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CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College Blue Hose kick off the 2012 season in Athens, Ga., against the University of Georgia in a three-game weekend series that begins on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the contest ranked No. 11 by Baseball America while PC enters the campaign coming off of its best season in Division I after compiling a 24-32 record in 2011.
PC will look for its first-ever win against Georgia, as the Bulldogs have taken all three meetings since 2009 and lead all-time, 8-0. The No. 13-ranked Bulldogs handed PC a pair of losses early in the 2009 campaign before winning the 2010 matchup, 11-3. This weekend's series marks the first three-game stretch against Georgia in PC's D-I history. Kenny Bryant has posted three RBI on two hits against the Bulldogs and Tony Micklon has driven home a runner as well.
Sophomore righthander Bud Jeter will take the hill on Friday, followed by fellow sophomore righty Chandler Knox on Saturday and southpaw redshirt senior Steven Richardson on Saturday. Last season, the trio combined for 15 of the team's 24 wins, led by Richardson's 6-4 record and his wins against Furman, Wofford and Tennessee. Jeter ranked second on the pitching staff with five wins and earned a victory against High Point, while Knox led all players in appearances (27) and ranked seventh in the Big South Conference with four saves.
Georgia enters this season coming off of a 33-32 season and a trip to the NCAA Corvallis (Ore.) Regional. SEC coaches picked the Bulldogs to finish third in the conference's Eastern Division. The Bulldogs return two .300 hitters in Kyle Farmer and Levi Hyams and also see righthander and Milwaukee Brewers 24th round draft pick Michael Palazzone return as well. Palazzone will take the mound against PC on Friday in the season opener.
Sophomore C/1B Brad Zebedis will look to build on a record-setting freshman year. The Blue Hose slugger enters the campaign the Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year and College Baseball Insider, Louisville Slugger and NCBWA Preseason All-American. Zebedis captured Big South Conference Freshman of the Year honors, a First Team All-Big South selection and a slew of All-American accolades from Collegiate Baseball, ABCA, Baseball America and the NCBWA after he hit a Big South Conference freshman-record .425 batting average in 2011 and tied a league freshman mark with 13 home runs. He also led the Big South in batting average, slugging percentage (.717) and on-base percentage (.492) while ranking in the top five in hits (90), RBI (57), doubles (23), home runs (13) and total bases (152).
The Blue Hose compiled the program's best record in the Division I era last year, racking up a 24-32 record with a three-game sweep of UNC Asheville to close the campaign. The team's March 30th win over Wofford broke the Division I win record of 15 that PC in 2010 and the team's May 8 win over Winthrop gave the team its first 20-win season since the Blue Hose went 25-30 in 2004.
Please click above for a preview video featuring interviews from head coach Elton Pollock as well as Andrew Williams, Brad Zebedis, Gabe Grammer, Matt Nodelman, Tony Micklon, Kenny Bryant and Steven Richardson.
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