ATHENS, Ga. — The nation's top home run-hitting teams will meet this weekend in Knoxville, Tenn.
After sweeping No. 8 Alabama last week, the No. 24 Georgia baseball team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., for a three-game series with No. 5 Tennesee.
Friday's action is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs (21-4, 3-3 SEC) hope to keep their momentum going after winning four straight while batting .358 with 18 home runs and outscoring their opponents 43 to 21.
On Monday, under coach Wes Johnson's direction, Georgia made its debut in the Baseball America and the USA TODAY Coaches Sports Top 25 rankings at No. 24. Tuesday’s home game with Mercer was postponed due to rain.
The Vols (22-4, 3-3 SEC) are 19-1 at home. The Bulldogs and Vols rank 1-2 nationally in home runs, with Georgia's 74 on the year compared to Tennessee’s 68.
Charlie Condon and Corey Collins have led the Bulldogs offensive power so far this season.
Collins, a 6-foot-3, 236-pound first baseman, is the reigning SEC Player of the Week after batting an SEC best .647-6-13 in helping Georgia go 4-0 last week. He started three games off with a home run. During the year, Collins had 17 hits, 10 of which were home runs.
Charlie Condon, a 6-foot-6, 216-pound infielder/outfielder, is a National Player of the Year candidate and the potential No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. Condon leads the nation in batting (.519), slugging percentage (.664), home runs (17), and on-base percentage (.637). This season, he has started all 25 games with 11 at third base, five in left field, four in right field, three in center field, and two at first base. Condon has a 1.000 fielding percentage in 73 total chances.
Series History: UT leads the all-time series 127-122, dating to 1909. Georgia won the 2023 series over #19 UT in Athens 2-1, while the top-ranked Vols claimed the 2022 series in Knoxville 2-1.
Starting Pitching Candidates: Both clubs will announce the UGA & UT pitching rotations on Thursday afternoon. Last weekend, Georgia’s rotation against Alabama featured graduate LHP Charlie Goldstein (3-0, 5.16), sophomore RHP Leighton Finley (2-1, 3.75) and graduate RHP Christian Mracna (3-1, 3.57). UT’s starters in the Ole Miss series were junior RHP AJ Causey (5-0, 1.91), junior RHP Drew Beam (3-1, 3.34) and senior LHP Zander Sechrist (0-0, 3.38).
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