ATHENS, Ga. — The 17th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs battle fourth-ranked Clemson Tuesday at Foley Field with first pitch at 7:02 p.m.
This week, Clemson is rated No. 4 in the NCAA RPI while the Bulldogs are No. 11. Georgia is ranked No. 17 in the USA TODAY Coaches Top 25 poll while the Tigers are No. 4. The Bulldogs rank second nationally in home runs (101), trailing Tennessee (111). The Bulldogs are second nationally with a .445 On-Base Percentage and third in Slugging Percentage at .619. The Bulldogs average 9.5 runs a game and that ranks 10th nationally. In the series win over Ole Miss this past weekend in Athens (the first over the Rebels since 2012), Georgia batted .279, scored 26 runs, posted a 3.81 ERA and fielded .990. Clemson averages 7.8 runs a game while batting .288 with 73 home runs with a 3.91 ERA and a .968 fielding percentage.
Top Hitters To Watch: The one-two punch of Charlie Condon and Corey Collins set the tone for the Bulldog offense as they rank No. 2 and 3 nationally in OB% at .584 and .580. Condon is the Midseason Player of the Year according to D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game USA and on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Condon is having a historic year at the plate while playing superb defense including starting at five different positions.
Condon ranks as the NCAA leader in six offensive categories: Batting (.483), SLG% (1.119), Home Runs (26), Total Bases (169), Hits (73) and Home Runs Per Game (.67). Collins is enjoying a career year too at .378-12-36.
Condon has smashed 51 career home runs in only 95 games and that ranks tied for the second most in school history. He trails Gordon Beckham’s record of 53 in 197 games from 2006-08 while Josh Morris hit 51 in 190 games from 2004-06. This season, Condon has had seven games when he has hit at least two home runs.
Clemson is led by seniors Alden Mathes (.324-7-23) and Blake Wright (.323-16-50). Senior Jimmy Obertop (.305-14-31) had a big series against Pitt, blasting five home runs as part of a 7-for-14 weekend.
Pitching Matchup: Georgia sophomore RHP Zach Harris (3-0, 9.49 ERA) will make his first career start for the Bulldogs. This season, he has made 13 relief appearances for a total of 12.1 innings with 17 strikeouts and eight walks. Clemson will counter with sophomore RHP Billy Barlow (4-1, 4.64 ERA). He has made eight starts, pitched 33 innings with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Series History: Georgia leads the series 125-110-2 dating to 1900. The teams played twice last year, and the visitors picked up a victory both times. Clemson beat the Bulldogs 8-1 at Foley Field while Georgia edged the Tigers 5-4 in Clemson. This will be the lone meeting this year.
The teams played a memorable 20-inning contest in 2019 in Athens, won by Georgia 3-2. The game lasted a Bulldog record six hours and 33 minutes, ending on a Connor Tate one-out RBI-single. Georgia pitchers set a record with 26 strikeouts.
Rutherford Street Closure: Please note this season that one hour before game time, Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic until 30 minutes post-game.
