This year’s Georgia baseball seniors will have many memories. They have been at the top of the SEC. They have won several dramatic postseason series. They have made two trips to Omaha and the College World Series. Senior Matt Olson points out another accomplishment achieved last night.

"Our seniors this year have never lost a series to Tech, and that is big for them."

The seniors have Olson to thank in large part for that feat. The junior has 11 RBI and a career .500 (10-20) average against Tech. Nine of those RBI have come in the past two games. He added three more last night, including two in a key eighth-inning hit to break open a close game and lead Georgia to a 9-4 win over the Jackets.

It hasn’t been a great year for the Dawgs, and it will take nothing short of a miracle for their season to continue past next weekend. Still, they are able to take away these two wins over Tech, and so the season isn’t a complete washout. It was fitting that a senior, Adam McDaniel, received credit for the "turning point" of the game in the top of the eighth. Georgia retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh, but Tech had always been able to answer up to that point. McDaniel gave Georgia its first 1-2-3 inning on defense since the first, and for the first time in a while had momentum and confidence in both halves of the inning.

Georgia responded by putting the game away in the next frame. Tech coach Danny Hall’s strategy melted down in the bottom of the eighth. He started the inning by moving his centerfielder to pitcher, changing his mind, moving players all over the field, and even confusing the guys he had out there. Very cute strategy. He then got burned on an intentional walk later in the inning, and Georgia had added four golden insurance runs by the time the damage was done.

As a reminder, let’s update everyone on where things stand between these programs since 2001. Georgia is 15-9 against Tech and 5-1-1 in season series over that time with the only blemish coming in 2002. Lest you think Georgia’s success is just because they might place more emphasis on "meaningless" mid-week games, that record includes a 3-2 advantage against Tech in the postseason over the same time period. They have eliminated Tech from the postseason twice, and the Jackets have finished off the Dawgs once.

It was an unusual year for this rivalry in that Tech could be said to have had the better (or higher-ranked) team in football, baseball, and men’s basketball. Yet the Dawgs were able to hold their own and get the better of the Jackets in football and baseball. Next year, we’ll add basketball back to the list; Tech hasn’t beaten Georgia in Athens since the basketball series went home-and-home in 1995.

Coverage:

• ABH
• AJC