Kentucky Baseball Gears Up for Easter Weekend Matchup with Georgia

In what will be the (second) most important sporting event in the state of Georgia this weekend, 26-3 Kentucky baseball travels to Athens for a three-game Easter weekend series against 16-13 Georgia.

The ‘Cats are all the way up to No. 10 in the country, jumping eight spots from this time last week. A 13-6 victory over Dayton on Tuesday was their 22nd win in their last 23 games. In D1Baseball’s Midseason Projected Field of 64, Kentucky was slotted as the No. 11 national seed, hosting a Lexington Regional consisting of Indiana, Indiana State, and Ball State. It would be Kentucky’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017, which was also the last time they hosted a Regional.

The ‘Dawgs enter this weekend’s matchup fresh off a sweep from No. 4 Vanderbilt and a win over Kennesaw State. Georgia is currently tied for the worst record in the SEC with Ole Miss, winning just one of its nine conference games so far this season. Georgia leads the all-time series with UK 142-100-1, dating back to 1921.

Reminder, today's game was moved up an hour to 5 p.m.

🆚 Georgia
🏟 Foley Field (Athens, Ga.)
⌚️ 5 p.m. ET
📻 https://t.co/YSiOMplyn8 AM WLAP
📊 https://t.co/tPjcagJ33W
🔗 https://t.co/RR9CNYcPC8 pic.twitter.com/FS0mEuZPUn

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) April 7, 2023

Georgia Impact Players

Redshirt freshman Charlie Condon is one of the brightest young stars in all of college baseball. After redshirting last year, Condon has burst onto the scene in his first season of play. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason watch list earlier this week. Condon ranks 10th in the nation in batting average (.449) and is tied for 11th in hits (48) with teammate Connor Tate.

Tate and Condon form a two-headed monster in the Bulldogs’ lineup, accounting for 32% of the team’s hits, 40% of their home runs and 34% of their RBI. When this pair is going, the ‘Dawgs are too. Georgia being just 1-8 in conference play doesn’t fall in the laps of these guys. With Condon/Tate included, Georgia’s team batting average is .301. Without them included? Just .264.

Juniors LHP Jaden Woods and LHP Liam Sullivan are slated to start Friday and Saturday’s games for Georgia. Sunday’s starter is still TBD. Woods gives and takes. While he leads the Bulldogs in strikeouts on the season (52), he has also given up the most hits (31) and earned runs (21) on the staff. He enters this weekend with a 3-2 record and a 5.30 ERA. Sullivan has fared better this season, holding a 3-1 record with just a 3.77 ERA.

The ‘Dawgs were last in the NCAA Tournament just last season, blasting Hofstra 24-1 in their first regional game before falling to North Carolina 6-5 in their next.

Kentucky Impact Players

With a hit in Friday night’s series opener, Hunter Gilliam will tie the longest hitting streak in Kentucky baseball (recorded) history. Gilliam’s hit streak is at 22 games, just one shy of that record.

Gilly has been sensational this season, boasting a .407 batting average with a team-high 44 hits, six home runs, and 41 RBI. Kentucky’s team batting average comes in at .307, which is 37th in the country. The ‘Cats boast six players over the .300 mark in Gilliam, Émilien Pitre, Jase Felker, Jackson Gray, Grant Smith, and Devin Burkes. Felker has been a surprise this season, taking the opportunity to be the everyday third baseman and running with it. After Isaiah Byars struggled to start the season, Felker took over and is now third on the team in batting average.

LHP Tyler Bosma and RHP Zack Lee will start for the ‘Cats this weekend, while Friday night’s starter is still TBD with Logan Martin still struggling with a nagging injury. Lee has had a sensational 2023 campaign, boasting an unblemished 3-0 record with a 2.65 ERA. Lee leads the ‘Cats in strikeouts (32) and innings pitched (34.0). Bosma has been up and down but is fresh off a great start last Saturday at Missouri. Bosma went 6.0 innings, striking out six batters while allowing just four hits and no runs. Reliever Ryan Hagenow, who has yet to allow an earned run in 15.1 innings out of the pen this season, was named a Midseason All-American earlier this week.

A series victory this weekend for the ‘Cats would be huge, as the schedule tightens up immensely beginning with next Tuesday’s clash against in-state rival, No. 18 Louisville.

Game 1: Friday, April 7th, 2023 (Foley Field – 5:00 PM)
UK: TBD vs UGA: LHP Jaden Woods (3-2, 5.30 ERA, 35.2 IP)
Game 2: Saturday, April 8th, 2023 (Foley Field – 2:00 PM)
UK: LHP Tyler Bosma (4-1, 4.17 ERA, 32.1 IP) vs UGA: LHP Liam Sullivan (3-1, 3.77 ERA, 31.0 IP)
Game 3: Sunday, April 9th, 2023 (Foley Field – 12:00 PM)
UK: RHP Zack Lee (3-0, 2.65 ERA, 34.0 IP) vs UGA: TBD