On Tuesday afternoon, for reasons passing my understanding, the newly-unranked Diamond Dogs ventured forth from the Classic City to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on the Catamounts at Ronnie G. Childress Field at Hennon Stadium, because, when many Peach State school systems are on spring break and many loyal Bulldog fan parents would find it especially convenient to take their loyal Bulldog fan children to a midweek college baseball game, that would be the optimal time to go on the road to play, not Clemson, not Mercer, but Western Carolina. Yeah, that was slam-fantastic scheduling there, guys.
That error was amplified by heavy rains in the area which led to the cancellation of tonight’s game. Hopefully, this will have the same effect on David Perno’s Georgia Bulldogs that a manufactured rainout had on Crash Davis’s Durham Bulls, because the Classic City Canines could use the rest to get a few things straight. Consider these data:
- Four of Georgia’s eight everyday players have fielding percentages worse than .960: Hunter Cole (.957), Brett DeLoach (.943), Kyle Farmer (.959), and Curt Powell (.918). The Red and Black have committed 29 errors in 29 games, and the Athenians have committed at least one miscue in each of their last seven outings. In 2012, Georgia is 8-2 when committing no errors and 1-4 when committing two or more errors.
- Four of Georgia’s eight everyday players have batting averages below .300: Kyle Farmer (.297), Levi Hyams (.234), Colby May (.291), and Peter Verdin (.268). Only one Diamond Dog has more than eight doubles, only one Diamond Dog has more than one triple, and only one Diamond Dog has more than three home runs. As a team, the Classic City Canines have hit into 22 double plays and left 253 runners on base; again, that’s in 29 games played this year. The Red and Black are 12-4 when out-hitting the opposition and 5-6 when notching fewer hits than the other team.
- The light-hitting Bulldogs are not equipped to overcome bullpen breakdowns. Georgia is 10-0 when holding the opposing team to one or no runs, but 0-6 when surrendering seven or more runs. Consequently, the Athenians are .500 when scoring two or three runs, but they also are .500 when scoring six or eight runs.
- The Red and Black power outage is particularly pronounced when it comes to the long ball. Georgia is 15-5 when not allowing a home run, but only 8-7 when failing to go yard themselves. The Bulldogs are 8-4 when sending a single shot into the cheap seats, but just 2-4 when allowing a lone dinger by the opposition. The Athenians are 2-0 when sending at least two pitches over the outfield wall, but merely 1-2 when conceding two or more homers.
The Diamond Dogs will be back in action on Friday night against No. 13 Arkansas in Fayetteville---not our Fayetteville, their Fayetteville---before continuing their road swing against Clemson at Fort Hill next Wednesday.
Go ‘Dawgs!