The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: RICHARD HAMM Sophomore Rich Poythress hits a single to right field in the bottom of the sixth of the third game against Arizona Sunday. [Click to enlarge]

Georgia baseball will take on two-time defending national champion Oregon State, a team they have yet to beat in four tries, this weekend in Portland.

All four match ups have come in the past two years - a 5-3 Beaver win in the 2006 College World Series and a series sweep by the Beavers to start 2007, a forgettable series for the Bulldogs and one that set the tone for last season's disappointing campaign.

The Diamond Dogs' attention is planted on reversing past trends against Oregon State (1-2), but Georgia coach Dave Perno said his team has a lot to learn from last weekend's series with top-ranked Arizona.

"I think in a lot of aspects I'd like to say we're a poor man's Arizona," Perno said. "I think we can match them pitching-wise, we've got as much depth as they do … if we can mirror them I'll be excited."

After an 8-0 exhibition loss to the Braves on Wednesday, the Bulldogs (1-2) took the 3,000-plus mile trip to Portland on Thursday, where they met a No. 12 Oregon State team that lost several of its key players during the off-season.

"We're going to play well at home, I think we're going to win a lot of games," Perno said.

"But I'll tell you more about this team when we get back from Portland."

The Dogs will have sophomore Dean Weaver back for the series after he sat out of the games against Arizona for violating a team rule. Weaver was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol and possession of a fake ID last May.

The Bulldogs will be without freshman pitcher Justin Grimm for a second straight weekend. Grimm was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol in January.

Perno called Grimm and Weaver "probably our two most talented guys," adding Grimm would likely start Wednesday against Jacksonville State after sitting out the required 10 percent of the team's games.

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