Georgia Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #19
Conference Rank: #6 SEC
Georgia Team Page
All-American Paige Wilson led the Bulldogs to a 40-21 overall record in 2013, good enough for a fourth place finish in the tough Southeastern Conference East, and for a #2 seed at the Tempe Regional. Keep in mind how competitive the SEC is-ten conference teams were invited to the tournament, and an impressive six teams were chosen to host regional play. A successful season by any standards, but Georgia dropped two games by identical 2-0 scores to Arizona State. That was disappointing considering their offense averaged over six runs a game throughout the season. The 2013 Dogs were balanced, showing power with 93 home runs and leading the SEC in team hitting at .331, while stealing 92 bases.
2013: 40-21, 14-9
2013 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Lu Harris-Champer
Field Players:
Shortstop Wilson hit .403 and also led the team in at bats, hits, RBIs and total bases, and ranked second or third in most other categories. Named an Easton First Team All American, the Chicago native is just a junior this year. Sophomore Kaylee Puailoa played multiple positions, hit .380, and posted 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. Geri Ann Glasco may have been the Bulldogs best all-around contributor as she not only shined offensively with 19 homers, 61 runs knocked in and a .743 slugging percentage, but also led the team with 17 wins in the circle. Junior Anna Swafford also hit over .300 and finished with team highs in runs scored (63) and stolen bases (22).
Pitchers:
The Bulldogs pitching staff is set, allowing Coach Harris- Champer to worry about other things. That being said, there needs to be improvement; UGA pitching finished tenth in the SEC in ERA with a 3.12 mark. All three starters return in senior Morgan Montemayor, along with sophomores Geri Ann Glasco and Chelsea Wilkinson. Montemayor and Glasco had almost identical stats last year, splitting almost evenly 31 wins, 275 innings, and an opponent batting average of .233. Montemayor’s ERA was a full run per game better (2.28 to 3.32 for Glasco), but Glasco started more games and had more complete games. Add to that sophomore Chelsea Wilkinson, who chipped in 107 innings and tallied more strikeouts per seven innings than either of the other two. Freshman Bekah Farris joins the staff from Marietta, Georgia, bringing two-time First Team All-State credentials.
Who to Watch:
The sophomores. Georgia’s roster lists nine of them, and how they handle their second year will be pivotal. UGA made back to back WCWS appearances in 2009 and 2010, and would like nothing more than to return. If the second-year players can duplicate or exceed their production without putting too much pressure on themselves, the team has enough upperclassmen to make a deeper run than last year.
Final Projection:
The Bulldogs are relatively young and good, but need to show growth in several areas. Team pitching, though experienced, could stand to move up in overall performance, and the defense finished next to last (Kentucky) in the SEC with .961 fielding percentage. Georgia could also use some late-inning offense, failing to come back 15 of 18 times when trailing after five innings. Bright spots are Wilson, Puailoa, and Glasco, who should be able to shoulder the offensive load enough for the Dawgs to have another fine year.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Paige Wilson, SS, 201
Hits: Paige Wilson, SS, 81
Home Runs: Geri Ann Glasco, P, 19
RBIs: Paige Wilson, SS, 66
Runs: Anna Swafford, 2b, 63
Stolen Bases: Anna Swafford, 2b/Niaja Griffin, OF, 22 each
Wins: Geri Ann Glasco, P, 17
Innings Pitched: Morgan Montemayor, P, 138.1
Strikeouts: Geri Ann Glasco, P, 124
Saves: Morgan Montemayor, P, 2
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#59 Malia Rivers
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