Spring Break
Perno: Matchup against No. 5 LSU 'will be biggest all year'
MICHAEL FITZPATRICK
Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Sports
He may not be the next Nostradamus, but Georgia head baseball coach David Perno hit one preseason prediction spot on.
Before the season he told his team, the national runners-up, that if they played well through the first half of the season, they could be the No. 1 team in the country heading into this weekend's series against LSU.
And that is just the scenario, as Perno's top-ranked Bulldogs (24-3, 7-2 SEC) welcome the No. 5 Bayou Bengals (21-7, 6-3 SEC) for a three-game series at Foley Field. Just don't expect him to make too much fuss out of this high profile matchup.
"It's just a tough SEC series, like they all are," he said. "It's no tougher than the previous and its not going to be any bigger than the next one. As you play, everyone is the biggest at the time. [Tonight's] game will be the biggest we played all year, and Saturday regardless what happens will be the biggest game all year. We just need to approach it like we do every other game."
Coming of a two game sweep of Clemson and two straight SEC sweeps, the players are amped for this weekend, but like their coach, keep it in perspective.
"We're excited we really are," said senior pitcher Trevor Holder. "It's gonna be a great weekend and LSU is a great team and this is what its all about, this is what the SEC is all about. You have two good teams playing against each other and its gonna be a lot of fun.
"But you can't get too hyped up about one weekend," he added. "They're a great team and we have a lot of respect for them, but it's the SEC and any team can beat you any weekend and as the weeks go on [SEC series] get bigger and bigger …but the main thing is we just have to be focused and take it like every other SEC weekend."
One of the reasons for the team's tremendous start (the best in school history) is because of the way it is built. It relies on the entire roster, a heavy mix of freshmen, juniors and seniors, to perform and pick each other up. And it doesn't hurt that all the players get along.
Before the season he told his team, the national runners-up, that if they played well through the first half of the season, they could be the No. 1 team in the country heading into this weekend's series against LSU.
And that is just the scenario, as Perno's top-ranked Bulldogs (24-3, 7-2 SEC) welcome the No. 5 Bayou Bengals (21-7, 6-3 SEC) for a three-game series at Foley Field. Just don't expect him to make too much fuss out of this high profile matchup.
"It's just a tough SEC series, like they all are," he said. "It's no tougher than the previous and its not going to be any bigger than the next one. As you play, everyone is the biggest at the time. [Tonight's] game will be the biggest we played all year, and Saturday regardless what happens will be the biggest game all year. We just need to approach it like we do every other game."
Coming of a two game sweep of Clemson and two straight SEC sweeps, the players are amped for this weekend, but like their coach, keep it in perspective.
"We're excited we really are," said senior pitcher Trevor Holder. "It's gonna be a great weekend and LSU is a great team and this is what its all about, this is what the SEC is all about. You have two good teams playing against each other and its gonna be a lot of fun.
"But you can't get too hyped up about one weekend," he added. "They're a great team and we have a lot of respect for them, but it's the SEC and any team can beat you any weekend and as the weeks go on [SEC series] get bigger and bigger …but the main thing is we just have to be focused and take it like every other SEC weekend."
One of the reasons for the team's tremendous start (the best in school history) is because of the way it is built. It relies on the entire roster, a heavy mix of freshmen, juniors and seniors, to perform and pick each other up. And it doesn't hurt that all the players get along.
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