Georgia Baseball Gets Serious with a Weekend Visit From FSU
I’m convinced that every boy, in his heart, would rather steal second base than an automobile – Tom Clark
Schedule note: Game one for the FSU series remains Friday at 5 p.m. The teams complete the series with a Saturday doubleheader, first game Saturday at 12:00.
A park and ride shuttle service will be available to fans on Friday, Feb. 20 from 5 p.m. until approximately 10 p.m. Details here.
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With mighty FSU baseball coming to Athens for a weekend series dragging a number 12 national rank in tow, second year Georgia baseball coach Scott Stricklin may learn more about his club than he would like.
But this is not your typical FSU team, at least not yet.
As usual, FSU had high expectations last year and remained inside the top 10 the entire season before going winless in the regional round. Such expectations are the norm for FSU baseball. But in the off-season the Seminoles lost two weekend starters – Brandon Leibrandt and Luke Weaver, key bullpen members Gage Smith and Jameis Winston, and enough position players to for Brendan Sonnone of Orlandosentinel.com to call the infield “iffy.”
“There are so many question marks, so many situations that are going to arise,” said Head FSU baseball coach Mike Martin to Sonnone. “The ability to bounce back from adversity, the ability to deal with failure, it’s a team that brings a lot of excitement in those areas.”
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FSU dealt with more attrition than expected in the off-season.
Martin said to Sonnone. “We lost a lot of young men that we had planned on being with us. I’d say five…alright, four that we were counting on. We knew we were going to keep them. And we lost every one of them.”
No one is going to cry for FSU. The Seminoles are a power house program and have plenty of talent to restock the cupboard. But such an early season home date with FSU is a great opportunity for the Diamond Dawgs.
Georgia will open the series Friday night with Robert Tyler. The Georgia season will rise and fall with the talented right hander. With the preseason accolades collected by the redshirt junior, Georgia should fare will at home and this weekend should be no exception. Junior left hander Ryan Lawlor gets the ball Saturday in the first game of a double-header and junior right hander David Sosebee will start the second of Saturday’s pair.
Georgia was successful at the plate against opening weekend foe Eastern Illinois, batting .397 and smacking 13 home runs to sweep the Panthers. Defensively the Dawgs were near flawless, completing the weekend with a 1.67 ERA and a 100% fielding percentage.
FSU was equally impressive on opening weekend, outscoring Oakland University (Michigan) 27-6 in three games. FSU early season statistics received an adjustment during a 5-3 loss to Jacksonville in Jacksonville while the Dawgs date with a very good Kennesaw team was postponed due to winter weather.
Still, the Seminole pitchers have a 1.54 ERA. FSU‘s .281 team batting average should be taken with a grain of salt, as should any Coach Martin’s doubts. If the Dawgs can compete with FSU, it will be a harbinger of good baseball fortune in 2015.
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