Series Preview: GT injuries one of many storylines as UGA series arrives

Off to a 9-0 start, Georgia Tech is just hours away from their biggest test so far this season.

The Bulldogs of UGA, at 6-2, will kick off the 2023 series of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate on Friday night.Scott Stricklin's group will be eager to show improvement after losing the series to GT in 2022, and going winless (0-2) in 2021.

It is no secret that Georgia Tech has faced quite a bit of early adversity, having replaced 60% of their infield, their Saturday starter, and one of their top lefties in the bullpen less than three weeks into the season.

In the absence of the players mentioned above, a group of freshman led by early enrollee Tyler Minnick and Nico Senese, have helped carry the load both offensively and defensively.

The bullpen, in the absence of Cam Hill, has been led by the resurgence of RHP Ben King and an improved LHP Joseph Mannelly.

The back end of the pen has been carried by the hot start of JUCO transfer Terry Busse, who enters the weekend with 11 K in 6 IP, to go along with a 0.00 ERA and just three hits allowed.

FRI: GT- RHP Dawson Brown (1-0, 8.31 ERA ) vs. UGA- LHP Jaden Woods (1-0, 5.40 ERA)

SAT: GT- TBA vs. UGA- LHP Liam Sullivan (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

SUN: GT- RHP Jackson Finley (1-0, 1.00 ERA ) vs. UGA- RHP Nolan Crisp (1-0, 3.68 ERA)

1. Will week one or week two Dawson Brown show up on Friday night in Athens?

On Opening Day, Brown had just about everything go wrong that could go wrong. His outing finished at just 2.2 IP and 83 pitches.

It is important to note that the temperature on Opening Day was in the 40's, with the temperature quickly dropping into the 30's as the game progressed.

He had no command of his pitches; he truly had no clue where the ball was going. He walked five batters, hit two more, and gave up a home run as well.

Leaving the game last in the second inning, Brown had a double-digit ERA, and a lot of people wondering what it was that Hall and Borrell saw that led them to believe he could be a starter.

Than his second start took place, and things began to make a little bit more sense.

Brown showed ace-caliber stuff against Tennessee Tech; throwing 6 complete innings, striking out a career high 12 batters to go along with 0 walks and 0 hit batters. He gave up three runs on just four hits, but two of those were solo HR.

For those wondering what the weather conditions were in Atlanta during his most-recent start, it was in the high 70's.

Forecasted weather for Friday night's matchup? Low 70's, with a strong chance of thunderstorms leading into first-pitch.

Brown being effective on Friday night would set the tone for the weekend. Especially against an opponent in Jaden Woods who has also struggled at times commanding his stuff and limiting traffic.

An outing like the one on Opening Day, and GT's bullpen could be feeling the impact throughout the entire weekend. Especially coming off a mid-week slate that included two games.

2. Can GT avoid any further injuries?

As was mentioned above, Georgia Tech has been devastated by the injury bug thus far this season. 3B Drew Compton, one of the leaders of the team, has a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out all weekend.

RS Freshman Kristian Campbell hurt his shoulder on opening day, and has not been seen since.

SS Jadyn Jackson, another one of the leaders on the team, hurt his elbow last weekend in warmups and some around the program believe he could be out for a prolonged length of time.

LHP Cam Hill, thought to be a candidate to start or fill a role as a setup man, injured his oblique during opening weekend, and has not returned. Obliques can take a substantial amount of time to heal.

Saturday starter Logan McGuire, fresh off arguably the best start in his career, struggled with control last weekend, and ended up leaving with a shoulder injury.

That's the average amount of injuries a baseball team typically gets in six weeks at the least. All of that happened for Georgia Tech the first two weekends of the season.

With so many replacement players already in the lineup, Georgia Tech cannot afford for any further hicccups, both in the batters box and on the pitchers mound.

Not against a UGA team that heads into the weekend at full strength.

3. Who carries the offense?

Heading into the weekend, Georgia Tech has answered the second biggest question they faced in the pre-season, and that was how was the offense going to replace guys like Kevin Parada, Andrew Jenkins, etc.

Jackson Finley, now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, has made his best Shohei Otani impression thus far, leading the team with a .545 average, 6 HR, 16 RBI. On the mound, he's pitched 9 innings, given up one run, and has a 5/1 K/BB ratio.

Jake DeLeo, fully healthy after missing almost all of last season with an injury as well, has made a real impact as well. He's got a team-leading 16 hits to go along with 4 HR and 14 RBI.

Angelo Dispigna, another impact transfer added by James Ramsey and staff, has started right where he left off last season at Mercer. He's also got 4 HR, has 10 RBI, and two stolen bases.

Stephen Reid, known as an all-or-nothing hitter for much of his career, has become more patient at the plate and is seeing the ball well so far this season. He's also got 4 HR, with 12 RBI.

The list of names that could carry the team this weekend is lengthy, but strong. the big question, though, is which one of them step up this weekend?

FRIDAY:

Location- Foley Field, Athens, GA

First Pitch- 6:00pm

Stream- SECN+

SATURDAY:

Location- Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium, Atlanta, GA

First Pitch- 2:00pm

Stream- ACCN+

SUNDAY:

Location- Coolray Field, Lawrenceville, GA

First Pitch- 3:00pm

Stream- SEC Network