ATHENS, Ga. — The 12th-ranked Georgia baseball team begins a massive three-game series at No. 14 South Carolina on Thursday.
Georgia (35-12, 13-11 SEC) and South Carolina (33-15, 13-11 SEC) are tied for third in the SEC Eastern Division and sixth overall. Both teams have already secured a spot in the SEC Tournament later this month.
First pitch is slated for 8:02 p.m. on ESPN2 and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network. Friday will begin at 5:32 p.m., and Saturday will start at 2:02 p.m.
STAY HOT
The Bulldogs rank third nationally with a school-record 122 home runs. The old mark was 109 by the 2009 club in 62 games. Also, this year’s squad has hit a school record 10 grand slams. Georgia is third nationally with a .601 slugging percentage and .440 on-base percentage. The Bulldogs are batting .306 with a 5.31 team ERA and a .975 fielding percentage. Georgia went 4-0 last week and used the same nine position players throughout the sweep of No. 13 Vanderbilt with no substitutions. Also, a total of eight pitchers saw action against the Commodores. The Gamecocks are batting .277 with 78 home runs, a .490 SLG% and .421 OB%. USC owns a 4.49 ERA and a .974 FLDG%.
TOP HITTERS
The Bulldog offense is headlined by sophomore All-America Charlie Condon. The potential top draft pick in 2024, according to MLB.com, he leads the NCAA with a .459 batting average, a school record of 33 home runs (T2nd in SEC single-season history), 200 total bases, and a 1.105 SLG%. He has a .568 OB% (third nationally) with 41 walks (18 intentional) and 69 RBI. He has hit a home run in seven consecutive games and has an 18-game hitting streak. Senior Corey Collins is enjoying a fine year at .352-14-43 while leading the country with a .591 OB%. He ranks fourth nationally with an SEC-leading and school-record 23 HBP this year. Freshman Tre Phelps checks in at .378-5-23. Condon has smashed a school record 58 career home runs in only 103 games. This season, Condon has had seven games with multiple home runs, including a school record-tying three home runs against Michigan State.
USC’s top hitters are Cole Messina (.314-15-50), Blake Jackson (.311-4-21) and Ethan Petry (.301-19-48). USC is 57-for-69 in stolen base attempts.
STARTING ROTATION
Georgia’s rotation will feature sophomore left-hander Jarvis Evans (3-1, 4.29 ERA) on Thursday and sophomore right-hander Leighton Finley (4-1, 4.63 ERA) on Friday. USC will counter with redshirt sophomore right-hander Roman Kimball (2-1, 4.61 ERA) on Thursday, followed by junior right-hander Eli Jones (3-3, 4.53 ERA) on Friday. Both teams are TBA for Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY
South Carolina leads the series 71-66 going back to 1896. USC swept Georgia in Athens last year and then ended the Bulldogs season at the SEC Tournament with a 9-0 decision. Georgia’s last series win came in 2022 in Columbia, winning two of three. One of the most memorable matchups in the series came in a 2006 NCAA Super Regional in Athens. The Gamecocks beat the Bulldogs in game one 15-6 when they hit an NCAA record five consecutive home runs. However, Georgia stormed back with an 11-5 win in game two and an 11-6 triumph in game three to advance to the College World Series.
Georgia In The Top 25 Polls: An array of top 25 polls are released each week. In the USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll, the Bulldogs are No. 12 while USC is No. 14.
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