ATHENS ------The No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs return to action Tuesday when Georgia Tech visits Foley Field. First pitch is set for 7:02 p.m. ET and be available on the SEC Network and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Freshman right-hander Hank Bearden (3-0, 1.06 ERA) will start against Tech while the Yellow Jackets counter with freshman left-hander Dalton Smith (1-0, 5.91 ERA). This will be Bearden’s third start and 11th overall appearance. In 17 innings, he has 18 strikeouts and six walks. His wins have come over Evansville, North Florida and Georgia State. He started last Tuesday against Clemson as part of a staff night and did not factor in the decision, providing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
The Bulldogs have won three consecutive SEC series including two on the road (@ #1 Vanderbilt @ Missouri) to even their league mark at 9-9. Against Kentucky and Missouri, Georgia dropped the opener and came back to win the series. Georgia is 8-3 in its last 11 games, and the turnaround began with the road series win over the top-ranked Commodores, outscoring them 25-8. Last week, Georgia went 3-1, starting with a home win over Clemson. Tech lost a home series to No. 17 Florida State 2-1 last weekend.
The series with Tech dates back to 1898, and the Bulldog hold a 215-164-2 edge. Last year, Georgia swept the series as it marked the first three-game consecutive weekend series during the regular season in 59 years. The Bulldogs won 6-5 in Athens, 12-0 in Atlanta and 9-3 at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, which serves as the Triple-A home of the Gwinnett Stripers. Proceeds of the neutral site game went to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. This year’s series will just be a home-and-home. Georgia faces Tech in Atlanta on May 18.
At the plate, Georgia is led by redshirt junior right fielder Connor Tate (.362-9-28). He is one of the leading hitters in the SEC. He has hit seven of his nine home runs in league play where he is batting .352 with perfect fielding in 33 total chances. Tate has reached base safely in 19 straight games. Tate’s 55 hits are tied for the most in the SEC, and he is fourth in batting average.
Georgia, which has been nationally ranked by Collegiate Baseball newspaper all season, moved up one spot to No. 20 on Monday. The Bulldogs made their debut in Baseball America’s Top 25, checking in at No. 22. Also, Georgia returned to the USA Today Sports Top 25 Coaches Poll at No. 23.
Pitching Matchup: UGA vs. Tech #35 Hank Bearden (3-0, 1. 06, RHP, Fr.) vs. #2 Dalton Smith (1-0, 5.91, LHP, Fr.) Georgia Baseball Radio Links: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Announcers: Jeff Dantzler, David Johnston) Tues. Pregame Show begins at 6:40 p.m. ET: https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=3947&type=Live
All regular season Bulldog games will be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network. Georgia home games along with SEC road games will be available on the SEC Network+ platform too. All Georgia baseball games will be carried locally on 960 the Ref-AM as it will serve as the primary home for all broadcasts. In Atlanta, Bulldogs fans can tune in to WFOM 1230 AM. Fans can listen to every game online for free through the official website of the Bulldogs, georgiadogs.com and the Georgia Bulldogs app. Also, games will be available on TuneIn. Live Stats are available via the Bulldogs app too.
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