Who: South Carolina (14-14, 3-6) vs #14 Georgia (22-7, 6-3). Founders Park, Columbia
Time/TV: Friday 7:00 pm EST, Saturday 4:00 pm EST, Sunday 12:00 pm EST. Friday and Saturday's game will stream on SEC Network+ while Sunday's game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Line: None as of this writing. There may not be one for Friday as UGA's has had some late scratches to their rotation. (More on this below).
Starting Pitchers: Game 1 RHP Jr. Noah Hall (1-4, 6.27 ERA, 33Ks, 16 BB, .286 OBA) v. RHP Jr Nolan Crisp (0-0, 5.29 ERA, 17Ks, 5 BB, .275 OBA), Game 2, RHP Soph Will Sanders (4-1, 3.30 ERA, 47Ks, 13 BB, .246 OBA) v. RHP Soph. Garrett Brown (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 12Ks, 14 BB, .310 OBA), Game 3, Fr LHP Matthew Becker (1-2, 4.15 ERA, 39Ks, 19 BB, .204 OBA) v. Soph. LHP Liam Sullivan (2-1, 3.68 ERA, 11Ks 8 BB, .250 OBA)
History: South Carolina leads 66-64. Georgia had beaten Carolina 6 in a row until Game 2 of the 2021 series. The Gamecocks haven't won a series with the Dawgs in Columbia since they sweep the 2013 series.
Last Meeting: Last season the Gamecocks took 2 of 3 from the Bulldogs in Athens. South Carolina lost the series opener before rallying to win the final two games. Will Sanders pitched 8 innings and gave only 1 run to secure the series on Sunday. UGA starter Nolan Crisp pitched .2 of an inning in that game as well.
Scouting the Dawgs
Gamecocks fans will get no sympathy from Georgia fans regarding pitching injuries. The Dawgs entered the week down their #3, (Dylan Ross), and #4, (Will Childers), starting pitchers. Georgia had a bad midweek trip to Clemson this week, (does anyone ever have a good trip to Clemson), not only did they lose the game, they lost their ace Jonathan Cannon. The projected early round MLB draft pulled a muscle during a bullpen session and will not be available this weekend. Liam Sullivan is the only normal weekend starter that the Gamecocks will see this weekend.
Despite the injuries, pitching has not been a strength for this Bulldog team. They enter the weekend with a team ERA of 4.59. Nonetheless, this is a solid Georgia team. They are coming off a series sweep of Florida in Athens. They are hitting .293 as a team with 33 home runs. They are not active on the base paths with only 12 stolen bases as a team.
At the plate, UGA is led by Tate brothers. The twin brothers are graduate students and are the heart of the Georgia lineup. Shortstop Cole Tate is hitting .360 and outfielder Connor Tate leads the SEC in batting average in conference games at .483. Another graduate student, Ben Anderson, has reached base in all 27 games he has played and has an OPS over 1.000. Sophomore Corey Collins leads the Dawgs in homers with 7.
For Carolina
Just like football and women's basketball, the South Carolina baseball team can claim a commanding victory over UNC in their home state. The Gamecocks hammered Tar Heels pitching all night during their 15-2 route. The win was South Carolina's 5th over a ranked ball club this year.
The midweek win improved the Gamecocks RPI to 46. Georgia enters the weekend at #3. A series win over the Bulldogs should position Carolina in the mid to high 30s.
MLB opening day rosters were announced yesterday and today and 6 former Gamecocks will begin their season in The Show. Jackie Bradley is back in Boston after a year hiatus. Jordan Montgomery and Clarke Schmidt will don Yankee pinstripes. Will Crowe is in the rotation in Pittsburgh. Christian Walker is still in Arizona and All-Star Whit Merrifield will play in Kansas City for at least one more season. Carlos Cortes (NYM), Eddy Demurias (Cin), Tyler Johnson/John Parke (CWS), and Grayson Greiner/Taylor Widener (Ari), are in Triple A and could easily see time in The Show this season.
One Guy's Prediction:
The Gamecocks enter this weekend with a better pitching rotation. They have played well in weekend series at home all season. Gamecocks take 2 out of 3.
