ATHENS — Georgia baseball arrives at its most crucial series of the season a beat-up bunch of Bulldogs. But they vow to fight through it as No. 18 Tennessee comes to town for a three-game set that could go a long way toward determining UGA’s postseason fate.
As Foley Field prepares for Friday night’s sold-out 6 p.m. tilt, the Bulldogs (25-20, 8-13 SEC) know they will be without at least one starting pitcher, could be missing another and definitely will be missing their No. 1 designated hitter and No. 2 catcher Corey Collins.
Left-handed pitcher and No. 1 starter Jaden Woods will not be on the roster and miss his third consecutive turn in the rotation with bicep tendinitis. The Bulldogs were hoping to at least bring the junior hurler out of the bullpen, but a throwing session earlier this week determined Woods would need more time.
Meanwhile, Liam Sullivan (4-2, 4.73 ERA), Georgia’s No. 2 starter, also is dealing with a sore arm this week after leaving Sunday’s game against Ole Miss. He’ll be a game-time decision Sunday. The Bulldogs have announced freshman Kolten Smith (2-1, 4.91) and sophomore Charlie Goldstein (3-1, 4.50) for Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Collins also is a scratch as he continues to recover from a finger injury. That has left senior Fernando Gonzalez to catch almost every inning of every game the past several weeks. The Bulldogs finally turned to infielder Will David, who caught the entire 10-9 win against Kennesaw State on Tuesday night. Gonzalez, who was shaken up on an end-of-game play at the plate against Ole Miss on Sunday, will be back behind the dish against Tennessee.
“We’re just going to have to put it all together and figure out a way to win this series,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said on his weekly radio segment on Athens radio station 960 The Ref.
Meanwhile, the Volunteers (31-14, 11-10) arrive as the SEC’s hottest team. After a slow start in conference play this season, they’ve won eight consecutive overall and swept their past two conference series against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. However, the Vols are 1-9 on the road this season.
“They’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Stricklin said. “They have a great pitching staff; that’s the thing that stands out the most. They’re playing hot, and they play with a lot of emotion.”
Tennessee remains the team the rest of the SEC loves to hate. Under controversial coach Tony Vitello, the Vols have become known for their antics – on the field and off it – considered unsportsmanlike. Vitello was suspended for the three games the second weekend of the season for what was described only as “a violation of NCAA rules.”
The series will continue with a first pitch at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. After losing two of three to Ole Miss last weekend, the Bulldogs are currently 10th in the 14-team SEC and likely need to win every possible SEC game they can to assure itself a place in the 12-team SEC Tournament. Their next two SEC series are on the road at Missouri (26-19, 6-16) and at home against LSU (36-8, 15-5).
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