FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
ATHENS, Ga. — For the first time since 2002 when the David Perno era began, the Georgia Bulldog baseball team will open a season on the road.
The college baseball season begins Feb. 19, and the Bulldogs will be in Waco, Texas where they will start with a doubleheader against Duke and Baylor. The Bulldogs will play a total of four games in Waco before returning for their home opener at Foley Field against Presbyterian on Feb. 24 followed by a three-game set with Stetson to close out the month. The 56-game regular season features 29 home games.
In 2010 and 2011, Georgia and Alabama will square off in a neutral site game that will not count in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) standings. On March 3, the clubs will play in Birmingham at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, site of the annual SEC Tournament. In 2011, the Bulldogs will battle the Crimson Tide at the Gwinnett Braves Stadium in Lawrenceville, home of the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves.
Also, Georgia heads back to Tallahassee for a three-game series against Florida State in 2010. The Bulldogs ventured to FSU during the 2008 regular season and for a 2009 NCAA Regional. The rest of the non-conference foes include Georgia Tech, Clemson, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Siena Furman, Winthrop and Western Carolina. The Bulldogs will face the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta on March 16, at Foley Field on April 14 and at Turner Field on May 18 for the eighth annual “Spring Baseball Classic For Kids.” Georgia has won five straight over the Yellow Jackets at Turner Field.
Georgia starts the 2010 SEC slate at home when it plays host to Auburn (March 19-21). The Bulldogs also welcome Ole Miss (April 9-11), South Carolina (April 23-25), Tennessee (May 7-9) and Kentucky (May 20-22). The Bulldogs will be on the road for SEC series against Mississippi State (March 26-28), LSU (April 2-4), Arkansas (April 16-18), Vanderbilt (April 30-May 2) and Florida (May 14-16).
“Once again we have a demanding schedule, and we’ll travel to a lot of tough environments against some challenging opponents,” said Perno who has guided the Bulldogs to the College World Series three times in his eight seasons. “In 2011, Florida State and Baylor plan to come to Foley Field, and that should be two great series for our team and fans.”
For the past two years, Georgia has set school records for total home attendance. A total of 93,360 fans watched the Bulldogs at Foley Field last season. The 2009 Bulldogs attracted five of the top 10 largest crowds in Foley Field history including the largest crowd of 4,461 that saw Georgia blank Mississippi State 4-0 on March 21.
Georgia went 38-24 last year and finished with a No. 24 national ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
The fall semester at UGA begins Aug. 17, and fall baseball practice gets underway on Sept. 13.
