Nathan Moreau

May 1, 2006

Georgia Bulldogs (28-16 overall, 10-11 SEC)

This Week: 3 home games (May 5-7 at Foley Field)
Fri. vs. South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Promotion: Cinco de Mayo: Chips and salsa and the first 500 fans receive a sombrero keychain.
Sat. vs. South Carolina, 4:06 p.m. (FSN-TV)
Promotion: First 350 fans receive a camouflage Georgia t-shirt
Sun. vs. South Carolina, 1 p.m.
Promotion: First 400 fans receive a white Bulldog spirit band

Team Notes: With the sweep of Florida in Gainesville, Georgia (28-16, 10-11 SEC) improved to 8-4 in SEC road games this season. Up next, the Bulldogs play host to SEC Eastern Division co-leader South Carolina (32-12, 13-8 SEC) starting Friday in a three-game set. In the sweep over the Gators, the Bulldogs' team ERA in the series was 1.67 while the team batted .342, outscored them 25-9 and posted a .971 Fielding Percentage. The nationally-ranked Gamecocks face Wofford Wednesday before coming to town. Georgia is 10-6 versus top 25 teams this season. Tickets prices for Georgia baseball home games are $6 for reserved seats, $6 general admission adults and $2 for general admission youth. UGA Students are admitted for free with their UGA ID. Tickets are available by calling 1-877-542-1231 and on gameday. The Foley Field ticket windows open two hours before the scheduled first pitch time.

Junior CF Joey Side (.367-8-31) ranks second in the SEC in hits with 72 and has had 25 multi-hit games. He saw his career-long hitting streak end at 15 games this past Sunday after going 0-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly. During his streak, Side batted .462 (31-for-67) with 14 RBI, batting leadoff or in the number two spot in the order. Also, he has continued to make spectacular catches in centerfield, adding three more this past week. For example, Side ran back full speed and stretched out to snag a rocket off the bat of Ga. Tech's Matt Wieters this past Wednesday at Foley Field. After the contest, Wieters told an Athens Banner Herald reporter, "I really don't know he made it. That's probably the best catch I've seen all year."

Junior LF Jonathan Wyatt (.345-1-19) moved to the leadoff spot in the order last week and has responded in this role. He batted .500 (9-for-18) and posted a .560 OB%. In the Sunday win over Florida, Wyatt saw a total of 36 pitches in six plate appearances, recording three hits and two walks. Wyatt owns an 11-game hitting streak, which matches his career long set earlier this year.

Senior LHP Mickey Westphal (4-0, 3.59 ERA) notched his first complete game SEC shutout this past Friday against Florida as he twirled a six-hitter with no walks and six strikeouts in Georgia's 7-0 win. It was his second career complete game. Westphal did not allow two Gators to reach base in the same inning until the ninth. Westphal's SEC complete game road shutout was the first by a Bulldog since 1991 when Jim Musslewhite blanked Ole Miss 1-0 in seven innings. It was the third in the SEC for the Bulldogs this season as Brooks Brown went the distance in a 3-0 shutout of Tennessee while Brown and Joshua Fields combined to two-hit Arkansas in a 2-0 win in Fayetteville. Overall, Georgia' staff has registered six shutouts this year, the most since 1977 and one shy of the school record set by the 1919 club.

Junior 1B Josh Morris (.327-16-48) needs one home run to tie the school career record currently held by catchers Roger Miller and Doc Brooks who hit 45 apiece. Morris launched his 44th career home run in Saturday's 9-3 road win over Florida.

Senior LHP Rip Warren (6-2, 3.11 ERA) collected his team-leading sixth victory this past Saturday in Georgia's 9-3 win over Florida in Gainesville. Warren has been outstanding in SEC action this season, posting a 4-2 mark, 2.66 ERA with 25 strikeouts and only five walks in 23.2 innings.

Freshman LHP Nathan Moreau went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA last week, posting wins over #8 Ga. Tech and at Florida. He tossed five innings in a start versus eighth-ranked Ga. Tech in Athens, scattering two runs (one earned) on five hits with a walk and a career-high six strikeouts as Georgia won 12-6. Then this past Sunday, he pitched two scoreless innings in relief to notch a win at Florida to complete a sweep of the Gators. For the year, Moreau is now 5-1, 4.46 ERA.