Photo By Dayne Francis | The Signal
The 2016 Georgia State baseball season began on Feb. 19 as the team defeated Western Michigan 3-2 at the GSU Baseball Complex. Freshman Israel Zackery finished his first collegiate game with a walkoff single that won the game for the Panthers. This home opener was one of the three games played by the Panthers in the Atlanta Challenge.
Continuing on in the Atlanta Challenge, Georgia State faced VCU on Feb. 20. The Panthers started strong with a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning. VCU answered to this lead by scoring two runs in the fourth, creating a score of 3-2. Only ahead by one run, Georgia State sophomore outfielder Rhett Harper brought in a run-scoring single which put the Panthers up by two.
VCU rallied back from this deficit by scoring two runs in the fifth inning, one in the sixth, one in the seventh and two more in the eighth. With a score of 8-3, the Panthers had gone through four innings with no runs. Junior outfielder Jaylen Woullard attempted to answer back by providing a two-run single in the eighth, but Georgia State could not seal the victory. The Panthers fell 6-8 to VCU.
Finishing off the challenge on Feb. 21 the Panthers were defeated by Purdue with a score of 3-5. Preparing for each game, the team never views one team to be easier than the others or one game to be harder than the rest. Head coach Greg Frady describes this mentality.
“Every team is a new team,” Coach Frady said. “Each team is a brand new team and you may have returning players, but there could be four new players. That makes that team a brand new team. A brand new DNA.”
The Panthers then hosted a four game set against Coppin State. The first game was on Feb.26, followed by a doubleheader on Feb. 27 where the first game began at 1:00 p.m. and the second at 4:30 p.m., and finally the third game on Feb. 28. In the two teams first meet up, the Panthers swept the Eagles winning all four games while including three straight shutouts in the last three games.
Photo by Dayne Francis | Signal Archives
Throughout the four-game set against Coppin State, Georgia State totaled 55 hits and 64 runs. Completing 41 strikeouts with only four walks, the Panthers played well defensively as well as offensively over the series. The excellent defense and offense are not the only strengths the players portray while playing in games.
“We have many strengths,” Coach Frady said. “One strength I really love about the team is their commitment to one another. They’re good teammates.I can truly see a lot of people trying to help each other. Older guys trying to help the younger guys and if the younger guys are in they do everything they can to help us win. If they’re not in, they’re trying to be a good teammate supporting the guys on the field.”
After falling 6-11 to in state team Georgia Tech on March 1, the Panthers saw a three game series against Minnesota. The Panthers finished with a 1-3 record in the series with the Golden Gophers.
Georgia State played its first conference series against Arkansas State on March 18-20 in which they finished with a winning 2-1 record. The Panthers are now 2-1 in the Sun Belt.
Key notes
- The team currently has an overall record of 11-9.
- Georgia State is ranked No. 5 in the Sun Belt while having UL Lafayette at No. 4 and South Alabama at No.1.
- The Panthers will face Savannah State on March 22 and then face No.4 UL Lafayette in a three game series.
