Georgia 2012 Softball World Series Capsule

Georgia Bulldogs
SEC (40-14, 17-11)

 
The SEC East has been a very brutal conference. Georgia has managed to do quite well despite teams like Florida and Tennessee garnering most of the headlines. The Bulldogs did go 3-3 against the Gators and the Lady Vols, so they proved that they could hang right there with the best the SEC has to offer. However, some inconsistent play, especially in April, prevented Coach Lu Harris-Champer’s team from competing for an SEC title down the stretch.

Big Wins: 2/25 vs Oklahoma (3-2), 3/31 vs Florida (3-2), 4/19 vs Alabama (7-4)
Bad Losses: 2/12 vs North Carolina State (2-3), 3/10 vs Mississippi State (5-3), 4/14 vs Kentucky (0-4)
Coach: Lu Harris-Champer (12 seasons at Georgia)

Why They Can Surprise:
The Bulldogs may not have a big name pitcher, but Erin Arevalo deserves to be in the conversation with Tennessee’s Ellen Renfroe, LSU’s Rachele Fico, Alabama’s Jackie Traina and Florida’s Hannah Rogers and Lauren Haeger. Arevalo may not garner a ton of strikeouts, but she has a great ERA for a pitcher in the SEC and has certainly gotten the job done during her senior season. Arevalo is the cream of the crop in the Bulldogs rotation, but sophomore Morgan Montemayor and junior Tess Sito are a couple of great complimentary pitchers. Montemayor is the usual secondary starter, but Sito has had some great outings as well despite not seeing too much action on the hill.

Why They Can Disappoint:
It is tough in the SEC, but most of Georgia’s conference losses were due to cold bats. Kristyn Sandberg, Paige Wilson and Sito are the only three Bulldogs who consistently make things happen on offense. Sandberg, a senior catcher and infielder, is a great contact and power hitter. She can do it all. Wilson has been a pleasant surprise during her freshman campaign and Sito has a nice combination of speed and power. The difference in the NCAA Tournament for the Bulldogs will be how much production they can get from the rest of their lineup. Ashley Pauly, Gracie Goulder and Niaja Griffin are all capable hitters and Ashley Razey has some power behind her bat, but they have not been the most consistent group of hitters against the tough pitchers in the SEC. Georgia may not need them to be consistent throughout the tournament, but one or two of them will need to get hot at the right time if Georgia wants to make a deep run.

Key Field Players:
Kristyn Sandberg, Senior, C/IF, .360 BA, 17 HR, 46 RBI
Paige Wilson, Freshman, IF, .327 BA, 9 HR, 43 RBI
Tess Sito, Junior, UTL, .324 BA, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 22 SB
Ashley Pauly, Senior, IF, .304 BA, 30 RBI
Gracie Golder, Freshman, IF, .261 BA, 5 HR, 20 RBI
Niaja Griffin, Freshman, OF, .246 BA, 13 RBI, 22 SB

Key Pitchers:
Erin Arevalo, Senior, Pitcher, 1.47 ERA, 22-6 W/L, 22 CG, 195.1 IP, 234 SO
Morgan Montemayor, Sophomore, Pitcher, 2.60 ERA, 9-7 W/L, 13 CG, 118.2 IP, 132 SO

By the Numbers:
Batting Average: .270 (123rd in nation, 6th in conference)
Earned Run Average: 1.74 (17, 4)
Fielding Percentage: .969 (40, 3)
Scoring Offense: 5.09 (47, 4)
Home Runs per Game: 1.04 (23, 4)
Doubles per Game: 1.13 (123, 5)
Triples per Game: 0.13 (132, 8)
Stolen Bases per Game: 1.61 (27, 4)
Slugging Percentage: .451 (39, 3)
Double Plays per Game: 0.31 (83, 2)

 
Recent Postseason Appearances:

*all team stats through 5/6

 
See All Softball Postseason Capsules