#1 Georgia Bulldogs (35-21, 20-9 SEC)
#2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (39-19, 16-14 ACC)
#3 Louisville Cardinals (41-19, 16-11 Big East)
#4 Lipscomb Bison (32-28, 19-14 Atlantic Sun)
The #8 national seed Georgia Bulldogs host in-state rival Georgia Tech along with Big East champion Louisville and Atlantic Sun champion Lipscomb.
#1 Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia enter the NCAA tournament losing 4 of its last 5, including a 2-and-out performance in the SEC tournament in Hoover. The Bulldogs are led by junior shortstop Gordon Beckham (.394, 23 HR, 57 RBI), sophomore first baseman Rich Poythress (.365, 12 HR, 53 RBI), senior third baseman Ryan Peisel (.331, 7 HR, 43 RBI), and junior catcher Bryce Massanari (.330, 9 HR, 53 RBI). Junior right hander Stephen Dodson (5-3, 3.80 ERA) takes the mound in the opener, and junior right hander Trevor Holder (7-4, 4.48 ERA) and junior left hander Nathan Moreau (3-2, 5.06 ERA) are Georgia’s other likely starters. Senior right handed pitcher Joshua Fields leads the team with 16 saves and a 1.52 ERA.
#2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech enters the NCAA tournament losing its last two games, 15-12 to Miami and 10-4 to Clemson. The Yellow Jackets are led by junior right fielder Charlie Blackmon (.391, 42 RBI, 23 SB), junior designated hitter Luke Murton (.349, 12 HR, 49 RBI), freshman center fielder Jeff Rowland (.345, 21 SB), and freshman shortstop Derek Dietrich (.333, 14 HR, 66 RBI). Junior left hander David Duncan (7-3, 4.47 ERA) takes the mound Friday against Louisville. Head coach Danny Hall has freshman right hander Deck McGuire (8-1, 3.41 ERA), sophomore right hander Zach Von Tersch (7-5, 4.14 ERA), and junior right hander Eddie Burns (7-4, 5.40 ERA) to choose from for the other starts. The Yellow Jackets won 2 of 3 this year against regional host Georgia.
#3 Louisville Cardinals
Louisville went 4-0 last week in Clearwater to win the Big East tournament and have won 25 of their last 31. The Cardinals are led by sophomore third baseman Chris Dominguez (.369, 20 HR, 74 RBI), senior second baseman Justin McClanahan (.369, 10 HR, 56 RBI), junior shortstop John Dao (.353, 30 RBI), and freshman outfielder Stewart Ijames (.346, 7 HR, 36 RBI). Sophomore left hander Justin Marks (9-1, 2.21 ERA) takes the mound Friday against Georgia Tech. Freshman left hander Bob Revesz (1-0, 3.90 ERA) and senior right hander Zack Pitts (6-5, 4.74 ERA) are other likely starters. Senior right hander B.J. Rosenberg leads the team with 9 saves in 25 appearances with a 4.08 ERA.
#4 Lipscomb Bison
Lipscomb went 4-1 last week in Deland to win the Atlantic Sun tournament. The Bison are led by junior third baseman Caleb Joseph (.352, 16 HR, 60 RBI), junior outfielder Allen Bolden (.343, 7 HR, 47 RBI), and senior outfielder Shane Simpkins (.324, 28 RBI). Sophomore left hander Rex Brothers (3-5, 5.69 ERA) takes the mound Friday against Georgia. Other possible starters for the weekend include junior right hander Brandon McClurg (6-5, 3.11 ERA), sophomore right hander Josh Smith (3-3, 4.88 ERA), and senior left hander Michael Dunn (5-4, 4.89 ERA).
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