ATHENS — No. 18 Georgia (32-12, 10-11 SEC) plays host to No. 13 Vanderbilt (32-13, 11-10) on Friday night in a three-game series at Foley Field that could have major implications on the SEC standings and both teams’ prospects for the postseason. First pitch tonight is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s is at 1.
Here are three things to know going in:
Postseason implications
Coach Wes Johnson will tell you – in fact, he did – that this weekend’s series against Vanderbilt is about nothing more than trying to win Friday night’s game. Handle this game, then worry about the next one; this pitch, then the next one; and so on. And that’s how the sport has to be managed internally.
Externally, though, it’s about so much more than that. This weekend’s series against the Commodores has everything to do with those teams – and others – fighting to host an NCAA Regional. This is what is truly on the line.
At this point, there are four SEC teams that essentially are locked in as hosts: Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas A&M. That leaves a group of four that includes Georgia, Vandy, Mississippi State and South Carolina battling these final three weekends to position themselves for any regional host possibilities that might remain. Truthfully, nobody at this point knows how many of those spots remain, but with nine or 10 of the 14 SEC teams in line to receive a tournament bid, five to seven might have a chance to host.
A lot of that should shake out with Georgia hosting the Commodores this weekend and facing South Carolina on the road the following weekend. The Bulldogs play host to Florida in the final SEC series of the season.
Of all this, Georgia is well aware.
“If we can finish on a hot streak, we’ve still got a real good chance of bringing a regional to us,” Georgia slugger Charlie Condon said. “That’s something this program hasn’t done in a little while.”
Get your tickets!
Foley Field is one of the smaller baseball venues in the SEC at 3,291 seats. But it’s a tough place for opponents when it’s full, and sometimes even when it’s not.
It’s expected to be filled to capacity all weekend.
Friday night’s game was only a couple of dozen or so away from being a sellout as of midday. Saturday’s already is sold out, and tickets are still available for Sunday’s tilt. As always, though, there are plenty of ways to secure seats through the secondary market.
Meanwhile, Foley remains one of the better places anywhere to watch a high-level baseball game. It is a beautiful, intimate atmosphere and there is not a bad seat in the house. This year, UGA went to a general-admission setup and tickets are only $10. They sell beer now, and all the concessions are first rate.
Add to that the fact that the Bulldogs are an impressive team featuring college baseball’s home run king (Condon) as well as a number of other talented players, it should be a premium entertainment option for people looking for something fun to do on a weekend.
Accordingly, Georgia is tough to beat there. The Bulldogs are 25-3 this season at Foley.
Pitchers’ duel
As seems to always be the case in baseball, pitching will have a strong say in how the weekend goes. That’s where Georgia will need to step up its game.
Though not as dominant as it has been in past seasons, Vanderbilt might have an edge coming in. Friday night’s starter, 6-foot-5 right-hander Bryce Cunningham (6-2, 3.98 ERA), is the reigning SEC pitcher of the week after throwing a complete-game, two-hit shutout last weekend against Mississippi State. Saturday’s starter is junior Carter Holton (6-2, 4.37), a Savannah product who got away from the Bulldogs and has forged an impressive career with the Commodores.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs only now are rounding back into form. They had to adjust when Friday starter Charlie Goldstein was sidelined because of an arm injury a few weeks ago. Leighton Finley (3-1, 5.10) will get the ball for the first game of the series. But Goldstein (4-1, 4.01) returned to action out of the bullpen last week and was announced as Saturday’s starter. Both teams list “TBD” for Sunday’s game.
In the meantime, Georgia’s bullpen appears to have solidified and might prove the difference. Kolten Smith (6-2, 5.52) has emerged recently as a starter and reliever. He’s the only pitcher in the SEC to have logged four wins in April, and he recorded 11 strikeouts in six innings in his latest start.
Coach Wes Johnson doesn’t like to use the “term” closer, but Smith and Brian Zeldin (3-2, 3.86, 5 saves) have somewhat alternated in that role the past few weeks. So, the Commodores likely will see both this weekend, and possibly more than once.
