UGA Women’s Softball: Bulldogs Host Samford Wednesday
#19 Georgia (8-3)
vs. Samford (5-4)
Date: Feb. 19, 2020
First Pitch: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Athens, Ga.
Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium
Admission: FREE
Media Information
Streaming: SEC Network+
Play-by-play: Matt Stewart
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball
The 19th-ranked Georgia softball team returns to Athens to host Samford Wednesday at Jack Turner Stadium. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.
Starting Wednesday, Georgia will embark on a span of 13 games in 12 days; 12 of which will be played in Athens. 18 of Georgia’s next 19 games will be in Athens.
Follow the Bulldogs
» Wednesday’s game will stream live on SEC Network+. Matt Stewart will call play-by-play.
» Live stats will be available for all games. Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule at GeorgiaDogs.com.
» Live Twitter updates will be available at the official Twitter page of Georgia softball, @UGAsoftball.
BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Series History
» Georgia leads the all-time series 2-0
» Georgia hosted Samford in the Red & Black Showcase in Athens in 2018
» Both games were six-inning run-rule victories, 10-0, 10-2
Looking Back
Georgia went south to take part in the Second Annual St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. The Bulldogs began the season undefeated with another run-rule victory over Kansas, the seventh-straight to begin the season. A win over #21 Northwestern brought Georgia’s undefeated record to 8-0 to open the 2020 campaign. The Bulldogs then fell to #17 Texas Tech and #3 UCLA on Saturday. In its final game of the weekend, Georgia dropped a 2-0 decision to South Florida. In the game against the Bulls, senior Mary Wilson Avant pitched a shutout through six innings and recorded a new career-best 12 strikeouts.
A Look at What’s Ahead
The Bulldogs continue their packed two-week span hosting the Georgia Classic this weekend at Jack Turner Stadium. Georgia welcomes Central Michigan, #21 James Madison, and Austin Peay this weekend. Georgia then hosts Alabama State next Tuesday before venturing to Clemson for the first-ever match-up with the Tigers in their inaugural season.
Bryan’s Bat Brings the Heat in Clearwater
Senior Ciara Bryan knocked a total of three home runs in five games in Clearwater, Florida. Bryan’s tally was the most of any player from the 16 teams that competed in Clearwater. Her second home run led off the game against #21 Northwestern. It was the first time a Bulldog led off the game with a home run since Anna Swafford did it against Missouri on Mar. 28, 2014. After the SPC Elite Invitational, Bryan’s season tally was six home runs in 11 games.
In as Few Innings as Possible
Georgia opened the season with seen-straight run-rule victories. The Bulldogs last began the season with seven-straight run-rule victories in 2016 when they run-ruled their opponent in the first 10 games, the program record. During that span in 2016, Georgia outscored its opponents 108-7 with seven shutouts.
Georgia Has Strong Start Statistically
Opening weekend saw Georgia rank top-five nationally in a number of offensive categories including batting average (.411), on base percentage (.504), scoring (9.4 runs/game), and triples per game (0.80). The Bulldogs also ranked top 10 in slugging percentage (.688). In the circle, Georgia’s 0.81 ERA ranked 11th and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 9.0 ranked seventh.
Georgia in the Polls
In the Week 2 polls, Georgia fell to a ranking of #19 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and #18 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com Poll. D1Softball and Softball America gave Georgia a #20 ranking.
A Full February
The Bulldogs will begin the season with a full slate in the month of February. Georgia will play 24 (17 in Athens) of its 56 regular season games this month, that’s over 40 percent of the regular season. Of those 24 games, the Bulldogs will face four preseason top 25 opponents in #4 UCLA, #14 Northwestern, #18 Texas Tech, and #20 James Madison.
Trio of Bulldogs Appear in Softball America’s Top 100
Lacey Fincher (#72), Ciara Bryan (#83), and Justice Milz (#93) appear in Softball America’s 2020 Top 100 Players list, released prior to the start of the season. 2020 is the second season in a row the Bulldogs have landed three in the top 100 list.
Georgia Tabbed Sixth in SEC Preseason Poll
The Georgia softball team was picked sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll with 84 points in the poll. Alabama drew 11 of the 13 first-place votes en route to being named the SEC preseason favorite, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Tennessee, who picked up the other two first-place votes, was picked second. LSU came in third followed by Kentucky and Florida.
One Last Go in the Red & Black
Georgia carries a total of seven seniors on the 2020 roster. That total is tied for the largest senior class in the SEC with Alabama (six seniors, one grad). Entering the 2020 season, Georgia’s senior class has accumulated a record of 125-55 and has been to the Women’s College World Series once in 2018.
Homegrown Bulldogs
Of the 23 members of this season’s roster, a total of 14 hail from the state of Georgia (60 percent). That percentage ranks second in the SEC of in-state players only to Texas A&M (80% Texas natives). In all, Georgia’s roster is made up of student-athletes from eight states. The only other states producing multiple Bulldogs is California (3) and Alabama (2).
Softball Boasts Strong 2020 Signing Class
Extra Innings Softball ranks the class as the fourth-best signing class in the nation as the class features five of its Elite 100 players and eight on its list of top 200. The class features infielder Ellie Armistead, infielder Cayla Bishop, infielder Aniyah Black, catcher Payden Bordeau, outfielder/first baseman Sydney Chambley, outfielder Hayley Eaton, outfielder Jayda Kearney, pitcher Madison Kerpics, pitcher Riley Orcutt, and pitcher Britton Rogers.
12 Land on Fall Director of Athletics Honor Roll
A total of 12 Georgia softball student-athlete appeared on the Fall Director of Athletics Honor Roll. Amanda Ablan was commended for a 4.0 GPA. Mary Wilson Avant and Laura Bishop were recognized for a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Tyler Armistead, Ciara Bryan, Hannah Coulter, Jordan Doggett, CJ Landrum, Justice Milz, Jessica Morgan, Sara Mosley, Savana Sikes all landed on the honor roll last semester.
Baldwin Works with USA Softball U-19 Women’s National Team
Following the 2019 season in Athens, Tony Baldwin had the opportunity to work with the USA Softball U-19 team over the summer as an assistant coach. The U-19 WNT brought home the bronze medal at the USA Softball International Cup. USA concluded its summer by walking off Japan to win the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup. With the win, Team USA became the first team in history to win three consecutive U-19 World Cup Titles and has seven titles overall.
Fico Retires from NPF
After Georgia’s 2019 season, Rachele Fico pitched her final season in the NPF for the Chicago Bandits. In her last campaign, she recorded a 13-4 record in 17 appearances with a 1.62 ERA in 69 innings. She fanned 62 total hitters. On July 20 at home in Rosemont, Illinois, Fico recorded her first professional perfect game in a 5-0 win over the Aussie Peppers. The 2013 No. 1 overall pick out of LSU pitched seven seasons in the NPF.