AJC- The Season Everything Went Wrong for Georgia Baseball

ATHENS -- The low point of this Georgia baseball season? "There are so many," shortstop Kyle Farmer said. So take your pick.

Maybe the afternoon the Bulldogs blew an eight-run, eighth-inning lead at Mississippi State. Maybe the night they lost 25-6 to Georgia Tech. Or maybe the evening a black cat ominously wandered into left field in the late innings of a loss to Furman.

Finally, mercifully, Georgia's longest and losingest baseball season ends Saturday afternoon.
Just two years removed from playing in the finals of the College World Series and just 14 months removed from being ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Bulldogs will wrap up an unimaginably bad season against Kentucky at Foley Field.
These Bulldogs (15-36, 4-22 SEC before Friday night) have lost more games than any other team in Georgia baseball history and won fewer than any team since 1974. The staff ERA of 8.57 is the worst in the SEC, among the worst in the nation and almost two runs per game higher than Georgia's previous worst. The team also is at the bottom of the SEC in most offensive categories and is 0-8 in league games decided by one run.
Around Athens, folks want to know: What the heck happened?
"We hear stuff like that," second baseman Levi Hyams said, "but a lot of times it ain't [phrased] that nice."
You name it, it has gone wrong. Injuries decimated the infield early. The pitching staff, expected to be the pillar of the team, buckled under pressure. And once things started going badly, they snowballed on the SEC's youngest team (all freshmen and sophomores in the starting lineup except for pitchers).
"Unfortunately, it was just a perfect storm," coach David Perno said. "I know obviously I made some bad calls and couldn't pull the right strings with this club. So it starts at the top. And unfortunately I've got a lot of time to figure it out, with us not going to the postseason."
This perhaps was destined to be a rebuilding season after Georgia had a nation-leading 11 players chosen in last year's Major League Baseball draft, only three of whom returned to school. But no one foresaw the magnitude of the decline.
"It's especially tough when you think that in my sophomore year we were playing in the national championship series, and last year we were No. 1 in the country for a good time," senior relief pitcher Justin Earls said.
Said starting pitcher Justin Grimm: "It's been really difficult. It's been tense here and there in the dugout and the locker room."
Hyams: "In the toughest times, you find out what kind of character you have. I feel like our team hasn't quit. We've played our butts off the whole season."
Far worse than on-field losses, the team faced off-field tragedy.
Last fall, freshman infielder Chance Veazey -- projected to be the Bulldogs' starting second baseman -- was paralyzed from the waist down in a traffic accident. The team approached the season with a heavy heart.
"I know it changed me, and I never really got a grip," Perno said.
The team witnessed more devastation in early May when it was in Nashville for a series against Vanderbilt during massive flooding there.
After Saturday's game, Perno plans to begin plotting next season. He acknowledges he has personnel decisions to make but does not elaborate. "That's what next week is for," he said.
He is pleased that his team has continued to play hard and gratified that fans have continued to show up. "I wouldn't come and watch us, I'm sorry," Perno said. "But I really appreciate the support."
Georgia reached five NCAA tournaments and three College World Series in Perno's previous eight years as coach -- more on both counts than under any other coach in school history. He vows to get the program back on track.
"We may look back on this season and say it was a learning process for us," Perno said. "We've got a great program. The symbols on the walls don't lie. We know what it takes. We know the personnel we need, and we know the character-type guys we need. And they're here. We just got to get everybody back on the same page and moving in the same direction."

Baseball America GT Update

#13. GEORGIA TECH
Last Week: 2-1. Overall: 41-10, 19-8 in ACC. (7-5 vs. Top 25). Weekend Series: 10-3.
Georgia Tech won a series against Miami to move into a tie with the Hurricanes for second place in the ACC, two games behind Virginia. The Yellow Jackets pounded out 15 hits Friday in support of Jr. RHP Deck McGuire (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K), who improved to 7-3, 2.91. So. RHP Mark Pope (5 IP, 11 H, 5 ER) moved into the weekend rotation and took his first loss of the season Saturday. Georgia Tech trailed 3-0 after five innings Sunday before storming back with six unanswered, helping So. LHP Jed Bradley (6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) improve to 9-2. First-team preseason All-America closer Kevin Jacob, who had been sidelined since March 13 with shoulder tendinitis, returned to action Friday, striking out the side in a perfect inning of relief. He threw another scoreless inning Sunday, allowing a hit and a walk and earning a strikeout.
RESULTS
May 14-16: (13) Miami: W 14-3, L 9-2, W 6-3
UPCOMING
May 18: Georgia State
May 20-22: @ Boston College

Rivals Square off on the Diamond March 16

#4 Georgia Tech host the Bulldogs this Tuesday March 16. Here is a look at both teams rosters.


GT
1 Connor Winn IF R-R 5-9 180 So. 6-25-90 Suwanee, Ga. (Wesleyan)



2 Jarrett Didrick OF R-R 6-0 192 So. 8-22-89 Rome, Ga. (Calhoun)


3 Cole Leonida C R-R 6-3 210 Jr. 12-25-88 Aurora, Colo. (Grandview)


4 Jeff Rowland OF L-L 5-10 185 Jr. 4-01-88 Augusta, Ga. (Greenbrier)


5 Jeff Ussery INF S-R 6-3 192 Jr.-R. 2-09-87 Hilton Head, S.C. (Heritage Academy)


6 Brandon Thomas OF S-R 6-3 185 Fr. 2-7-91 Atlanta, Ga. (Pace Academy)


7 Ben McKinney P/OF R-R 6-1 170 Fr. 11-02-90 Johnson City, Tenn. (Science Hill)


9 Jacob Esch SS/P R-R 6-3 186 So. 3-27-90 Chanhassen, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall)


10 Thomas Nichols IF/P L-R 6-1 190 Jr. 2-09-89 Leesburg, Ga. (Lee Co.)


11 Evan Martin IF/OF R-R 5-8 160 So. 6-25-90 Woodstock, Ga. (Sequoyah)


13 Jason Garofalo 2B R-R 5-8 160 Sr. 6-24-88 Alpharetta, Ga. (Marist School)


14 Patrick Long INF L-R 6-0 185 Sr. 2-09-88 Mechanicsville, Va. (Hanover)


15 Clay Dalton RHP/1B R-R 6-3 185 Fr. 12-27-90 Kennesaw, Ga. (North Cobb)


16 Matt Skole IF L-R 6-4 246 Fr. 7-30-89 Woodstock, Ga. (Blessed Trinity)


19 Mark Pope P R-R 6-2 204 Fr. 8-29-89 Marietta, Ga. (Walton)


20 Chase Burnette OF L-L 6-2 200 Jr. 5-20-88 Buford, Ga. (Buford)


21 Tony Plagman 1B L-L 6-2 220 Sr. 8-14-87 Alpharetta, Ga. (Wesleyan)


22 Jay Dantzler OF R-R 6-0 190 Sr.-R 2-12-87 Alpharetta, Ga. (Chattahoochee)


23 Matt Simonds OF/IF R-R 6-2 204 So.-R 8-10-88 Atlanta, Ga. (Pace Academy)


24 Jake Davies P/1B L-L 6-0 227 So. 9-15-89 McDonough, Ga. (Eagles Landing Christian)


25 Deck McGuire P R-R 6-6 223 Jr. 6-23-89 Glen Allen, Va. (Deep Run)


27 Andrew Robinson P R-R 6-1 182 Sr. 2-13-88 Senoia, Ga. (Starr's Mill)


28 Brandon Cumpton P R-R 6-2 190 So. 11-16-88 Evans, Ga. (Greenbrier)


29 Sean Poole IF R-R 6-1 160 Fr. 10-23-90 Tallahassee, Fla. (Lawton Chiles)


30 Buck Farmer P L-R 6-4 220 Fr. 2-20-91 Conyers, Ga. (Rockdale Co.)


31 Sam Dove IF R-R 6-1 150 Fr. 11-27-90 Nolensville, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)


32 Derek Dietrich SS L-R 6-1 195 Jr. 7-18-89 Parma, Ohio (St. Ignatius)


34 Roddy Jones OF R-R 5-9 195 So.-R 6-13-89 Stone Mountain, GA


35 Zach Brewster P L-L 6-1 192 Jr. 10-26-88 Murryville, Ga. (North Hall)


36 Kevin Jacob P R-R 6-6 235 Jr. 3-26-89 Parkville, Md. (Parkville)


37 Jed Bradley P L-L 6-3 203 So. 6-12-90 Huntsville, Ala. (Huntsville)


38 Luke Bard P R-R 6-2 182 Fr. 11-13-90 Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Christian)


39 Taylor Wood P R-L 6-7 217 Jr. 4-10-89 Suwanee, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian)


42 Sean Devine P R-R 6-1 182 Sr.-R 9-22-86 Kennesaw, GA (North Cobb)


38 Patrick Boling LHP Fr. 6-3 198 Cartersville, GA



8 Malcolm Clapsaddle RHP Fr. 6-2 171 Geneva, FL


12 Zach Cone OF So. 6-2 204 Stone Mountain, GA


23 Ben Cornwell RHP Jr. 6-3 218 Atlanta, GA


38 Earl Daniels RHP So. 6-1 190 Valdosta, GA


34 Chase Davidson OF/1B So. 6-5 230 Alpharetta, GA


22 Brett DeLoach C Fr. 5-11 192 Blackshear, GA


27 Blake Dieterich LHP Fr. 6-2 209 Winter Garden, FL


18 Justin Earls LHP Sr. 6-3 182 Lawrenceville, GA


20 Steve Esmonde RHP Sr. 6-2 190 Lilburn, GA


17 Kyle Farmer INF Fr. 6-0 187 Atlanta, GA


26 Christian Glisson C So. 6-2 196 Hahira, GA


42 Gray Griffith RHP So. 6-3 202 Alpharetta, GA


40 Justin Grimm RHP Jr. 6-4 193 Bristol, VA


46 Craig Gullickson LHP Jr. 5-11 215 Palm Beach Gardens, FL


5 Todd Hankins INF Fr. 5-11 175 Oviedo, FL


13 Chase Hawkins LHP So. 6-1 182 Snellville, GA


45 John Herman RHP Jr. 6-5 228 Atlanta, GA


3 Levi Hyams INF So. 6-2 184 Stafford, VA


30 Zach Laughlin RHP So. 5-11 176 Columbus, GA


31 Tyler Maloof So. RHP 6-1 176 Winder, GA


1 Lance Martin OF So. 5-7 171 Alpharetta, GA


25 Colby May INF So. 6-0 197 Guyton, GA


41 Clayton McKenney RHP Fr. 6-2 206 Atlanta, GA


32 Alex McRee LHP Sr. 6-6 236 Gainesville, GA


7 Cooper Moseley RHP/IF Fr. 5-11 170 Montgomery, AL


19 Robbie O'Bryan 1B Jr. 6-2 250 Marietta, GA


44 Michael Palazzone RHP So. 6-2 183 Marietta, GA


-- Justin Roberts OF Jr. 5-10 180 Bogart, GA


36 Kevin Ruiz RHP/OF So. 6-2 187 Alpharetta, GA


24 Carson Schilling C So. 6-1 204 Macon, GA


43 Robert Shipman OF Fr. 6-2 230 Quitman, GA


35 Eric Swegman RHP Jr. 6-6 208 Cumming, GA


28 Cecil Tanner RHP So. 6-6 223 Waycross, GA


2 Jonathan Taylor OF So. 5-8 180 Acworth, GA


10 Zach Taylor OF Fr. 6-3 220 Statesboro, GA


37 Evan Tieles RHP So. 6-0 239 Roswell, GA


15 Chance Veazey INF Fr. 5-9 175 Tifton, GA


16 Peter Verdin OF So. 6-0 198 Alexandria, VA


43 Jeff Walters RHP Sr. 6-3 192 Windermere, FL


33 Alex Wood LHP Fr. 6-4 216 Charlotte, NC

Dogs Hold Off Gators

Bill Sanders for the AJC
Tired, schmired. Good teams win when tired. And while Georgia might not yet be considered a good team, it took a step in that direction Saturday.


.On the heels of an exhausting battle less than 48 hours earlier in Nashville, Georgia withstood a furious Florida rally Saturday, winning 78-76 and showing that it was more tired of losing than anything else.



“It was important for us to pick ourselves off the mat and come beat Florida,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “Getting close is not what we came here to do, and I think our guys are starting to expect to win, and they’re beginning to believe that they are a pretty solid little team.”



Georgia improved to 13-14 and 5-9 in the SEC and play Kentucky on Wednesday night in Athens. Florida fell to 20-9 and 9-5 in the SEC.



After a 96-94 loss at Vanderbilt on Thursday night, Fox told his bench -- a group that he has maligned at times -- to be ready to play Saturday, and be ready to play well.



Ebuka Anyaorah, Vincent Williams and Demario Mayfield, not household names even in Bulldogs homes -- all contributed minutes, points and defensive stands.



In the end, Fox chose those three to address the media, rather than the starters.



“Our bench has been criticized, by me for one, but I really thought they helped us tonight,” he said. “Mayfield has waited for his turn all year, and he got it. Ebuka gave us some big minutes, too. I told them we were going to play a lot of people today.”



The box score won’t do the bench justice, unless you go to the very last stat -- minutes played. Anyaorah: 14; Williams: 15; Mayfield: 4.



Jeremy Price, who has been Georgia’s biggest bench player for most of the season, was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, scoring 13 points in 22 minutes.



“We knew with the Thursday-Saturday schedule, our starters were worn out,” Anyaorah said. “We tried to make an impact, and I think the whole bench brought a lot of energy. I’m here to help however Coach needs me. If I’m needed to sit on the bench, that’s fine.”



Florida unraveled a bit early, as Georgia went on a 14-0 run midway through the first half. Florida coach Billy Donovan was hit with a technical foul for arguing, and 13 minutes into the game, the Gators had only one basket from inside the 3-point line.



Georgia then ended the half on a 10-0 run to take a 15-point lead to the locker room.



Georgia maintained the double-digit lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half. But then, as has happened many times before, the lead dwindled, this time until it was almost gone.



“We were fortunate the clock ran out,” Fox said. “We didn’t guard well in the second half. We looked sluggish and heavy-legged.”



Leading 78-76 with 1:16 to play, Trey Thompkins missed a 15-footer, giving Florida the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.



The Gators did neither, as Erving Walker’s running jumper bounced out and into Thompkins’ hands. But Georgia, milking the clock, failed to get off a shot before the shot clock expired.



Florida called timeout and had 13.3 seconds to try to tie or take the lead. They were unable to get off a shot either, as Thompkins batted away a pass from Dan Werner with less than one second to play.



Thompkins led Georgia with 20 points. Chandler Parsons had 29 for Florida.

Hewitt doing little with talent

Tech drops out of the Top 25…and more you didn’t already know


 by Carroll Rogers AJC.com
Well, you knew it was coming. After Saturday’s loss at Wake Forest, Tech’s third in four games, the Yellow Jackets dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 today.
They’ve been hovering around No. 20 since early January. Now it’s Wake Forest’s turn, which entered the poll at No. 23, having won five in a row since that 21-point loss at Tech.
Since that game, when Tech seemed to have everything going, the Yellow Jackets have lost three out of four. As a result, Tech (17-8, 5-6) is in the “also receiving votes” category of the AP poll, actually also receiving vote – singular. Now Tech is in dire need of a win against North Carolina Tuesday night to stop the bleeding.
Lineup watch
So what to expect Tuesday after the Yellow Jackets went all topsy-turvy and got 40 points from their bench against Wake Forest and only 24 points from their starters? A change in the lineup perhaps.
(Tech got 12 points each from Moe Miller and Brian Oliver off the bench Saturday and 14 points from Glen Rice Jr.)
“We’re going to look maybe at a change, but we’ll see,” Tech coach Paul Hewitt said Monday before practice. “I’ve got a couple different possibilities in mind. I want to go through practice today and see how everybody looks.”
Hewitt was thinking about a change heading into Saturday’s game, replacing Mfon Udofia in the starting lineup, but changed his mind after Mfon had a strong practice.
Udofia needed another one today, if he wants to start against UNC.
“We’ll look at Glen,” Hewitt said. “We’ll look at Brian. Maybe even Moe. We’ll look at it. Could be Mfon.”
Shumpert slump
Iman Shumpert scored a career-high 30 points against North Carolina in Tech’s win at the Dean Dome on Jan. 16. But now, coming into the rematch, he’s just been shut out at Wake Forest.
Shumpert went 0-for-7 from the floor, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range. He did not go to the foul line. He had one assist and three turnovers and played 21 minutes, six fewer than Moe Miller, the backup, backup point guard who ended up running the team for long stretches.
Hewitt said today that Wake Forest point guard Ish Smith was the difference down the stretch. It looked that way, both by Smith’s example, and the lack of point guard play from Tech over the last few minutes.
I just filed a story about Shumpert’s recent struggles (be on the lookout), but I’ll summarize – both he and Hewitt said today, more troubling than the lack of offensive production lately is how inactive he’s been on defense.
“He had two deflections in 21 minutes (vs. Wake); that’s not him,” Hewitt said. “I talked to him yesterday. He said he’s feeling fine. He feels like he’s just not in it defensively. He said he finds himself standing around and watching, which is something he never does. But he’ll work out of it. It’s just a little bit of a rut.”
Tired late vs. Wake
I asked Hewitt about how easily Wake looked to be breaking down Tech on the drive late in the game Saturday, and he said he thought that might have been a reflection of fatigue and maybe that was on him.
“I’ve been second-guessing myself about how much we may have practiced last week because we looked a little tired in the last four minutes,” Hewitt said. “I was going back and forth whether we should have practiced last Thursday. I decided after how we ended the game against Miami there were some things we had to go over, so I decided to have practice.”
Carolina injuries
North Carolina is down its third big man, and probably its best. Ed Davis broke his wrist falling to the floor last Wednesday against Duke. UNC announced Friday he’ll be out for six weeks. He joins Tyler Zeller, who’s been out since right before Tech played at North Carolina on Jan. 16, and Travis Wear, who has a sprained ankle, on the shelf.
Roy Williams said today on the ACC coaches teleconference that Zeller was supposed to practice today, but it’s the first time he will have done more in practice than a play or two here and there.
“I really do not see him playing tomorrow,” Williams said.
Wear still isn’t practicing at all, so don’t expect him.
Davis was Carolina’s second-leading scorer behind Deon Thompson with 13.4 points per game and their leading rebounder with 9.6 rebounds. The Tar Heels had talented freshman John Henson in his spot Saturday against N.C. State and he did well: nine points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the win.
The guy Georgia Tech has to watch out for is Will Graves, who burned the Yellow Jackets for 24 points, including 5-for-8 3-pointers on Jan. 16 in Chapel Hill.

Midseason recap and preview

Courtesy of the Sports Xchange
SEASON RECAP

Georgia is a game below .500 for the season (10-11) and only 2-6 in SEC play after beating Vanderbilt, but the Bulldogs have been out of only one game in the conference, a 16-point loss at Florida. Their other five losses were by a total of only 20 points, or an average of 4.0 a game.
PLAYER ROTATION
Usual starters -- F Trey Thompkins, F Travis Leslie, C Albert Jackson, G Ricky McPhee, G Dustin Ware. Key subs -- F Chris Barnes, F Jeremy Price, F Drazen Zlovaric, G Vincent Williams, G DeMario Mayfield.
GAME REVIEW

South Carolina 78, Georgia 77

Arkansas 72, Georgia 68

Georgia 72, Vanderbilt 58

GAME PREVIEW
at Auburn, Wednesday, Feb. 10

vs. South Carolina, Saturday, Feb. 13

at Tennessee, Wednesday, Feb. 17

vs. Alabama, Saturday, Feb. 20

at Vanderbilt, Thursday, Feb. 25
IN FOCUS
Perimeter defense will be the key for the Bulldogs at Auburn. They figure to have the advantage inside with Thompkins and Jackson and can match Auburn's athleticism on the perimeter.
ROSTER REPORT
--G Dustin Ware started and played 26 minutes against Vandy despite having flu-like symptoms earlier in the week. He scored 10 points and was 3-of-4 from the field. Freshman Vincent Williams had seven points and four assists in relief of Ware.
--Senior G Ricky McPhee had a career-high five assists against Vanderbilt after being blanked in the category in the previous game.
--F Trey Thompkins was 7-of-12 from the field against Vanderbilt, the third time in the last five games he has made more than half his field goal attempts in a game. He is 41-of-74 (55.4 percent) from the field over that span

Finishing touches to GT class

CBSsports.com
New defensive coordinator Al Groh helped Paul Johnson finish out another balanced, impressive recruiting class with some late pledges, including four-star cornerback Louis Young from Maryland, who had been committed to Stanford.

The class features plenty of solid defensive talent and is heavy with defensive backs, an area of specific concern for Georgia Tech last season.
The class isn't getting much national attention, in part due to its size—the Jackets have just 18 commitments, due to a lack of available scholarships.
But on paper, the class compares favorably to the best the Jackets pulled in during any signing period in the last decade, including the 2007 class that yielded Jon Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt, among others. It is composed almost entirely of in-state players.
There are no quarterbacks in this class, but there are a couple of athletes—Barry Bostic and Synjyn Days among them—who were talented option quarterbacks in high school. Bostic, for one, is projected as a defensive back, although he's happily offered in the past to do some work on offense if Paul Johnson needs it.
Offensive lineman Morgan Bailey is another highlight, bringing size and athleticism in the kind of package Paul Johnson prefers along his line.
Defensive lineman Denzel McCoy is one to watch as well. He stuck by the Jackets when others, including former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin particularly, came in hard for him last fall.
McCoy has already organized much of the Georgia-based portion of this class into a network of phone calls and texts, and some have even gotten together fairly regularly.
It won't get a lot of love from recruiting services, but this is a solid class for the Jackets that fills a lot of holes, and, if those same services are to be believed, projects a lot of future starters, particularly on defense.