UGA baseball player facing alcohol-related charges
Sophomore pitcher Woolley involved in auto accident in Mass.


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/17/08

A Georgia baseball player that did not accompany the team to Omaha for the College World Series is facing several alcohol-related charges after an accident resulted in serious injuries to a University of North Carolina player.

The two players — sophomore pitcher Ryan Woolley of Georgia and sophomore pitcher Barrett Dail of North Carolina — are competing in the Cape Cod summer league in Massachusetts.

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According to a news report at www.capecodonline.com, Dail sustained major injuries when he was pinned beneath a truck driven by Woolley. Dail reportedly had jumped onto the hood of Woolley's 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck as Woolley was moving the vehicle out of the driveway and onto the street. The two players were at the home of their host family in Brewster, Mass., the newspaper reported.

Dail was taken to Cape Cod Hospital, then flown by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His condition was serious Monday night, a hospital spokeswoman told the Cape Cod News.

His legs and head were injured..

In Orleans District Court Monday morning, Woolley, Dail's friend and teammate on the Brewster Whitecaps, pleaded not guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol resulting in serious bodily injury, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and minor in possession of alcohol.

According to newspaper accounts, Woolley and Dail had been drinking beer and watching the CWS on television at the home of their host family. Police said Woolley failed field sobriety and alcohol breathalyzer tests he took at the scene and again at the Brewster Police Station. An 18-pack of beer was found in his truck, police said.

"The kid's playing summer ball and made some poor decisions," Georgia coach David Perno said by phone from Omaha, where the Bulldogs are 2-0 in the CWS. "It's an unfortunate incident, and Ryan has a tough road ahead of him. As far as his future with Georgia, I don't know. I just hope that the kid [Dail] is OK."

Perno said he knew about the incident and had spoken with Woolley's parents before Monday night's game against Stanford. However, he did not inform the team until after its 4-3 win over the Cardinal. North Carolina is also competing in the CWS.

"I wasn't going to tell them beforehand," Perno said. "I told them afterward, and in a way, that was a good thing. Obviously our guys wanted to have a good time. I told them, 'Guys, you have to make good decisions and take care of each other.' It was sort of fitting from that standpoint."

Woolley, a right-hander from Montclair, Va., appeared in three games with the Bulldogs this season and was 0-0 with a 27.00 ERA. He did not make the 25-man roster for the tournament.

As a freshman last season, Woolley made 19 relief appearances and had a win over No. 24 Georgia Tech on May 9, 2007. He was 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA.

According to the police report, Woolley was heard mumbling over and over at the police station: "I'm done with college. ... I'm done with the Cape Cod League. ... My baseball career is over."

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