clara upset No. 25 Stanford 3-2 Tuesday as six pitchers combined to limit the Cardinal to a pair of runs on three hits. The Broncos have outscored their opponents 43-12 and boast a team ERA of 2.00. The Bulldogs and Broncos have never met on the diamond.

Georgia is batting .308 with a 3.75 ERA and a .980 fielding percentage. Also of note, the Bulldogs are 14-for-14 in stolen base attempts with junior Tucker Bradley leading the team with five followed by senior Cam Shepherd with four. Bradley (.538-1-6) and Shepherd (.412-1-6) rank among the SEC’s leading hitters at this point while junior Garrett Blaylock (.294-3-6) is second in the in SEC in home runs. Sophomore Ben Anderson (357-0-1) is second in the SEC with 10 runs scored.

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 Georgia 4-0

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Kennesaw State 3-1

KENNESAW, GA.—–Garrett Blaylock and Cam Shepherd hit home runs to lead fourth-ranked Georgia to a 10-3 road win over Kennesaw State Wednesday at Stillwell Stadium.

Georgia (4-0) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Ben Anderson led off with a walk, took second on a passed ball and came around to score on a base hit by Tucker Bradley. In the second, Anderson drew his team-leading fifth walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Shepherd for a 2-0 advantage. The Owls threatened in the fourth after a pair of miscues to start the home half of the frame. However, Georgia turned a double play to keep them off the scoreboard.

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ATHENS—– Fourth-ranked Georgia returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Kennesaw State for a 6 p.m. contest at Stillwell Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-0) opened the season with a three-game sweep of Richmond in Athens this past weekend that featured a walk-off on Opening Day and another comeback on Sunday. Georgia hit .309 and posted a 4.00 ERA in the series. The Bulldog bullpen was exceptional, going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA and a save in 14 innings.  Top-notch defense has been a constant for the Bulldogs as they have set a school record for Fielding Percentage the past two seasons including .980 in 2019. In the 2020 opening series, Georgia made just one error for a .991 fielding percentage.

Against Richmond, redshirt junior OF/LHP Tucker Bradley batted a team-best .600 (6-for-10) including a double, a home run, five RBI, three walks and three stolen bases. Also, he closed out Sunday’s game with 1.1 scoreless innings for a save to complete a sweep of the Spiders. Bradley was limited to just three games in 2019 after making a diving catch in the first series of the season and tearing his labrum and subsequent shoulder surgery.  He was making his first pitching appearance since his freshman year in 2017.

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