Preview: Georgia Hosts LSU in SEC Series Finale

ATHENS, Ga. (Interstat) — The Georgia Bulldogs (39-11) seek a series sweep Sunday against the LSU Tigers (29-22) in a Southeastern Conference baseball matchup at Athens Olympic Indoor Hall.

First pitch is set for the afternoon, concluding a three-game set at the indoor venue in Athens, Ga. The weather forecast calls for 68-degree temperatures and cloudy skies.

Georgia has dominated the series’ first two games, winning 13-7 on Saturday and 11-8 on Friday. The Bulldogs enter on a three-game winning streak overall, coming off a series sweep of Missouri last weekend. LSU dropped two of three at Mississippi State before arriving in Athens and has lost four of its last five SEC contests.

Georgia’s lineup features second baseman Tre Phelps, who is on a tear at the plate. In his last four games, Phelps has recorded five hits, including two home runs, and driven in seven runs. He went 2 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs in Friday’s series opener and has hit safely in five of his last six contests.

LSU will look to right-hander William Schmidt for a bounce-back performance. Schmidt took the loss Friday, allowing four earned runs on zero hits with six strikeouts over four innings in an 11-8 defeat. The outing was an anomaly given his command history. Over his two previous starts, Schmidt tossed six innings of one-run ball in a win over South Carolina on May 2, then allowed two earned runs across four innings in a loss at Mississippi State on April 25.

The Tigers will need Schmidt to find his form against a Georgia offense that has scored 24 runs in the first two games of the series. LSU’s Cade Arrambide and John Pearson provided power Friday, each hitting a solo home run in the loss.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 victory for Georgia.

Following Sunday’s game, LSU returns home to host Florida for a three-game series beginning Thursday, May 14. Georgia travels to Auburn for a three-game set starting the same day.