Swept Into First Place

The Diamond Dawgs swept up Lexington this weekend. All three games were close and low-scoring by college baseball standards (7-4 in both contests Saturday, 5-4 Sunday). Both teams played solid ball. The difference was the consistent power hitting of Georgia's lineup. Poythress, Allen, and Lewis were the big offensive performers, while relievers Will Harvil and Dean Weaver scattered four hits in a little over five scoreless innings. All our starters looked strong against a mild lineup of UK hitters. The best stat was only two errors the entire weekend.

The sweep had some immediately tangible results. The Dawgs now lead the SEC by a half game and have reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Coaches's Poll. The only trouble is that the meat of our schedule lies before us. Tonight, #11 Georgia Tech visits Foley Field before #12 Arkansas comes calling this weekend. Arkansas is running second in the conference and, just like the LSU series, winning two of those games would be huge in the conference race.

From here until the end of the regular season, we'll see good conference teams, all capable of sweeping us. Arkansas may be the best of them all. So far, the Dawgs have feasted on the bottom dwellers, sweeping three teams that aren't great. We've got a gaudy overall record and led the SEC, but some people still think we have some things to prove. A series win against Arkansas should legitimize our lofty rankings. We need two wins this week at the least, preferably both against the Hawgs. Everybody hates Tech, but that game isn't really that important in the big picture. Beating Tech won't get UGA any credit if they then lose a home series to Arkansas.

Update: Tickets are still available for GT and Arkansas (except Saturday).

Quinton